My part is speaking freely about the thought police

Josey1

My part is speaking freely about the thought police Sept. 24, 2001 Just trying to help here.Since the terrorist attacks, there have been assaults on people of Middle Eastern descent, followers of Islam, and folks who wear turbans.In addition to attacks from overseas enemies, these people also have to worry about fellow Americans.To help stop this, county, state and federal prosecutors have created a task force to investigate hate crimes. There are two hotlines to handle reports of racially motivated threats, vandalism and assaults. The numbers are (602) 506-5000 in Maricopa County and 1-877-491-5742 statewide.But it doesn't stop there.Attorney General Janet Napolitano says she wants reports on anyone who utters a racial slur."If you hear someone using epithets, we want to know who that person is," she said last week. "There are some people who need to be watched to prevent an act of violence, and we want to be able to do that."It would be "perfectly legit," she said, for officers to visit people who've been reported as using slurs.A visit by police does have a way of changing your thought process. So, to do my part in the fight against hate crimes, I'm reporting every racial epithet I hear.I didn't get the license plate, but stuck in traffic the other day, I heard the "N-word" coming out of a nearby vehicle. It was only audible between the big bass booms.An investigation, which involved me watching MTV for 20 minutes, revealed that much of today's so-called "rap music" contains that offensive word. Some might claim the right of artistic expression. But I hope Napolitano isn't swayed by that and sends out the speech patrol.More research, conducted in my record collection, found a song by John Lennon called Woman Is the (N-word) of the World.Lennon is dead, which should make surveillance easy.I should also report Ray Stevens and his song called Ahab, the Arab. It makes fun of the way people from the Middle East speak. Also the way camels speak. But that's probably a matter for the animal-rights folks.I'd also like to report a band from California called The Negro Problem.And another called Cracker. And a DJ named Uncle Kracker. There's a band from Tucson called the Sand Rubies, which sounds vaguely offensive. Better pay them a visit and see what they meant by it.Epithets are everywhere. Once you know how to look for them.In January, the Actors Theatre company is presenting a play by John Leguizamo called Spic-o-rama.Scott Glenn played astronaut Alan Shepherd in the movie, The Right Stuff. In one scene, he relieves himself in his spacesuit and says, "Well, I'm a wetback, now." Shepherd is dead, but it's probably a good idea to keep an eye on Glenn. Just in case.We also should keep an eye on any English teacher who assigns The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Both freely use the N-word. I'd also like to report all sports announcers. They regularly say offensive words such as "Redskins," "Braves" and "Chiefs." Same for all the people who make plans to hike Squaw Peak.While I'm at it, I should report a man named Thomas Jefferson. He said, "Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."It's not a racial slur, but it sounds dangerously un-American.Reach Ruelas at richard.ruelas@ArizonaRepublic.com or (602) 444-8473.

simonbs

Funny and not-so-funny at the same time.

Patrick Odle

Modern society has changed just about everything and not all for the good. some races have actually lost their identity,others have split thiers and consequently become by choice neither.I was taught that any word found in the dictionarywas proper to use, relating or depending on circumstance or applicative value. I have this to say to ms.napolitano send the speech police to my house and they will be treated with the same courtesy that I afford all my guests invited or not. But it is my home and as long as I have breath in my body will be treated as such by all. I have not been a part of the modern politically correct words that have been created ,have not critized them, agreed with all of them used any of them that I didn't choose to. Some I don't understand like hate-crime envolving taking a life,how would this differ from a love crime of the same magnitude and would the happless victim be any more dead one way or the other. It's not hard to guess how smart these people who dream up these words are. Are they so afraid that the world will pass them by that in order to be noticed they invent a new word hoping that the stampede will direct some attention their way. Better to die in agony than live in fear.