Defenders of Post Cartoon Prove That Eric Holder Was Right

By: Tonyaa Weathersbee

So now, it seems the defenders of the New York Post’s despicable chimpanzee cartoon have veered way off the path of common sense and context to find a scapegoat.

They did some reaching and came up with … Eric Holder.

The nation’s new attorney general recently shook the realm of right-wing punditry and denial-ridden citizens by saying, during a Black History Month speech to Justice Department employees, that Americans needed to have more honest dialogue with each other regarding race and to understand the history of black folks in the United States.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial, we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said.

Holder should have known better.

He should have known that calling Americans cowards on the unfinished business of racial equality and on the frank discussion of racial matters, especially when so many of them voted for President Barack Obama and literally believe this county is the “home of the brave,” would set off a lot of folks.

For many people, historical truth is no match for patriotic hype.

But now, some pundits are using Holder’s bluntness to defend what amounted to a racial slur splashed on the New York Post’s editorial page. Cartoonist Sean Delonas recently drew a cartoon of two police officers who had filled a chimpanzee full of bullets – with a caption saying that “They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

The Post initially issued a half-hearted apology, and defended the chimpanzee as symbolic of Congress, not Obama. The Post’s owner, News Corp magnate Rupert Murdoch, today issued a stronger apology.

But scores of black people, many of whom remember a time when some whites thought they had monkey tails and how even today, know that police use slurs such as “porch monkeys,” and “gorillas in the midst,” to denigrate them, aren’t buying the Post’s explanation.

And, for that matter, neither are a lot of whites.

So the Post has been inundated with complaints and picketers. The NAACP has demanded the firings of the editor and Delonas, and the Rev. Al Sharpton is calling for a boycott.

And the commotion over that, say the cartoon’s defenders, is precisely why the country will never be able to speak frankly about race. If white folks say the wrong thing, some pundits argue, they will be labeled as racists. The way they see it, if white folks are cowards, it’s only because black folks are bad sports.

What hooey.

Defenders of Post Cartoon Prove That Eric Holder Was Right....

NAACP wants NY Post editor and cartoonist fired

By VERENA DOBNIK

NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the NAACP on Saturday urged readers to boycott the New York Post, calling a cartoon that the newspaper published an invitation to assassinate President Barack Obama.

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called on the tabloid to remove editor-in-chief Col Allan, as well as longtime cartoonist Sean Delonas.

Earlier this week, the newspaper apologized to anyone who might have been offended by the image printed Wednesday, which some say likens Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police in Connecticut.

Jealous said the cartoon was "an invitation to assassination."

NAACP wants NY Post editor and cartoonist fired....

The NY Post's Apology Was as Tasteless as Their Cartoon

By: Deborah Mathis

It was more than 20 years ago. I had just begun writing a regular opinion column, and I had unnecessarily offended a public official. An apology was in order, and I didn’t hesitate to offer it.

After admitting my mistake in the opening lines, I proceeded to explain how I had come to make it.

“Next time, don’t do it that way,” counseled Bob McCord, my editor and a veteran newsman with decades of editorial writing under his belt. “People don’t want to hear your excuses. Just say, ‘I’m sorry; I was wrong,” and let it go at that.”

The editors of The New York Post could have used McCord’s good counsel last week, when they penned what began as an apology but ended as a scolding about its preposterous cartoon in which two police officers gun down a chimpanzee and one says, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

“It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill. Period,” read The Post editors’ post-mortem. “(T)o those who were offended by the image, we apologize.”

The NY Post's Apology Was as Tasteless as Their Cartoon....

Don't Protest the New York Post

Obama can fend for himself. We've got better things to worry about during this Black History Month.

By: Lenny McAllister

Yes, I saw the cartoon published by the New York Post. Yes, it was insensitive, and yes, it was racist. Everyone knows that the imagery of a monkey serves as a powerful slur against African Americans, especially black men. The New York Post should be ashamed.

But, if we are going to organize a protest over the conditions black people face in America—especially during Black History Month—are we going to pick this as the cause we get behind?

Do we use our energy to take to the streets to defend the most powerful man in the United States, if not the world, from racism? Do you think Obama really needs us to defend him to the New York Post? Come on. He’s a grown man.

The president doesn’t need Roland Martin venting to the point of bursting his pipes. He doesn’t need the power of the black media to highlight this issue and protest its stench.

President Obama doesn’t need black civil rights leaders to hold press conferences to display our disgust with this thinly veiled and misguided gesture perpetrating as political satire.

If we are going to protest, let’s use the energy from our disgust from the New York Post’s cartoon to protest the conditions in our streets, in our communities and in our communities’ schools.

Don't Protest the New York Post....

A New Low? Post Criticizes Gov. David Paterson’s Blindness

By: Michael H. Cottman

The New York Post, already under fire and facing boycotts for a controversial cartoon some are calling racist, is now criticizing New York Gov. David Paterson – for being blind.

Paterson, New York’s first black governor and the nation's first legally blind governor, replaced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer who resigned in disgrace last year after admitting to having an affair with a high-priced call girl.

According to the Post, as the state of New York appears to be on the brink of a financial crisis, Paterson’s blindness is obstructing his ability to lead effectively during a time of turmoil.

“Gov. David Paterson came to office almost one year ago under most trying circumstances,” the Post editorial read on Thursday. “He's had hardly a day of peace since - and many of his troubles can fairly be blamed on no one other than himself.”

“Today Albany teeters on bankruptcy,” according to the editorial. “Paterson's blindness severely constricts his ability to acquire basic information. His administration is adrift; he is inconsistent, imprecise and often contradictory in his public statements. To put it bluntly, the governor needs competent help.”

Tough talk. One political insider told BlackAmericaWeb.com the editorial was "a low blow, even for the Post."

A New Low? Post Criticizes Gov. David Paterson’s Blindness....

After 200 Protest Over Cartoon, NY Post Apologizes - to Some

By: Karen Matthews

NEW YORK - After two days of protests, the New York Post apologized Thursday for a cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police. But the newspaper also said its longtime antagonists exploited the image for revenge.

The qualified apology didn't mollify at least some of the cartoon's critics, who said they might continue protesting Friday.

The newspaper posted an editorial on its Web site Thursday evening saying the cartoon was meant to mock the federal economic stimulus bill, but "to those who were offended by the image, we apologize."

The piece was posted hours after 200 picketers chanting "Boycott the Post! Shut it down!" marched in front of the paper's office, saying the cartoon echoed racist stereotypes of blacks as monkeys.

The editorial said that "most certainly was not its intent," adding that some media and public figures who have long-standing differences with the paper saw the cartoon "as an opportunity for payback."

Calling them "opportunists," the editorial said: "To them, no apology is due."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped lead the outcry over the cartoon, criticized what he called the paper's "conditional statement" of regret.

After 200 Protest Over Cartoon, NY Post Apologizes - to Some....

NY Post cartoon seems to link Obama to dead chimp

By KAREN MATTHEWS

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Post is standing behind a cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police.

The cartoon in Wednesday's Post by Sean Delonas shows two police officers standing over the body of a bullet-riddled chimp. One of the officers says the other, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

Civil rights activist Al Sharpton called the cartoon "troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys."

NY Post cartoon seems to link Obama to dead chimp....