Rusty DePass, Gorillas, and Obama, oh my!

Rusty DePass, Gorillas, and Obama, oh my!

I was completely shocked when I heard about Rusty DePass and his racist comments. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's the background of the story, originally from Rusty's facebook page, then WIS news, and of course, The Daily Show and CNN. (Daily Show segment on this was on August 3, 2009.)

After an aide to state Attorney General Henry McMaster detailed the escape of the gorilla from Columbia's Riverbanks Zoo, DePass responded with a comment: "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless."

DePass later admitted to WIS News that he was referring to Michelle Obama and said, "I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest."

DePass, who was a county co-chair for Rudy Giuliani's 2008 campaign, supported the push to impeach President Bill Clinton in the late 90s, writing in an op-ed for The State, "Do Republicans have higher moral standards than Democrats?"

Alright. I'll be the first to admit that my sense of humor can be a little on-the-fringe. I enjoy comedians who aren't afraid of addressing subjects that are controversial. In fact, I think it's important to do so. I appreciate and laugh with Richard Pryor, Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman, Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Jo Koy, who all, in their own style, talk about things we're not supposed to talk about in society. I enjoy their off-the-beaten-path humor and even the wrongness of it, because they're often pointing out the idiosyncrasies of our culture, and illustrating what it's like to live in a diverse and often absurd world. But they're comedians, and ultimately they'll make fun of themselves just as quickly as politics, racial stereotypes, and minorities. The a*s DePass said something that would never be found funny, in even the smallest of stand-up venues. For him to say it was "in jest" was a political move, and nothing more. His racist blood runs as thick as the mud of the south, and I, for one, am not laughing.

Apparently he's a GOP activist and former chair of some state elections commission or some such thing. Jeez. I love this country for many reasons, the most salient of all is the First Amendment/Freedom of Speech. So I understand why this man must be allowed to go on existing, and speaking his mind...But don't apologize for it you schmuck, and don't pretend like you didn't mean it. Your racism is palatable and potent. I guess you just didn't realize you weren't living in the 1950s. You know we abolished slavery, right? As well as Jim Crow laws and the whole "separate but equal" doctrine. All those things have been ruled unconstitutional. Surprised you didn't know that, being a former public-official and all.

Anyway. Generally, I'm open and flexible about humor, and even politics. We could all do better to take ourselves less seriously, but this, my fellow Americans, is blasphemy of the highest order. Impeach this guy. Oh wait, I guess we have no reason to, since he probably hasn't received a BJ since Jim Crow laws were in effect.

One last note. Do you know what GOP stands for? It's a republican party nickname, but it seems the majority of Americans (in a pole I did among four guys I know), don't know what it actually stands for. GOP stands for "Grand Old Party."