I’m sure all kidney patients…
…will be happy to hear that UCLA has rejected a three million dollar donation from Donald Sterling for kidney research.
People are falling all over themselves to show how righteous they are by shunning Sterling and everything he ever touched. Apparently they’re afraid his racist cooties will rub off on them.
The latest developments in the Sterling case—this action by UCLA, and of course the lifetime ban and huge fine levied by the NBA, are legal and well within the rights of both institutions. But it’s possible to feel alarmed at what’s been happening without mounting any sort of defense of Sterling himself. What alarms me is the chilling effect this has on private conversations, and the encouragement it gives to blackmailers and those out for revenge.
It’s been reported by “a source” that Sterling knew he was being recorded when the conversations were taped. If that is correct (and at this point we have no way of ascertaining whether it is or isn’t), then the man’s a fool (well, we already knew that) as well as a racist. But at least it would also take the case out of the realm of being in violation of the California wiretapping statute that requires the consent of both parties to any recording of a confidential conversation, a law whose violation would very very much concern me.
I had never heard of Sterling before this story broke. I don’t follow basketball and haven’t for decades. So I knew nothing about previous allegations of Sterling’s racist behavior, including this 2009 Department of Justice lawsuit that was settled out of court. But the NAACP no doubt knew about all of it, and somehow the organization managed to tolerate his behavior and even to reward it till now. What changed?
http://www.voxday.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-purging-of-donald-tokowitz.html
If anyone continues to wonder why I don’t respect America’s “sports” craze such as the NFL, NBA, or other 3 letter acronyms, see the link above.
It also addresses Neo’s question of what changed. In a sort of right wing conspiracy sense, at least.
Racism is all in the blood isn’t it ? One drop of blood and you’re contaminated for life.
The problem with the Bundy, Mozilla, Sterling cases and others is that it reinforces the totalitarian nature of the country being promoted by the left/Democrats/Obama.
All the conservatives running for the tall grass to separate themselves from these people are going to be taken out by the left wing mobs sooner or later. They all should be fighting for the first amendment. The absolute right to say whatever the hell you want. It served the country well for hundreds of years.
That chilling effect is just the point of this.
It is a thoughcrime, and all the worse for being enforced extra-legally. This will just embolden them, Somewhere along the line this couldl be escalated to the point where there the slightest reflection on “social matters” that falls outside the progressives allowed speech will result in the flaying of some average, responsible person and the seizing of their property or the destruction of their livelihood.
Watch the rhetoric around voter fraud or the releasing of 200k criminals start to follow the assaults we see around Sterling.
On the other hand, overt racism on the part of the Administration or Leftist pundit, particularly racism towards whites, is openly flaunted.
The Democrats mean to destroy this nation, and the white race is in the cross-hairs. The sooner the realize that, the better.
whatclaptrap,
Exactly. It’s a slippery slope, and that’s by design. Eventually, conservatives won’t be able to keep their jobs because of their political views.
Re the chilling effect, Mass Sen Markey wants to set up a government agency to monitor the internet etc. for “Hate speech”.
As Mark Steyn has found out in Canada with their Human Rights Councils and his current fight with the global warming guy the only targets of this sort of thing are conservatives.
After all for the left conservative speech is by definition hate speech.
Donald Sterling is old, rich, and a bigot. That said, what did he do except express his thoughts to his mistress? 50 years ago the fact that he had a mistress would have been the outrage. Today, that he says something that isn’t PC is a major crime?
Here’s a thought:
“For all the lockstep sanctimonious sputtering from everyone on TV and radio, this story is not about race. It is about freedom and its opposite, coerced ideological homogeneity.
At this point the stampeded cattle comprising the American public will probably agree that anyone who does not want his mistress hanging out with blacks is so awful that he should be burned at the stake. But if the thought police are successful at immolating Sterling, next time it might not be about race. Next time the thought criminal will be someone who said something not currently politically fashionable about homosexuals – and/or about the Bible. Soon it could be a remark expressing doubts about the dangers of global warming that turns someone into Emmanuel Goldstein. If we continue down this road, within a few years, criticism of government figures could bring out the lynch mob.”
Read it all: http://moonbattery.com/?p=45204
What’s going on in the wake of this fiasco is making racism look good.
What amuses me about the lefties is their awesome good intentions and humongous self righteousness. They could give the Pharisee lessons.
Ray nails it: “awesome good intentions” and “humongous self righteousness.” Exactly. And, let me see, what is it again that paves the road to hell?
“I’m sure all kidney patients will be happy to hear that UCLA has rejected a three million dollar donation from Donald Sterling for kidney research.”
Just as the blacks who play for the Clippers will be happy to be experiencing the various boycotts of their team. It’s so (self-) satisfying to demonstrate one’s moral superiority on the backs of others.
And now the NAACP is offering for Sterling to donate 2+1/2 million dollars to (who else?) the NAACP. How conveeeenient. The price of absolution from original sin. I’m having trouble deciding which is slimier: Sterling or the NAACP.
Call Al, Jesse, Spike and the rest!
I witnessed a horrible racial act this morning. We have white and black swans in our lake and the white swan ran the black one out of the lake … I’m not kidding.
This seems like and inside job. The girlfriend seems to have 100 hours of Sterling’s comments. She also seems to be in league with Magic Johnson. There is a lot more to this story.
Note the comment from the CBS LA coverage:
dixhandley – 24 minutes ago
Given the choice I’d rather see Sterling keep the team over Magic Johnson that thug. Johnson was in cahoots with the tran sexual Sterling was involved with. Sterling is one of the biggest racists on the planet but Johnson is a manipulator and has used his Aids and blackness to extort from others.
“if the thought police are successful at immolating Sterling, next time it might not be about race. Next time the thought criminal will be someone who said something not currently politically fashionable about homosexuals – and/or about the Bible. Soon it could be a remark expressing doubts about the dangers of global warming that turns someone into Emmanuel Goldstein.”
No ‘next time’ or ‘soon’ about it JJ. It has already happened. Remember Phil Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’ and his comment about gays and the Bible with the resultant demands from Glaad et al that A&E cancell his family’s top rated show?
And just 6 weeks ago an assistant philosophy professor at Rochester Institute of Technology wants to send people who disagree with him about global warming to jail.
At Harvard, we had senior Sandra Korn (“a joint history of science and studies of women, gender and sexuality concentrator”, whatever that might be) declare that academic freedom is an outdated concept and that “academic justice” is a much better concept:
It’s already here JJ, it’s already here. It just isn’t the norm…yet.
M J R:
I’ve seen people on discussion boards compare the suggested NAACP donation to an indulgence.
conspiracy theorists listen up !
I have run across some discussions THAT Sterling was not snitched on by his
mistress, but that some similar conversations took place over
cell phones. This brouhaha was in fact caused by the NSA
to divert attention from the smoking gun Emails on Bhengazi
& provide some *insurance* cover for Administration with
the LIV & their base. In fact there are several attention diverting scenarios that can be put into *play* whenever the
*situation* may warrant it !!!
Clever those Alinsky ites such creeps !
“You watch your ass.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN99jshaQbY
Neo,
If you haven’t already read it, you might want to take a look at an opinion piece, written by the chairman of NAACP’s Board of Directors, and published in today’s USA Today.
Here’s the link
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/04/30/naacp-nba-cliven-bundy-donald-sterling-clippers-racism-column/8509011/
Just to clear, I can’t find anything to agree with in the editorial.
What’s so sad and funny is this:
“Our NAACP chapter in L.A. is not blameless. Because of Sterling’s large donations to local charities, including the NAACP, they overlooked his worse than checkered history on race issues and gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2009 – and were about to honor him with a humanitarian award before his racist recording surfaced.”
I am totally sick of all the money/celebrity culture. I hate pro sports and the Olympics as well as wardrobe malfunctions and overpriced designer clothes. I’ve had it with all the micro-aggrieved activists and gluten-sensitive moral snobs. It would serve them well to come down with a kidney ailment. Or at least had to live from their home-grown organic foods and warm themselves with coats and socks made of their own home-spun wool.
What ever happened to recognizing character?
neo-neocon, 3:01 pm — “I’ve seen people on discussion boards compare the suggested NAACP donation to an indulgence.”
Thanks for the wikipedia link; I’m not up on Catholic theology. From the link, “an indulgence technically is a remission of the temporal punishment inflicted by the Church for a previously forgiven sin.”
Yes, I think it’s a better word than “absolution”, the word I had used, in the situation. “[F]or a previously forgiven sin.” Yes, I understand the old guy’s been at it for quite some time . . .
MJR, Martin Luther and much of the Protestant reformation was fought over indulgences.
The way it worked was that any person with enough money could buy absolution, like Green money in Global Warming. It was supposed to be merely something less, but ended up as a way to buy heaven. Some people didn’t like that.
http://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2014/04/29/what-have-you-said-in-private-n1830677
Prager on privacy.
Frank Zappa once asked who are the brain police? I think we know the answer by now.
Ymarsakar, 5:31 pm — Yep. Thanx . . .
What the old fool said to his tart in private is No One’s Business.
I hate the Leftists and their Lynch Mobs. Seriously, we’re going to have to start tell them to eff off, early and often.
There has been a bit of squirming by some on the Useful Idiot bench, however. A bit of uneasiness about this, and the destruction of Eich, and even Bundy (by the way, you should see the full video of what Cliven Bundy said — it gives you a Completely different picture of him than the heavily edited leftwing Media Matters version that got all the attention.)
From a comment, up-thread.
“Our NAACP chapter in L.A. is not blameless. Because of Sterling’s large donations to local charities, including the NAACP, they overlooked his worse than checkered history on race issues and gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2009 – and were about to honor him with a humanitarian award before his racist recording surfaced.”
So, we know what you are – now we’re just negotiating the price.
As I have said before, I hope Sterling has the energy to pursue litigation. The discovery and testimony under oath could be very interesting. So far, all we really have is a rather rambling, garbled and possibly edited, recording. This is paralleled by multiple and unverified allusions to a history of racism which was juxtaposed with a serious level of philanthropy for Black as well as White causes.
It is well known on the street that there has long been a desire to make room for a Magic Johnson franchise in the LA area. Does this bear on the current situation?
As others have said; Sterling is just a sideline. I assume that he can shrug this off and buy happiness for his remaining days. The issue is the “Thought Gestapo”, and their rising power in the private sector as well as among the Apparatchik. I wonder when they will finally “jump the shark” in the vernacular of the day, and what form the backlash will take. Or will they prevail?
The more reliant the people are on federal paid education, the more they will obey orders to toe the party line.
The more the peasants are hit with complicated laws and taxes, the better the 1% of Democrats will have with their tax free income and raising their progeny up to Rule.
The Left’s lust for enslaving humanity knows no bounds. Although some people still think physical chains are the ultimate form of slavery and that mental slavery under a totalitarian thought police somehow doesn’t “count”.
The next target?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-crawford/what-about-nbas-homophobe_b_5236780.html
This country is starting more and more to remind me of America circa 1968.
“Things fall apart
The center cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”
The center already collapsed. The wings will fold and the army will route completely, in time.