Jon Stewart - Why Does He Always Get a Pass??

By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Why does Jon Stewart get a pass when he mocks GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain? Cain says, “when he mocks me in the dialect of old Amos and Andy, I think that’s a problem.” I think that is a problem as well.

Stewart gets away with a lot, but when the heat is turned on him, most liberals immediately jump to his defense. If Colorado U.S. Representative Lamborn is wrong in mocking President Obama in using the ugly and insensitive "tar baby" association, it is no different than Stewart mocking Cain in the dialect of old Amos and Andy. I have to agree with Cain that, "I think that's a problem."

A few weeks ago we held a news conference to condemn U.S. Representative Lamborn for associating the words "tar baby" with President Obama because it was morally wrong and racially insensitive of him to do so.

The pastors at the news conference simply ran out of words to describe the hateful and ugly insinuation that Lamborn used to insult President Obama, Black Americans, and other communities of color. We need to use some of those same words to condemn Stewart for his lack of sensitivity and lack of mutual respect.

But when will liberals even think about condemning the darling Stewart for using such language? He deserves to be criticized and called on the carpet for using the old Amos and Andy dialect to mock a Black conservative running for President.

I can not understand, whether we agree or not with Cain's politics, how we allow Stewart to get away free from any condemnation for using an old dialect to mock a Black man? Too often we seem afraid to condemn national celebrities who we think are our friends and maybe say something nice about our communities on their cable/television programs.

Stewart is not deserving of a free pass, and we should let him know. If Lamborn is a bigot, then why isn't Stewart a bigot? About the only nice thing that can be said, is that at least Lamborn had the sense to apologize to the Black Ministerial Alliance in Colorado Springs. When do we hear an apology from Jon Stewart? Or does he get a pass - again?

I offer a commentary by Alex Alvarez from FoxNews.com for more about this controversy. Asking you to read his commentary does not mean I agree with everything Alvarez may have to say, but the least we can do is answer his question.

FoxNews.com Asks ‘Is Jon Stewart Racist?’
by Alex Alvarez | 5:06 pm, June 28th, 2011

Pass the popcorn and David Hasselhoff popsicles! Fox News is gently fanning the flames of the smoldering Jon Stewart / Herman Cain “rivalry” by asking, in a FoxNews.com blog post written by Bernie Goldberg, “Is Jon Stewart racist?”

Some context: Monday night, GOP presidential hopeful Cain told Fox News’ Juan Williams that Stewart dislikes him because he is “an American black conservative,” adding that, “when he mocks me in the dialect of old Amos and Andy, I think that’s a problem.”

Last week, Cain had laughed off Stewart’s impression while speaking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, telling him that “as far as him mocking me, look I’ve been called every name in the book because I’m a conservative, because I’m black. Sticks and stones may break my bones, words are not going to hurt me.” and “the fact that he wants to mock me because I happen to be a black conservative, in the words of my Grandfather, ‘I does not care. I does not care.’”

Goldberg’s post doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to making its central point: A double-standard exists where political leanings and perceived instances of racism are concerned:

If the white guy is Rush Limbaugh and the black man is Barack Obama, then of course the white guy is a racist – according to liberals.

But if the white guy is Jon Stewart and the black man is Herman Cain, the conservative businessman seeking the Republican nomination for president, well, then, that’s another story.

This is, of course, not always the case.

Goldberg continues:
But why isn’t Jon Stewart a bigot, when Limbaugh and Hannity and O’Reilly would be tagged as racists if they had done the very same thing? That’s easy. Because Jon Stewart is a liberal and liberals aren’t racists. Only conservatives are.

And if you don’t believe me, just ask any liberal.

Goldberg’s advice to conservatives who find themselves dealing with liberals who would take some sort of moral high ground when it comes to issues of race is to simply beat them at their own game, as it were, and “play fast and loose with the word ‘racist.’” He concludes by saying that, yes, Stewart’s impression was unequivocally racist.

It’s to Fox News’ benefit to keep this particular meme going because 1) it makes Stewart look bad, particularly since it essentially adds fuel to the animosity likely already harbored by many at Fox News and, 2) it makes Stewart look bad. But, in the long term, it serves only to reduce matters of race and ethnicity to trump cards held, at the ready, in the back pockets of pundits and politicians on either side of the aisle, to be pulled out whenever it suits either side.

It’s an unsavory practice that ultimately works to alienate both liberals and conservatives who don’t happen to be white Anglos, rendering, say, a black conservative forever “a black conservative” rather than an individual who is conservative and also black, or black and also conservative.

Likewise, when Democrats or Republicans discuss garnering, say, ”the black vote” or “the Latino vote,” it speaks to a fundamental lack of understanding, bolstering the impression that black and/or American Latinos vote as monolithic, homogeneous blocks without different social classes, religious beliefs, or cultural values coming into play. So let’s, perhaps, take a step back from using “racist!” as a strategic peon in some grotesque game played out on evening political news shows, particularly since this ultimately works to render a serious accusation essentially meaningless and causes the word to lose whatever power it may otherwise have had.

How can we intelligently and productively discuss whether something like Jon “I’m a comedian” Stewart’s impression is racist or hateful if we have to deal with the possibility that such as allegation is simply being exploited for political points? How genuine can any offense at a given act or word be if there’s a concern or admission that such a reaction is used as a strategy in shaming or “beating” the other side?

FoxNews.com
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Fidel "Butch" Montoya is Director of H. S. Power and Light Ministries - Latino Faith Initiative.
Served as Vice President/News Director of KUSA - TV Channel 9 News from 1985-1990, and worked at the news station for 24 years as a journalist.
Served as Deputy Mayor of City and County of Denver from 1995-1999; and in law enforcement as the Manager of Public Safety, responsible for the Denver Police Department, Denver Fire Department, and Denver Sheriff Department for the City and County of Denver from 1994-2000.
Was Licensed to preach in 1972.
Serves on the Executive Council for the Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Founding member of the Latino Ministerial Alliance in Greater Metro Denver.

ICE Freezes Agreements - Now What?

By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

When you read the press release below, you will agree that this is a terrible development in the battle between the states and cities that wish to opt out of the Secure Communities ICE/Homeland Security Department agreements. Now the Homeland Security Department says they are not necessary and it will enforce the program whether or not a local government entity wants to be involved with this program of deportation.

President Obama has said over and over that this program is only put in place to deport the worst of the criminals and felons that are undocumented. However, what the President says and what his Homeland Security Department Secretary does are two different things. ICE has deported anyone regardless if they are felons or dangerous criminals.

In fact, today, right this moment, if an undocumented immigrant is stopped by the police for a broken tail light, they most likely will be deported. What the facts are of this deplorable policy is that hard working Moms, Dads, and young adults are being deported. Young people who were brought here as children and had hoped the Dream Act would pass so they could continue their education and receive their citizenship are now prime candidates for deportation.

It is time that the Church seriously begins to pray over this matter. We have sent millions of faxes, emails, phone calls, demonstrations, civil disobedience, and personal requests to the President to stop destroying families by separation and deportation. He has refused to heed our voices for justice.

I fully understand that many pastors and ministers are hesitant to involve their ministries with the issue of undocumented immigrants. But I don’t understand is how we discriminate with the Gospel and refuse to denounce the voices of hate and fear with the Scripture that instructs us to care for “the alien, the stranger in our land, the poor, the widow, the visitor in our midst.”

I am calling upon the Church and faith leaders across this country to begin to pray for deliverance for the stranger in our land who works hard to feed his/her family. To provide shelter and a home in this land. We must drop to our knees asking God to intervene in the policies of this government that only respond to the voices of paranoia and racism.

It is time to call upon our God to change the mind of our President and Congress, or send judgment to America for our sins and lack of compassion to love our neighbor. Please remember the Prophet in the Bible did not just bring good news, but often called for judgment upon the people for refusing to heed the Voice of the Lord.

I am very discouraged by this new development. Instead of sending more faxes, more emails, more phone calls, more demonstrations, I am asking you to send a pray to Heaven and the Throne of Grace, to our Father who art in Heaven, and plead with our prayers for changes.

Several times the people of Israel failed to obey the Lord and sinned. Many times God was prepared to judge and destroy these people. In fact, all of those who grumbled, complained, turned away from God, and danced around their Gold calf did not make it out of the wilderness. But when God’s leaders asked God to forgive the people, to give them another chance, God’s mind was changed and He relented.

We are at that point where I ask you to call upon our Lord to forgive our sins, deliver us from all this hate, this bigotry, this fear of the undocumented immigrant and give us justice and righteousness.

Please I am asking....only for your prayers and the prayers of your people in your churches. We must bombard Heaven with our prayers, our supplications, our needs, and desire for justice.

Please join us in prayer.


For immediate release

For more information:
Julien Ross, CIRC Executive Director, 720-290-1125
Jessie Ulibarri, American Civil Liberties Union, 720-434-3747

ICE v. Colorado: Rogue Agency Rescinds Accountability to States around “Secure Communities” Dragnet Program

Federal Government Runs Roughshod Over States and Immigrant Communities

Today, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that it is unilaterally annulling the agreements between states and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “Secure Communities” program, a fingerprint-sharing program between ICE and local police that in reality functions as a dragnet to detain and deport undocumented immigrants, including half a million non-criminal immigrants. The “memoranda of agreements” nullified by DHS had included provisions stating that states could terminate their participation in the program, as Illinois and New York had already done. Colorado was the the first state to negotiate amended language to the MOA, which was signed by former Governor Ritter in January 2011, including unique language to protect victims of crimes. The following is the statement of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition:

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) condemns DHS’s unilateral action to annul ICE’s agreements with states, including Colorado. These agreements provided a clear framework for the relationship between states and ICE regarding the “Secure Communities” program—including the right of the states to terminate their participation.

“From the beginning, the ‘Secure Communities’ program has been shrouded in secrecy,” said Jessie Ulibarri of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, “By rescinding the state agreements, DHS is once again acting in bad faith and eliminating accountability to states that have witnessed the overreach and damage wrought by this program.”

Today’s announcement comes as a DHS task force is reviewing the program, and about to launch a nationwide series of public hearings, calling into question the legitimacy and transparency of the entire oversight process.

The announcement also comes as new public data confirms that “Secure Communities” has strayed far from President Obama’s stated immigration enforcement goal of “focusing primarily on criminals” and the statement in ICE’s agreement with Colorado that the program would identify immigrants who have been “convicted of a serious criminal offense and are subject to removal.” In Colorado, 77% of immigrants arrested by ICE under this program have no criminal convictions, or charged with of non-violent offenses.

“This unilateral nullification of state agreements is yet one more example of ICE acting as a rogue agency without any accountability to its stated enforcement priorities,” said Julie Gonzales, CIRC Director of Organizing, “meanwhile the ‘Secure Communities’ program is tearing families apart and destroying trust in local policing efforts.”

Adding further confusion, ICE has made misleading and confusing statements about whether local communities can opt out of the program, and proposed high-pressure political tactics to enlist reluctant jurisdictions. Last month, a federal judge hearing Freedom of Information Act litigation against ICE over “Secure Communities” concluded that “[t]here is ample evidence that ICE and DHS have gone out of their way to mislead the public about Secure Communities.”

“DHS has yet to provide clear legal authority to support its claim that “Secure Communities” is federally mandated,” said Hans Meyer, CIRC Policy Attorney, “CIRC questions whether any such legal authority exists, and believes that the program is vulnerable to legal challenge.

CIRC will continue to stand with community, faith, business and elected leaders and allies in their commitment to effective law enforcement while keeping hardworking immigrant families together and all communities safe—a commitment that flies in the face of the “Secure Communities” program.

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Fidel "Butch" Montoya is Director of H. S. Power and Light Ministries - Latino Faith Initiative. He was the Vice President/News Director of KUSA - TV Channel 9 News from 1985-1990, and worked at the news station for 24 years as a journalist. Montoya also served as Deputy Mayor of City and County of Denver from 1995-1999; and in law enforcement as the Manager of Public Safety, responsible for the Denver Police Department, Denver Fire Department, and Denver Sheriff Department for the City and County of Denver from 1994-2000. Montoya was Licensed to preach in 1972. He serves on the Executive Council for the Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.