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Nugent is the dirty ‘N’-word these days

3/5/2014

The Duffy cartoon appearing in the Cityview (Feb. 27) features a wild-eyed Ted Nugent surrounded by several of his most outrageous and disgusting statements from the past. In one of the most recent insults he calls President Obama a “communist,” “gangster” and a “subhuman mongrel.”

There are two totally unacceptable elements of Nugent’s rants that deserve further discussion. First, progressives had been extremely patient about all the incredibly ugly rhetoric used against this president. The reference to the President as Kenyan, Muslim, communist and his birth origin have been difficult to ignore. Progressives have also been reluctant to ascribe racism to these disgusting attacks until now. However, calling the President a “subhuman mongrel” is a wnew low, and it deserves to be called out as pure racism of the most vile imaginable. The Nazis used this phrase in justifying the extermination of the Jews during WWII. That disgraceful rhetoric has no place in today’s political dialogue.

The second equally concerning behavior is the lack of outrage from Republicans who are using Nugent to further their agenda. The GOP candidate for Texas Governor continued to use Nugent in his campaign after this came to light. Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz, in halfhearted disagreement with Nugent’s statements, left open the possibility to use him in future campaigns. Fox News initially ignored the story and then provided a brief description as a dispute between CNN and Nugent.

It is totally unacceptable and a disgrace to their party that these Republicans are unwilling to forcefully condemn blatant racism and continue to pander to their extremist base. It’s equally appalling that Fox News, a major (“fair and balanced”) media giant is complacent in ignoring such disgusting and shameful language.

Rick Smith
–Urbandale

 

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

No community good

I am disappointed that the “Name That Crime” feature is still used in your newspaper. I feel that the feature attempts to make a game out of the misfortune of others — misfortune that often includes mental illness and substance abuse. I would prefer that you use the power of your newspaper to highlight the challenges faced by those with mental illness and substance abuse and to facilitate the discussion about how society can best respond. 

Mark J. Hillenbrand 
–Des Moines

 

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