Now I know Badger Blogger isn’t a blog known for having a gaggle of intelligent, articulate conservative readers, but I simply can’t believe the views of some of its readers, a group that really exemplifies the best (or worst, depending on your viewpoint) with Wisconsin wingosphere has to offer. In a recent post talking about Sheriff David Clarke’s flip-flop on concealed carry, “Peter” (who not surprisingly chooses to remain semi-anonymous), advocates the lynching of black folks in Milwaukee’s inner city.
A rope and a tree might bring some law and order to the Central City.
Peter follows up that proposed “solution” by taking it a little further, stating:
A little vigilante justice may make the thugs take notice. Clearly the criminal justice system doesn’t want to control things. Kinda like the Toby Keith/Willie Nelson song, Whiskey For My Men (Beer For My Horses). I wouldn’t object at all to seeing the gangbangers and thugs at the end of a rope.
What I can’t help but wonder is if Peter’s ready to take his rope and starting walking the streets looking for folks to lynch, because I’ve noticed it seems to be a common trend among some conservatives to talk tough but do precious little to back up that talk. I call it the “keyboard commando” syndrome; it’s easy to type tough about the war in Iraq and how to fight crime in Milwaukee, but it’s quite another to actually have the courage to do something about it.
We considered taking the comment down, but knowing the commenter, and giving the commenter the benefit of the doubt in this particular instance, we allowed it to stand. We do not censor our blog comments except in the most extreme circumstances. We do not believe this comment was intended to be a racist comment. The comment has renegade i.e. “wild west” overtones, which you may or may not agree with. Using the commenters logic, I’ll ask this question: Given the poster’s clarification of his comment as a suggestion that “vigilante justice” might make a difference in Milwaukee’s central city, would the streets of the central city be better or worse with fewer “gangbangers and thugs”? Perhaps Jasmine Owens would still be alive. The still unsolved, senseless murder of a 4 year old girl would be a far better channel for your feigned outrage.
Your keyboard commando comment is rendered moot by reality. Of our content contributors, several of us live in and/or work in Milwaukee’s central city on an almost daily basis; one is a retired 30+ year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department.
Our decision not to moderate in this instance was consistent with our decisions during the early days of the (Alderman) Michael McGee arrest story, for which we were a hotbed of McGee supporters, almost all of whom spewed racist diatribe for weeks. They had something to “get off their chests”, we let their comments stand.
I take issue with your elitist classification of our visitors; your assertion is that simply because people don’t historically agree with your perspective on certain matters, they are “unintelligent and inarticulate”. Some of our most frequent commenters are your fellow travelers; folkbum, xoff, capper, et al. I am certain they will be happy that you have lumped them into the category of the “unintelligent and inarticulate.”
Several pieces of our original content were cited in published reports last week, radio and print, by no less than four “traditional” media sources around the state. Please refrain from tainting Badger Blogger simply because of one comment for which you offer hollow contempt. Our original content is amongst the most factual reporting you will find anywhere on the web. Don’t bash us because of one visitor comment which you think was inappropriate.
Bruce, whatever the intent of the comment, the poster had to realize how advocating lynchings would sound. I’d also note that the comment didn’t have “renegade i.e. “wild west”” overtones – it had blatantly racist “let’s lynch ’em like they used to do in the South” overtones, especially given the group of people that were being referenced. Further, advocating “vigilante justice” – which by its very nature is contrary to the rule of law, is highly irresponsible and downright disturbing. What you seem to be supporting (and maybe I’m wrong) is the kind of “vigilante justice” that was all too common in the south during the days of Jim Crow, when bands of white folks would come together and lynch a few black folks in the name of “justice.”
You may not like it, but folks in the inner city still have rights, no matter how illegal or disagreeable their actions may be, and advocating for the kind of “justice” that some of your readers seem to favor is disturbing.
As for my comments about your readers, they weren’t elitist – they were simply honest. However, I suppose I should qualify what I said, because many of your conservative readers – though not all – are some of the most inarticulate folks I’ve encountered in any blog I’ve come across.
I personally am not advocating anything. Could the following statement have been any more specific a caveat?
“Using the commenters logic, I’ll ask this question: Given the poster’s clarification of his comment as a suggestion that “vigilante justice” might make a difference in Milwaukee’s central city, would the streets of the central city be better or worse with fewer “gangbangers and thugs”?
I would like you to amend or retract the statement “You may not like it, but folks in the inner city still have rights, no matter how illegal or disagreeable their actions may be”
There is no greater advocate of the rule of law than myself. I don’t know what evidence I have ever offered to the contrary. I have not defended the “vigilante justice” substance of the poster’s comment in any way by playing devil’s advocate to his comments, other than to defend why the moderators at Badger Blogger chose not to censor the comment. Please offer this resounding clarification. Thank you.
Okay, I know this is really late…but I am new to your blog and I really want to comment on this issue.
All I want to say is…I too read this comment in real time and it is the comment that made me not go back for more.
I didn’t buy that BS story about the wild wild west…
FP, thanks for visiting! I hope you’ll find the blog to be to your liking, because I’m always looking for a fourth regular reader.