# News item: Sheriff in Oklahoma laments that he can't lynch Black people or kill journalists **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 18, 2023, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834 "2023-04-18T03:13:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/41 "2023-04-20T17:19:04Z")
> The transcript has been transcribed to the best of our ability, as dialect makes the dialogue difficult to distinguish in places. That might have been a nightmare to transcribe. “How you do spell ‘ahreckonum’?” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/42 "2023-04-20T17:36:13Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I don’t know what kind of folks you hang around with where this is “casual talk”, and people tell jokes about charred bodies. But I don’t think I want to know them. Eh, I haven’t heard many jokes about charred bodies. The only one I can think of is Saint Lawrence saying “turn me over, this side is done” (some Catholics celebrate his feast by eating barbecue). The joke in the recording I would consider a form of hazing, actually, since it was deliberately designed to make the officer uncomfortable. What I meant is that by the tone and reaction, I judged that these people treated their conversation as idle chatter (as opposed to a conspiracy). Not that it is normal or acceptable to casually talk about those subjects, just that these people did so. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/43 "2023-04-21T03:02:27Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > History is full of societies where ethnic or religious minorities wielded all the power. There are even a few extant today. But most of those are societies where the ethnic or religious minority were originally outside invaders who seized power by force. If black Americans tried to seize power by force in America they would be stopped by the numerical disadvantage I mentioned (along with the economic disadvantage you mentioned). I feel the mindset at work is the way some people feel outnumbered whenever they see any minority member. If one black family moves into a neighborhood, they’ve taken it over - ignoring the reality that all of the other families the neighborhood are white. Or the people that worried about Mexican immigrants taking over America - ignoring the reality that if the entire population of Mexico moved to the United States, they would still be a minority in the American population. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/44 "2023-04-21T03:18:21Z")
Oh, you’re absolutely right. There are plenty of white areas in this country where the only comfortable / “correct” number of non-whites is zero. It’s appalling but it’s true. I wasn’t trying to quibble against your point, but was trying to add some additional accessories to it. I apologize if that came off as offensive or gratuitously nitpicky. That wasn’t my intent. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/45 "2023-04-21T04:09:55Z")
And the trees are all kept equal By hatchet, axe, and saw! (I realize that’s not exactly the same thing; looks like an interesting book.) ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/46 "2023-05-18T18:33:14Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > When you’ve been on top, equality feels like oppression. Another version talks about rich people who were born on 3rd base but believe they hit a triple. I’m not getting specific. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/47 "2023-05-18T18:50:00Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > The only one I can think of is Saint Lawrence saying “turn me over, this side is done” (some Catholics celebrate his feast by eating barbecue). Uh, I know about Saint Lawrence. I was raised Catholic – had eight years of Catholic school. I never heard anything about eating BBQ on his feast day. Is it a Southern thing? Because I can’t imagine anyone I was raised with thinking it was anything but in the poorest of poor taste. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/48 "2023-05-18T18:53:50Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I never heard anything about eating BBQ on his feast day. _Smithsonian Magazine_ even wrote an article on the subject: > **[To Grill or Not to Grill: Commemorating a Saint’s Martyrdom](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/to-grill-or-not-to-grill-commemorating-a-saints-martyrdom-47208967/)** > > If the stories about him are true, St. Lawrence would probably appreciate this bit of perverse humor ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/49 "2023-05-18T18:56:23Z")
Wow. Never heard of it. Thanks for confirming. ETA: Looks like only one lady’s blog. I thought maybe it would talk about an actual tradition somewhere. Though the cupcakes with grill marks sounds just about as odd. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/50 "2023-05-18T19:31:20Z")
> [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > Another version talks about rich people who were born on 3rd base but believe they hit a triple. I’m not getting specific. I feel like that was either Molly Ivins or Maureen Dowd, I can’t remember which. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/51 "2023-05-18T20:08:53Z")
Ann Richards channeling Lily Tomlin? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/52 "2023-05-18T20:25:12Z")
I think she described Dubya as “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/53 "2023-05-18T20:27:38Z")
_“Foot,”_ IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/54 "2023-05-18T20:28:39Z")
I think you’re right, and it was Bush sr. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834.md?page=2)