2 racist white politicians in trouble for their racist facebook posts...

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http://www.kbzk.com/story/33489173/candidate-saunders-apologizes-for-ferguson-post
Candidate Saunders apologizes for Ferguson post

BILLINGS -
Legislative candidate Robert Saunders has apologized for a deleted Facebook post that said vandals involved in civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo., should be shot with “two rounds through the brain.”

In a new post on his Facebook page on Sunday, Saunders wrote that he is not a racist but that “I have, however, said things, in person and online, that were wrong.”

A screenshot of Saunders’ post about Ferguson surfaced over the weekend after reports online and in the Billings Gazette quoted classmates of his at Patrick Henry College who accused him of having made racist statements. In the Gazette story, Saunders denied those claims, and Last Best News had earlier declined to report on them because of uncertainties about their accuracy.


In an online Facebook discussion among Patrick Henry College students on Saturday, a screenshot of the Ferguson Facebook post was attributed to Saunders.

However, no name or photo was visible in the screenshot, and Last Best News emailed a copy of it to Saunders on Saturday asking for confirmation. He did not respond directly, but he acknowledged in his Facebook post on Sunday that he had written it.

Ferguson was the site of protests and violence in 2014 after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black man. Although the officer was exonerated, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found a history of unlawful and discriminatory conduct by law enforcement in the city.

Saunders’ post read, in part, “I’m thankful that justice prevailed in this situation and was not swayed by the tide of racism (against whites).” Citizens of Missouri should have shot anyone who attempted to vandalize “and made sure to finish them off with two rounds through the brain,” he wrote, adding, “Elimination of those people in self defense would probably have cut Missouri’s welfare handouts—and long-term crime rate—considerably.”


In his latest post, Saunders said he removed the Ferguson post after “realizing it wasn’t charitable, accurate, or a good representation of the Christian faith I profess.”

“The fact is,” he wrote, “I haven’t loved ? or people the way I should. I didn’t before I ran for office, I haven’t while I’ve run for office, and I will struggle to do so when I’m in office, whether after this election or after another.”

He said he now believes that Ferguson protesters were motivated not by prejudice but by a sense of injustice. He apologized for saying that vandals should be shot and for suggesting that their deaths would reduce the welfare rolls.

“I spoke out of anger and a feeling of helplessness at the wanton violence and destruction of peoples’ livelihoods,” he wrote. “I should not have said it, and it did not accurately reflect my thoughts or feelings.”

Saunders, a Republican, is seeking to unseat Democrat Jessica Karjala. Saunders threatened to sue Karjala for defamation in September for campaign references to an online post he had made that she said implied only rich people should be allowed to vote.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-lawmakers-facebook-post-says-black-protester-should-go-home/
Kansas lawmaker's Facebook post says black protester should go "home"

TOPEKA, Kan. - A Republican legislator in Kansas criticized a Black Lives Matter supporter’s protest while singing the national anthem by posting on Facebook that she should go back “home,” then said Tuesday he was defending the military and the American flag.

The comment by state Rep. Joe Seiwert of Pretty Prairie has been taken downn, but he confirmed it in interviews with The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle. It was posted under a meme showing singer Denasia Lawrence kneeling with a headline denouncing “anti-American blacks” and another directing a vulgarity at the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Go back to where you claim home,” Seiwert’s post said, later adding, “so if they don’t like it here, I believe that their freedom completely allows them to go where ever they believe is more fair and non racist.”

Lawrence, who is black, knelt to sing the national anthem before an NBA preseason game Friday in Miami. She wore a Black Lives Matter shirt and said in a Facebook posting that she was protesting racial injustice.


The anthem issue has been a major topic in the sports world in recent months, starting with the decision by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to not stand while it is played. Kaepernick cited racial injustice and police brutality among the reasons for his protest.

State Rep. Gail Finney, a Wichita Democrat, told The Eagle that Seiwert’s comments about Lawrence’s protest were insulting. Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City Democrat, told the newspaper that he’s “saddened to see such racism.” Finney and Haley are black; Seiwert is white.

Clifton Beck, a Democrat running against Seiwert in their Wichita-area district, also denounced the Facebook posting. Beck, who also is white, said Seiwert’s posting was offensive because during the civil rights movement, “go home to Africa” was a racial slur.

“It’s a well-known slur, and he used it,” Beck told The Associated Press.

While Seiwert did not return a telephone message Tuesday evening from AP, he told The Topeka Capital-Journal that he was trying with his post to stand up for the U.S. flag and the military.

“I am not a racist. I believe in freedom,” he told the newspaper. “It offends me when people disrespect the flag. If unhappy, move to somewhere where you’re happy.”

Seiwert was first elected to the Kansas House in 2008. In November 2010, he faced criticism for forwarding an email without comment to about 40 people arguing that good Muslims couldn’t be good Americans.

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