Jesse Jackson Wants To See Secret Service Files

[sabra]

Source: CBS

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The Secret Service is under fire for racist and sexist e-mails, including one aimed at Chicago's Rev. Jesse Jackson.

CBS station WBBM-TV's Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports the e-mails were just released by the Secret Service as part of a long-running civil rights suit filed by African American agents. They contain racist and sexist jokes and pictures.

The one about the Rev. Jackson has now led to a demand for the release of any other insulting references to members of the Jackson family in Secret Service files.

...

The Secret Service e-mail, WBBM-TV obtained from a court filing in Washington, was titled "The Righteous Reverend," and jokes about the deaths of Jackson and his wife when a missile strikes their plane. The e-mail ends with, it "certainly wouldn't be a great loss and probably wouldn't be an accident either."

"This e-mail today tells me I have a lot less confidence in the secret Service than I did before it was exposed," said U.S. Rep Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.)

Read more: http://kdka.com/national/jackson.secret.service.2.723751.html

[closeupready]

1. That's scandalous.

How unprofessional. :mad:

[saigon68]

28. The FBI did shit like this to Martin Luther King

They used the N word, references to the size of his penis etc

[wmbrew0206]

2. I'm not defending what the USSS members did, however

the joke in question is a boiler plate joke that you could substitute Jesse Jackson with George Bush or Trent Lott and still have the same effect.

It is basically asking what is the difference between a tragedy and a great loss. The punch line is "Well what if a plane carrying _____ was shot down?" The response is "No, that wouldn't be a tragedy and it sure wouldn't be a great loss."

[closeupready]

3. Not boilerplate when they are charged with protecting presidents and candidates for that office.

Those kinds of jokes should only be whispered about, if that. To send agency emails around gives such remarks a stamp of semi-legitimacy, IMO.

[wmbrew0206]

9. I said that I wasn't defending their comments

I was providing more info about what the joke mentioned was and how it wasn't a "realistic threat" to kill Rev. Jackson.

FYI, here is what is happening to the USSS members involved right now. There is a full investigation going to find out: 1. Who sent the e-mail 2. Who received the e-mail and 3. Who forwarded the e-mail

The person who was responsible for sending the original e-mail will probably either be fired or receive a formal reprimand that will end his career.

Anyone who forward the e-mail on will probably will probably receive a formal or informal reprimand.

Anyone who did not did not report the e-mail when they read it will probably get an informal reprimand.

[closeupready]

21. That's fine - I wasn't pointing fingers at you.

The USSS will do what it has to, even though I don't believe this warrants a career-ending reprimand. But whatever happens, this sort of thing has to stop immediately, IMHO. It's not a huge deal, but members, IMO, have to know that this is absolutely NOT a joking matter at all. I mean, if I was king.

[Winterblues]

30. In a world that followed the rules, but this is Bush* Amerika

I suspect more likely there will be promotions and Medals of Freedom handed out...

[John Q. Citizen]

4. To defend it would be to defend unprofessional behavior. To analyze the "joke" is a distraction

from the issue. That being, who the hell hires these jerks? How did they get the job in the first place and how did they keep it?

How do we get them and their superiors fired and replaced with professionals?

[wmbrew0206]

13. The only degree "Analyzing the Joke" is important is

to determine if there was a credible threat to Rev. Jackson, his wife, and/or other members of his family.

If there is, then the USSS members involved in this can be charged differently.

If there is no credible threat, then this is an Equal Opportunity investigation. If there is a credible threat, then it a criminal investigation and an Equal Opportunity investigation.

[Tempest]

18. It's not boilerplate when it's racist

That's the whole problem here, the racism in the SS.

It goes way beyond the joke.

[wmbrew0206]

25. So with that logic, if you don't like Rev. Jackson, you are rasicist

I've heard this joke told by democrats and republicans, the only difference was the name of the person on the plane. The fact Rev. Jackson was used as the butt of the joke, says the person telling it does not have a high opinion of the Rev. Jackson, just as if someone used Trent Lott as the butt of the joke would be saying the teller does not think highly of Trent Lott.

This joke is not THE issue in this case. The ISSUE is that someone or several people in the USSS did not take corrective action as soon as they saw this e-mail or heard/saw other e-mails/statements that were seen as racist.

[Tempest]

31. There's more to it than a Jackson joke or a few emails

Because the emails are receiving the greatest attention, all the other accusations (like the noose hung from a Black officer's locker) are ignored.

[wmbrew0206]

35. I completely agree.

[JerseygirlCT]

34. Except these weren't jokes traded between

friends, but on official e-mail by officials whose duty it is to guard public figures. If the writers can be found, they should be looking for a new line of work, IMO.

[wndycty]

5. Not that its a good option but Obama may want some price quotes from Blackwater

:kick:

[TacticalPeek]

6. Unless heads roll, it will continue and worsen.

The Secret Service can get along just fine without the knuckledraggers, but President AWOL will never do more than mumble a perfunctory 'tsk tsk'.

Nancy? Harry? Powder dry enough yet?

[goclark]

7. Tip of the iceberg not just for Black candidates

but for all who seek to change America.

It always amazes me that the ones that are harmed seem to be Democrats.

Yes, Reagan was shot ~ but why?

Yes, Ford was shot but they determined that it was a nut case.


You may flame me but why did Nancy Pelosi say so plainly, " Impeachment is off the table!"

[hisownpetard]

8. gc, I never understood what gave Pelosi the authority to make that declaration in such a

non-negotiable way.

Still don't!

[goclark]

12. I think she was threatened

Did you notice how happy she was when she took the oath and all of her darling family members were
around her?

They are a beautiful family.

Soon after the oath, she seemed to almost have a stutter. She could hardly get words out of her mouth.
I remember thinking, what happened to this lady, she is so different.

Soon after, it was firm, " Impeachment is off the table."

Seems like the closer we get to this election the more assertive she is but she has never backed down from that Table issue, never. :shrug:

[hisownpetard]

15. I noticed the same things. She suddenly seemed very gun-shy. Wonder what Bush has

on her.

[closeupready]

22. Let's be clear about that quote: Lesley Stahl asked her a leading question in her 60 Minutes interv

iew pre-Speaker of the House:

"So, you're saying that impeachment will not happen? It's off the table?"

Nancy: "Yes, impeachment is off the table."

That was not some remark she coined on her own.

[goclark]

23. Thanks for the information

So she was comfortable with the statement pre- Speaker?

[closeupready]

26. Yes, and for that, you can fairly criticize her.

yes. Because of course, the potential for having to go through with such an unpleasant responsibility is inherently part of the job description. So, for her to just blanket say, "I agree that no matter what, that won't happen," - that was irresponsible of her.

[barbtries]

11. i dont' think ford was shot

i think he may have been shot at, or in the proximity of a crazy woman holding a gun.

edited to add, i googled it to find out and lucked into this hilarious SNL transcript:

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/96/96dbrokaw.phtml

[digidigido]

16. Re Reagan and some interesting connections re Neil Bush

It's interesting to note that Reagan's Vice President was George W. Bush. One of the largest contributors to his presidential primary campaign against Reagan was John Hinckley Sr. Chairman of Vanderbilt Energy.
The man who shot at Reagan was John Hinckley Jr. His older brother Scott, was scheduled to dine with Neil Bush the next day. Odd coincidence, yes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_assassination_attempt

[Hannah Bell]

29. and within a year he was already getting special privileges

at st. elizabeth's hospital.

i've always wondered why he got such kid gloves treatment, compared to e.g. fromme.

[goclark]

32. Yep and I have a tin hat

on my head. "scared:

[barbtries]

10. it probably should also tell him

to stay out of small planes. jeez

[shrdlu]

14. The Rev. Jackson is justified in being upset...

...plus, he hasn't been getting a lot of ink lately.

[stillcool]

19. So...it's not about those who are paid...

to protect, but about 'ink'? Who cares what the secret service think about uppity black people. We should wait until the lynchings start before we let someone like Jesse Jackson get 'ink'.

[goclark]

24. He is justified

period.

[Not_Giving_Up]

17. If the average American was standing in an airport and made a joke

about a bomb that was overheard, they could be detained.

If anyone not in the Secret Service had sent that e-mail, they'd be under investigation.

[wmbrew0206]

27. No they would not

I've had different versions of this joke e-mailed to me by both democrats and republicans. This is an old joke and it has been circulated several times since 9/11 with different people as the butt of the joke.

No one telling this joke is threating to shoot down a plane, nor are they threatening the person (ie the butt of the joke) on the plane.

[Tempest]

20. It goes beyond the joke

The SS is being accused by its own members of being racist.

The joke goes to enforce the accusations.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[IsItJustMe]

36. Scary shit. What has this government come to under Bush.

[Imagevision]

37. I wonder how they will handle the Obama accident?