Black frat inducts Bill Clinton as honorary member

[Kadie]

Black frat inducts Bill Clinton as honorary member

Friday, July 10, 2009


(07-10) 20:16 PDT New Orleans (AP) --

A historically black fraternity has voted to induct former President Bill Clinton as an honorary member.

Phi Beta Sigma President Paul Griffin Jr. said Friday that Clinton is the first U.S. president to be inducted into a historically black fraternity.

The fraternity voted Tuesday for Clinton's induction at its 95th Anniversary Conclave in New Orleans, La.

Stevie Wonder, Al Roker, the Rev. Al Sharpton and jazz musician Ramsey Lewis are also honorary members of Phi Beta Sigma.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/10/national/a201638D58.DTL&tsp=1

[imdjh]

1. Can he use the pool? nt

[Kadie]

3. .

:spray:

:thumbsup:

[Number23]

5. Is that a joke about something? What is it supposed to be about?

[MADem]

6. Prominent news story this week

http://www.naacp.org/news/press/2009-07-09/index.htm

[Number23]

7. Yes, I know that. I was specifically referring to that poster's "can he swim in the pool?" comment.

Seemed like that bit of stupidity needed a bit of explaining.

[cherokeeprogressive]

8. I guess the explanation would start with a question...

Can the first black president swim in an all-white pool?

Doesn't sound like a stupid question to me.

[Number23]

9. Considering how well you've grasped the subject at hand

I'm not all that surprised you don't find the question stupid.

[cherokeeprogressive]

10. And I'm not at all surprised that you're not at all surprised.

Does that surprise you?

[MADem]

11. I guess my glass is half full. I thought the question was not stupid, but a bit of ironic shorthand

to comment on current events in this day and age. I think I took the point correctly.

I took the question to mean "Here we have a former US President who has, in his career, been a model for equal opportunity in all its forms, being honored by a prestigious black fraternity, in the very same week that Jim Crow rears his ugly head in the northeast, with the discrimination against young black children in a youth group at a swim club run by racist bastards."

The juxtaposition of the two stories is profoundly ironic. Sad, too.

[Number23]

12. Well, since you've already concluded that you "took the point correctly"

(such a bold but humble move on your part, by the way) which must mean that I took it "incorrectly" despite having seen several odd things this particular poster has said regarding black people, I'll just leave the conversation of black culture, including black fraternities, and racism towards blacks to the folks who obviously know best, which I guess is supposed to be you.

The juxtaposition of the two stories is profoundly ironic. Sad, too.

The "juxtaposition" never existed until that poster's casual, throw away comment and when I tried to find out what was meant by it, I got -- you.

[MADem]

13. The only other way to take it is to call out the poster. What is he? Out with it.

An asshole? A RACIST asshole? That's what you're implying.

And I don't think he's doing that with that comment. I see no evidence of it, and if that's what you think, you're going to need to provide some serious proof, because you are, by innuendo, calling the poster an asshole, a racist, or something else that is "not very nice."

If you have, as you said, seen "several odd things" (perhaps you can point them out to the rest of us) then you need to either ask for clarification (without snide accusation) or hit that alert button, if these "several odd things" you've seen rise to the level of racist commentary. You need to take it up with the mods, not use suggestion and innuendo to smear someone.

Conviction by innuendo sucks. The "I'll bet you (do/think/say)" method of attack is just wrong. That's what you're doing with your "suggestions" that something with "this particular poster" is "odd" or amiss. You need to flat-out prove it or retract it.

The juxtaposition of the two stories happened IN THE NEWS MEDIA. In the same week, these two very different, but easily paired stories came out. One about a black frat honoring a former President, the other about something that sounds like it could have happened fifty years ago in the deep south.

That IS, like it or not, ironic.

Are you so frigging concrete that you have to see the two stories side-by-side in the paper to take the point that "it's a long way come, and a long way to go?"

Good grief.

[Number23]

14. I'm not the slightest bit interested in reading all of your reply

Suffice it to say, ONCE AGAIN... I asked the poster what he was referring to. And in place of an answer, I got you instead. So not what I was looking for.

And instead of saying, "whoops, my bad" you just keep blathering on and on and on and on and on about...SOMETHING.

[MADem]

15. Well, if you aren't going to read what I wrote then we're not having a discussion.

You're simply lashing out at others for purposes known only to you.

[Kadie]

16. I thought the comment was perfect considering

the current news story of the day. The comment caught me off guard ( I love the quick wit here at DU), but I thought it was well played.

:shrug:


:hi:

[BoneDaddy]

2. Clinton

must be related to George Clinton

[TheDebbieDee]

4. Go! Go! Go! Go, mob!