Someone needs an ass whooping. HELENA, Mont. – Montana's U.S. District Chief Judge Richard Cebull on Wednesday admitted to sending a racially charged e-mail about President Obama from his courthouse chambers. By Saul Loeb, Cebull, of Billings, was nominated by former president George W. Bush and received his commission in 2001 and has served as chief judge for the District of Montana since 2008. The subject line of the e-mail, which Cebull sent from his official courthouse e-mail address on Feb. 20 at 3:42 p.m., reads: "A MOM'S MEMORY." The forwarded text reads as follow: "Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine. "A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?' " the e-mail joke reads. "His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!' " Cebull admitted Wednesday to sending the e-mail to seven recipients, including his personal e-mail address. The judge acknowledged that the content of the e-mail was racist, but said he does not consider himself racist. He said the e-mail was intended to be a private communication. "It was not intended by me in any way to become public," Cebull said. "I apologize to anybody who is offended by it and I can obviously understand why people would be offended." Cebull said his brother initially sent him the e-mail, which he forwarded to six of his "old buddies" and acquaintances. "The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan," Cebull said. "I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama." Travis McAdam, executive director for the Montana Human Rights Network, said the e-mail is highly racist rhetoric unbecoming of a federal judge. "It's one thing if the judge is not a fan of President Barack Obama, but you would think someone in his position would articulate that in a way that criticizes his policy decisions or his position on issues," McAdam said. "We have a hard time believing that a legitimate criticism of the president involves distributing a joke that basically compares African Americans with animals." Cebull said he does not consider himself prejudiced against people of other races or ethnic backgrounds, and that his actions in his courtroom have demonstrated that. "This is a private thing that was, to say the least, very poor judgment on my part," Cebull said. "I did not forward it because of the racist nature of it. Although it is racist, I'm not that way, never have been." The White House declined to comment Wednesday on the incident.
Man I hate these BS apologies. "It wasn't intended to become public." So if it's private, that makes it OK? **** you! And the whole "I'm sorry if anyone was offended" thing. Not "I'm sorry I made an offensive joke" but "I'm sorry you got offended. I can understand why people would find it offensive, but I don't (apparently)." Just admit it was wrong and say you're sorry. Stop trying to qualify it.
Insinuating someones mom is a slut and sleeps with dogs is now considered racist if that person is black? Or is there a new racial slur that associates black people with dogs/barking?
Really you don't get the racism in the joke? The question posed to the mom was how come the child was black and the mom was white. The mom's response indicated that the party was so crazy/messed up that she may have slept with a dog. That indicates that the only way the mom would have slept with a black person would have been when she was drunk or messed up, and that even though that was bad it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The implication is again that she had to be in an altered state of mind to sleep with a black man.
"Space Ghost said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm so dense and you're so smart?' " "His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Ghost! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_FAU0pfXHTY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You've got to be joking. Even the ******* judge admits the email was racist. The judge acknowledged that the content of the e-mail was racist, but said he does not consider himself racist. He said the e-mail was intended to be a private communication. "I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama." "I did not forward it because of the racist nature of it. Although it is racist, I'm not that way, never have been."
why apologize for this guy? the moment he hit send, he showed his intolerance, ignorance and bias. it touched his heart? bull**** the man shouldn't be anywhere near a judge's bench.
This anonymous rep was left for me last night around 1:00 am- I'm thinking FFB trying to fly under the radar with one of his alt accounts.
I don't think it's a racist joke, although it mentions race. The exaggeration of the joke is that the mom slept with a ton of people that night, including at least a dog. The more offensive thing to me is that it's about our President. Although I do admit I wouldn't have minded a joke criticizing Bush (who was never originally elected president).
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As a black guy I don't mind it at all. Individual acts of discrimination were often times based on strictly on rules, custom and etiquette rather than personal sentiment, but that didn't make them any less materially damaging. To a similar but admittedly lesser degree, a forced, public apology for racist behavior by a conventionally successfull, intelligent and legitimately influential person can something something tolerance equality.
Maybe not the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, but I don't think you need to be Ralph Yarborough to accept "nolo" traffic pleas or issue credit judgements.
Honestly I don't think it was meant to be racist, but rather that the President has a w**** for a mother. The Judge in private can laugh at the joke and repeat, but using his judicial email opens the issue up to possible professional consequences. The Judge may well be racist, but the email isn't conclusive other than possible professional suicide. I would like to know how he got exposed.
umm so? its a joke. just look how many comedians make racist jokes... most those jokes are then repeated again to friends. yet people dont view that person or the comedian as racist. whats the difference?
