Webb Denies Ever Using Word as Epithet (But Terrorizes Watts?)

WashingtonPost.com ^ | 09-28-06 | Michael D. Shear

[Flora McDonald]

Webb's comments to the Times-Dispatch prompted Allen campaign officials to direct a reporter to Dan Cragg, a former acquaintance of Webb's, who said Webb used the word while describing his own behavior during his freshman year at the University of Southern California in the early 1960s. Webb later transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Cragg, 67, who lives in Fairfax County, said on Wednesday that Webb described taking drives through the black neighborhood of Watts, where he and members of his ROTC unit used racial epithets and pointed fake guns at blacks to scare them.

"They would hop into their cars, and would go down to Watts with these buddies of his," Cragg said Webb told him. "They would take the rifles down there. They would call then [epithets], point the rifles at them, pull the triggers and then drive off laughing. One night, some guys caught them and beat . . . them. And that was the end of that."

[painter]

I'll take some,4.

[radar101]

Webb went to US Naval Academy. So did Jimmy Carter

Webb was a Marine--So was Jack Murtha.

Web was Sec of the Navy during Reagan--and QUIT!

[Condor51]

Webb ... while describing his own behavior during ... the early 1960s."They would hop into their cars, and would go down to Watts with these buddies of his," ... "They would take the rifles down there. They would call then [Ni**ers], point the rifles at them, pull the triggers and then drive off laughing.

Well whoopee. Who didn't do that back then? Why I recall it like it was yesterday - we'd pile into Jimmy's '54 Pontiac, drive over to Madison and Pulaski and do the same thing.

The down side was we were caught by the Vice Lords and they killed us.

[cricket]

Perhaps twenty or thirty. . .depends on how much they cost! Most people I know, no longer even put stickers on their cars; but I do. . .and I think they would make a great hand-out/leave on a car that carries a 'Kerry' or 'Al/gore' sticker. . .

Am thinking as well of another sticker/flyer message. . .SAVE THE TERRORISTS!/Vote Democrat/. . . (I know; it's Democratic; but WE know; they are not. . .)

ALso . . .you have a great home-page!

[DaiHuy]

"Cragg, 67, who lives in Fairfax County, said on Wednesday that Webb described taking drives through the black neighborhood of Watts, where he and members of his ROTC unit used racial epithets and pointed fake guns at blacks to scare them.

Now just how much air time do you think this is really going to get. Webb=Dem=Ho hum nothing to see here folks, just move along.

[USS Alaska]

Attached is a copy of an article from the Black Electorate posted after senator byrd's appearance on The Tony Snow Show on Fox several years ago.

On Senator Byrd And "White Niggers"

While Tony Snow is an otherwise very good host we were really disappointed with his controversial interview with Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) on Fox News Sunday last week. After Senator Byrd uttered the now-infamous phrase, " There are white niggers", we waited with anticipation to see whether Mr. Snow would actually ask Byrd to define that term. We were disappointed, and unless Fox edited the tape, Snow allowed Sen. Byrd to get away without answering the pivotal question, "What is a nigger?"

Of course, so many people would like to project shock and horror after hearing the "n-word", as it is now referred to in colloquial expression, but we know better. An untold number of Whites and certainly Blacks hear and use that word, in usually private settings, every day. So for this editorial, we can dispense with perpetuating that charade.

For some Whites, a nigger is any Black person. For other Whites, a nigger is well, you know, those other Blacks who commit crimes and drink alcohol, smoke crack and whose mere presence brings down property values in the neighborhood. To them, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Colin Powell, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson could never be niggers.

And for yet another group of Whites, who do not otherwise use the word, a nigger is any Black male who wants to marry their daughter - up until that proposition, all men were created equally. For some Blacks, a nigger is any Black person, except their mother. For other Blacks, a nigger is any Black person who they don't like.

For some Black hip-Hop artists, a nigger is any black male.

Some Black people believe that "niggers" are the sub-humans that White slave-masters produced - human beings who came from Africa but who lost their names, land, religion and diet as a result of the peculiar institution.

Obviously, the term "nigger" means different things to different people.

But when Sen. Byrd used the word and Tony Snow failed to follow-up with a question for clarity, we were deprived of knowing which category Senator Byrd fit in, on the White side.

We can only wonder. Since he said "there are white niggers" we could conclude that he thinks that the term "nigger" refers to a state of mind. But we can't be sure, as his use of the phrase could have also meant that the term "niggers" can only refer to Blacks, which is why he had to put White in front of the term in the first place.

Now in all honesty, we have to conclude, as many commonly argue, that the term nigger has gained acceptance in social settings, of either the all-Black or White variety depending upon the context in which it is used.

If you are White and say, in an exclusive all or predominately White country club, you can use the term, with those who hear you, knowing that you would never use the word in public or in racially-mixed audiences and that the only people who would truly be offended with your use of the word are perhaps the hired help on the premises who just happen to be all or mostly Black.

If you are Black and say, among your all-Black sorority Sisters and fraternity Brothers, you can use the term, with those who hear you knowing that you would never use the word in public or in racially-mixed audiences and that the only people who would truly be offended with your use of the word are perhaps, the members of the rival sorority and fraternity who you are referring to.

But using the term, if you are white, in an all-Black setting can get you in trouble.

I remember I was once told the story of a tour bus filled with members of an all- Black Hip-Hop group and entourage, where the "n-word" was being used rather freely, acrobatically bouncing off of the walls of the bus being, flipped and bounced in a variety of ways and with numerous nuances.

It just so happened, that one day, the White bus driver of the all-Black bus decided that he too, would use the term "nigger". So, he did just that, in a manner similar to the way others had masterfully used the word for several days, in his presence.

From what I was told, this bus driver used the word without even realizing he had done it and walked off of the bus. He left behind a bus with deafening silence, filled with Black men who knew they had created the atmosphere for the "n-word" to fall from the lips of anyone who was around them. While they felt the bus driver had violated a taboo, their guilt prevented them from approaching the bus driver about his articulation.

Could that be what happened last week in Black America as Senator Byrd waltzed through an entire week of news, relatively free of criticism and outrage over his use of the dreaded "n-word", a word that everyone claims to detest? Or could it be that Black people have assigned a new qualification to Whites who use the "n-word" - that somehow it maybe OK for a White man to use the term "nigger" provided that he had the letter "D" affixed to his name indicating his political party affiliation.

Certainly, the John Ashcroft supporters took notice, wondering how it was acceptable to use the word "nigger" and to have once been a member of the Ku Klux Klan if you are a White Democratic Senator, but somehow not acceptable if you read or dare give an interview to Southern Partisan magazine.

Could it be that the "R" attached to John Ashcroft's name is more diabolical in the eyes of Black Democrats than Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)'s use of the actual word, "nigger" or his past KKK affiliation?

Maybe Shelby Steele is correct to say that many Blacks, particularly in the civil rights movement, now define themselves first and foremost in terms of their political affiliation.

We never will know what Senator Byrd meant when he uttered those 4 famous words and because of that, and the lack of the usual traditional knee-jerk reaction by Black civil rights leaders we were all deprived of an opportunity to plum the depths of the definition of what a "nigger" or "white nigger" really is.

Was Senator Byrd referring to the legendary poor white trash (PWT)? Did he have any culturally degenerate white person in mind? Or was he specifically referring to the millions of White youth who listen to Hip-Hop music who freely use the "n-word" and who are not so affectionately referred to as "wiggers"?

Some may just want to know was Senator Byrd referring to Eminem? Some may dispute that suggestion being that Eminem has a White wife and never uses the word "nigger" in his rhymes, unlike most of his Black counterparts.

And finally could it be that Senator Byrd had President Clinton in mind as a qualified "white nigger"? After all, Senator Byrd has very little respect for Clinton - as he made clear in the Fox interview. And when one couples that fact with the belief held by many that President Clinton is the first Black President, one can only wonder...

[AdvisorB]

Thank you cricket. I'm buying them and mailing them out. Let me know the definite number that you think you can use.

[Coldwater Creek]

Whew!! Thank goodness. Where did I get that he was Navy and not a Marine.

[Flora McDonald]

Allen ping

[maggief]

WaPo n-word stories:

Webb ... B1

Allen ... A1

[maggief]

Sabato seems to have an axe to grind with Allen.

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/article.php?id=LJS2006011101

January 11, 2006

The Presidential Prizefight '08
Ideology Versus Electability in Both Parties (Part I: The Republicans)

Larry J. Sabato
Director, U.Va. Center for Politics



The polar opposite of McCain is the Beltway insiders' choice for GOP nominee, Senator George Allen of Virginia. Allen has long been a conservative golden boy, and where he does not fit the Right's requirements, he has been flip-flopping his way toward acceptability (changing his support of hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation to opposition, switching from opposition to support of the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, and so on--not to mention finding religion on ethanol, Iowa's quid pro quo for caucus consideration). The Allen image of charismatic cowboy-cum-tax cuts reminds his ardent supporters of Ronald Reagan, though critics see in him a re-make of George W. Bush: a very conservative, tobacco-spitting Southern governor with a misspent youth, a hee-haw demeanor, a lack of substantial foreign policy experience in a dangerous age, and ever-ready inarticulate bromides that substitute for sound policy. Nonetheless, if Republicans decide to stick with the tried-and-true, Allen could easily end up as the party's presidential nominee. Having defeated women for both the U.S. House in a special 1991 election and then the Virginia governorship in 1993, Allen would hope for a Hillary Clinton nomination--his easiest path to the White House.

[DCPatriot]

Many times I have told my daughter who is in her 2nd year at Yale Law School that she should always be cognizant of what's going on in her immediate surroundings...lest anyone have a cellphone camera or other electronic device that could place her in a bad light anytime in her future.

Hopefully, she will go into politics in the future...as a Conservative of course.

[Inspectorette]

Most people I know, no longer even put stickers on their cars; but I do. . .and I think they would make a great hand-out/leave on a car that carries a 'Kerry' or 'Al/gore' sticker. . .

What's with these losers anyway? The election was two years ago and Kerry lost! There's an idiot that drives around my town with one, and also has a large banner on the rear bumper, "Listen to Palestine", all in caps. Oh, and a Smith College sticker, too!

[bwteim]

Alternate to WaPo source for story regarding Cragg.

More Racial Accusations in Va. Senate Race
http://wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=52429

"According to Cragg, when Webb did not publicly repudiate the allegations against Allen, he decided to "level the playing field."

[Inspectorette]

Larry's rug must've shrunk when he shampooed it and it's cutting off circulation to his brain.

[Flora McDonald]

I am sorry to post and run like this. Gotta get to work and then get ready for the road trip to PA for the Boot Murtha Rally.

Just a few things:
Rush Limbaugh picked up on this story buried deep in Thursday's Washington Post and talked about it yesterday. A friend tells me they discussed it on Hannity and Colmbs last night. Aside from a few Virginia blogs picking up the story, that's about it.

Jim Webb is campaigning on two things: He wants to portray Sen. Allen as a racist and himself as anti-Iraq war. That's about it so far.

Fortunately for Sen. Allen, his record as Governor of Virginia and U.S. Senator is an open book. One only needs Google to research his votes.

James H. Webb, Jr. has no voting record. Only serving ten months as Secretary of the Navy and quitting in a snit doesn't say much for his staying power IMHO and wasn't long enough to build a legacy in that position.

[Flora McDonald]

Thanks for the link!

[maggief]

No bias in this reporting. /sarc.

http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2006/09/29/news/news04rgcampaign092906.txt


Webb, a decorated Vietnam Veteran and a novelist, has closed a double-digit gap in polls to propel Virginia's senate race into one of the more heated battles in the country.

(snip)


Allen's visit to Loudoun will come on the heels of the darkest days of his political career. During the last few weeks, Allen has been dogged by attacks against his personal character. After the self-inflicted "macaca" incident, Allen has come under attack for his past office décor including a Confederate Flag and a noose. And this week, classmates of Allen from his days at the University of Virginia in the 1970s came forward and said the senator used racial slurs during his days in Charlottesville. Allen's campaign said the allegations aren't true and pointed to other classmates who told a different story. Tuesday night, Larry Sabato-the oft-quoted political analyst from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, who also attended UVA when Allen was on campus, said he did not believe Allen's denials.

[bwteim]

You're welcome. Have not registered to read the WaPo and won't even use http://www.bugmenot.com/ to get there.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Many times I have told my daughter who is in her 2nd year at Yale Law School that she should always be cognizant of what's going on in her immediate surroundings...lest anyone have a cellphone camera or other electronic device that could place her in a bad light anytime in her future.

It's great advice, although it's a crying shame that we're afraid to elect politicians who sometimes have acted . . . human.