It was like a blow to the solar plexus.
It was the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech and the newscasts across North America were all carrying stories. They can't broadcast the entire speech because it is copywrited, so they ran small excerpts. We were flipping channels when we landed on this clip from the speech:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
It felt as if the air was sucked out of the room. There was the stark realization that the NDP have taken Manitoba 50 years into the past--- to a time when racism was accepted practice by governments, when racist speech was not condemned, when racists openly held public office.
Welcome to Greg Selinger's Brave New World.
Manitoba Premier Selinger let slip in the Legislature yesterday that the email sent by Deputy Premier Eric Robinson,which contained a racist slur against white people, was released under a request from the Freedom of Information Act only after Robinson's deputy minister censored the offensive passage.
That
deputy minister blacked out the two lines in the email where Robinson
spoke of the "ignorance of do good white people." He delivered the
censored email to the person who filed for the document.
It's not hard to imagine the scramble that followed.
The deputy minister rushing to tell Robinson how he had contained the political damage that the release of the email in its entirety would have caused.
Robinson calling up the people who received the racist email to give them a heads up on how his office had covered-up the potentially explosive comments.
Everyone having a good laugh at the expense of those "do good white people."
But what they didn't know was that the blacked out portion of the email had been deciphered.
To test just how deep the racist ideology extended in the NDP government, the recipient of the censored email approached Robinson directly, and, feigning innocence, asked him to uncensor the redacted two lines of the document.
Of course he refused. The request was made a second time, with the same result.
Three times Eric Robinson was asked what had been blacked out from his email. Three times he claimed it was "advice" which was exempt from public disclosure.
Nobody reading the blacked out portion of the email believes its anything other than a racial slur and not "advice" other than who to hate.
But it was the reaction to the revelation of Robinson's mindset that makes you sick.
Outed by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Robinson repeated his anti-white slur, declared he had nothing to apologize for, and defiantly stated that anyone who knew him knew he said what he meant and he meant what he said.
The next day he said he had a right to be
racist because he had experienced racism from whites.
The Premier of the Province defended his racist deputy minister by saying the email was a private communication and never meant to be read by the public. So, he's saying, hidden racism is acceptable in the NDP government. Just don't reveal your bias.
Every day this week the entire NDP caucus has applauded the justifications for racism.
Arthur Schafer, a prominent "ethics' professor who is frequently asked by reporters to pontificate on public policy matters, excused anti-white racism and said Selinger may actually have been too critical of Robinson. He called racism by aboriginals "understandable" and sniffed that "You could hardly say that white do gooders are a vulnerable group."
Dan Lett, an allegedly independent media watchdog as Winnipeg Free Press political columnist, rationalized the racism of a government minister rather than demand his resignation. Lett's only criticism was that Robinson "has provoked non-aboriginal racists". Aboriginal racism, good, non-aboriginal racism, bad.
Even worse, if you can get worse, is seeing the aboriginal racists come out of the woodwork.
So far, we've collected defend-the-racist comments from the youth secretariat of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, a former election candidate for the Liberal Party of Manitoba, a founder of Idle No More, and a program coordinator for the John Howard Society Manitoba.
The liberal news media descended on the Deep South in 1965 to expose to public condemnation the racism of the southern states.
In Manitoba 50 years later, ethics professors and newpaper columnists make excuses for racists.
The mainstream press has yet to launch a concerted investigation of how deep the strain of anti-white racism is within the NDP government.
When the Premier and caucus applaud an openly self-admitted racist minister, you know the vile philosophy has permeated the entire bureaucracy and governnment.
- Who are the "staffers" to whom Robinson sent his email?
- What responsibilities do they hold in government?
- Who do they report to?
- Will the NDP reveal what else has been blacked out in Freedom of Information requests to see if more racist comments are being covered up?
- What sanction will Robinson's deputy minister receive for his role in hiding Robinson's racist views?
Robinson is also the Minister of Northern Affairs. How has his anti-white attitude affected dealings with mining and logging companies who want to invest in Manitoba? (Wait a few days for a peek.)
On the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's stirring speech, the Premier of Manitoba demonstrated in the Legislature how he has perverted the civil rights leader's inspirational words. (barf alert)
Mrs. Stefanson: I don't believe that the behaviour of the Deputy Premier is exemplary of the kind of dream that Martin Luther King had some 50 years ago. Just because a person has something stolen from them does not give themor entitle them to go out and steal from someone else. Two wrongs do not make a right.
The Premier has the opportunity to do the right thing today by removing the minister from Cabinet.
The question is: Will the Premier take the leadership and do the right thing today?
The question is: Will the Premier take the leadership and do the right thing today?
Mr. Selinger: The Deputy Premier, the Minister of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs, very much shares the dream of Martin Luther King.
******************
For The Record
See in this transcript of Hansard from Wednesday, (Aug. 28, 2013), how Greg Selinger ducks direct questions about his involvement in the cover-up of Eric Robinson's racist comments.
Deputy Premier’s Email
FIPPA Redaction
Mr. Goertzen: Well, you wouldn’t even know what to appeal because it was blacked out and it was never intended to be seen, Mr. Speaker. The issue is very clear that it should never have been redacted, and it was only redacted because they’re trying to cover up for the deputy minister.
And I want to ask the government; I want to ask the Premier: When did he first learn of this freedom of information request and the fact the portion was redacted, and when did the Deputy Premier (Mr. Robinson) learn that this request had come in and that a portion of it was being redacted? When did each of them know?
Hon. Greg Selinger (Premier): Mr. Speaker, we’ve explained this. I’ve explained this. These matters are dealt with in a routine fashion by the public officials in the department. They receive the request. They deal with the request. The request–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: I’m getting very close to the point where I have to call House leaders into a meeting. I’m sensing we’re getting out of control here again and I want to make sure I maintain control of this House, that’s my responsibility. So I’m asking for the co-operation of all honourable members, allow for the questions to be posed and for the answers to be in response. So I’m asking for the co-operation once again.
I’m sorry, I regret to interrupt to First Minister. First Minister, to continue his response.
Mr. Selinger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’ve explained to the House the standard procedures that would follow in this case. Public official receives the request, handles it in a way they consider appropriate under the legislation that guides their behaviour. That is signed off by the deputy minister and the information is made available with the very clear information at the bottom of the form that responds to the request that there is the right of appeal to the Ombudsmen of the Legislature. I’ve put that on the record. I put it on again for greater certainty.
What Selinger failed to put on the record is that he has assured that there is NO ombudsman in Manitoba.
The last Ombudsman resigned more than a year and a half ago, and the job is being filled by an "acting" Ombudsman, a civil servant who is dependent on the NDP government for his paycheque.
The last Ombudsman resigned more than a year and a half ago, and the job is being filled by an "acting" Ombudsman, a civil servant who is dependent on the NDP government for his paycheque.