Others have already said it, but it takes a class guy to take a step back, count to ten, then come back and say he’s sorry. And mean it.
We’re all sad as hell and mad as hell. I’m a long, long way from New York, and for many people around me, this is just something on the TV screen happening in another country. Several times today, I’ve wanted to slug people for smiling and laughing as they walk down the street. In one of my classes this evening, I found myself discussing execution methods with my students, and feeling some of the tension leave my body as I did so. Even 12 or 24 hours later, this still feels like “the heat of the moment,” so I’m not going to hold anyone’s emotions against them right now.
Hey, Bill! If you find a way to stop posting stuff that you have to apologize for, could you lemme know how you did it? My foot spends too long in my mouth, too.
I understand that emotions ran high. I guess we should be grateful folks were posting their rants instead of acting on them. Hopefully in the light of day we can still come together and focus our attention on helping the victims and let the authorities seek out those responsible and deal with them.
I must admit, I was a little reluctant to accept Wildest Bill’s apology. My general feeling is that if someone posts an anti-Semitic rant in which he:
calls for nuclear attacks on Arab countries simply because they are Arab/Muslim (WB still seems to be unaware of any difference between the two,)
insists “the Muslims hate everybody that is not a Muslim,” even after he’s corrected on it,
states that “We have let these muslims come into our country by the groves and now they are in a prime position to destroy us from within. And some of you people are too stupid and liberal to see it.” (Sound familiar?)
further states, “Anyway, I have alot more respect for Japanese than I ever will for the Arab people. At least they don’t attack so cowardly,” thus indicating once again that his beef is with all Arabs, and refuses to admit that only a tiny minority of Arabs are terrorists…
…well, in those circumstances I’m a little hesitant to let him come back the very next day and use “I’m sorry” as the all-purpose “get out of trouble free” card. If nothing else, it’s unclear what he’s apologizing for. Does he still defend his sentiments, and simply apologize for the rude way he phrased them? Does he still feel that all Muslims hate all non-Muslims? Does he realize that use of the term “towelhead” is not what Jesus would do?
Now I really have to wonder what WB’s apology was intented to cover. In this thread:
(Is one not reminded of the “fly a kite” scene from “Porky’s”?)
Dr. Lao responded as follows:
**
To which WB replied:
**
So whatever WB was apologizing for, it apparently wasn’t for his sweeping remarks about Muslims/Arabs in general. What was it for, exactly? Could you fill us in, WB?
So we have a few words of clarification from WB in other threads:
WB retracts his calls for nuclear genocide.
WB so far refuses to retract his statements that all Muslims hate all non-Muslims, or that all Muslims are secret agents destroying America from within.
WB has decided to reserve the term “towelhead” for terrorists, not for Muslims in general. (One wonders what the logic of this is, if all Muslims/Arabs are, to WB, secret agents out to destroy America.) No word yet on whether the IRA is composed of “towelheads.”
Incidentally, Esprix declared that when he uses terms like “Jeezer” or “fundie,” he only means folks like Hovind or Phelps, not Christians in general. WB’s reply?
**
At least “Jeezer” already refers specifically to whacked-out hypocrites like Phelps. “Towelhead,” OTOH, is an anti-Muslim slur, and only means “terrorists” because you decided to redefine it that way.
Wildest Bill, you have my apologies. After some searching I found a statement to the effect that you think “towelhead” smears all Muslims, and aren’t going to use it.
Nonetheless, you have strenuously argued that Muslims are anti-American, and that they hate all non-Muslims. Could you clear that last point up for us?
