Saturday, September 16, 2017

Jemele Hill Nails It

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

A few days ago ESPN sportscaster Jemele Hill took to her Twitter account where she called Donald Trump a "white supremacist."  Shockingly, Trump and his white entourage took offense.  Here is some of what Ms. Hill had to say in response to remarks from another tweeter:

"Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists."
"Trump is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period."
"He has surrounded himself with white supremacists -- no they are not "alt right" -- and you want me to believe he isn't a white supremacist?"

Sarah Snarls:  Trump press tool Sarah Huckabee Sanders wanted to make sure that the nation, and particularly ESPN, understood her view that Ms. Hill's exercise of her First Amendment free speech rights was a "fireable" offense, particularly in the age of Trump.  Surely stating something that most nine-year-olds recognize as a gold-standard fact is far less "fireable" than using a publicly-funded position to lie to Americans about all manner of things day-after-day.  But still Sarah rattles on as if she matters an iota in the grand scheme of things.

Trump Dumps:  Donald Trump followed up a day or two later with a demand for an apology, though exactly for what remains uncertain.  Surely he wasn't offended by the "supremacist" part of the comment because he is fairly open in his contempt of everyone else in the world.   Trump was brought up to feel that he was supreme to others, and he wears his supremacy almost like a religious robe.  So what is the problem, Donald?  Are you denying being white?    Not everyone was weaned on reality television, Donnie, and there are people out there who flat-out don't like your vulgarity, selfishness, and abhorrent ego.  It might also help if you quit repeating your racist response to the violence in Charlottesville.

As of this morning we are still a free country with a whole list of civil liberties enshrined in our Constitution.  The first and foremost of those liberties is a right to speak freely.  People who choose to run for public office voluntarily place themselves in position where they are apt to draw criticism - some of which may be deemed to be unfair, and some of which does little more than to state the obvious.   Donald Trump chose to make himself the center of national attention, and Jemele Hill chose to take a few potshots at the persona which Trump has so carefully crafted for himself.

Donald Trump has a First Amendment right to associate with - and even defend - racists and bigots, and Jemele Hill has the same right to point out behaviors which many decent people find offensive.   

ESPN doesn't need to fire anyone, but America does.

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