Education appointee email ignites firestorm (NY)

Staten Island Advance ^ | March 3, 2009 | By DEBORAH YOUNG

[Islander7]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An email ripe with racist slurs -- crudely presented as a mock debate between President Obama and Sen. John McCain -- sent by a member of Staten Island's Community Education Council to dozens of recipients, including other members of the public schools' parent advisory board, is stirring outrage among African American leaders, who anonymously received a copy of the offensive communiqué and plan to take action.

The mock photo strip, sent Jan. 4 by Salvatore Ballarino, the borough president's appointee to the volunteer board, features cartoon-like speech balloons drawn out of McCain's mouth referencing lynching African Americans and equating African American babies with excrement.

[Islander7]

"If they're upset about something it's their own inner workings -- it's what they want to make out of it," said Ballarino, when reached yesterday at home. "It was a political cartoon; that's how I treated it. What was funny about it was the look on Obama's face, like he didn't even know what he was talking about."

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Just from the article, this would almost seem to be a case of some leftist trying to mock Republicans (and McCain in particular). Don’t know that for sure, of course.

[gramho12]

Ignoring the content of this article, this is a perfect example why journalism/newspapers are dying. What atrocious writing. What do they teach in school these days?

Commas are definitely Deborah's friends. Sort of reminds me of stream-of-consciousness style.

There is way better writing just in the comments at FR than from people who get paid to write this pablum.

Forgive me for the off-topic rant.

[Islander7]

I like the guy’s attitude. “It’s a joke, if you have problem, it is your problem.”

I thought it sounded like a slam at McCain too.

[jessduntno]

“Just from the article, this would almost seem to be a case of some leftist trying to mock Republicans (and McCain in particular). Don’t know that for sure, of course.”

If they were trying to mock Republicans why choose Juan McCain ? Shows how little they know...

[Islander7]

It’s OK. I took two foreign languages my senior year; Spanish under Miss Lightsey and English under Miss Curvin.

I have little memory of the Spanish class, but Miss Curvin instilled a deep love of language and literature.

Poorly written articles bug me too.

[Iron Munro]

Here is a portion of the photo strip and a little more detail.

The complete photo strip doesn't seem to be anywhere on the net - yet.

Criticism escalates for Staten Island education appointee over e-mail

[RobinOfKingston]

... outrage among African American leaders, ...

Well, I'll be switched. Outrage among African American leaders!

Anybody know if this was normal outrage, or 2nd, or even ... (dare I say it?) ... 3rd degree outrage?

[texmexis best]

I wonder just what, exactly, journalism schools teach.

[Soothesayer]

“McCain’s mouth referencing lynching African Americans and equating African American babies with excrement”

It’s the other way around. Obama believes that babies are excrement and he doesn’t give a damn about African Americans.

[Mamzelle]

Two words—Tawanna spam

[Mamzelle]

Actually, doesn't this cartoon lampoon McCain more than anything else? This could play on the Jon Stewart show.

Well, it's nice that it's in NY and among Democrats.