Posted on 04/29/2014 6:30:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
A private recording of racist remarks by the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, in a telephone conversation was released last week. Among other comments, Sterling said to his former mistress, a black Mexican woman known as V. Stiviano:
"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to? ... You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games. I'm just saying, in your lousy f---ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with, walking with black people. ... Don't put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games."
That these comments are racist and therefore contemptible goes without saying. But the incident raises other issues that are not as clear as the racism in Sterling's comments, yet they are at least as important.
One is the increasing release -- and acceptability -- of private recordings and videos. Take the video released last month of a married congressman engaged in a passionate kiss with a married member of his staff. This was a security surveillance video. Isn't the only reason for the very existence of surveillance cameras to catch criminals? Why didn't the release of such a video shock the media and the country?
I have consistently defended these ubiquitous video cameras against those who argue that they violate our privacy. I am convinced that they are indispensable to apprehending violent criminals, as they were in the case of the Boston Marathon terrorists. But, I have repeatedly added, if these cameras are ever used for personal or political reasons to ruin people's lives or careers, the perpetrators of the release must be punished severely, including prison terms. And if this abuse becomes widespread, the cameras must be taken down.
The fact that whoever released the surveillance video of the congressman has not been apprehended is a threat to us all. Yet this aspect of the incident has not even been discussed. All we heard was gloating over catching a conservative congressman in an act of infidelity.
Similarly, recordings of private speech must also remain private unless they pose a danger to others. When the media report private conversations that pose no threat of violence, they encourage more and more people to record and release private conversations. That, far more than the NSA trolling of billions of phone calls in order to identify terrorists, poses a real threat to privacy. Where are the civil liberties groups and libertarians on this issue?
Now, the second issue: How important to the public are the private remarks of public individuals? On July 18, 2000, I wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal titled: "Hillary Isn't an Anti-Semite."
It was a response to a book titled "State of a Union" by Jerry Oppenheimer, in which the author claimed that Clinton had called the Jewish manager of husband Bill's failed 1974 Congressional campaign, a "Jew bastard."
"I wish to defend Hillary Clinton," I wrote, "against the charge of anti-Semitism. I do so as a practicing Jew and a Republican. ... We must cease this moral idiocy of judging and labeling people by stray private comments. As David McCullough's biography of Harry Truman revealed, one of the most courageous friends American Jews and blacks ever had in the White House frequently used 'kike' and 'nigger' in private. He even wrote them down: In a letter home from New York, Mr. Truman described the city as 'kiketown.' Was this unfortunate? Yes. Important? No. Defining of the man? Absolutely not.
"I am repulsed by the loose talk about Mrs. Clinton's long-ago utterance. If that renders her an anti-Semite, then virtually every Gentile is anti-Semitic and almost every Jew is an anti-Gentile bigot.
"It is highly misleading to probe private comments for evidence of anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry and sexism. The present trend emanates largely from a lethal combination -- the totalitarian temptation inherent in contemporary liberalism and the media's sensationalism."
It may well matter to God what people say in private. But what should matter to us is what people say in public and how people act -- whether in private or public.
Now, as it happens, Sterling does seem to have behaved in a racist manner in the past. And these actions do matter in assessing Donald Sterling. It is worth noting, however, that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People apparently felt that all the previous charges of racist conduct meant nothing. It was scheduled to award Sterling a lifetime achievement award at its upcoming Los Angeles gala in two weeks.
Yes, the private remarks attributed to Sterling are racist and awful. But the growing acceptance of leaks of people's private non-criminal behaviors and comments -- and the consequent judgment of these people -- will ultimately injure society far more than who owns the Los Angeles Clippers.
Donald Sterling is definitely guilty of choosing an UGLY mistress.
Voltaire
I don’t like the law either but if you are going to have it as law the owner should be able to use it against her. The liberals brought this about in California so it is right that they should be hoist on their owen petard.
“owen”=”own”
I’ve been thinking on this long and have reached a conclusion many will consider a wild accusation. We are experiencing the rise of a Red Guard.
Mao’s cultural revolution was started to do away with the four old ways(old customs, old culture, old habits and old ideas). Entertain for a moment to replace the word old with the American. American customs, American Culture, American habits, and American ideas. The younger generation under Mao set about purging the nation by destroying religion and persecuting people through public humiliation and eventually reeducation camps.
These incidents revolving around the private lives citizens ending up in public humiliation, some in loss of jobs or loss of livlihoods...is this really that far, distant...from the early actions of the Chinese Red Guards? Aren’t we just actually watching the modern day version of a powerful few to inflict public humiliation outside the scope of law?
If one doesn’t’ toe the line on race, homosexuality, or is a Christian...these old ways much be done away with. And anyone who holds even the remotest of views to the old ways must be humiliated in public.
He should have known too. Just proves yet again that you don't have to be brilliant to get rich beyond the avarice of Midas. That's not to say that some who do get filthy rich are not brilliant.
No one is going to crucify him.
He’s a HUGE Democrat donor, writes big, fat checks. The media will scream, the professionally-offended and perpetually-offended will will scream, and next week, the NEXT new big horrible offense will come up, or they’ll be quietly told to move on and find another target.
Personally - this is supposedly old news, how this guy is. The players who knew he was like this, and yet STILL continue to cash his checks, are no better than his little hooker playmate.
Their selective outrage only goes as far as the distance to the bank with their paychecks.
They want us to believe them? Fine. Quit the team, and go elsewhere. Or better yet, DON’T accept a paycheck from the guy.
Hypocrites, all.
I’m not sympathizing with the guy, but the ONLY crime that has been committed here was an illegal wiretap/recording without consent by his little pay-to-lay. His opinion is not a crime, only in some hysterical libs’ vacuous minds.
People want him punished? Fine. Don’t buy his products - no Jerseys, no hats, no sneakers, no games. That’s THEIR Freedom of Speech.
I rather strongly feel that punishing people for private conversations is lame. That jerk Mark Cuban actually said it well, “that’s a slippery slope that I don’t want to go down”.
Not to imply I’d have much sympathy for him if he were a Republican, I wouldn’t, but I have ZERO sympathy for him, mostly for one reason, because he’s he’s a RAT. And yes he is a rat Liberal websites are jumping all over themselves saying that’s not true. He’s a registered Republican they say “So what?” is what I say to that.
Money talks, voter registration walks, he hasn’t given any money to us that I’ve heard of. Show me otherwise Mother Jones or STFU. Know many Republicans that hang around with the NAACP crowd? He’s a rat. Therefore I say to him, burn baby burn.
So his “girlfriend” is a hooker? Apparently he doesn’t mind if she sleeps with other men. What a piece of sleaze he is.
Freedom of Speech works both ways - for the Golden Child du jour AND for the bearded anarchist - OR the fat old Democrat POS donor that happens to own a basketball team.
The left defines Freedom of Speech as “Only the Speech WE agree with”.
But they GOT where they are in this Country by hiding under the First Amendment.
Of course, this old guy isn’t a big old hunk; just has a hunk of money. Saw her on t.v. last night wearing a riot mask or umpire’s mask, or something. Have to say it’s an improvement over her natural features.
This girl is unclear on the concept of how she's supposed to act once she has a billionaire as a boyfriend. When a jerk tried to throw a pie at Rupert Murdoch, his wife reacted quickly and smacked the guy. That being said, they have since divorced and she got to keep a 44 million dollar apartment.
Rupert Murdoch's wife Wendi: Clearly a force to be reckoned with
I agree of course, free speech is for everyone, period.
But his party created this world where it’s an endangered right. So I’m glad to see him become a victim of what his side has wrought. Burn baby burn.
I've always wondered that myself....
Looking at John Edwards, Clinton, this guy, and others. The people who they're cheating with.... frankly ....ain't much to look at. I would have thought that millions of dollars would move them up the ladder. If nothing else, expensive hookers would be higher quality, and more discreet.
Says a lot about their character. Maybe they're looking more for convenience? Who knows? Makes me wonder how many powerful men have taken a fall because of Zipper Problems.
Fortunately, I don't ever need to worry about this. Mrs WBill and I are still head over heels for each other. And, we'll never be rich. :-)
See what I did there?
“..But his party created this world where it’s an endangered right...”
Absolutely spot-on.
But - it’s only endangered if WE don’t fight for it, over and over, every time, relentlessly. Same way they did.
And if they DO manage to criminalize free speech, they need to know that it WILL be reciprocated on them eventually, in full measure.
Same with gun rights. No compromise, no relenting, no backing down.
So yeah, the guy IS a POS turd in a punchbowl... but he still has rights.
Cuban is first and foremost a businessman, and a practical one at that. He doesn’t want the door to even be cracked open a smidgen on this, as maybe someday the other owners would tire of his controversy and antics and try to force him out as well.
So no, they can’t force a man to divest owning a professional sports franchise. But they can and do have a right to condemn Sterling’s words and not want to be associated with him. There are other ways to make Sterling’s continued ownership tenure untenable, as the sponsors leave, the fans cancel season tickets, and no players will want to play for the Clips while he still runs them. He has a right to own his team and hold his beliefs, but others have the right to say “I’m not setting one foot through that team’s front door”.
************************NEWS FLASH*************************
ALL PEOPLE DON’T LIKE ALL PEOPLE yet the MSM is knee jerk over reaction because we all know black are not racist ain’t that right Al Sharpton?.
Now MSM has excuse not to cover all the Obama screw ups.
I knew that eventually someone would post my thoughts.
You did a great job. Thanks
Speaking of Al Sharpton, The ultimate race baiter is supposed to get the achievement award that Sterling was supposed to get.
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