Bill James: City of Brotherly Love is a Moral Sewer
Gee, who could’ve seen this coming? Mecklenburg Commissioner Bill James let loose one of his infamous e-mailers yesterday, in response to Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s reaction to flash mob riots in that city. James’ e-mail, which carried a subject line “Philly blacks attack whites in roving mobs” follows:
Just like Charlotte…………………..the Moral Sewer erupts across America……………………
Philadelphia mayor talks tough to black teenagers after ‘flash mobs’
Mayor: “You have damaged your own race”
“Pull your pants up and buy a belt ‘cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.”
Mr. Nutter, a strong ally of President Obama and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, took to the pulpit of his Baptist church Sunday to deliver a 30-minute sermon about black families taking responsibility for the behavior.
The mayor told parents, “If you’re just hanging out out there, maybe you’re sending them a check or bringing some cash by. That’s not being a father. You’re just a human ATM. … And if you’re not providing the guidance and you’re not sending any money, you’re just a sperm donor.”
James closed the missive with text from a Washington Times article that covered the Philly story.
In turn, Mecklenburg Commissioner Harold Cogdell replied with a blistering e-mail that carried an equally subtle subject line “Bill James is an Embarrassment to Mecklenburg County”:
Bill,
And just like you being you, instead of offering productive feedback and solution oriented discussion you seek to offend by comparing black teenagers to “the Moral Sewer”. I find your comparison to be highly offensive. I was a black teenager once. There are millions black teenagers all across America that would never consider participating in a riot or melee, that graduate from high school, some of whom go on to earn degrees of higher education or enter the workforce and many of which go on to work hard every day to provide for their families.
I agree with much of what Mayor Nutter reportedly said. The behavior exhibited by some youth (regardless of their race) that willfully disobey the law in large numbers is simply unacceptable. It is no doubt that we have a significant problem in America with the educational readiness of younger generations. In addition, the changed value system that many young people embrace is very different than what many of us know. However, equally unacceptable is placing an entire group of people into the category of “the Moral Sewer”.
Let me exercise my First Amendment right to freedom of expression. You are an embarrassment to Mecklenburg County; just as the 70 or so teenagers that were arrested for participating in a public affray Uptown following Speed Street. It continues to mystify me that you are repeatedly provided the privilege of serving Mecklenburg County in elected office. Especially, considering you so rarely offer any value to any productive public discourse or dialogue, but rather seek every opportunity to incite polarization and divisiveness. We have all seen in recent days in Washington what happens to America when the extremes (be they Democrat or Republican) yield undue influence in governance. We all suffer.
James’ reply:
To my knowledge I am the ONLY elected official that has proposed solutions. I am the only one that has put it on the agenda and received a 9-0 vote (at a BOCC retreat) to address the problem. Of course, like all good liberal boards, nothing came of it because discussing the matter upsets the proverbial apple cart (especially among Democrats).
If I am wrong why do 24% of the population create 80% of the crime (and have so for decades) – creating most of the illegitimate births (early deaths) etc…
Point is – I have seen nothing out of Charlotte pols that gets to the heart of the problem – illegitimate births and lack of positive male role models. I have a long list of proposals including requests for 24/7 schools, boot camps, removal of kids from the home of bad parents.
Like that report on child deaths from last week, liberals just moan and wail about ‘the babies’ but do nothing to actually fix the problem. It has been the same every year for the 15 years I have been on the board.
If you want to fix the problem – propose something – don’t sit there are complain.
Or as ol Teddy Roosevelt said – get into the arena and be willing to take some hits for discussing things that ‘polite society’ would rather ignore.
In the meantime, we are on track for the next ‘melee’ or ‘mob attack’ or whatever PC term is being used to describe what it really is. Next year at this time most of the deaths of youths will be the same as this year. And once again liberals will ‘moan’ about ‘the children’ yet do nothing.
This is nothing new. It exists today, it existed yesterday and it will exist tomorrow simply because pols would rather pretend to solve the problem instead of really doing so.
Come up with something – propose something – otherwise is just a lot of hot air. No doubt large numbers of young males without any adult supervision will create chaos.
Daniel Moynihan pointed out that society deserves the crime and chaos that occurs for refusing to deal with the problem. And that was in 1965.
So, deal with it.
It’s been said before and is worth repeating: it’s not so much what James says, but how he says it, that receives a majority of criticism and scorn. So take out what by now has become the almost obligatory inflammatory rhetoric from James and tell me: does he make a valid point, or is he just spewing hate and racism?
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