Dave Lenihan, NAACP, Cynthia McKinney, KTRS

STILL FIRED, BUT...

For Canned Host, Even NAACP Demands Reality Check





After yet another instance of a certain Georgia congresswoman stirring up racial tension via her infamously bizarre personality quirks, it's nice to know others are instead working toward constructive change for the better.

If only they could get some of the attention now showered upon moonbat Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA):

(Michael H King- WXIA-TV 11 Atlanta) According to sources on Capitol Hill, U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) punched a Capitol police officer on Wednesday afternoon after he mistakenly pursued her for failing to pass through a metal detector.

Members of Congress are not required to pass through metal detectors.

Sources say that the officer was at a position in the Longworth House Office Building, and neither recognized McKinney, nor saw her credentials as she went around the metal detector.

The officer called out, “Ma’am, Ma’am,” and walked after her in an attempt to stop her. When he caught McKinney, he grabbed her by the arm.

Witnesses say McKinney pulled her arm away, and with her cell phone in hand, punched the officer in the chest.

McKinney’s office has not responded to requests for comment.

According to the Drudge Report, the entire incident is on tape.

No charges have been filed. Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider says that senior officials have been made aware of the incident and are investigating.

A statement attributed to McKinney has been released on the Internet, where she allegedly claims to have been harassed by Capitol Hill Police.

The statement's writer says that she has been harassed by white police officers she says do not recognize her due to her recently changed hairstyle.

"Do I have to contact the police every time I change my hairstyle? How do we account for the fact that when I wore my braids every day for 11 years, I still faced this problem, primarily from certain white police officers," the statement says.

While McKinney looks to divide us all (refusing to wear her Congressional pin when passing the security checkpoint makes the situation needlessly difficult) to serve her own political purposes, on another issue, the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP has instead chosen to take the high road.

Commenting for the first time on the now-infamous on-air slip up by a rookie KTRS-AM radio host, the local organization believes the firing of Dave Lenihan was unjustified and the story overblown.

Last week, Lenihan mistakenly used the word "coon" in a discussion on Condi Rice.

From the St Louis Post-Dispatch:

"This is an event that the press has blown out of proportion," said NAACP chapter president Harold Crumpton.

Seated next to him at news conference this morning was the organization's newest members:

Lenihan and his wife, Karen.

"He doesn't even say those words," she said. "We're just trying to find a way to make a positive out of this."

NAACP member Sam Moore said some people might find it strange that the organization had come to the rescue of a talk-show host who used the word "coon" while talking about Rice.

"We're gonna take some hits," he said. "People are going to wonder why we are sticking up for my new found friend here. But I am in the forgiving business."

Said Lenihan: "One of the things I found truly amazing was the support these gentlemen have given me."

Of course, Lenihan is still out of work, but Moore's position speaks well for his local organization. Last Sunday, Rice herself also forgave the previously little-known Lenihan for the error, during a FOX News interview.

More updates at STLMedia.


Equally constructive is Sylvester Brown Jr.'s latest Post-Dispatch column:

Blacks aren't a monolithic group. I only speak for myself. But that doesn't stop readers from demanding that I investigate or elaborate on racially peppered local and national incidents.

Yet, when it came to Dave Lenihan, no one asked my opinion. Perhaps they thought I'd immediately defend the firing of the former KTRS radio host Wednesday after he used a racial slur in reference to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

If so, they'd be so wrong.

"What's the big deal?" I thought, after reading Lenihan's comments while he discussed Rice's qualifications for the job as NFL commissioner:

"I mean she's just got the patent resume of somebody that's got some serious skill. She loves football," Lenihan said during his morning broadcast. "She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon. . . . A big coon? Oh my God. I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that. OK? I didn't mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue."

I totally, totally, totally, totally, totally agree. Lenihan suffered a slip of the tongue. Unless he was playing some psychotic mind game of compliment-to-destroy, the "coon" reference wasn't even consistent with his words.

Based on what I had read, I believed radio station CEO Tim Dorsey overreacted when he fired Lenihan.

I listened to the tape and still didn't hear it. No sarcasm. No pleasure. All I heard was a guy who seemed sincerely embarrassed by his ill-chosen words.

By the way, columnist Brown is no right-winger, just take a look at his blog, here.

While McKinney deserves every ounce of scorn heaped upon her today, let's not forget those who are instead working to bring us together, at least in this instance. For setting the example, many thanks to our friends in St. Louis.

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Brown photo: Post-Dispatch, Rice: Fox News Channel