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Jewish World Review May 12, 2003 / 10 Iyar, 5763
Joe Scarborough
Danny Glover's supporters start letter writing campaign with ugly, racial overtones
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Over the past few days, we have been investigating the political views of MCI spokesman, and movie star, Danny Glover. It hasn't been a pretty sight. And this morning, Glover's supporters launched a letter writing campaign with ugly, racial overtones.
DANNY GLOVER is a well-known star of the screen who has traded his likeable image in for lots of money, as spokesman for telecom giant MCI, formerly, your friends at WorldCom. Nothing wrong with that, lots of stars do it, and Glover seems ready-made to pitch a product. But as much as I have always like Danny Glover on the screen, I have found his political views deeply disturbing. Danny Glover says that the president is a racist. That's right, according to Mr. Glover, George W. Bush is a racist. Glover also says that American policies were responsible for the September 11th terror attacks that killed 3,000 Americans. He recently signed a letter praising Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro, and signed a petition that compares American troops with 9/11 hijackers. Danny Glover obviously has a right to express his opinions. So do we. Maybe it doesn't bother you that Glover calls our president a racist, while at the same time embracing a murderous dictator like Castro. Maybe some agree with Glover that America was to blame for the ruthless terrorist attacks of September 11th. Fine. But it's also okay for the rest of us to be bothered by the political views of MCI's pitchman, which strike many of us as being extreme. Today, Glover's supporters began a letter-writing campaign claiming that I was "patently racist" and a "right-wing reactionary." I won't waste my time even addressing the right-wing reactionary attack, because anyone spending a few seconds reviewing my record in Congress regarding human rights, Sudan, Tibet, the environment and privacy rights would find that label laughable. As for the racist label, I'll just ask a few simple questions: Was I racist when I challenged the Dixie Chicks, and supported a boycott of their concert? Did the fact that I agreed with the Baseball Hall of Fame when they cancelled Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon's event last month mean that I hate white people? And did my inquiries into Janeane Garofalo's views reveal my feelings toward women, Hollywood actresses or short people who wear glasses? Of course not. The race-baiting has begun simply because Glover's views are extreme by today's standards. And, his supporters think name-calling will scare me into silence. Nice try, but no dice. Because just as my parents taught me that all are created equal, they also taught me not to back down from telling the truth just because the heat gets turned up.
I'll continue following their advice, on both counts,
whether Danny Glover likes it or not.
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