Democrats ignite race debate in Central NH’s Lakes Region. Part One: “Negro 101”

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Democrat Seal

An interesting debate about the "presumptive" Democratic nominee taking place here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire in our local papers and in cyberspace has escalated into a full blown debate over race, language, and political correctness. It all started when one of the local wags– a Democrat "seasoned citizen"– submitted a letter to several local papers. It’s author, Mr. Jack Stephenson, is well known to me and is someone I’ve always found thoughtful, humorous, and honest almost to a fault– he speaks his mind, and makes no apologies. Well, except when he puts forth his thoughts and later concludes he was mistaken… then, unlike most, he goes out of his way to admit it, and lets everyone know he was wrong with whatever previous mistaken position.

Here’s what Jack had to say in the letter printed in the Citizen and Laconia Daily Sun newspapers earlier this week. Keep in mind, he has long been known for his not-always PC, but truthful letters, always with a touch of Yankee humor:

To The Editor,

It is clear that IF we all had the knowledge about Obama which we have heard since he got the "nomination" (not confirmed until their convention), Hillary would be the Democrat candidate. But back then we didn’t know that brilliant Obama could not speak intelligently without his staff prepared cue cards. Back then we didn’t know that he opposed any increase in safe, clean, cheap energy sources (long proven nuclear, wind, solar and clean coal). Back then we didn’t know that he would propose the biggest tax increase ever in the US! Back then some of us thought that he was the same as most USA negros, but he is NOT, and he has become a total insult to our great successful negros in the USA. Back then we didn’t know that he was both against the Iraq war and for it, both against battles in Afganistan and for it, and wants to greatly increase number of our troops in Afganistan (the most dangerous place on earth). He is totally for WAR and totally against war, totally for outrageous taxes and totally against taxes, totally for 100% control of all medical care, and totally oppossed to government control of health care.

It is absolutely clear that Obama is totally for and totally against every issue which Americans are concerned with. IE, he is the ultimate politician, as his Church Pastor long ago told us!

Honesty, practicallity, need, usefulness, has nothing to do with Obama. Clearly, Obama is trying to steal from Clinton the title of the world’s best LIAR! Hillary tried that, but Obama beat her out for that title.

We must encourage Hillary to take the nomination away from misleading Obama, and give the nation a chance for a fair election. It can happen, and if it doesn’t, we are in for a "Hollywood style" president!

Jack Stephenson

Gilford

Well… You just know that that letter certainly caught the eye of the readers locally, including that of the local Democrat Party leaders, most of whom, like their hero Obama, cannot accept the slightest bit of criticism, and immediately cry foul when it occurs. Call Obama unfit to lead? Bigotry! Question his qualifications? How dare we doubt his patriotism! Note his liberal record? Racist! The chair of the Laconia, NH Democrats sounded the alarm in the daily emailed communiqué:

By the way, I don’t know how many of you saw the letter to the editor in the Laconia Citizen yesterday from Gilford’s Jack Stephenson complaining about Obama.  An excerpt:  Back then some of us thought that he was the same as most USA negros, but he is NOT, and he has become a total insult to our great successful negros in the USA.  Personally, I find that extremely offensive and I’m writing a letter in response.  I encourage each of you to do the same.

This was followed by a later email and blog post reiterating his request to take "Mr. Stephenson to task." And so they did, including none other than NH Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley. But first out of the gate was another local lib (known to ‘Grok readers, perhaps) who fancies himself intellectually superior  to most folks, once again seeking first to dazzle readers with his "vast knowledge" of matters of great importance, in the hopes they’ll believe his recollection of history and culture. This week, he gave us HIS version of history– "Negro 101", if you will:

 

To The Editor,

Jack Stephenson’s letter of 8/18 ("For it and against it") about Obama smacks of antiquated and current racism as well as ignorance of ethnic history. He claims that Obama needs "cue cards" to speak, cue cards being a semi-antiquated term (the other being Negro — fully antiquated) he uses in his letter.

On the contrary Obama has proven to be the most extemporaneous (and exceptional on his feet) candidate speaker in 2008, unwavering and beyond eloquent without a teleprompter most of the time. I have yet to see him use "cue cards" on any political issue, important to Americans. (When thanking local advocates he uses cards to remember hundreds of names in hundreds of towns). But that’s about it!

Beyond belief, however, is Stephenson’s use of the term "Negro" twice in his letter, in the year 2008 as a term for an African-American, (albeit he’s one-half by DNA). One would think Stephenson’s last book he read was "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee in 1960 instead of "The Name Negro — Its Origin and Evil Use" by Richard B. Moore of the same year (1960). Since Senator Obama’s mother was white (S. Ann Durham) and from the flatlands of Kansas, Stephenson might be expected to have used the outdated term "mulatto" since Mr. Obama’s father was Kenyan making Obama biracial. He is only half-black (or half-white) so why would Stephenson call him a "Negro."

The term "Negro" in 2008 is generally used today for black Spanish olives, not African Blacks, and the oppression of black slaves and their culture has resulted in an evolution of more modern terms of respect for a substantial portion of our nation’s citizenry and voting public. The root of the word, Negro, means "black" in all European and African cultures. Admittedly in previous letters to the editor, Stephenson has acknowledged his age as in the mid-70s. He must surely realize by now that the term, Negro is obsolete.

Disparaging terms had their evolution from the 1830s to the mid-1890s when Blacks were called "colored" or even "Colored-American." At the beginning of the 20th century and by 1920, the term Negro was born. From the 1930s on, to the 1960s with the Black Power movement, there was dissatisfaction in general with the Negro term. There was a cultural movement of more respect for Blacks and their heritage/ culture, which was designed to remove "a host of other slurs" that will not be mentioned here. During this cultural nationalism, terms evolved; with "Black" or "African-American" the latter moniker predominating since the 1980s until now. The term, African-American highlights both "historical lineage and ethnogeographic origins" and not skin color, as in the older terms.

Stephenson shows his implied bigotry and ignorance when he says (in referencing Cbama), "Back then some of us thought that he was the same as most USA Negros, but he is NOT and he has become an insult to our great successful Negros in the USA." Is Stephenson thinking MLK, Jr here? Might Stephenson be thinking MLK was the "Numero Uno Negro?" Mea culpa, mea culpa!

Obama is no "insult" to intelligent life on this earth, Mr. Stevenson, and he does speak "for all people" and is far from "Hollywood" in style. One last point. The New York Times began capitalizing the word, Negro (as in African-American history) in 1930, should you wish to use the quasi-racist term again for relevant historical purposes. You didn’t capitalize it as a former ethnicity in your last letter and yet "spell check," alerts you. Typewriters don’t however.

Jack Polidoro

Laconia

"Colored-American"? "Negro" is "obsolete"? Please. I looked up an organization that used to advertise on television fairly regularly. Remember these guys?

united negro college fund

Since I don’t watch much TV, I figured I’d better check to see if the United Negro College Fund still existed. Guess what? From their website:

"Born from the long-standing traditions of the United Negro College Fund, Inc., UNCFSP was established on April 1, 2000 as an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization with the broad mandate of supporting all Minority Serving Institutions, both domestic and international, including…"

Across the very top of the main page is the group’s name, spelled out in full:

United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation

With this at the bottom of the page:

©2005-2008 United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation

Gasp! Could this be a racist organization? Somebody get ahold of Mr. Politboro Polidoro! He needs to phone these guys and tell them that unless they’re selling olives, they MUST change their name!!!

Anyway, as mentioned above, here’s Party Chair Buckley’s letter, also published in the two papers:

To the editors,

I know that most read Mr. Stephenson’s letter of the other day and dismissed him as an oddball or was offended by his inappropriate language.

For me, I want to thank him for it. It gave me the perfect opportunity to reflect on why I chose to be in public life. There is nothing about my life story that is special but it does remind me how alive the American Dream is today.

When I was three, because my Dad was looking for work, my young parents and I packed up and left New Hampshire for Detroit, Michigan We happened to find an apartment in an area where my school, my church and my neighborhood were all integrated. Skin color meant nothing to me in nursery school, kindegarten, first grade, the playground or in Sunday school.

We returned the summer of 1966 and in second grade I learned of Abe Lincoln, slavery and the Civil War. I was stunned and horrified to learn that my former friends’ great grandparents were slaves. Lincoln’s childhood of poverty, commitment to justice and willingness to put his values into action inspired me to find a way to make a difference too. In the next election, just months after the assassination of Dr. King and Sen. Kennedy, I organized my friends to help with Democratic candidates and I haven’t stopped since.

This week I, just a kid from a poor family without any ties to power or wealth, will travel to Denver, Colorado to lead New Hampshire’s delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention where, forty five years to the exact date of Dr. King’s "I have a Dream" speech, Senator Barack Obama will be nominated to be the next president of the United States.

Forty five years ago when Dr. King said "let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire" little did he know that a little boy of a Kansan mother and Kenyan dad would grow up and mark his historic anniversary with such a significant history making occurrence. Nor did he know of the young poor kid from NH who would grow up to join 80,000 other proud Americans to witness the event or the estimated billion across the planet witness his dream come true.

When Dr. King dreamed of a day where people were j
udged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. He was dreaming of 2008 America. Dr. King’s Dream is truly the American Dream. A dream for all Americans and for all members of the human race.

I am sure Mr. Stephenson wanted to inspire animosity and divide but for me, he reminded me of how lucky, and how proud I am to be an American. Let freedom ring indeed.

Sincerely,
Raymond Buckley, State Chair
NH Democratic Party

I don’t know… it sounds like pap to me. I think he missed Mr. Stephenson’s point. And this lady doesn’t think Mr. Stephenson’s really a Democrat:

To the Editor,

I read Jack Stephenson’s recent letter with great interest, but I confess, I’m having a hard time understanding why he’s pretending to be a Democrat.

If he really were a supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton, he’d be supporting Senator Obama, since that’s what she asked her supporters to do.

It seems far more likely that Mr. Stephenson is trying, not too cleverly, to create division and dissent within the ranks of Democrats.

Mr. Stephenson, I think you’re confused about some of the issues you mentioned. I’ve seen Senator Obama speak in public, with nary a "cue card" in sight. He wasn’t using the 21st century version of the cue card, the Teleprompter, either. It’s actually Senator McCain who relies on notes and Teleprompters.

When McCain spoke in front of the great wall of cheese last month, he needed to look at his notes in order to find out the price of a gallon of milk! I guess we can’t expect a guy who has a private jet, 8 homes, $100 million, and wears $500 loafers to remember silly things like the cost of milk. After all, it’s not as if he ever has to shop, like the rest of us do.

As for energy, Senator Obama is, regrettably, in favor of nuclear power. Fox News keeps saying he is anti-nuke, which is probably why you’re so woefully uninformed. Nuclear power is NOT a cheap, or a clean energy source, which explains why no nuclear plants are being built. Uranium (a finite resource) mining requires huge outputs of energy and water. The radioactive tailings left behind are quite dangerous, and seldom cleaned up. Most uranium mining in the US takes place on Indian reservations, where mining companies destroy the land and water, and leave the mess behind.

Given your rather racist commentary about "negros", I’m suspecting you don’t care too much about the polluting of Indian lands. I’m not sure who the "successful USA negros" you mention are, but one thing is certain, I bet they’d appreciate it if you at least spelled the plural term for negro correctly. It’s Negroes, Mr. Stephenson, a term that hasn’t seen popular usage since 1962. You need to update your vocabulary.

I am shocked to hear that you’re concerned about having a "Hollywood style" president, since I’d bet my life’s savings that you voted for Ronald Reagan.

Try harder next time, Jack. You don’t write like a Democrat.

Susan Bruce
Jackson

At least she attempted to take him on regarding some actual issues, rather than just playing the race card out of the gate. This lady thinks Stephenson is the absolute worst:

To the editor,

Clearly, Mr Stephenson has been living under a rock for years. I suggest he crawl back under it and keep his racist, small minded, uninformed views to himself. He is spreading hate and he is spreading lies.

Betsey Phillips
Franconia

I know Stephenson well, and I can attest he doesn’t live under a rock. On the side of a mountain in central NH? Yes. But under a rock? Absolutely not. He happens to be an extremely intelligent rocket scientist… a REAL one! Jack Stephenson spreading HATE? No way. This is what the Chair of the Laconia City Dems, the one that initially started the ball rolling on the counter-attack to Mr. Stephenson’s lamentation of Obama’s newly discovered flaws, had to say:

To the Editor,

Jack Stephenson of Gilford has tragically revealed himself to be beyond hope. One would have thought that his 75 years of living would have taught him something about decency and civility. Clearly it has not.

Stephenson wrote a letter to the editor that was published Monday in both the Laconia Citizen and the Laconia Daily Sun that was offensive and provokes pity. In it he said, referring to Barack Obama, “Back then some of us thought that he was the same as most USA negroes, but he is not, and he has become a total insult to our great successful negroes in the USA.”

Left to the reader’s imagination is how Stephenson defines most “USA negroes“, or “great successful negroes in the USA”. One can only assume that the aging curmudgeon believes such a definition would be superfluous given that clearly his views must be conventional. Perhaps they were five or six decades ago, but the world has moved beyond such uncomfortable and unsavory stereotypes.

Sadly, Jack hasn’t. Somehow he’s avoided any evolutionary thought.

That doesn’t come as a surprise. Having read his letters over the years, a number of which I refused to publish when I was an editor at the Daily Sun, I’ve always been struck by how miserable Mr. Stephenson is. Seventy-five years of life and all he does is complain.

That’s tragic, and deserves pity. If after 75 years one hasn’t found at least a modicum of happiness and good cheer one’s life must seem a complete waste.

Ron Tunning
Laconia

Certainly Mr. Tunning may be accurate as to some of Mr. Stephenson’s exercise of his First Amendment rights being, shall we say, "on the edge," but I can testify that Mr. Stephenson is NOT generally miserable, and his life has certainly NOT been a waste. I view him to be a renaissance man, in a way, as he has designed and implemented many interesting and useful ideas– many to do with energy creation and savings– in his own personal environment. And I can attest that Mr. Stephenson is NOT a bigot or racist in the slightest way. I wonder if his detractors recall his letters of support for Obama in the local papers during primary season? His distress is based on the facts he has learned since Obama gained the presumptive nominee position. I took his letter to mean he was disappointed that Obama turns out to be no different than politicians using the race card to come before him.

Stay tuned for part 2: More than one person responded in defense of Mr. Stephenson, and took Mr. Politboro Polidoro to task for his crazy version of PC "Negro history". Also, we’ll post the very well written letter by Mr. Stephenson rather ably answering his not-so adoring "fans" and putting them back in their place.

Could this be a microcosm of the debate raging nationally? Many have asked which party is REALLY racist, in the fact it sees EVERYTHING in terms of race and color, and which one more truly strives for a "colorblind society."

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