Pitts Targeted by White Supremacists

Blacks hear non-stop "Cry me a river" sentiment from segments far less radical than Mr. White's...

However, it's indeed unfortunate - as a previous poster noted - that Pitts connected this particular horiffic cime to a sound and well-stated argument. (Not that it drops him from No. 1 on this ballot).

I'm surprised I hadn't heard about this case before reading Pitts' column. After reading mmac's post, the case sounds like a pretty good made-for-TV, saturation-coverage, news event.

Maybe it was and I missed it?

EDIT: On second thought, Pitts didn't connect the crime and the argument. Mr. White's ilk did. And "Cry me a river" was aimed at those "crackpots, incendiaries and flat-out racists." It's just tough to use the word "cry" in this case without thinking about the victims and their families.

 

Joe, don't let the frustration and bewilderment over that one incindiary line take away from the fact that quite a few of us agree with Pitts' premise. And we recognize there's a problem. But a very good message can be lost or overlooked with one poorly chosen line.

 

No, it wasn't. Hardly anyone outside of Tennessee had heard of it before Pitts' column, which is precisely what outraged the folks that were "crying".

And, Broadway Joe, I get your point and it's well-stated. But the problem with the final Pitts' paragraph you quoted is that it implies that the people outraged must all be "crackpots, incendiaries, and flat-out racists" which is untrue and unfair. Obviously some (like Mr. White's group) are, but many are not.

But, as I said before, I'm normally a fan of Pitts and believe there is a legitimate underlying point to be made here, but he picked a bad example as the excuse to make that argument. In this case, the people who were complaining had a valid point, a crime of this magnitude probably should have received media coverage outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, and in a different context undoubtedly would have, and there doesn't seem to be a valid explanation why it did not.

 

Pitts' point is a good one. His problem is the timing. Let the families of the victims grieve before delving into this topic. The topic is worth discussing. Just not so soon after the atrocity.

 

I think the bigger issue is how this atrocity is being misused by others to foster their own misconstrued beliefs. It should be addressed because of the danger posed by their demonic efforts.

 

Um, what happened to the murder victims was demonic. What the white supremacists are doing is politically craven. That said, what breaks as a national story is so random, quirky and variable. No one has a right to a nationally covered murder.

 

Given the details of these murders, I've been consistently stunned that this story hasn't been HUGE nationally. I hope the color of any victim or any criminal in this case didn't change the media coverage, but I don't know. I think the police are doing everything they can to keep it quiet, and when you combine that with the potential race issues in this case, I think it's wise to be careful what you report if you don't know.

I hope Pitts knew the details of this case IN FULL before he wrote that.

I agree with tapintoamerica ... Pitts has wonferful points, but his timing is awful and you could argue it's irresponsible journalism. This crime was horrible and disgusting, and it's getting even worse as it evolves into a black and white race issue. It's about five shitty people who did horrible, horrible things to two other people.

 

WEBSITE EDITOR SPEAKS

Wilson said he had tried to prevent the incident from escalating by sending an e-mail to Bill White, editor for the site, asking him to delete Pitts' address and phone number.

He said White replied: 'We have no intention of removing Mr. Pitts' personal information. Frankly, if some loony took the info and killed him, I wouldn't shed a tear. That also goes for your whole newsroom.''


Now, why aren't the authorities getting involved instead of the paper sending plaintive "please stop" emails. To me, that's a threat.

 

Hopefully authorities have been contacted. I hope Pitts moves, too, just to be safe.

 

Fuck them. He shouldn't need to move, they need to be getting ass-raped in jail.

 

No, he shouldn't need to move. I don't disagree with you ... I'm just saying it might be wise.

 

Oh, no, Hammer, I know exactly what you mean, and you are right.
But on occasion, they make Bin Laden look human.