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Mark Steyn: Donald Sterling’s remarks were bad, but what the NBA is doing is much worse
National Post ^ | April 30, 2014 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 04/30/2014 4:25:45 PM PDT by rickmichaels

Three years ago, I wrote in National Review:

Let us accept for the sake of argument that racism is bad, that homophobia is bad, that Islamophobia is bad, that offensive utterances are bad, that mean-spirited thoughts are bad. So what?

As bad as they are, the government’s criminalizing all of them and setting up an enforcement regime in the interests of micro-regulating us into compliance is a thousand times worse. Likewise, as bad as Donald Sterling is, what the NBA is doing is a thousand times worse:

“The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful. That they came from an NBA owner only heightens the damage and my personal outrage,” [Commissioner Adam] Silver said. “I am banning Mr. Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers association or the NBA. Mr. Sterling may not attend any NBA games or practices, he may not be present at any Clippers facility, and he may not participate in any business or decisions involving the team.”

Everyone seems to agree that Sterling is a racist and always has been: He said he wouldn’t rent apartments to blacks because they smell; and he has referred to the players of his Los Angeles Clippers as “niggers”. All this has apparently been widely known for years, although not so well known that the NAACP hasn’t lavished multiple awards on him, including his now hastily canceled Lifetime Achievement Award. Which seems odd.

(Excerpt) Read more at fullcomment.nationalpost.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: california; clippers; donaldsterling; donsterling; losangeles; losangelesclippers; naacp; nba; rochellesterling; sterling; steyn; vanessastiviano
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To: Verginius Rufus
Gov Web Bots To Scour Internet for Hate Speech: “Could Potentially Criminalize Thoughts and Expressions”
21 posted on 04/30/2014 7:27:27 PM PDT by blam
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To: JLS

Steyn ping.


22 posted on 04/30/2014 7:42:54 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows (Richard Warman censors free speech.)
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To: boop

> I’m sickened because this guy was SECRETLY recorded, then punished for what he said in private.

It was recorded for profit and I wonder how much MJ paid his girlfriend to set him up.


23 posted on 04/30/2014 7:44:11 PM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: rickmichaels
Everyone seems to agree that Sterling is a racist and always has been: He said he wouldn’t rent apartments to blacks because they smell; and he has referred to the players of his Los Angeles Clippers as “niggers”. All this has apparently been widely known for years, although not so well known that the NAACP hasn’t lavished multiple awards on him, including his now hastily canceled Lifetime Achievement Award. Which seems odd.

Sad to see Steyn dealing in rumors and consensus, too, so he can pile on the bandwagon.

24 posted on 04/30/2014 7:51:35 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: rickmichaels

...although not so well known that the NAACP hasn’t lavished multiple awards on him,...

Doesn’t Steyn mean to say “has” rather than “hasn’t”, and what’s with all the other incorrect words in the article?


25 posted on 04/30/2014 7:53:38 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Verginius Rufus
This morning on "Fox & Friends" they discussed a tweet from someone at GQ magazine to the effect that Don Sterling could get a show at Fox.

Of course Sterling is a Democrat and a billionaire, but the intended message was that Fox and conservatives generally are racists.

Of course FNC is not really conservative, but the fact that they include some conservatives in their lineup means that the mainstream media and the Democratic Party regard them as conservative.

26 posted on 05/01/2014 7:22:05 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: TheOldLady; Rummyfan; Howlin; riley1992; Miss Marple; Dane; sinkspur; steve; kattracks; ...

Mark Steyn ping.

Freepmail me, if you want on or off the Mark Steyn ping list.

Thanks for the ping Slings and Arrows.


27 posted on 05/02/2014 8:52:25 AM PDT by JLS
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To: Haiku Guy
If they are going to set themselves up as arbiters of the appropriateness of everything said in private moments by executives and owners of NBA teams, they are going to wind up handing down an awful lot of fines.

That would be true if the NBA enforced their new thought-crime policies in an even manner. But they won't.

28 posted on 05/02/2014 9:13:12 AM PDT by Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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To: JLS

The precedent set by this is rather alarming. They chose Sterling, whose statements on record prior to this make it very hard to defend him.

The question is who is next? There are hints of going after Amazon for publishing non goodthink books. I also expect other exec’s to be purged, and for it to drop down to the lower levels (which means most of us here).

If they can take your privately owned business from you for private statements, we are no longer a free capitalist system.


29 posted on 05/02/2014 9:33:57 AM PDT by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
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To: sickoflibs; Liz
Let us accept for the sake of argument that racism is bad, that homophobia is bad, that Islamophobia is bad, that offensive utterances are bad, that mean-spirited thoughts are bad. So what?

As bad as they are, the government’s criminalizing all of them and setting up an enforcement regime in the interests of micro-regulating us into compliance is a thousand times worse.

ping

30 posted on 05/02/2014 11:29:42 AM PDT by GOPJ
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To: abb; MrB
Let us accept for the sake of argument that racism is bad, that homophobia is bad, that Islamophobia is bad, that offensive utterances are bad, that mean-spirited thoughts are bad. So what?

As bad as they are, the government’s criminalizing all of them and setting up an enforcement regime in the interests of micro-regulating us into compliance is a thousand times worse.

ping

31 posted on 05/02/2014 11:31:51 AM PDT by GOPJ
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To: GOPJ

None of those “bad” things have the legal use of deadly force to back them up.
Anything the gov’t does has the legal use of deadly force behind it.


32 posted on 05/02/2014 11:33:17 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: MrB
Anything the gov’t does has the legal use of deadly force behind it.

Yes... did you hear about parking meter maids (what we call them in Florida) wanting their own SWAT Teams? Seems they're tired of citizens saying they were just about to put the quarter in the meter...

33 posted on 05/02/2014 4:28:44 PM PDT by GOPJ
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To: blam
I hate you...

/s

Did I need to shut that off?

Should I call my attorney?

Should I write another one sentence paragraph?

34 posted on 05/03/2014 7:15:53 AM PDT by metesky (My investment program is holding steady @ $0.05 cents a can.)
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