Last week on another website l was informed about the case of Kenneth Gladley by a sparring partner from the right who pointed to the story from a Weekly Standard report by Mary Katharine Ham and asked if l was okay with what happened in St Louis.
Helpfully he posted this from Gladley's lawyer:
I am Kenneth Gladney’s attorney. Kenneth was attacked on the evening of August 6, 2009 at Rep. Russ Carnahan’s town hall meeting in South St. Louis County. I was at the town hall meeting as well and witnessed the events leading up to the attack of Kenneth. Kenneth was approached by an SEIU representative as Kenneth was handing out "Don’t Tread on Me" flags to other conservatives. The SEIU representative demanded to know why a black man was handing out these flags. The SEIU member used a racial slur against Kenneth, then punched him in the face. Kenneth fell to the ground. Another SEIU member yelled racial epithets at Kenneth as he kicked him in the head and back. Kenneth was also brutally attacked by one other male SEIU member and an unidentified woman. The three men were clearly SEIU members, as they were wearing T-shirts with the SEIU logo.
Now as a black man living in England some would say that as l don't have a dog in this particular hunt l shouldn't have too much to say about things, but the thing is this:
l have the same level of contempt for black conservatives in the US as l do for the ones in the UK, the only difference being that we don't have wsters like J.C Watts or certifiable nutjobs like Alan Keyes running around.
I would be happier if we did have a higher profile black politican here in the UK, even if it was a conservative just so l could have someone to be annoyed about but sadly that's not the case.
My reply to the above comments on Gladley were not what you would call sympathetic or understanding. I cited the fake story of Michael Steele's about the Oreo attack and Oliver Willis's report on the debunking of it. I also for good measure added the story of Ashley Todd and stated:
So excuse me, no scratch that, take it as a given that l will give this report from a black republican the pinch of salt treatment.
I’m not saying that i’m prejudiced against them, it’s just that in my view when a black republican opens their mouth lies come out. Keep promoting the Ron Christie types as some sort of role model to follow. He may be your type of black person but (and i’m not speaking for every black person in the country, just the ones l know) that’s not the type that gets any respect from me or mine.
Some would say my words at the time were harsh, but looking at them now l would have to say that they were pretty insightful, expecially when you have this:
Go watch the YouTube video. (Or, the "shocking video," as Power Line hypes it.) The first thing you notice when the camera starts rolling is a union member already sprawled out on the ground with somebody standing over him. No explanation of how he got there (pushed, shoved, punched?) and Ham couldn't care less. Then yes, Gladney is pulled to the ground by somebody wearing a union shirt. (At the :06 mark.) But instead of Gladney being beaten and punched, as his attorney describes, and instead of union "thugs" standing over him and threatening him, Gladney bounces right back on his feet in approximately two seconds and the scuffle ends.
That was the savage "beating" the conservative blogosphere can't stop talking about?
The only real mystery from the incident is why Tea Party member Gladney, who's seen up-close after the brief encounter walking around and talking to people and who appears to be injury-free, then decided to go to the hospital to treat injuries to his "knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face." All that from a two-second fall to the pavement?
Also unclear is why he contacted a newspaper reporter, or why his attorney wrote up lavish accounts and sent them to conservative bloggers, or why Gladney and his attorney appeared on Fox News.
FYI, according to his attorney, Gladney plans on filing a civil lawsuit against the union.
But that is not all:
The Hill erroneously reported that Gladney had been "hospitalized" after being "attacked." As you can see from the video, Gladney was not "hospitalized." (i.e. Rushed away by ambulance.) Instead, as the Post-Dispatch correctly reported, Gladney "said he sought hospital treatment."
So there we have it. Another tale from the right about an attack on one of theirs which is breathlessly reported by right wing media to show just how "angry" those on the left are which turns out not to be true.
Amid all the commentary from the right there has also been a new found wave of empathy which is pretty surprising if you look back at all the rhetoric surrounding the word during the Sotomayor nomination and hearings, but then again who ever accused those on the right in the media of being consistant on any issue outside of gay marriage, tax cuts, the second amendment, playing the victim, invading other countries on false pretences and the demonization of liberals?
Watching the actual video of what Gladley and his supporters call "the attack" i'm wondering if the police are going to do their job and ask some very pointed questions of Mr Gladley, namely why he had to be dragged off a man who was lying prone on the ground.
But l won't hold my breath.
I can however watch with pleasure as this story blows up in the faces of those trumpeting it on the right as more facts are revealed about a man who is protesting a healthcare bill designed to help people who are in his situation!!
In fact, i'm waiting to see which republican breaks first and criticizes this liar for asking for a handout when he should be asking for a hand up!!
One of my favourite mantra's have often repeated about black conservatives is that if one of them tried to sell me a talking parrot l would have it x-rayed to ensure that there wasn't a tape measure stuck up it's rear end.
The incredulous Modrate Voice openly wonders if Gladley isn't some sort of double agent sent out to destroy whatever semblence of credibility the right have left on this issue while l am left wondering if Gladley is now the personification of Malcolm Tucker's Law.
The great man says that he has his law embroidered on a teatowel.
Me?
I want it on a big poster next to a picture of Michael Steele.