Patrick H: Gave Press Piece Of Mind

26 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

• 

  Arch_Druid on March 19 at 8:54 a.m.

  I hadn’t commented directly to the Press for racial comments. I haven’t checked out their web site. But, I did see a letter trying to use Greenland and its being nearly covered in glacial ice as a rebuttal to excepted theories on global warming, never mind that in the last some thousands of years, Greenland always had been covered in glacial ice. At most, if settlements were to be found there, it would have been as fishing villages only. But neighboring Iceland does happen to be fertile and inhabitable. Because both islands exist in the same geographical area of the globe, any global cooling would have affected Iceland as severely as Greenland, rendering Iceland as uninhabitable.

  The fact that Patrick will allow that kind of ignorance into the letters pages, I highly doubt that Patrick will be utterly impressed that a single restaurant boycotts his paper. Not when he can sell it to a faithful cadre of loony tunes.

• 

  Aliasjax on March 19 at 9:03 a.m.

  I’ll be watching this closely. Principle suggests that The Press should not remove the offending words.

• 

  Kage_Mann on March 19 at 9:39 a.m.

  “Not when he can sell it to a faithful cadre of loony tunes”.

  There must be alot of those people around town.Especially,
  people who are in their 60’s-90’s.

• 

  OrangeTV on March 19 at 10:01 a.m.

  Aliasjax, it’s more than just a few “offending words.” It seems to be continual habit of the Press to condone blatantly racist trash talk by allowing multiple posts and video links to white supremacy sites to stand undeleted. Not to mention the ugly anti-Cali and anti-tourist garbage, although I wouldnt expect them to delete that stuff even if it’s totally juvenile and annoying.

  That comments board is an ugly zit on the otherwise beautiful bottom of our town. (Hm, not sure if that’s the greatest analogy but oh well.) It’s a privately owned website, not a street corner and they can remove whatever they deem inappropriate without concern for free speech.

  I just looked and the racist video links are STILL there along with other wonderfully insightful garbage like:

  “The Obomination won’t be happy until he makes us a third world nation like where he was born “Kenya Africa” and rolling in cow dung to keep the flies off him”

  Classy!

  Not a peep yet in regards to my e-mail yesterday to Mr. Editor, I suspect I’ll be ignored, but word of mouth can do amazing things as far as a full-on boycott goes…

• 

  OrangeTV on March 19 at 10:06 a.m.

  Also, a once-beloved HBO refugee whose infamous writing style has a certain very recognizable wit and flair appears to have become bored enough that he’s posting over there now, and naturally, he is ruffling some feathers. I’ll let you figure out who.

• 

  MamaJD on March 19 at 10:49 a.m.

  Can someone provide the links of the offending posts? I have been monitoring the Press but your posts give me the impression I’m missing some things. I am printing the crapola off so I have something to hand to my friends, Marshall Mend and Tony Stewart.

  A few blogger/readers here and there have never gotten the attention of the Press management. I believe if there were tangible examples I could provide those with the Human Rights Task Force, perhaps more attention could be paid to the Press’ apparent tolerance of racist activity.

• 

  Kage_Mann on March 19 at 11:03 a.m.

  So, your going straight to the heavyweights of our town?
  Marshall Mend, whose a realtor and Tony Stewart, whose a retired professor from NIC. Mike P,must be quaking in his boots right now! ;-)

• 

  Nick_Adams on March 19 at 11:12 a.m.

  Good for you, MamaJD.

  KM: Marshall and Tony are two of the most respected civil rights leaders in the state. Ken Howard and Norm Gissell are up there, as well. All were instrumental in the successful efforts to combat Butler and the Aryan Nations.

• 

  Sisyphus on March 19 at 11:23 a.m.

  Agreed Nick. We applaud your efforts, Mama. I’d get you those links but the only one I saw was the one Dave linked to the other day with the ‘off color’ youtube video. OTV, you got anything? Odd that one would have to physically deliver something on their own website for them to become aware.

• 

  MamaJD on March 19 at 11:28 a.m.

  Kage - try working the Google a little.

• 

  OrangeTV on March 19 at 11:34 a.m.

  http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/03/12/editorials/letters/letter02.txt

  includes this comment

  Lets all love each other wrote on Mar 17, 2009 5:47 PM:
  ” ht tp://w ww.wntube.n et/play.php?vid=2453 ”

  *****************
  http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/03/17/editorials/letters/letter06.txt

  includes the same link:

  beautiful music wrote on Mar 17, 2009 3:17 PM:
  ” ht tp://w ww.wntube.n et/play.php?vid=2453 ”

  *****************

  There are similar links on other threads from the same day, but I can’t recall which exact ones, I’m sure they’re still there. There are tons of other comments on nearly every thread (like the Obama one in my previous post) that are certainly questionable and wouldn’t last 5 seconds here..

  It appears they were smart enough to pull the entire Tutu visit thread that was attracting some of the very vilest comments, although it is sad they had to resort to that.

• 

  DFO on March 19 at 11:34 a.m.

  >Marshall Mend, whose a realtor and Tony Stewart, whose a retired professor from NIC. Mike P,must be quaking in his boots right now!<

  Kage; you’d better believe that Patrick and the Press will be shaking in their boots if the leaders of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations get involved in this controversy. You might not be impressed by the task force. But I’d guess that the Hagadone Corp. bought another table at the Human Rights Banquet this week — and their top managers showed up en masse to indicate corporation support for human rights.

• 

  MamaJD on March 19 at 11:35 a.m.

  Sisyphus - I have spoken with people who would have some weight behind their name on this issue before. The problem is that I believe it somewhat of a generational miscommunication. It would be difficult to send someone my father’s age blog links and expect them to wade through the merda to get to the racist comments. By handing a printed off, highlighted copy of the crapola, I can quickly make my point that The Press has a pattern.

  In my heart of hearts, I really am not sure that a few bloggers would get the Press to strengthen their policy because so far, it has not worked to date. I do believe that a group of advocates with a history of promoting human rights, like Tony and Marshall, could have some impact.

• 

  Sisyphus on March 19 at 11:47 a.m.

  I know what your saying mama and I don’t disagree. In fact I very much agree. Despite what you might conclude about the blogging efforts for out issues in southern Idaho, there is more happening outside the tubes. I think all fronts should be utilized. I was disappointed to not see anything about the Human Rights Banquet on HBO. I believe this was the first mention or maybe I missed it. But I applaud Dave for drawing attention to this effort and certainly to you for expanding the strategy. I strongly agree this is and should be a bipartisan effort.

• 

  DFO on March 19 at 11:55 a.m.

  Sisyphus; I ran a link to the story in the “AM Headlines” roundup Tuesday: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2009/mar/17/am-headlines-31709/ .

• 

  Sisyphus on March 19 at 11:58 a.m.

  Sorry Dave, I reckon I missed it.

• 

  OrangeTV on March 19 at 12:53 p.m.

  Sorry for the big ‘ol Blogosaurus, but here’s comments from just one thread from that blends racism and homophobia into one not-so-cute package, and this is apparently AFTER moderation:

  http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/03/12/editorials/letters/letter02.txt

  to hey look at this wrote on Mar 12, 2009 11:14 AM:
  ” And your statistics come from the main street of San Fransico no doubt…Or was it from Oboma country of origin, Kenya Africa. ”

  to wow wrote on Mar 12, 2009 11:25 AM:
  ” the problem is the gays will wait on their front porches for us to come and get them in busses just like New Orleans residents did, and then spend their $2000 on a new color TV and want to go right back into the muck and the mud to live again with our money to rebuild of cours. ”

  To well wrote on Mar 12, 2009 11:43 AM:
  “if we were so lucky as to have San Francisco under water why on earth would you want to save the scum, Let them drowned. ”

  To Golden Mean wrote on Mar 13, 2009 6:25 PM:
  ” While you’re looking for the origin of honky, look up belagonna. You’ll notice The Press and the moderator allow honky, but probably do not allow n–—. Well, they didn’t! Isn’t this some kind of double standard or bias? Isn’t The Press showing racist tentencies for allowing words that denigrate White people but not Black people? Hmmmmm? Let me try “darkie”. It’s in several old and very beautiful songs, like “Old Folks at Home” and others. So, it was very acceptable in our country at one time. But now, only words that put down the White race are allowed!!!! Shame shame shame ”

  To Golden Mean wrote on Mar 13, 2009 6:35 PM:
  ” If I remember right, you’re good with poetry. Do you remember the song, “Without a Song”, or “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” and “My Old Kentucky Home”? Good songs!
  See how times change though? Now we would have to sing about “African-Americans” instead of darkies. I’m not sure it would have the right rhythm or rhyme.

  No class issue wrote on Mar 14, 2009 11:24 AM:
  ” It’s a race issue since they get scholarships just for being minorites. They don’t have to have as good a grades if they are minorities either. Bottom line is that it tells me minorities just aren’t very bright. ”

  Sorry but you are wrong wrote on Mar 14, 2009 12:08 PM:
  You have posted many many times fun gal that you are a liberal Californian that doesn’t get along anywhere other that around minorites and perverts so I don’t believe there is anyone reading these posts that dosen’t know you. I am not sure where GM is from but he to only gets along around minorities and perverts.

  To Beaner wrote on Mar 14, 2009 2:30 PM:
  Did I hurt your feelings, I am so sorry. I spelt it better for you this time but it will probably get deleted. ”

  ” Youre just silly wrote on Mar 14, 2009 4:32 PM:
  You have a very good point but unfortunately the moderator won’t let us use the words that are appropriate to describe the way we really feel here in North Idaho about the liberals or the minorities and the White flight to North Idaho.

  To fun gal wrote on Mar 14, 2009 5:55 PM:
  That is the way it is with most big city people in California but most of them that come here are trying to get away from the scum and slime of the gehttos of the big city. ”

  To To Golden Mean wrote on Mar 17, 2009 2:59 PM:
  ” Why do you think his posts are always so stupid, The AIDS has affected his brain”

  and just for a laugh

  ” Why don’t you mouth-frothing jackals from HBO go back to that mind-numbing pit of socialist chitchaters? Your schwarmy schtick has jumped the shark. JC level ‘creative writing’ 201 has short legs. Stop embarrassing yourselves.
  Now, trot on back to Papa Ollie and succor his patience. That’s a good boy. ”

• 

  Aliasjax on March 19 at 3:56 p.m.

  Orange, are you saying that the expression of these distasteful and ignorant thoughts has no value? I disagree. Expression of these thoughts, regardless how reprehensible, is indication of how far we still have to go to eradicate these ideas. This is the democratic process. These ideas need to be repudiated, which cannot happen if the ideas are closely held yet never expressed. One of the few remaining values of a local press is to give voice to even unpopular views. It’s the community’s responsibility to respond.

  If the Press shuts off this discussion to protect profits it may be better off financially, but will the community be better off by forcing these knuckle-dragging mouth breathers underground?

  Wouldn’t it be nice if all the views expressed were sunshine and lollipops…forcing these views out of the public square only makes it easier for enlightened people to stick their head in the sand.

• 

  OrangeTV on March 19 at 4:25 p.m.

  >>Orange, are you saying that the expression of these distasteful and ignorant thoughts has no value?

  Yes.

  >>One of the few remaining values of a local press is to give voice to even unpopular views.

  Show me examples of anything similar in any other paper or on their site. No paper endorses or prints blatant racism. It goes beyond “expressing an unpopular view.”

  >>forcing these views out of the public square…

  It’s not a public square, it’s a privately owned enterprise.

• 

  Sam on March 19 at 4:42 p.m.

  Kage, Nick is spot on. Tony Stewart may be soft spoken but he’s pretty well-known and powerful when it comes to human rights issues not just in Idaho but nationwide.

• 

  Stickman on March 19 at 9:06 p.m.

  Thanks Mama, good to see you about.

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