This page was last updated on September 13, 2010.
Only thing missing was paper’s hood; The Rev. Kevin James Lee; Beaver County Times; September 12, 2010. An editor’s note asserts, “The writer is affiliated with The Coalition for a Thriving Beaver County.” Beaver County Reds identified Mr. Lee as TCTBC’s “head.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Did The Times honestly think it could slip this one by us?
“I dare to say, without contradiction, that the Aug. 18 front-page photo (‘Getting ready for school’) was beautiful. Two black children, innocently peering through a glass door, waiting for a backpack of school supplies, were breathtaking.”
[RWC] I did not see the picture (or associated story if there was one) or find anything about this on the Times website.
“Nevertheless, you could have done us all a solid if you would have mustered the intestinal fortitude to include in the picture just one of the hundreds of white kids who were there for the same reason.”
[RWC] “A solid?” Seriously? I think we just took a ride in the “WABAC (Wayback) Machine.” <g>
“But obviously, that picture, when linked with words like ‘free’ and ‘Aliquippa,’ would have further incited people who harbor your same subliminal agenda of hatred and bigotry. You know, the same despicable bloggers who spew racial excrement and shout, ‘God bless America.’ Pretty contagious jargon on your web site. Freedom of speech? Well, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck...”
[RWC] That Mr. Lee would dump on the Times for a “subliminal agenda of hatred and bigotry” on the subject of race is humorous, or maybe sad. You may recall the Times, via in-house pundit J.D. Prose, at least twice (here and here) accused Beaver County voters of racism because Sen. John McCain narrowly defeated Sen. Barack Obama in Beaver County in 2008.
“Two hours after the doors were officially closed, a white grandmother with young children rushed up saying, ‘Is it too late?’ Our obvious response was, ‘Of course not.’ A righteous solid, indeed.
“Your picture created your desired effect. As usual, the only thing missing from your hoodwink was your hood.”
[RWC] The first I read about Mr. Lee and The Coalition for a Thriving Beaver County (TCTBC) was on Beaver County Reds. I found next to nothing about TCTBC via Google searches so it’s possible this group is another satellite group of Beaver County Reds, like Beaver County Peace Links and the apparently defunct Beaver County Coalition for Social Justice. Using skin color as a wedge is a “go to” tactic of the left.
Based only on this one letter, it appears Mr. Lee is another Lonzie Cox, Jewel Robertson, et cetera. That is, Mr. Lee likely sees life and people through skin-color tinted glasses and would have found a way to be upset regardless of the photo’s composition.
Finally, for someone writing about “hoods” (referring to the KKK), I don’t recall any letters from Mr. Lee about the late-Sen. Robert Byrd, a real former KKK member. Mr. Lee didn’t write even when Lonzie Cox wrote positively of Mr. Byrd.
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