Bush thinks Bennett's comments were not appropriate

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.normantranscript.com/feeds/apcontent/apstories/apstorysection/D8CUL5O80.xml.txt/resources_apstoryview

Bennett: Black Abortions Would Lower Crime


The White House on Friday criticized former Education Secretary William Bennett for remarks linking the crime rate and the abortion of black babies.

"The president believes the comments were not appropriate," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Bennett, on his radio show, "Morning in America," was answering a caller's question when he took issue with the hypothesis put forth in a recent book that one reason crime is down is that abortion is up.

"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," said Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues."

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. In context

he did qualify the statement by saying it was an awful way to think (paraphrasing.)

But even so, he is a hypocrite. A virtuous gambler who has lost millions of his family's money. And he tells us what to do. Why does he still have a stage?

[Inland]

4. Abortion is an awful way to think, says Bennett

But the reflex equating of blacks and crime, not a word.

Bennet, amazingly, disclosed what he and conservatives assume they mean when they talk about crime: blacks, and only blacks. He assumed his caller was speaking of black babies as potential criminals, because that's the unsaid portion of all conservative conservations about blacks OR criminals.

[mondo joe]

25. Not appropriate - Meaning "shouldn't say it out loud".

Can Bush not even muster the fortitude to say "WRONG"?

[Inland]

26. He doesn't want to say "wrong"

He wants to give the wink and the nod, that is, "isn't it terrible how those PC freaks get all upset over nothing? Next time, save it for the club."

[truebrit71]

5. I'm sorry but that is incorrect....

...his qualifying statement relates only to the issue of aborting the fetuses as being "wrong"...and NOT the fact that 'blacks cause crime'...which is the main point he was making...

The issue here isn't the aborting issue (which he said would be reprehensible :eyes:) but the fact that he believes that black babies grow up to do one thing, commit crimes...

THAT'S why it's such an amazingly ignorant thing to say, Blacks=Crime.

Nice, republican family values at work...

[ComerPerro]

I agree. Its not the advocating of aborting every black baby

its the idea that "ethnic cleansing", so to speak, would lower the crime rate.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

7. I just re read it

and you are correct. When I read it quickly I thought he was saying the whole line of thought was reprehensible. He obviously was only qualifying the one issue.

Holier-than-thou smarmy jackass.

[Inland]

21. Right. Bennett voiced assumption that blacks are criminals, vice versa

nt

[Guaranteed]

23. YES. Thanks.

Gotta pick apart the argument a bit to see that he's putting forward, as true, an awfully racist premise.

[never_get_over_it]

6. Who gives a shit

if he said it would be awful - if he thinks it would be so awful he should have kept his freaking mouth shut - he supposedly got the idea from some book and my understanding is that the book said if poor babies were aborted the crime rate would go down - and although I think that is awful too - it was Bennett who brought up race. He is a disgusting pig and they should take his radio show off the air NOW.

I am a white woman with three beautiful bi-racial nephews and when I heard this statement - I was seized with fear that my nephews might hear this disgusting statemnet. Bill Bennette and all his friends should rot in hell.

[LizMoonstar]

12. just as a side note, the book doesn't say that at all.

the book says that kids with no other opportunities are more likely to commit crimes, and that many of these kids come from mothers who were not intending to have a child at that point but had no other choice. therefore, when choices became available to these women, both abortion and adoption, many of those kids either were not born or were adopted into families where there would be more opportunities for them. the book does not advocate aborting anyone - it is descriptive research only, iirc.

[LuckyTheDog]

14. Sure, he qualified it, BUT

Even his "qualifications" were racist. He associated criminality with merely BEING BLACK. And he suggested that genocide would "solve" the "problem," albeit in an immoral way.

Basically, if you boil it down, he was saying that we whites could make ourselves safer by killing off black babies. But, we don't do that because we are just SUCH decent, moral people. In essence, he was saying we should pat ourselves on the back for not committing genocide (Good for is!).

Also, wasn't it funny how he didn't say that we could reduce crime by making sure African American kids had the same educational and vocational options as whites... or if we made sure that all poor kids (of any race) got a fair shot in this country. Why didn't he say THAT? He apparently thinks those kinds of things would not work, but killing would -- even if he doesn't recommend it.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

15. Sure sounds like

"the final solution," doesn't it?

[LuckyTheDog]

22. My thought exactly (nt)

[Mizmoon]

2. I'm not surprised by his remarks

I remember that fucker from his "Just Say No" days. He was a Nazi in a suit back then too.

I laughed when he got caught gambling. High Times once got a photo of him drinking hard liquor at 10 AM at some political function. No one cared, though.

[stopbush]

3. "It would have been more appropriate if he had used the "N" word"

- the sociopath-in-chief

[BringEmOn]

8. "Dammit, Bill, how's my mama gonna top that one?"

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. How about aborting conservatives. That would be a good start.

It would lighten up the white-collar criminal case backload.

[SammyWinstonJack]

19. Caller on Washington Journal said if repub babies were to be aborted

crime rates would fall, "just ask Tom Delay". :yoiks:

[Rainscents]

10. Right wingers sure are making lots of new black friends! Keep it up!

:sarcasm:

There's more fucking crimes done by white people than, blacks! Look at all the white criminal people at the Whitehouse, congress and Senates?

I am so sick of all these psycho racists basters! :banghead:

[ultraist]

11. "not approrpriate" Way to gloss over jr.

It's not only "not appropriate" it's fucking racist.

[cynatnite]

13. CNN headline news is reporting that the WH condemned it....

:eyes:

It's fucking ridiculous how corporate media spins this and lets the WH get away with saying 'not appropriate'. :grr:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

16. There was a murder at my school in 1989

I was talking about it with a group of 1st grade girls who had witnessed the whole thing. One sweet little thing said "Mrs. B, Sylvester (the gunman) acted inappropriately."

Uh-huh. He sure did. Such a nice polite word, inappropriate.

[QC]

17. Reminds me of Clinton and Sister Souljah.

Bush gets to slap down someone on his own side to show how reasonable he allegedly is.

[Inland]

20. It's the other way around.

Bush makes such a weak and non-specific statement that every republican understands that Bennett's sin is to say on the air what all republicans think.

[Johonny]

18. not appropriate

but he didn't say the comments were wrong. I mean is it too much to ask that President anti-abortion come out against aborting black men to prevent crime. A real press would have asked Scotty under what setting would the president find the comments appropriate.

[cassiepriam]

24. Sure. OK to think, but not say. NT