E-Mails Show Derogatory Banter at Secret Service

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

Secret Service supervisors engaged in crude sexual jokes and racially derogatory banter about blacks, and passed around an anecdote about a possible assassination of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, according to internal e-mails disclosed in a federal court filing on Friday by lawyers for black Secret Service agents.

The filing includes 10 e-mails that were among documents the agency recently turned over to lawyers for the black agents as part of an increasingly bitter discrimination case. The messages were written mainly between 2003 and 2005, and were sent to and from e-mail accounts of at least 20 Secret Service supervisors.

The e-mails offer a glimpse into the darker recesses of a secretive agency that is known for protecting presidents and other dignitaries but whose culture is regarded as one of the most insular in federal law enforcement.

The disclosure of the e-mails follows an incident last month in which a noose was found in a room used by a black instructor at a Secret Service training center in Maryland. Agency officials said the episode is the subject of an internal investigation.

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A March 3, 2003, e-mail describing Mr. Jackson as the “Righteous Reverend” was passed among several e-mail accounts of Secret Service supervisors. The message is a purported joke about a missile striking an airplane in which Mr. Jackson and his wife were traveling, one that says such an incident “certainly wouldn’t be a great loss and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/washington/10inquire.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

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They should go look at the emails from this year. I hope there's none of this crap from the agents protecting Obama or Hillary Clinton! I'd bet there's both racial and sexist crap!

[JuniperLea]

1. Wasn't emails...

They were posting on DU!

[Robbien]

2. With the GOP running the show

I expect every single federal department has tons of bigoted hater e-mails generated by GOPer right wing staffers. They can't help themselves.

[mitchum]

20. In 92 a friend of mine approached the candidate Bill Clinton...

in order to record a station ID for the college radio station. My friend was long-haired, bearded, and has "crazy" eyes. He was wearing a tattered army jacket and carrying a small electronic device. The Secret Service agents with Clinton did nothing to stop him.
Hmmm...

[Ian David]

3. Not a surprise. They keep pulling protection AWAY from President Obama. n/t

[youngharry]

4. The Secret Service

There needs to be a top to bottom investigation of the Secret Service, especially in light of the facts now emerging about the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

The latest report is pretty conclusive that Kennedy was killed, not by Sirhan Sirhan, but as the result of 4 bullets shot from behind him.

IN CASE IT ISN'T EVIDENT, THAT'S WHERE THE SECRET SERVICE WAS SUPPOSEDLY GUARDING HIM.

[pjt7]

5. When I saw the Secret Service over

a year ago in DC, almost half of the guy's were black.

If this bulls%t is really going on, I hope the lead joksters lose their jobs.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. black Secret Service agents

And, a few years ago, they were refused service at Denny's.

[Xenotime]

21. Really? Why? Probably because of all the guns they carry

[tledford]

25. Ah, yes, W. C. Fields was a great scriptwriter...

So how many other get your username?

:-)

Edit: Oops, sorry, replied to the wrong level message -- this was for mahatmakanejeeves....

[mahatmakanejeeves]

26. Probably a few people.

But this is maybe the second comment about it in all the years I've been here.

[BigDaddy44]

8. Uh, do a little history reading youngharry

In 1968, the Secret Service didn't provide protection for Presidential candidates.

[PSPS]

13. That's right. SS protection of candidates began because of Bobby's murder.

If only ...

[melody]

19. Actually, a lot of people point to a private RFK body guard who now lives overseas

He's the "person of interest" of a lot of the RFK researchers.

[RamboLiberal]

24. The Secret Service wasn't protecting RFK in 68

Presidential candidates did not get protection back in those days.

[alittlelark]

6. Then there was the NOOSE found 2 weeks ago at SS training center

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3288170

NOOSE ALLEGEDLY FOUND AT SECRET SERVICE TRAINING CENTER

By Rebecca Carr | Monday, April 28, 2008, 03:03 PM

The U.S. Secret Service has placed a white agent on leave after an African American employee reported finding a noose hanging at the service’s main training facility outside the nation’s capital.

The service has acknowledged “an allegation of misconduct” at its J.J. Rowley Training Center in Beltsville, Md., and that an employee last week was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. The employee is a veteran agent with the service, according to fellow agents.

The noose was found by an African American officer in the uniform division of the service during the week of April 14, according to those familiar with the alleged incident. That division protects the White House and surrounding grounds. He reported the incident to his supervisor and it was sent up the chain of command. He declined to comment for this story.

After learning about the alleged incident, Cox Newspapers asked the Secret Service whether a noose had been discovered at the training center.

“In response to your question, there has been an allegation of misconduct at our training center,” said Edwin M. Donovan, assistant special agent in charge of government and public affairs.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/secrecy/entries/2008/04/28/noose_allegedly_found_at_secre.html

[Ian David]

11. Let's not forget the Secret Service agent who "accidentally" discharged his gun at another agent...

and the agent who "accidentally" shot his own car.

[oxbow]

7. a troubling story, esp. with an Obama admin. in sight

I would hope that the country can count on the ss protecting the POTUS, no matter who that person might be.

[alfredo]

15. Reminds me of Dick Gregory remarking on the assassination of JFK.

He said they can stop assassinations of presidents by having a black Vice President.

[Alexander]

9. And these are the people who are protecting Obama?

He should hire his own bodyguards.

[NBachers]

10. Obama's Security

I remember RFK with a sense of loss for what could've been. I am very concerned about security for Obama. I believe moves, plans, and contingencies have been made. We know they're capable of such a move. I don't want to have to go through this again.

[fshrink]

14. It is a definite risk.

But there is awareness. And a few good men everywhere.

[wmbrew0206]

22. Bad idea

Personal body guards are not allowed to carry firearms everywhere like the SS is.

[myrna minx]

16. This is incredibly disturbing. n/t

[defendandprotect]

17. It doesn't seem unusual to me that a sexist, racist, homophobic GOP ...

would easily tolerate --- if not encourage --- behavior like this--

[rasputin1952]

18. Sadly, the Secret Service is like any other organization...

bigotry is an undercurrent in every enterprise this nation has, whether it be in government or the private sector, it is there, always waiting to pop up. In a case like this, one would hope they would rid themselves of all manners of such things, but it so deep and such a part of our psyche, that regardless of whom we are, or how high our ideals, it affects us all to some extent.

I try to stop it wherever I see it, but it is just battles in a war that will take decades to win, if it is winnable in my lifetime at all. Young children are taught from a very early age that "other people" ar just plain bad. It happens in every aspect of each culture that makes up not just this nation, but the world as well. Collectively, we have to starve the hatred, not feed it, in every corner of our society. It is difficult task indeed...:(

[fascisthunter]

23. Well... Racism and Sexism is Everywhere

But this:

The message is a purported joke about a missile striking an airplane in which Mr. Jackson and his wife were traveling, one that says such an incident “certainly wouldn’t be a great loss and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”

That's really f'ed up!

[Blue_Tires]

27. i could pretend to be shocked, but....

[Anarchy in Detroit]

28. fool

this is america there is no more racism. don't be a fool. :sarcasm: