Posted on 01/02/2007 12:37:45 PM PST by NapkinUser
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Former Major League Baseball pitcher John Rocker is starting a campaign to encourage English-speaking Americans to start demanding respect from legal and illegal immigrants who do not speak English.
Rocker is also pushing for immigrants to respect the customs, heritage and culture of the United States.
In a news release, Rocker said the "'Speak English' campaign is to encourage people to promote and support the sustainment of the American heritage and the American culture. This campaign is in no way intended to degrade or demean the cultures or heritages of others' nationalities or races, but instead to bolster American nationalism and promote pride in the American culture."
To further his cause, Rocker is selling "Speak English" T-shirts on his Web site.
In the past, Rocker has been called a racist and anti-homosexual for comments made during interviews and drawn heavy fire from New York Mets fans after comments about the city of New York.
While in the major leagues, the Georgia native was a closer for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Rocker played his first major league game in 1998 and stepped out of baseball in 2004 to recover from shoulder surgery. In 2005 he signed with the Long Island Ducks and retired after 23 games.
Rocker's book is due out in 2008.
OMG! That was like reading a Vanity Fair article on Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld all rolled into one.
That was nothing but a hit-piece. It even had two links to johnrockersucks.com, fer crying out loud.
Merriam Webster defines racism as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race." It defines predjudice, among other things, as "an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics." Judging from the comments he made in his Sport Illustrated interview Rocker's own words show his claim that he isn't predjudiced or racist to be total bullshit.
But since it's possible he's never even opened a dictionary much less looked up either word then maybe he can be excused for the mistake.
Potatoe. Tank helmet. Bunny suit. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! Crying. Electric Shock Therapy. Katrina. Inventing the internet. "Only the little people pay taxes."
When a society is ruled by public opinion like ours (votes or popularity), bad PR will finish you.
Great point you made.
Oh, dear! *wringing hands*
"Shut up and pitch."
He's supposed to pitch as an answer to an interview question?
LOL
So you debate those quotes were ever said?
You think that he isn't a racist? Why?
Because you agree with him.
Just say it.
LOL
Way to out yourself....
He's also a fashion disaster and shouldn't allowed out in daylight without drawers.
Exactly.Right message,wrong messenger.
I first thought this wasan article out of The Onion.
So because Rocker saw these people on the subway and commented on what he saw, that makes him racist, homophobic, etc.? That's the most ridiculous post I've read today. Rocker calls a spade a spade and you wet your pants. That's great!
Agreed. JR pissed some people off not because what he said was false it was because what he said was true for the most part. I agree that he was a little over the top regarding how he said it but that doesn't make his statement false.
But when has Rocker ever said he was misquoted in it? If it appears to be a piece then it's only because the author didn't try and disguise Rocker's opinions or make him into something he wasn't.
"Honey, does this dress make me look fat?
"Yes, very much so."
Even if that is a true statement, it is stupid. As Michael Kinsley said and Maggie Thatcher corroborated, a "gaffe" is the utterance of an inconvenient truth (and no, I'm not talking about Gore's movie).
Rocker's comments cost him a great deal. Fair? Probably not. He was a pitcher, not a manager or mayor or someone else in a position of responsibility. Unfortunately for him, the PC police are pretty efficient in this country.
In any case, such a controversial figure is not going to be an effective spokesman. If he becomes prominent on this issue that will only help those on the other side of the issue.
You left out"I voted for the war before I voted against it"
What's wrong with that? I read that here every day, it's a description of a persons not at all unlike conservative christian, is it not?
He also called Randall Simon a "Fat Monkey"....
You would have to be ULTRA-PC, ala Al Sharpton, to find that one ofensive.
C'mon, mike, you are as bad as any NYT editor if this is the best you have, there is nothing wrong with any of these quotes.
My God, people here complain about MSM bias, and here you are eating up thier pablum like a baby.
Most adults I know don't moan about being stupid or wish they were more intelligent. If they think they need improve their knowledge in a particular area then they just go out and do it. They don't sit around wishing they weren't dumb anymore. But that's the difference between mature adults and John Rocker.
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