A Christian Liberal is NOT an oxymoron.

Posted by XT on April 8th, 2008 in Campaign News

This is amazingly stupid. In fact, it’s so stupid, it’s stoopit.

An Illinois delegate for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama resigned after using the word “monkeys” to describe black children playing in a tree, the Obama campaign said Tuesday.

Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, a trustee in the Chicago suburb of Carpentersville, was issued a $75 ticket for disorderly conduct after neighbors complained to police. She says the word wasn’t meant racially and she will fight the ticket.

“Given the incident, Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski is stepping down as a delegate and will be replaced,” said Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage.

The incident occurred Saturday, when two children were playing in a tree next door to Ramirez-Sliwinski’s house.

She said the parents were outside supervising the children, but she went over and told them to get out of the tree because she was concerned about the boys’ safety and because the small magnolia tree was being damaged.

The father of one of the boys told her it was none of her business, she told the Chicago Tribune, and “I calmly said the tree is not there for them to be climbing in there like monkeys.”

The mother of one boy called police.

Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne said Tuesday a ticket was issued because the ordinance bans conduct that disturbs or alarms people. One of the boys told police he was scared by her comment and a mother said she was disturbed, he said.

Oh my FREAKING GOD!!!! Can we stop the idiocy? A grown man is scared because a woman says kids are swinging in the tree like monkeys? “Disturbed”? What about the damn tree?

This is the latest exhibit in how the push to ban racial bigotry has just taken a wrong turn and ended up in Stupidville.

I’m not saying it was or wasn’t Ramirez-Sliwinski’s place to question the kids. But I’m also willing to bet that the parents would have been even more upset if she had been the one to call the cops – and that is pretty much the only alternative if you see someone destroying public property and they won’t stop when you ask them.

She didn’t threaten the kids. She didn’t mention violence. She just said “swinging like monkeys”. Have some people referred to blacks with the term “monkey” from time to time – of course. But it isn’t the word that is offensive! It is the intention behind the word!

And I call my boys “little monkeys” all the time. Am I being racist or somehow implying that they are related to some secret Arctic Monkey?

Give me a break! The case should be dismissed, the police reprimanded, and the adults involved should be told to grow up.

Sphere: Related Content