Oh Nos! Teh Political Correctednesses!

[The Preacher]

Thats not a fair example. In the example you have implicated the office of Judge, and therefor it would be inapropriate. I dont think the guy did anything wrong my self. If you are at a non work related function, i dont see how it reflects on your job unless you bring the job into it.

Ah so if he "only" said, "I was just playing a n----r and my only regret is that I left my bucket of Kennedy Chicken at home on the counter," then it would be fine and dandy? Seriously?

[Dirt]

"Ah so"?

Racist.

[Fretmute]

"Ah so"?

Racist.

I bet that's one comma he wishes he could get a do over on . . .

[Poleaxe]

I'm from LA.

This was stupid on his part. He was rightly sanctioned. But...

6 months suspension without pay is political correctness run amok.

What would you consider a reasonable punishment?

One month would have been reasonable in my mind. Perhaps six weeks.

In the absense of any evidence of racism, it was a lapse in judgement with no criminal implications. The present punishment amounted to a 50K fine and that seems excessive.

[GuidoTKP]

I'm from LA.

This was stupid on his part. He was rightly sanctioned. But...

6 months suspension without pay is political correctness run amok.

Agree completely. Six months is a *long* time. Two to four weeks would have connoted seriousness. Also make him take the sensitivity training (I don't think it will actually help the judge, but again sends the message that the conduct and the message behind it was intolerable).

[Tareeq]

In the absense of any evidence of racism, it was a lapse in judgement with no criminal implications.

[GuidoTKP]

Clinton's was a case of a person using bad discretion in their personal life in support of a public office. His indescretions were not only horrible for the office, but they were ultimately illegal. He had no real penalty imposed on him, either legally or by the office for which he worked. I am told that this result is a good thing as his personal life is none of my concern.

I think there is a pretty big difference here. Clinton violeted no canon of Presidential ethics by diddling an intern in the Oval Office. It was an incredibly dumb thing to do. It was certainly news-worthy, since the public had the right to know about this lapse in judgment in terms of assessing how much confidence should be invested in that particular President, but the affair wasn't a crime.

Making misrepresentations about his conduct under oath was certainly sanctionable, although whether it was on the order of being an impeachable offense was entirely open to debate. Ultimately, the Congress concluded that it was not. The joke is suggesting that the Republican witch hunt had much to do with the sanctity of forcing the President to tell the truth during a deposition and that lighting millions of taxpayer dollars on fire to pursue that transgression by way of impeachment was a good use of the nation's time and energy. Hard to say that Clinton did not face any penalty associated with that. That issue was as addressed as it possibly could have been. He ultimately lost his license to practice law because of it (which is a sanction far harsher than what this judge faced, although Clinton likely cared about it a lot less).

How did Clinton get a free pass? He was subjected to process on multiple fronts. While I'm certain you would have liked it had he been kicked out of office or thrown in jail, the fact that he ultimately did not have to endure harsh punishment doesn't mean that he was not held accountable for his conduct. As I noted before, I'm pretty sure tens of millions of tax payer dollars were flushed down the toilet trying to achieve those results.

This judge, otoh, is charged with maintaining an image of impartiality at all times. By engaging in over the top racist conduct that become public knowledge, it was perfectly appropriate for the Louisianna judiciary to take action to preserve the appearance of integrity.

[Victoria Raverna]

What if the judge is chinese and wear a traditional chinese judge costume and paint his face black?:) Is it still going to be a problem?

[Poleaxe]

In the absense of any evidence of racism, it was a lapse in judgement with no criminal implications.

I should have said any additional evidence of racism. My guess is that this judges background has been examined by many groups since the blackface incident. We have heard of no other instances, even locally, of racial insensitivity.

[The Preacher]

Making misrepresentations about his conduct under oath was certainly sanctionable, although whether it was on the order of being an impeachable offense was entirely open to debate. Ultimately, the Congress concluded that it was not.

Just to quibble, but Congress did decide it was an impeachable offense (i.e. he was impeached).

[GuidoTKP]

Making misrepresentations about his conduct under oath was certainly sanctionable, although whether it was on the order of being an impeachable offense was entirely open to debate. Ultimately, the Congress concluded that it was not.

Just to quibble, but Congress did decide it was an impeachable offense (i.e. he was impeached).

Very true. Apparently, like most of the public, I'm still guilty of conflating impeachment and removal from office. Back to high school civics class!

[Fireball]

If I were a black person in Louisiana, I would never feel comfortable appearing before this judge. I don't see how he can effectively avoid charges of discrimination in his dealing with black defendants after such brazenly racist behavior.

Similarly, as a gay man, I would never, ever believe that I could get a fair hearing before someone like Roy Moore of Alabamba. People who wear bigotries on their shoulders have no business being judges.

[Dirt]

What if the judge is chinese and wear a traditional chinese judge costume and paint his face black?:) Is it still going to be a problem?

I think red would be a more appropriate color. The God who judged the Dead (or was it the one who presided over hell?) had a black face.

[Eel Snave]

Interesting discussion.

I feel the result would have been the same if the guy would have taped his eyes back and acted like an Asian. It's just bad taste. The judge is NOT allowed to have free speech in this instance.

For instance, lets say you are a prominent representative for a company that sells computers. At a party, you loudly declare to everyone that your computers suck and they should buy other computers. You're a prominent representative. You are not allowed free speech as regards your product in this regard, according to your company. If this incident gets out, your company will be upset, and you can expect your job to be in danger.

In this instance, the judge is employed by the United States judicial system, which prides itself on fairness. If you act in a manner that would call into question your fairness, you should expect yourself in deep trouble. The fact that he saw nothing wrong with this implies also bad judgement, which, for a judge, is kind of bad. It also implies that he sees nothing wrong with a racial stereotype, and a dangerous one at that.

[Victoria Raverna]

What if the judge is chinese and wear a traditional chinese judge costume and paint his face black?:) Is it still going to be a problem?

I think red would be a more appropriate color. The God who judged the Dead (or was it the one who presided over hell?) had a black face.

Actually black face is more appropriate. Judge Bao is black face with a crescent shape scar on the forehead. The red face one is some god/saint that was ex-general.