November 09, 2004

Defending Belling

The Left banked high hopes on toppling President Bush last Tuesday. For years, they steamed over his "lies" and poor policies. All the while they organized for 11.02.04 when their collective anger could be transformed into a giant boot aimed squarely at the backside of the man from Crawford, TX. There was just one problem: most voters didn't agree with the Left. President Bush was re-elected. They must now endure another four years of the Bush Doctrine and mispronounciations. Instead of dealing with the political loss the Left in Southeast Wisconsin has decided to take out its anger and frustration on a radio talk show host.

On 10.27.04, Mark Belling was raging on about potential vote fraud. He knew the Presidential election would be close in Wisconsin. The suspicious voter registration operations in the area sent red flags waving in his mind. He worried the Democrats would steel the Badger State's ten electoral votes and, with them, the Presidency. It was in that context that he said,

You watch the voter turnout on the near south side, heavily Hispanic, and compare it to the voter turnout in any other election, and you're going to see every wetback and every other non-citizen out there voting.

Yes, Belling said the racial slur "wetback" to thousands of listeners across the Milwaukee area.

Having uttered a word on par with "nigger" in sheer offensiveness Belling should have quickly apologized and admitted fault. He didn't do that. In fact, he didn't mention the incident until the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel started asking questions. At that time, he had another opportunity to apologize, take a little heat, then move on. Instead, he sarcastically apologized again and again and again for days. This flippant attitude only enflamed passions. Leftist groups began protesting outside the building of his radio station.

Finally last Saturday, Mark Belling released a written apology. In it he took full responsiblity for the slur and for prolonging the incident. Yesterday, when Belling was to declare to his audience that he was "standing up for Milwaukee" a WISN announcer read this statement:

WISN Milwaukee is adamantly opposed to the use of racially offensive language. As a result of his comment and subsequent actions, Mark Belling is currently not on the air. We regret that this incident occurred, and we look forward to educating the public about ethnic diversity. Our focus is to rebuild relations with the Milwaukee community. We now invite you to listen to the Sean Hannity show on new talk 1130 WISN.

That was it. The only one who knows how long Belling will be off the air is Clear Channel who owns WISN, and they're not talking. The station is keeping such a tight lip that it's morning radio duo, Weber & Dolan, won't take listener calls on the issue.

For reasonable people, a public apology along with a suspension would be sufficent punishment. Not for the local Left. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Maria Monreal-Cameron showed that their case against Belling isn't just about the radio yapper's use of a racial slur. "In the name of decency, human dignity and brotherhood, Mark Belling and his bigoted views must be removed from the airwaves," Monreal-Cameron wrote in a statement. Note the plural "views." This goes beyond a one-word mistake. The Left wants Belling off the air because he's an opponent to their political agenda. He opposes higher taxes, tough on criminals, and suspicious of many government programs loved by the Left. Not only does Belling criticize he gets listeners to complain and lobby. Leftist politicans don't like it when conservative voters weigh in on public policy. This is a power play plain and simple. If the Left can knock off the biggest conservative voice in Milwaukee others may hold back in their criticisms.

Today, another vocal critic of Belling learned first-hand how an off-the-cuff remark can hurt others. On Charlie Sykes' radio show Victor Huyke, publisher of El Conquistador, told Sykes and his audience that the Hispanic community would no longer be treated like a "retarded stepchild." Sykes immediately pointed out that some would find that remark as hurtful as the term Belling used. Huyke was taken aback and immediately apologized. Sykes told him he could demand he be fired, but accepted the apology. Hopefully, Huyke takes to heart want can sometimes be said in the heat of the moment. If so, he should extend that to Mark Belling.

"Belling Suspended"

UPDATE: Owen at Boots & Sabers calls the response to Belling's racial slur "utterly disproportionate, bordering on lunacy."

UPDATE II: My oh my. Another of Belling's critics spouted some awful remarks of his own. Something about glass houses suddenly popped into my head.