En Memoriam

¡Hola! Everybody...
I will be out in the field for most of the day, so I won’t be around to flirt, cajole, disturb, and upset... LOL

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-=[ Terrorism ]=-

Lynching is a particularly heinous crime. It isn’t merely the killing of another human being (as if that isn’t heinous enough). Lynching takes time and premeditation. It’s a way to send a message to society in general. It’s an act of terrorism. So, it’s a dangerous term to throw out -- nothing to trifle with.

In fact, earlier today a colleague she expressed concern with my use of the term. She is of the opinion that there’s a real danger in engaging in a one-sided, accusatory dialog that will only make the right feel more isolated and, therefore, help fan the hate. She fears that it will be civil war all over again.

On September 12, William Sparkman, the same day as tea-bagger protests, was found hanging from a tree with the word “fed” carved into his chest. The 51-year-old single father and substitute teacher had been working for the Census in Kentucky’s rural, poor Clay County.

Mr. Sparkman, an innocent man, was lynched.

Lynching, the practice of killing people by mob action, has a long tradition in the United States dating back from the 1700s through the 1950s. This type of murder is most often associated with hanging, although it often included burning and/or various other methods of torture, lynchers were rarely punished, or even arrested, for their crimes. In fact, I would go as far as saying that lynching was a form of perverse entertainment.

While lynching is often associated with Southern efforts to enforce “white supremacy,” with African-Americas and Whites active in the pursuit of equal rights, were the groups most frequently lynched, Latino/as, Indians, East Indians, and Asians were also victims of lynchings. The largest single lynching known was the 11 Italian Americans who were lynched in New Orleans early in the 20^th century, for example. furthermore, many women and gay and lesbians have been victims of lynchings.

Lynching isn’t just a crime against an individual, it also a crime against humanity. It is a crime against the social contract and everything that barely keeps us civil. It has no place in our society, but here it is -- again. Rearing its ugly head.

There are those who will point to the hate mongers. Cowards like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, and idiots like Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin for fanning the hate and I would agree with them. They are the ones yelling “fire!” in the crowded theater of life. But I look at the group most responsible for these crimes: the religious and political fundamentalists. They believe in an unforgiving and jealous father and perceive anyone different from them as less than human. They call liberalism a disease, and anyone one to the left of their ideology are fascists or socialists. Let’s get real people, “socialist” is just another word for “nigger,” “bitch,” “faggot,” “homo.”

On September 12, 2009, William Sparkman was found hanging, the word “fed” carved into his chest. That, whatever your political orientation, was a message for all of us...

Eddie