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As first reported by capper over at whallah! and Jay over at folkbum, James T. Harris is up to his old sexist tricks. However, instead of asserting he “owns” his daughters, this time James is talking about the
pimping of Chelsea Clinton.

Now I know some of us folks in the liberal Cheddarsphere have come under fire from conservative folks for our supposed sexism, but I can’t help but wonder if those same folks who are so critical of us liberals are also critical of their fellow conservatives, who time and time again have shown their own predilection for making sexist comments.

I’m willing to bet folks like James Wigderson aren’t going to attack their conservative brethren for sexism, because they don’t want to risk alienating themselves among their fellow conservatives.

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A few folks across the Wisconsin blogosphere have commented on the recent murder of Lodewikus “Vic” Milford in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, and surprisingly enough, James T. Harris - he of the “hip musings” - actually made some great points in his recent entry on Milford’s murder. However, Harris’ spot-on entry was spoiled by one James Pawlak, who responded with these comments:

Curious that the Milwaukee media has not reported on the name of the bar from which this “gentleman” went to his death OR the description of the offenders (Latinos?) OR called on the City Aldermen to shut down that Bar as they did for one where there was a justifiable killing of thugs by armed security guards.

Just in case his response in James Harris’ blog were too subtle, Mr. Pawlak made his way over to Dad29’s blog, where he came up with this doozy:

Of course the Milwaukee Urinal will not publish the name of the bar (Did it fly a rainbow banner at half-staff) or the description of the Latino killers and, if they are taken, the fact of their citizenship status.

Of course, I felt compelled to respond, simply because I fail to see what the victim’s sexual orientation has anything to do with the facts of the case. Vic Milford was shot and killed in cold blood, and his sexual orientation doesn’t - and shouldn’t - have any bearing on the case, nor is it something that’s essential to understanding the crime. It’s disappointing to see homophobia rear its ugly head in this situation, especially given the fact that the victim’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with the facts of the case.

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So says James T. Harris, one of those right-wing talking heads from over at WTMJ620. In a recent blog entry, Harris seems to equate fatherhood with slavery, with himself as slave master. Here’s what he has to say:

As some of you know, I’ve got a little girl. She is the baby of three kids and the only girl I have. That’s right, I said “have”; she is mine. My child. My girl. I own her.

She is not free to do as she pleases.

Not now, not ten years form now, not until the day that she leaves my house as a married woman, will she be “free” of me.

Do you know what that means? That means that I have a say in what she wears, eats, plays with, watches, listens to and sings along with. Every aspect of her life is and will be controlled by me. If I don’t like it, it doesn’t happen. If I don’t desire it, it will not be done. If I don’t choose him, he will not be chosen.

I am her father.

Evidently, Harris isn’t content to simply “own” his daughter; he wants to control every aspect of her life as well, including dictating who she’ll marry. Now I’m the parent of a little girl, and while I certainly worry about the decisions she’ll make when she gets older, I’m also confident that my wife and I raised her to make good decisions, as opposed to ingraining in her the belief that a man should make her decisions for her. As someone who works with domestic violence offenders and their victims, I’ve come to understand that it’s the kind of misogynistic viewpoint James T. Harris supports that allowed women to be treated as property by their husbands for so many years, even in the face of brutal abuse at the hands of their husbands, because outsiders believed women belonged to their men, and thus, had no room to complain.

As a father, I know I don’t own my daughter, but I am confident I raised her to be an independent, smart young woman who will no doubt be able to make good decisions both on her own and with the guidance and support of her parents. Evidently, James T. Harris doesn’t seem to have the same confidence in his daughter or in his abilities as a parent.

capper over at Whallah! is talking about it, and I think his entry is worth taking a look at.

And for those who are interested, here’s a link to the original entry on James T. Harris’ blog.

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