Some folks on this list may know that I write the regular email newsletter for Communities United Against Police Brutality. Below is what I wrote in today's newsletter about this matter:
ARLON LINDNER STRIKES AGAIN!
Bonehead state rep Arlon Lindner just plain doesn't get it. A few weeks ago, he managed to insult both the GLBT and African American communities in one fell swoop. While putting forward a bill that would strip GLBT folks of protections against discrimination, he tried to rewrite history by saying that gays and lesbians were not persecuted in the Nazi Holocaust and that his bill would combat AIDS and prevent the United States from becoming "another African continent."
As a result, eight state representatives are bringing Lindner up on ethics charges. The hearing in front of the House Ethics Committee is open to the public and that's one hearing I personally would not miss for the world!
Hearing on Ethics Complaint Against Arlon Lindner Monday, April 7 6:30 p.m. State Office Building, Room 10 http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/scheduleday.asp?sday=4/7/2003
Okay, so Lindner's original comments were bad enough, right? Well, Arlon just keeps on screwing up. Through his lawyer, Lindner sent a letter to each of the representatives who filed the complaint against him. The letter was a routine legal request for discovery. However, the way he addressed it was anything but routine. Neva Walker's letter was addressed to her as: Rep. Neva Walker--Black. Well, Ms. Walker has never been married, doesn't use a hyphenated name, and has never had the last name Black. Obviously, someone forgot to remove the race notation before signing and sending out that letter.
As quoted in the Strib, Ms. Walker had this to say about it: "I do believe it was an accident and somebody forgot to erase it. . . . I am an elected official and I deserve respect, and that misprint is a lack of respect."
Lindner's lawyer, James Anderson, had this to say: "Basically, it's a tempest in a teapot," he said, adding that "some people are just hypersensitive if from a simple mistake they can call someone a racist."
Lindner seems to be having a lot of these "simple mistakes." At some point, they become a pattern. Apparently, this guy needs to pull his head out of the dark ages.
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