Southern expert Zell "Go Bush!" Miller in trouble for embracing lynching

[pruner]

Democratic senator under fire for 'lynching' comment

Miller stands by remark

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia came under fire Friday from civil rights activists who demanded an apology from the conservative Democrat after he equated his party's opposition to the nomination of a conservative African-American judge to a lynching.

Miller -- who has already rankled Democrats by endorsing President Bush for re-election -- refused to apologize.

"Either Senator Miller has conveniently forgotten a frightening period of American history, or he is willfully demeaning all those African-Americans who were hung from trees throughout the period of racial segregation in the South," said Wade Henderson, the director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

<snip>

"The Democrats in this chamber refuse to stand and let her do it. They're standing in the doorway, and they've got a sign: Conservative African-American women need not apply. And if you have the temerity to do so your reputation will be shattered and your dignity will be shredded. Gal, you will be lynched," Miller said.

<snip>

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/14/miller.lynching/index.html

[Mattforclark]

1. Maybe its a GOOD thing

That he endorsed Bush rather than a dem.

[elperromagico]

2. Self-delete

[RandomKoolzip]

3. F$ck Zell.

That piece of shit deserves permanent censure. I'd rather he make the big switch instead of stinking up our house all the time.

[oasis]

18. Double fuck Zell Miller.

[eileen from OH]

4. What seems to be ignored in all this. . .

is the "gal" thing. Maybe it's a Southern thang that I can't appreciate but using "girl" or "gal" for a woman irritates me.

eileen from OH (struggling to make - or maybe even HAVE - a point. I dunno, it just sounds wrong and demeaning.)

[elperromagico]

5. It could be worse

Just be thankful Zell didn't call her a "Nigra Gal."

[Isome]

6. "Gal" is a southern male thing

I only recall hearing it in reference to adult African American women and young white girls. I could be wrong.

Maybe Zell had a flashback while he was waxing nostalgic about strange fruit (blood on the leaves, blood on the root), and the "gal" just slipped out.

[elperromagico]

7. Then, of course, there is the notorious "boy,"

used in reference to African-American males of all ages.

[Isome]

9. But of course (said with a heavy French accent)

Hence the poignancy of striking garbage collectors in Memphis ('68) to wear sandwich boards with a single line of text: I am a MAN!

The good ol' days... when the U.S. was oh' so colorblind...

[MinnFats]

14. i noticed 'darlin' a lot, too

and these were nice folks who meant nothing demeaning by it. some things are just so ingrained in the lexicon.....we northern types probably have a few figures of speech that grate, too.
(even so, there are plenty of reasons to find Miller abhorrent.)

[Eric J in MN]

8. he's not the first to use the term lynching inappropriately

Clarence Thomas said that criticism of him during his hearings was "a high-tech lynching."

Columnist Thomas Sowell has written three columns about Janice Rogers Brown titled "The Lynch Mob Gathers (1, 2, and 3.)"

It's a despicable defense for despicable people from despicable people.

[Eric J in MN]

10. I just read the article and

I just read the article and Zell Miller himself says that Thomas Sowell called it a lynching so he should, too.

Apparently, he figures that if a statement is made by a slimy columnist, it must be repeated on the floor of the US Senate.

[Classical_Liberal]

13. A republican columnist to boot

.

[MinnFats]

15. Clarence Thomas soooo pissed me off with that....

....Hey Clarence, when somebody is lynched they're not invited in front of a Congressional committee to defend yourself, with the generous help of dozens of ideologues who want you on the court at any cost.....

....and Hey, Clarence, a lynching ends with the victim dead. The worst that could happen to you is you don't get a Supreme Court seat. You're not going to wind up dead.....

...sorry if I offend.

[Isome]

16. Exactly... but no one noticed...

Clarence doesn't believe blatant racism like that exists, unless of course it suits his needs to say it does.

While we're on the subject, he should be congratulated for earning the Lifetime Achievement Buckwheat Award. There are some Blacks who have shamelessly pawned our legacy and our history to curry favor with whites in power (not Blacks with whom we simply share a difference of opinion on matters of public policy or electoral politics). This scorn is specially prepared, and served piping hot, to those in positions of influence who have worked the hardest to put us back the furthest. For them, a truly special honor is in order: The Buckwheat Award or “Bucky”. A special recognition for Blacks who excel in minstrelsy.

Congratulations Thom!!

[Michael Harrington]

19. He needs a visit...

from the DROP squad.

[Isome]

21. Hey...

What do you know about that? That's definitely a cultural thing! *lol*

[Michael Harrington]

22. Eriq LaSalle and Ving Rhames rule.

Plus I have Afrimerican family members. I'm not your usual Virginia cracker ;)

[Isome]

23. Unbelievable...

I think you're breaking some kind of rule knowing about that movie. Or, is that a stereotype you're breaking... ;-)

[Michael Harrington]

24. I also laughed so hard...

I almost hurt myself when Martin started talking about how Shakespeare didn't know about true tragedy unless he'd seen Cooley High. "Man...Cochise was gonna get out! He was gonna get a scholarship! *snif*" :D

I'm a culturaly aware ofay.

[Isome]

26. Vondi Curtis-Hall had my favorite line

"Sometimes when you get over the wall, you have to throw a rope a back!"

[Michael Harrington]

28. Vonde is money in the bank.

That long square off he and LaSalle had on ER over Benton's son was awesome drama.

[wtmusic]

11. See? These are the guys Dean wants on his side

j/k, j/k :-)

[dae]

12. I'll use an old and honored LSU chant (usually reserved for Ole Miss)...

GO TO HELL Zell Miller! GO TO HELL!

[corarose]

17. Is there a petition drive going to get rid of Zell Miller?

I think that Zell should go back to the party that he came from and he still is in the Republican party.

Can we do a petition drive to oust him from the Democratic Party?

[Michael Harrington]

20. The "Standing in the Door" thing...

...is a none-too-subtle echo of George Wallace. Cue Hannity and Tweety to tell us all about the good old days when Republicans supported the '64 Civil Rights Act.

Ever feel like you've slipped into the Twilight Zone, that they can say these things and people are too stupid to call them on it?

[Classical_Liberal]

25. Conservative Black females are over-represented on

the judiciary because of repukes. They are the uncle tom's of black society, so Zell is waving the confederate flag while denouncing it. He is really odious.

[Cat Atomic]

27. This is an opportunity.

Kick his sorry ass out of the party and let Democratic politicians say, 'we don't tolerate this Trent Lott-style racist garbage the way Republicans do'.

[Michael Harrington]

29. He needs to be stripped

Of his Superdelegate privileges, committe assignments and (most importantly) his rights to attend caucus meetings. I'd about guarantee that he's funnelling info to at least McConnell and their committee if not Rove (just like Gramm did when he was doing his turncoat thing, circa 1983.)