The Root: Clarence Thomas the Mugabe of the Court

Over at The Root, where Slate magazine sequesters black journalists, Michael Arceneaux decides it's time to excommunicate certain undesirables from the African-American brotherhood. Because "while we love our own," he writes, "we sure do dream of erasing a few of them from the history books." I know the feeling, Michael. There are lots of embarrassing white people I'd like to Stalinize from history too—Ulrike Meinhof, Calvin Schiraldi, Yngwie Malmsteen.

So who makes the list? D.C. Sniper John Allen Muhammad? Check. Ugandan murderer Idi Amin? Of course. And obviously the sinister dictators Papa Doc, Baby Doc, Robert Mugabe, and Rafael Trujillo are represented (though Mengistu, oddly, gets a pass). Let's see. Who else? Oh. How about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas?

Obviously.

As Radley Balko points out, it is also odd that Arceneaux chooses to quote Zora Neale Hurston in his intro, for her often conservative politics would likely merit inclusion in The Root's list of apostate blacks.

Tip of the hat to Dave Weigel and Phil Klein.

Damon Root wrote about Thomas's silence on the bench earlier today.

Comments

[capitol l]

eengvay, seriously? You are going to burn in neo-classical shred hell for that one.

Yep, an eternity of sweep picked arpeggios played through an amp that goes to fuckin' 11.

[Syd Henderson]

Yngwie is a louse?

[Me]

Yngwie is going to release the fookin' fury!!!!

[The Libertarian Guy]

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/34676

[Mike G]

Slate sequesters black journalists at The Root because I have yet to read anything there that rises to the level of good journalism.

[John Tagliaferro]

Are you saying that Blacks can not write well?

[White Guy]

Well, not those blacks, anyway...

[John Tagliaferro]

Oh, those people. Carry on.

[matt]

Hey now! Slate pays The Root's writers good money to be safe and uninteresting.

When there's a market for something, people find ways to supply more of it.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

It makes me grateful that I get such awesome free content on this site, even if I do occasionally donate a small sum of money.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I nominate Barack Obama.

[White Guy]

Another year or so, and you'll be seconded.

[John Tagliaferro]

+1

[Old Mexican]

Clarence Thomas
Although he's only the second man of color to serve in the Supreme Court, the Backstreet Boys have more standing in the black community than Clarence Thomas. That's because he looks to the Constitution as "colorblind," says he's a man who just happens to be black and opposes government programs intended to help minorities. I'm not sure if the late Thurgood Marshall would want to pop Clarence 'side his head with his gavel, but there are plenty of blacks who would volunteer to do it for him.

God forbid people found the Constitution color blind!

It is clear that if you want to have good standing in the Black Community (according to The Root), you have to be for government programs that "intend" to help minorities by placing them in welfarish bondage.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I know! The fiend!

[Pro Libertate]

You're just thankful that you aren't on the list, The Art. For fifty bucks a week, I can make sure you stay off of it.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

If I were a celebrity, I'm almost certain those fuckers would've put me on the list. I'm really insecure...I don't think I have enough in common with the "black community" (which apparently doesn't include me...Q.E.D.). Just tell me where to send the $50.

[Pro Libertate]

Send it to the LP. They need it more than I do.

You know, a black libertarian may be the greatest minority ever in the history of minority groups.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I know. I feel lucky I'm not gay or colorblind or something on top of it.

[Pro Libertate]

Yeah, you might vanish out of existence, then.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

On a serious note, I run into black libertarians on a semi-regular basis, but when I look at photos of libertarian conventions...nope.

[Ziggy]

Ive never met a black libertarian, ive heard they exist but have never actually see one!
What's worse in the black community, being gay or being libertarian?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Probably being libertarian, but it's close.

[Fletch]

That "down low" shit must really be serious!

[The Art-P.O.G.]

That might explain why the number of black libertarians is so low. There are not only "down low" black gay men, but also "down low" black libertarians.

[OMG]

Being a black, gay, libertarian of course.

[Todd]

As a Black libertarian, I'd say gay wins out. That said, the main beef Blacks have with the libertarian movement is the appearance of bias, especially since racist conservatives ape libertarian language to screw over Blacks for the most part. That said, once you break it down, they're at least willing to give a fair hearing.

[Pro Libertate]

You'd think blacks as a whole would be getting a little pissed at the Democrats, who, frankly, treat blacks like shit. It's the problem with being a given voting block--you get no respect.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

You'd think so, too, but to hear MNG telling it, black people mostly vote Democrat becasue it supposedly serves the interests of the black community. I don't see how, But then, the way most Republicans are, I don't see how helpful that would be, either (obviously, I'd make an exception for individuals like Ron Paul).

[Todd]

The main way voting Democratic helps Black people is in the pork business. It doesn't help to be a member of a party where a non-trivial part runs on sticking it to the darkies. LOL

[Todd]

The main way voting Democratic helps Black people is in the pork business. It doesn't help to be a member of a party where a non-trivial part runs on sticking it to the darkies. LOL

[Clich? Bandit]

John Monds, Georgia.

Spoke with him at the LSLA one year. Nice guy.

I spit my last breath at thee!

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Good stuff, Cliche Bandit.

[BakedPenguin]

I worked as a team leader for an early voting site in the 2008 primaries. As part of our training, we had to learn to work the voters' database. Since I was bored, I had to check out the Libertarians.

IIRC, I remember seeing about 8-10 registered Libertarian voters who checked "African American". This from a (total) population of about 1.5 million or so.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Wowsers. I'm actually registered as an Independent. Maybe I should register as a Libertarian, because that statistic is bad.

[Pro Libertate]

Really, there's something wrong with us for that to be true.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I wonder how many black voters are registered as 'Independent'?

[BakedPenguin]

I should mention that may not have been comprehensive. Also, at the time, I myself was registered as a Republican so I could vote for Ron Paul.

[LibertyBill]

Im a Hispanic Libertarian, how rare am I?

[PIRS]

"Im a Hispanic Libertarian, how rare am I?"

These people might know the answer to that question:
http://www.hacer.org

[Ziggy]

Depends, if you hispanic born or living in the US then you are really rare, imo. Which I always found ironic how latin americns fled their (for the most part) government controlled/overregulated economies and want the same for the US.

Now in Latin america it is not that reare to know libertarians, at least not as rare as finding a hispanic libertarian in the US.

[grylliade]

You're just thankful that you aren't on the list, The Art. For fifty bucks a week, I can make sure you stay off of it.

For what it's worth, I gave Pro Lib fifty bucks, and I'm not on the list.

Best fifty bucks I ever spent.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Damn. With a testimonial like that, I'd be stupod not to give Pro Lib the 50 clams.

[Pro Libertate]

The fixer business is a lucrative one. Come to me for all your list-prevention needs.

[Mad Max]

The Art-P.O.G. is black?

That was a close one! I was about to introduce you to my sister.

(I'll introduce her to that nice white guy Phil Spector instead. I hear he isn't seeing anyone right now.)

[Jeffersonian]

I remember seeing a PBS documentary on the trial of Tom Metzger, the leader of the White Aryan Assholes or something like that. At one point, the prosecution enters into evidence a cartoon section of a black man's head, pulled from some tract that Metzger published. The title is "What's on a Nigger's Mind," with the brain sectioned off into the standard racist fare: Watermelon, white women, etc.

Now we have Michael Arceneaux to correct that characature, letting us know that the proper things for an African-American to be thinking about are racial spoils, redistribution and the perpetual grievance industry.

This, I suppose, is progress.

[Todd]

Considering that Jim Crow economically functioned as a scheme to take money and opportunities from Blacks and give it to Whites, esp. the poor ones, I can understand the logic behind that. Personally, I think the key is to weaken the structure so that no one can milk no one else (hence the whole libertarian thing), but the impulse is definitely understood. It's not right, but high definitely understandable.

[Tom Metzger]

Just for the record my civil trial was a set up including paying the main witness a monthly check and until the U.S. Supreme court refused to hear the case.Of course I know that those that do not like my Racial views could care less about a miscarriage of justice. Hypocrisy is the national sport.

[Andrew S.]

This has already been done, and Clarence is still black. The black delegation approved the white delegation's selection of Colin Powell, and gave the whites Condi Rice as well.

[HeadTater]

But if we wanted to removed people like, say, Hitler or Jefferson Davis, that made caucasian people look bad from history, people would call it racist.

I don't see how Clarence Thomas is even anywhere near on par with the likes of Mugabe and the DC Sniper.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Are you kidding? He looks to the Constitution as colorblind! He's worse than Hitler!

[John Tagliaferro]

Making him nowhere near a God like Stalin or Castro. I hope he has good security around his suburban Virginia home.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Top of the hat to Dave Weigel and Phil Klein.

Come on, they deserve the whole hat.

[John Tagliaferro]

Why isn't Weigel on the Stalinize list?

[grylliade]

Because Weigel rocks?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Word...we forgive his bitter betrayal.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

They also put my hero Dennis Rodman on the list. These people are clearly mental defectives.

[Almanian]

That's just not right. Rodman was Mr. Rebound when he was with the Pistons. The man was nothing but hard work, cause he sure didn't have tons o' skills. Respect.

I view his later eccentricities not as removing him from the black community, but rather expanding his standing to also be a member of the freak community.

But I'm a cracker, so I'm not qualified to speak on this. Tried to help you, Worm...

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Nah, you're right, Almanian. 100% right.

[PIRS]

I thought we would be in a post-racial era if our Lord and Savior Barack Obama was elected as POTUS. Was I lied to?

[Joel]

Yes.

[White Guy]

(Nelson Muntz)Ha ha!(/Nelson Muntz)

[DanD]

What a disgusting article.

The Root's, that is.

[Warren]

What? No fucking Colin Powell now?

There's a number of head scratchers on the list. Many I've never heard of.

[PIRS]

He supports Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama now so he has reformed. Back when he supported Bush (either of them) he would have made a list like this one.

[Yadda yadda]

Hey, if you want to fuck Colin Powell, we'll not stop you.

[Pro Libertate]

I find that cover offensive. Can I report that magazine to some sort of authority on racism?

[Almanian]

That would be racist.

[wingnutx]

Thomas is not authentically black.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I feel you. He's like a Terminator endoskeleton covered in organic blck guy.

[wingnutx]

So he can pass through the time cube.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

And then do something kind of Uncle Tommish in the past, right?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

But I actually feel Thomas represents the black cyborg community quite well.

[wingnutx]

Maybe he could slip "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." into an MLK speech.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

OMG it was him. Integrationist Skynet won.

[wingnutx]

I found his theme song.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Awesome tuneage.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I'd still respect The Root if they'd have included themselves in the list.

[ClubMedSux]

Calvin Schiraldi? Seriously? You Red Sox fans win two fucking World Series and you still find ways to whine about losing...

[R C Dean]

That's because he looks to the Constitution as "colorblind,"

You know, it is. The only references to race in the whole document are a couple of jurisdictional references to "Indians not taxed, and Article 15, which says you can't deny anyone the vote because of their race.

says he's a man who just happens to be black

The fiend! How dare he follow MLK's dream that people be judged by the content of their characters, etc.

and opposes government programs intended to help minorities.

[Searches Constitution in vain for delegated power re "helping minorities". Finds nothing. Shrugs].

[Tulpa]

Article 15? My Constitution only has 5 articles; you must have the director's cut.

[Pro Libertate]

Fifteenth Amendment, he means.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I'm not getting an Article 15! I'll take the court martial!

[wingnutx]

You get a Big Chicken Dinner.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Dizzzaammmn. Took me forever to remember what that stood for, I actually did hear about that happening to someone befre. They didn't want to take the Article 15 and then their court martial somehow ended up in a bad conduct discharge. D'oh!

[wingnutx]

You can get one from an Article 15 (or Captain's Mast as we call it in the Navy/USMC).

[The Art-P.O.G.]

True. It's just unlikely to happen and I think can only happen with a Field Grade Article 15 (which I guess would be Captain's Mast in the Navy/USMC).

[Michael]

And while Snipes has the right to speak freely and date who he pleases, we reserve the right to give the cold shoulder to anyone who.....fails to pay his taxes.

[Squornshellous Zeta]

Ye gods. This has to be one of the most disgustingly racist things I've seen in a while - Root's whole site.

Also check out their list of "The Blackest White People We Know." I thought we were supposed to be post-racial, now that Urkel is in the White House.

And note also one of the reasons given why Ken Burns is on the list of "black" white people:

"...and he's a generous donor to the Democratic Party."

Ah! Yes - that would qualify one to be black, wouldn't it? All you have to do is throw cash at the Dems, and you get to be an honorary black guy. But if you share beliefs with Clarence "Uncle" Thomas, well fuck you.

[John Tagliaferro]

I can't believe their masters let them write things like that either. Must be some sort of sense of control thing.

[CSConrad]

However, it isn't like Thomas has been a stand-up guy on the Court. He's more like Scalia's Mini-Me.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Yeah, I don't agree with everything C. Thomas has done, but he mostly pisses off the right people.

[C. Thomas Howell]

Someone mention me?

[wingnutx]

No way.

In a series of rulings, Thomas has also embarked on a critique of the Court's federalism jurisprudence. In United States v. Lopez (1995), he focused on its Commerce Clause cases. Lopez involved an attempt by the federal government to regulate handgun possession in a Texas public school pursuant to the 1990 Gun?Free School Zones Act. Joining the majority's opinion denying the federal government's authority to regulate such local activities, Thomas filed a separate concurring opinion in which he criticized the Court's Commerce Clause jurisprudence dating back to the New Deal. The Court's interpretation, having "drifted far from the original understanding of the Commerce Clause" (p. 584), had allowed Congress to regulate anything that might have a "substantial effect" on interstate commerce. When "taken to its logical extreme" the substantial effects test allowed "Congress a 'police power' over all aspects of American life" (p. 584). This reading of the clause had rendered most of the remaining provisions of Article I, section 8 "superfluous" and came "close to turning the Tenth Amendment on its head." In Printz v. United States (1997), Thomas reiterated these concerns, relying on Lopez to argue that the federal government's attempt under the Brady Act to regulate wholly intrastate gun sales violated the Commerce Clause as well as the Tenth Amendment. In dicta, Thomas suggested that the Second Amendment conferred a personal right to keep and bear arms and might present yet another bar to the Brady Act.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Awesome, C. Thomas. You definitely got that one right. That article in The Root didn't mention it, though. Weird.

[ClubMedSux]

You see, black people are all... "Yo! I'm gettin' the fedral guv'mint all up in yo biz-niss because that muthafucka indirectly impacts interstate commerce, G!" And white people are all... "Um, uh, excuse me sir but when I was driving my Prius to Nordstrom a gentleman on NPR was heard to remark that the Founding Fathers actually intended the Commerce Clause to apply only in situations where interstate commerce is directly impacted. Now if you'll excuse me I'm late for my Star Trek convention."

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Heh heh heh, well done, ClubMed.

[wingnutx]

If they'd follow the original intention of the 10th, then we wouldn't have to worry about 90% of the crap they are trying to foist off on us right now.

Thanks, Roosevelt.

[Tulpa]

Yes, Teddy did fuck that up pretty bad.

[wingnutx]

Wickard v. Filburn, motherfuckers.

[OMG]

Growing wheat in your backyard was never the same

[Pro Libertate]

That's really not true. I don't know where the Thomas-follows-Scalia meme started, but they have significantly different views. Granted, they've voted together quite a bit, but that's the old left-right block in action.

I rather like Thomas as a justice. He's been pro-government more times than he should've been, but he's the closest thing to a libertarian on the Court.

Until Judge J. Brown gets accidentally nominated and confirmed ("She's what? But she's a black woman!"), that is.

[wingnutx]

She's not authentically a woman, either.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Fem-bot?

[Pro Libertate]

I don't care if the woman is a Terminator--she should be on the Court, saving our liberties and kicking the government's ass.

[wingnutx]

Which kind of fem-bot? Steve Austin or Austin Powers?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I don't know. Which has the more impressive electronic femme fatale?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

OK, I'm going with the Steve Austin ones, because they look freaky when their face plates fall off.

[Fletch]

Which kind of fem-bot?

Stepford Wife, of course...

[Polynikes]

Who cares as long as you can program her for "bj".

Yeah, I'm married.

[OMG]

+1

Agree.

[matt]

Scalia is the Larry The Cable Guy version of Clarence Thomas: a stupider and more logorrheic imitation.

George Will and Jonah Goldberg work as an analogy, too.

[Joel]

Damon Root wrote about Thomas's silence on the bench earlier today.

He's probably just ashamed of being such an oreo.

[wingnutx]

Maybe he'd rather listen and mull over the arguments, rather than grandstanding for the press.

Nah, he's probably just stupid.

[Ziggy]

I really dont understand the brainwashing that has gone on in the black community were the likes of Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are elevated while, walter williams, thomas sowell and Justice Thomas are treated as traitors to their race...

[Ziggy]

talking about sowell: http://www.hoover.org/multimedia/uk/79454652.html

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Well, like George Clinton said, you have to rise above it all or drown in your own shit.

[Jenkem]

Don't bash on Yngwie- he'll release the fucking fury.

[Solanum]

Yngwie Malmsteen.

That's Yngwie *J.* Malmsteen to you.

[just wonderin']

Malmsteen sounds like a Jewish name.

[Hazel Meade]

Ulrike Meinhof, Calvin Schiraldi, Yngwie Malmsteen

One would think that "Stalinizing" people that nobody has fucking heard of would be unnecessary. But who am I to judge?

[j.i.am]

Zombie alert.

Wiki entry on Ulrike Meinhof:

Meinhof's body was buried six days after her death, in Berlin-Mariendorf. In late 2002, following investigations by her daughter Bettina, it was discovered that her brain had been retained (apparently without permission) by a hospital in Magdeburg, following the autopsy performed as part of the investigation into Meinhof's death.

[Mad Max]

Her zombie was much nicer than the pre-zombie version.

[MNG]

I'm betting there has been a fair amount of frothing at the mouth in the posts above. How dare those black folks not like Clarence Thomas, why they don't know what's good for them.

Or, they do. Face it, before Obama Clarence Thomas as probably the most powerful black man in the government. And most black people think he consistently takes positions which are harmful to black people's interests.

Of course all you white guys know whats "really" in their interests, right? When will they learn, I mean really?

[PIRS]

"And most black people think he consistently takes positions which are harmful to black people's interests."

Please, tell me, I am interested: How are "black interests" any different from "white interests" or "Asian-American interests" or "Samoan-American Interests". I would love to know how they are different.

[MNG]

Your either trying to be cute or yoour obtuse. Some programs benefit members of some groups more than others, i.e., affirmative action. Those against such programs would be against the interests of the groups that benefit more from them. Likewise some groups need certain government program benefits more than others, so being against those programs is to be against the interests of groups who need those benefits more.

[PIRS]

"Some programs benefit members of some groups more than others"

So are you saying those programs are racist?

[MlR]

Game. Set. Match.

But that's good racism, you see.

[MNG]

What a tired fool you are. In the 90's when I was donating to the Center for Equal Opportunity and standing in the cold in threee different states getting peititons signed for Ward Connerly's organizations drives to eliminate state affirmative action, I'm betting you were at home stroking yourself to how much "in theory" you opposed it.

Many programs that favor blacks over whites are ino racist and I have opposed them. Some favor blacks only in that sadly the evils they combat are still more prevalaent among blacks. I wouldn't call them racist, and my point is that to the extent that they see Thomas as against these it's reasonable to understand why they find him opposed to their interests.

But don't lecture me on fighting racism, I bet I've done more to fight both the good and bad kinds than you ever will Cap'n Goofus.

[PIRS]

"Some favor blacks only in that sadly the evils they combat are still more prevalaent among blacks."

So, one could assume, via your wording, that these evils also exist among whites at least to some extent. So, my question remains: How are "black interests" any different from "white interests" or "Asian-American interests" or "Samoan-American Interests"?

"and my point is that to the extent that they see Thomas as against these it's reasonable to understand why they find him opposed to their interests."

This raises another couple of questions. 1. Which programs specifically are you now referring to since you have stated you are against any that are truly racist. and 2. To what extent is Thomas ACTUALLY opposed to these programs.

[anonymous]

True, Clarence Thomas is a race traitor. If you believe that what's important in life is working to help others of your race regardless of the justice of your actions or the impact on those not of your race, that's a terrible thing. I can see why the black equivalent of skinheads would be pissed.

[MNG]

That's so cute.

Except about 90% of blacks don't like Thomas. That's a lot of skinheads brother.

[MJ]

If 90% of blacks don't like him for the reasons Arceneaux suggests: Thomas is not a black chauvinist who corrupts the law to favor blacks, then, yes, that is a depressing number of skinheads.

[MNG]

Or you have a goofy reading of Acernaux and blacks in general.

From what I know of you MJ I'm betting it is the latter...

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Bullshit, MNG, I'd be willing to bet that most of that "90%" don't really give a fuck about Clarence Thomas.

[CrackertyAssCracker]

Uhhhh ... They are free to not like Clarence Thomas. They are communist jackholes after all. But when they don't like him because he isn't "black enough", that means they are racist communist jackholes, which pisses us off, becuase we get called racist all the fucking time just for not cowering in fear at the altar of PC-bullshit. So fuck them.

[Ziggy]

"Of course all you white guys know whats "really" in their interests, right? When will they learn, I mean really?"
you really think everyone here is white?

[MNG]

"you really think everyone here is white?"

Nah, only about 98%, like most gatherings of libertarians.

[PIRS]

About 98% of the people in my local Buddhist Sangha are white. I am not sure what the racial composition of a group has to do with anything at all.

[Hazel Meade]

I've never been to a Rainbow Gathering or a Phish concert, but judging by appearances, dreadlocks appear to be some kind of group ritual designed to make up for the absence of actual black people among that crowd.

[Twba]

I've never been to a Rainbow Gathering or a Phish concert, but judging by appearances, dreadlocks appear to be some kind of group ritual designed to make up for the absence of actual black people shampoo among that crowd.

[MNG]

It has a little something to do when members of one group try to tell members of another group what is "really" in their interest.

Blacks, to a large majority, look at their interests and Thomas' positions and see a gulf there.

[PIRS]

I will repeat myself:

Please, tell me, I am interested: How are "black interests" any different from "white interests" or "Asian-American interests" or "Samoan-American Interests". I would love to know how they are different.

[I Heart Capitalisms]

Socialism is clearly good for black interests. I mean look at Zimbabwe: they're all trillionares over there.

[Ziggy]

When you mean blacks, do you mean jesse jackson and sharpton telling black people Thomas is a traitor to their race?
Or the white progressives who get a pass on racism as long as its directed to thomas? Would a anyone get away with calling any black public figure an unlce tom? not it happens to be thomas, or sowell or steele etc. If anything you have to recognize the double standard...

[MNG]

There is no double standard if you understand the standard. An "Uncle Tom" is a black person who sides with whites more than his own people. Blacks see Thomas as doing that, so they see charges of being an "uncle tom" as correct. See, the validity of the charge comes from the target of the charge, not the maker. This shouldn't be so hard even for you...

[capitol l]

Your line of reasoning is hard for me to understand, subtle sarcastic insults notwithstanding...

Your posts of late have become exercises in obfuscation. Is that really you MNG? Cloudy contentions followed with sly cheap shots, are you really John?

Ok, we can get this worked out.

First, a progressive white person uses an obviously racist statement in an observation of a black judge. Second, the perception of some in the black community endorse this view. Third, hand waving. At last we see that the validity of the original statement is confirmed by not its inherent truth but, instead by who the target is and what some perceive him to be. And that makes progressive racism ok.

[PIRS]

OK, I left off a question mark "?". I wish they would let us do minor edits.

[PIRS]

I stand by all the misstatements that I've made.

[PIRS]

That is a quote from Al Gore in another thread.

[Mad Max]

Wesley Snipes is on the list, too, in part because he didn't pay his taxes.

[PIRS]

Not paying taxes (at least for a while) is what gave me respect for the man.

[MNG]

I figured he was on the list for his acting (or lack thereof).

[alan]

For the same amount of intellectual fire power, Michael Arceneaux could have jacked off for an hour instead writing that shit screed. A tragic waste of sperm.

[alan]

Nah, only about 98%, like most gatherings of libertarians.

What the fuck ever. A great deal of my hatred for you comes from the obvious fact you are the honkiest honky on this board.

[MNG]

Are you disputing my assertion that most libertarian gatherings have that kind of make-up? Because I've been to several sparky and I'm just calling it as I see 'em.

[capitol l]

I don't think he was disputing your assertion rather he was presenting his own, I believe correct, assertion.

[The Libertarian Guy]

So who makes the list? D.C. Sniper John Allen Muhammad? Check. Ugandan murderer Idi Amin? Of course. And obviously the sinister dictators Papa Doc, Baby Doc, Robert Mugabe, and Rafael Trujillo are represented (though Mengistu, oddly, gets a pass). Let's see. Who else? Oh. How about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas?

Yeah, all those guys belong on the same list.

[The Libertarian Guy]

Forgot the sarcasm tag.

[Jamie Kelly]

Reason, why do you give any attention to, even if it's snarky, sardonic flamethrowing, to people who should be fucking put to death?

[MNG]

You got to find interesting the mindset of a person like Jaimie who, in a post complaining about flamethrowing, calls for the execution of those he disagrees with.

[MattJ]

"Michael Arceneaux decides it's time to excommunicate certain undesirables from the African-American brotherhood..."

Idi Amin
Robert Mugabe

Latin American dicators (if we stretch) can plausibly be classified this way, but in what sense can Africans from Africa be excommunicated from an African-American brotherhood?

[B]

"There is no double standard if you understand the standard. An "Uncle Tom" is a black person who sides with whites more than his own people."
There is no double standard if you understand the standard. A "nigger-lover" is a redneck who sides with blacks more than his own people.

Second verse, same as the first.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

+1. Surely you'll understand, MNG, why I'm generally not a fan of terms like that. Certain types attempt to enforce conformity in the ugliest way possible.

[David Pinto]

I think the Mets would fight you on the Calvin Schiraldi erasure.