Implied Meanings

Posted on | August 1, 2020 | 3 Comments

The word “negro” is simply Spanish for black, and for many decades “negro” was the term preferred by Americans we now call black or African-American, e.g., the United Negro College Fund, founded in 1944. Deriving from a Latin root, “negro” had the connotation of being scientific (because Latin is the language of science) and was therefore preferred by the educated classes of the 20th century. More colloquially, black people were called “colored” (e.g., the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and both “negro” and “colored” were used interchangeably by well-meaning white people with no intent to insult or offend. When did this change and why?

In the late 1960s, immediately after the triumph of the Civil Rights movement, young former activists with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, which had organized the lunch-counter “sit-in” protests against segregation) decided to go in a more radical direction than that pursued by Martin Luther King Jr. Led by Stokely Carmichael, these radicals at SNCC purged white members from what had been a biracial coalition and embraced the slogan, “Black Power.” Thus black became a signifier of radical youth, as opposed to the older, respectable, middle-class “negro” or “colored” civil-rights movement.

“Black” had a militant, revolutionary connotation in the late 1960s, and was associated with the violence perpetrated by the Black Panthers (e.g., the assassination of Judge Harold Haley in 1970) and later by the Black Liberation Army (e.g., the Nyack armored car robbery in 1981). The adoption of “black” as the preferred racial term was thus, in part, a concession to a terorist threat, although most younger white people at the time began using “black” simply because that was the cool thing to say; after about 1968 only old fogeys said “negro” or “colored.” And so the change in language marked not only a political shift, but also a generational divide. People of my father’s generation, to say nothing of my grandparents’ generation, were reluctant to adopt the new terminology and in the late 1980s, when some black activists began insisting on the pretentious multisyllabic “African-American”? Well, suffice it to say that this change did not find a widespread acceptance among older white people at the time. But I digress . . .

Two weeks ago, Roger Stone was involved in a controversy about his alleged use of the word “negro.” After President Trump commuted Stone’s sentence, he was interviewed on Morris O’Kelly’s talk-radio show:

At one point, Stone and Mo’Kelly are discussing the charges brought against Stone, which included lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction of a congressional committee, and why other people in the administration hadn’t faced the same kind of investigations and inquiries. Mo’Kelly pointed out that while certain people are treated differently in the federal justice system, Stone’s relationship with Trump made him different than most defendants.
“I do believe that certain people are treated differently in the federal justice system. I do absolutely believe that. But I also believe that your friendship and relationship and history with Donald Trump weighed more heavily than him just wanting to make sure that justice was done by a person in the justice system, that you were treated so unfairly,” Mo’Kelly tells Stone. “There are thousands of people treated unfairly daily. Hell, your number just happened to come up in the lottery. I’m guessing it was more than just luck, Roger, right?”
There’s a pause, then what sounds like Stone’s voice can be heard telling someone on the other end that “I don’t really feel like arguing with this negro [sic].”

Stone denied saying this, but what would it signify if he did say it?

Certainly, we must assume, if Stone did say “negro,” he did not intend for this to be heard by O’Kelly’s black listenership, who would find it offensive. And because Stone is a very intelligent man, his choice of “negro” in the context of a remark uttered sotto voce to someone present on his end of the phone conversation must be interpreted as significant — but what did he mean to signify?

Well, Stone has denied saying “negro,” but it seems to me that if he did say it, he would have used the word with intentional irony, because an intelligent person does not use an archaic term any other way. It’s as if one were to call someone a half-breed, a mulatto or a quadroon — terms that once had common usage, but which are now considered obsolete.

If I may appoint myself spokesman for the Caucasian-American community — because, really, who is more qualified to be the Al Sharpton of crackers? — I would guess that an intelligent white person using the word “negro,” in the context of expressing irritation, would expect this word to elicit laughter. Roger Stone is known to be a man who enjoys a joke, and he could not have intended “negro” any other way.

You see we are in the terrain that Jeff Goldstein calls “intentionalism,” where people are disputing what they believe someone meant by saying something deemed offensive, but where the person who allegedly said this disavows any offensive intention. Roger Stone is a Republican, and most black Americans are Democrats, so that it is very easy to accuse Stone of racism with the expectation that he will be convicted of the charge in the court of public opinion. Stone is far past the point in his career where “cancel culture” matters much to him, but this controversy highlights the way in which language conveys implied meaning — connations of social or political significance — that are distinct from the literal definition of words. And I think also we must be concerned with what George Orwell warned about, namely the way in which political control of language leads to a totalitarian regime of thought-control.

Category: Culture, Racism

In The Mailbox: 07.31.20

Posted on | July 31, 2020 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Thanks to everyone who bought stuff through my Amazon links this month.

Remember, deadline to submit links to the FMJRA is noon tomorrow; deadline for Rule 5 Sunday is midnight. Thanks in advance to all of you for your linkagery!

OVER THE TRANSOM
Ammo.com: America’s Days Of Rage
357 Magnum: Which Is Why Noone Should Be Using Google
EBL: Uncle Tom, The Movie
Twitchy: TechnoFog Breaks Down Ghislaine Maxwell Docs In Damning Thread
Louder With Crowder: Trader Joe’s Tells Leftists Where To Stick Their Cancel Culture
According To Hoyt: They Hate Us. They Really Hate Us.
Vox Popoli: Nationalism Intensifies, also, Gated Communities Won’t Save You

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
American Conservative: The Biden Rule – “No Men Need Apply!”
American Greatness: Fauci Dodges Re. Jordan’s Question About Limiting Protests, also, Hillsdale College Did Nothing Wrong
American Thinker: Hydroxy Hysteria Reaching A Fever Pitch
Animal Magnetism: Rule Five Flaming Hypocrite Friday
Babalu Blog: Is Biden VP Shortlist Member Rep. Karen Bass Still Linked To Cuba’s KGB-Founded Intelligence Service?
BattleSwarm: LinkSwarm For July 31
Cafe Hayek: Not Everything Is Scarce – For Example, Economic Ignorance
Da Tech Guy: Red China & An October Surprise, also, DaTechGuy Off Da Radio Podcast
Don Surber: Poll – Americans Say Red China Is Asshoe, also, Big Tech Works For Red China
First Street Journal: Majority-Female Teachers Unions Want To Keep Other Women Out Of Work
The Geller Report: Obama Attacks President Trump at John Lewis Funeral, also, Emergency Physician Fired For Speaking At “White Coast Summit”
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post Of The Day, also, Legal Sewerage
Hollywood In Toto: Summerland Offers A Masterclass In Twee Storytelling, also, The October Surprises Up Hollywood’s Sleeve They Hope Will Bounce Trump
JustOneMinute: Delay The Election?
The Lid: People Of Faith Should Reject Socialism, Democrats, & Joe Biden
Legal Insurrection: Appeals Court Vacates Death Penalty For Boston Marathon Bomber, also, Poll – Majority Of Americans Blame Red China For Corona-chan
The PanAm Post: Stop With The Hitler Analogies
Power Line: Thoughts From The Ammo Line, also, Good News From Pennsylvania?
Shark Tank: Ego-Driven Broward GOP Continues To Fail Republicans
Shot In The Dark: Let’s Set The Record Straight Here
STUMP: Public Pensions Primer – Why Do We Pre-fund Pensions?
The Political Hat: Woke Medicine Mandatory In Michigan, also, Cult Of Normalcy (Firing Line Friday is on hiatus)
This Ain’t Hell: Valor Friday, also, Mars Exploration
Victory Girls: Why You Shouldn’t Underestimate ANTIFA
Volokh Conspiracy: Prominent Conservative Legal Scholar Calls For Trump’s Impeachment
Weasel Zippers: Seattle Moves to Abolish Entire Police Force, also, Fauci Testifies Trump’s Decisions On COVID-19 Saved Lives
Megan McArdle: Big Tech Has No Friends In Washington
Mark Steyn: Seeds Of Destruction

Amazon Warehouse Deals

Category: Linkagery

Feds Arrest Democrat Voters in Chicago

Posted on | July 31, 2020 | Comments Off on Feds Arrest Democrat Voters in Chicago

Wait, did I say “Democrat voters”? I meant, dangerous criminals:

The alleged leader of the Black Disciples street gang in Chicago is among 23 individuals facing criminal charges as part of a federal investigation into drug and gun trafficking on the city’s South Side.
During the multi-year investigation, law enforcement seized 24 firearms, more than 13 kilograms of cocaine, more than a kilogram of heroin, approximately 1,350 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, approximately 750 grams of fentanyl or fentanyl analogue, approximately 378 grams of crack cocaine, $52,595 in suspected illicit cash proceeds, and distribution quantities of suspected MDMA pills. Much of the alleged drug and gun trafficking occurred in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Indictments and criminal complaints unsealed this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago charge 22 of the defendants with various drug or firearm offenses, while one defendant faces bank fraud charges. The defendants were arrested Tuesday and have begun making initial appearances in federal court.
Included among the defendants is DARNELL MCMILLER, also known as “Murder,” who is described in the charges as the current leader of the Black Disciples street gang in Chicago. Several other alleged high-ranking members of the Black Disciples were also charged and arrested, including CLARENCE JANUARY, who allegedly leads the gang’s “Dog Pound” faction, and KENNETH BROWN, who allegedly supplied the gang with drugs for distribution in Chicago. CHARLES KNIGHT, an alleged high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples street gang, is charged as part of the probe with supplying narcotics to McMiller’s crew. . . .

(When your nickname is “Murder”? Yeah, you’re a Democrat voter.)

Valuable assistance in the probe was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, which unsealed an eight-person indictment this week charging heroin trafficking offenses that are related to this investigation. . . .

(See, it was a multi-state operation. You investigate dope dealers in Chicago, you discover connections to dealers in Milwaukee.)

The Black Disciples are a national street gang that is prevalent throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. According to the charges, members of the Black Disciples have been distributing narcotics and guns in the Englewood neighborhood and other parts of Chicago. The charges describe more than 50 illicit transactions in which alleged Black Disciples members sold guns or drugs to individuals who were cooperating with law enforcement. In many instances, the cooperating individuals surreptitiously video-recorded the transaction at the direction of law enforcement. . . .

(Can’t deny that video, bruh. Better take the plea deal.)

January, 27, of Chicago, is accused of trafficking three handguns in the summer of 2019. He had previously been convicted of a felony firearm offense in the Circuit Court of Cook County and was not lawfully allowed to possess the guns. Several other convicted felons were also charged with unlawfully possessing firearms, including rifles and a shotgun furnished to members of the Black Disciples.

See, this is the real bottom line: Drugs and guns go together. And the people dealing drugs are almost always convicted felons who, by law, are not allowed to possess firearms. It is not really difficult to put these people behind bars, if you’re serious about stopping violent crime.

But (a) Chicago is run by Democrats and (b) violent criminals are Democrat voters, so these vicious gangs are permitted to run wild. So far this year, 444 people have been murdered in Chicago, while another 2,307 have been wounded in the incessant gunfire committed by the city’s Democrat voters. The only reason Darnell “Murder” McMiller and his crew are off the streets is because this was a federal investigation, and the guy currently running the DOJ is not a Democrat.

If Joe Biden gets elected, however, Darnell will get a pardon.

Category: Chicago, Crime

‘Drop the Knife!’

Posted on | July 31, 2020 | 2 Comments

Two weeks ago, we brought you the story of Daniel Hernandez, who was shot to death in Los Angeles after refusing to comply with a police officer’s repeated command: “Drop the knife!” You might think people would have learned this lesson by now, but stupidity is pandemic:

An intoxicated, knife-wielding man was shot as he charged at a Phoenix police officer while threatening to “slice” her throat, wild video shows.
The footage, released Thursday by Phoenix cops, shows suspect Jon David Brouseau, 55, repeatedly threatening to stab a female officer when she encountered him on June 14 in a parking lot of a supermarket.
Officers responded to the scene after someone called 911 to report that a “drunk man armed with a knife” was threatening customers inside, police said in statement Thursday.
“Drop the knife!” the officer tells Brouseau, video shows. “Put it on the ground!”
“No, I’m going to f–k you up,” Brouseau responds before turning his attention to another person in the parking lot whom he also threatened with the knife.
The officer manages to reengage Brouseau, stopping him from approaching the other person as she calls for backup. The suspect then focuses again on the officer, whom repeatedly tells him to drop the weapon, video shows.
“Shut your f–king mouth, b—-h!” Brouseau said as he walked toward the cop and around a police vehicle. “Shoot me – I’ll kill you, you stupid little bitch! I’ll f–king slice your f–king throat!”

Uh, no, sir, you will not.

There will be no protest marches decrying “excessive force” by the police officer because, you see, Jon David Brouseau was white.

He was only wounded, and is expected to recover, but even if the cop had unloaded her magazine on this deranged dimwit, there still wouldn’t be any white people protesting. If I may appoint myself as a spokesman for the white community, I’d say our general sentiment is, if you’re stupid enough to bring a knife to a gunfight, you deserve whatever happens to you. And did I mention Crazy People Are Dangerous?

(Hat-tip: Bo Snerdley on Twitter.)

Category: Arizona, Crime

Stupid Is as Stupid Does

Posted on | July 31, 2020 | 1 Comment

From Louisiana comes this tale of young criminal masterminds:

Two people are accused of committing murder during an armed robbery in Ouachita Parish. According to court documents, it happened on Brown Street in Richwood on July 29, 2020.
Louisiana State Police say they were notified of an alleged homicide around 5 p.m. that same day. LSP stopped a speeding car on La. Highway 17 in Franklin Parish.
The driver was identified as Michael Dewayne Mitchell Jr., 18. During the stop, police say they noticed the smell of marijuana. They say Mitchell admitted to smoking marijuana and a search of the vehicle was conducted.
It was then that police found the body of a man in the trunk. The victim was identified as Michael Robinson Jr., 23, of Monroe.
Police say Mitchell then confessed to taking part in an armed robbery which resulted in the victim’s death.
Records state that he implicated another man, Cameron Powe, 19, saying the two of them robbed the victim in Richwood. Powe is accused of shooting the victim during the robbery, killing him.
According to police, Mitchell said they then loaded the body into the victim’s vehicle and planned to leave the victim and the vehicle at a site in the Winnsboro area. Mitchell was stopped before he could get there.

You know, when I highlight stories like this, I hesitate to point out the obvious lesson, for fear that I might be giving criminals advice on how better to get away with felonies. But then I rememember that these idiots are probably illiterate, so there is no harm in saying this: If you murder somebody and you load the victim’s body in the trunk of the car so you can dump it, obey the speed limit on your way to the dump site.

Also, don’t smoke weed on your way to dump the body.

These amateurs just never learn . . .

(Hat-tip: Kirby McCain on Twitter.)

Category: Crime, Louisiana

In The Mailbox: 07.30.20 (Evening Edition)

Posted on | July 31, 2020 | Comments Off on In The Mailbox: 07.30.20 (Evening Edition)

— compiled by Wombat-socho

OVER THE TRANSOM
357 Magnum: Lies, Damn Lies, & COVID-19 Statistics
Bacon Time: Eric Ciaramella
EBL: Herman Cain, RIP
Twitchy: Oregon ACLU Sues Portland Police For Live-Streaming Video Of Courthouse Protesters
Louder With Crowder: Cypress Hill Frontman Drops Truth On Communism
Vox Popoli: Patreon Denied Preliminary Injunction, also, Cancel Culture vs. The Chicago Way

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
American Conservative: American Conservatism – Fiddling While Rome Burns
American Greatness: Obama Vilifies Feds During John Lewis Eulogy, also, From Alinsky To Occasional Cortex
American Power: Viral Video Of Abuse
American Thinker: Biden’s Civil War
Animal Magnetism: Animal’s Daily Urban Shithole News
Babalu Blog: Cuban-American Mom Warns Her Kids & Grandchildren – “Socialism Is Knocking At The Door”
BattleSwarm: Jim Jordan’s Video Of “Mostly Peaceful” Rioters
Cafe Hayek: Adam Smith On Mercantilism
Camp of the Saints: Revolution?
CDR Salamander: Red China Is Testing The Americas
Da Tech Guy: Some Election Math – Police Edition, also, We Must Refuse To Be Silenced By The PC Mob
Don Surber: Trump Secures The Election Date, also, Even CNN Sees Trump Winning
First Street Journal: Hold Them Accountable!
The Geller Report: Ghislaine Maxwell Documents Released, also, Speaker Pelosi Endorses Jew-Hating Tlaib Over Moderate Jones
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post Of The Day, also, One Of The Reasons I Like The NHL
Hollywood In Toto: Alyssa Milano Is “Sorry, Not Sorry” For Spreading Lies & Hate
JustOneMinute: The Year Of Weird
The Lid: Valerie Jarrett Tries To Tapdance Around Durham Investigation Questions And Fails
Legal Insurrection: Chicago Tribune’s John Kass Refuses To Bend The Knee, also, Former GOP Presidential Candidate Herman Cain Dies Of COVID-19
The PanAm Post: Venezuela Opposition Seeks Alliance With Israel, also, Red China To Lend Latin America $1 Billion For Vaccines – Buying Consciences?
Power Line: The Truth About Race & Policing Is Too Hot For YouTube, also, Corrupt STL Prosecutor Exposed Again
Shark Tank: Wassermann Schultz Says Trump Doesn’t Want People of Color For Neighbors
Shot In The Dark: Programming Note
The Political Hat: The Mainstream Media Goes Full Orwell, also, In The Era Of Corona-Chan, LA Teachers Demand Racial Justice
This Ain’t Hell: Space Force Gets Space Horse, also, Occasional Cortex – So Much Language Disrespecting Illegal Aliens
Victory Girls: ESPN Does A Journalism, Reveals Abuse In NBA Red China Camps
Volokh Conspiracy: No, The Election Will Not Be Delayed
Weasel Zippers: Sen. Feinstein Claims Red China “Growing Into A Respectable Nation”, also, #BLM Protester Complains About White People Blocking Her Car, Asks Cops To “Do Their Job”
Mark Steyn: The Last Of A Hundred Deaths, also, A WE Problem

Amazon Warehouse Deals

Category: Linkagery

Herman Cain, R.I.P.

Posted on | July 30, 2020 | Comments Off on Herman Cain, R.I.P.

My brother Kirby took that photo of Herman Cain when we visited the studios of WSB radio in Atlanta. Mr. Cain had just returned to the airwaves after surviving a serious battle with cancer, and I’d traveled down to interview him for The Washington Times.

That was not long after I’d been smeared as a “white supremacist” and when I introduced myself to Mr. Cain, I said to him, “Don’t Google me.” He just smiled and answered, “I already did.” Somehow I’ve lost my copy of the feature article I wrote about Mr. Cain, but I felt then that he had potential as a Republican candidate. He had entered the GOP contest for a U.S. Senate seat in 2004, and placed second behind Johnny Isaacson, and I had no idea that Mr. Cain might even then be contemplating a presidential campaign. So a few years later, when he threw his hat in the ring for the 2012 nomination, I was all in. Everybody who followed my coverage of that campaign remembers how Mr. Cain began the race as the longest of long shots, but by October 2011, he was leading all the polls, before being sabotaged by a ginned-up “sex scandal” smear.

In many ways, Mr. Cain’s Tea Party-backed campaign for the 2012 nomination paved the way for Donald Trump’s 2016 populist campaign. Cain and Trump were both successful businessmen, and ran as “outsiders,” against the establishment status quo in Washington. It’s so strange that this parallel hasn’t been explored by more commentators.

My son Jefferson, who accompanied me on so many campaign trips and came to be big fan of Mr. Cain, cried when he quit the campaign. That was eight years ago, and today we got the sad news:

Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away. He’s entering the presence of the Savior he’s served as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta for, and preparing for his reward. . . .
Let me deal with some of the particulars of the last few weeks. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.
We didn’t release detailed updates on his condition to the public or to the media because neither his family nor we thought there was any reason for that. There were hopeful indicators, including a mere five days ago when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldn’t be quick. We were relieved to be told that, and passed on the news via Herman’s social media. And yet we also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where the doctors could advance him to the recovery phase.
“We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery,” Calabrese added.

He was 74 years old. Rest in peace, old friend.