Mississippi Pol Said to Be an Ally of Gov. Haley Barbour Addresses Infamous Racist Group

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



Mississippi Pol Said to Be an Ally of Gov. Haley Barbour Addresses Infamous Racist Group

By Heidi Beirich, SPLC's Hate Watch. Posted July 7, 2009.

State Sen. Lydia Chassaniol speaks to the CCC, and admits membership to the organization.




This June, the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) held its annual conference at the Cabot Lodge on the campus of Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. The “surprise guest,” Mississippi State Sen. Lydia Chassaniol (R-14th District), was introduced by emcee Bill Lord — the CCC’s field director who is known for his racist “Martin Luther Coon” jokes — as “the right hand to the Governor (Haley Barbour).” Lord also identified Chassaniol as a “member” of the CCC chapter in Carroll County, one of a handful of Central Mississippi counties she represents.

In an E-mail, Chassaniol confirmed to Hatewatch that she is a member of the CCC, which she described as a “conservative organization.” She also wrote, “I do not consider myself racist,” adding that she believes “a person’s membership in any organization is a private matter.” She said that she had worked for years “with the children of the Mississippi Delta” and had spoken to the Greenwood Voters League even though, she said, it has “no members who are Caucasian.”

Gov. Barbour’s website shows that he has worked with Chassaniol in her capacity as chair of the Senate Tourism Committee. A May 12 press release from the governor’s office says Barbour “praised” Chassaniol for her contributions to a new slogan for the state’s highway signs, “Birthplace of America’s Music.” Ironically, the music the signs refer to — “from the blues, to country, to rock and roll, to gospel” — was largely produced by African Americans, who the CCC has described on its website as a “retrograde species of humanity.”

Calls to Barbour’s office for comment were not returned. The Mississippi state GOP office said it was unable to comment on the matter because their press officer was out of the office. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/rights/141136/mississippi_pol_said_to_be_an_ally_of_gov._haley_barbour_addresses_infamous_racist_group/

[tekisui]

1. Time to politically take down another repuke gov.

On deck: Haley Barbour-Mississippi racist.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. A person's membership in an organization is a private matter

until that person chooses to run for public office. Then memberships in organizations are a matter of public interest, because those memberships give the electorate a clue as to the office holder's priorities and beliefs.

[Flying Dream Blues]

4. Well said! nt

[get the red out]

5. They went after the Supreme Court nominee

I recall seeing headlines a few weeks ago trashing Judge Sonia Sotomayor for belonging to some benign women's organization, so no, belonging to a white supremacist organization and being the right hand of the Gov, and a State Senator from Miss. is definitely an issue.

These people think they can trash liberals for nothing and walk around being not much better than the f-ing devil himself and it not be an issue. Bastards.

[get the red out]

3. Republican true colors

We just get more and more confirmation about who the "Republicans" really are don't we?

I hope this gets at least a little attention in the mainstream media. But I probably shouldn't get my hopes up.

[ck4829]

6. The CCC is just the KKK with formal attire instead of bedsheets

I hope Chassaniol gets mobbed out of office for this.

[TacticalPeek]

7. One problem: Cabot Lodge is not on the Millsaps Campus nor affiliated in any way.

There is no connection at all except that the hotel is near the campus. To slur the school by dragging it into this story in the opening sentence is a serious disservice.

The kluckers burned crosses on the Millsaps campus back in the day for a reason: it was an island of light in a sea of darkness.

They really should correct this.

[marmar]

8. According to the Cabot Lodge website, it is on the campus of Millsaps:

Cabot Lodge Millsaps located on the campus of Millsaps College offers easy access to Mississippi's State Capital, Millsaps College, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Belhaven College and the Jackson International Airport.


http://www.cabotlodgemillsaps.com/

[TacticalPeek]

9. Then their marketers lie.

It is definitely not on the campus, and I know both places well.

To be sure, I called Cabot Lodge less than an hour ago to verify, which they did. They are not on campus, and have never been affiliated with the school.

Cabot Lodge
[phone]

Millsaps College
[phone]

[Brewman_Jax]

10. I'm shocked!

shocked, I tell you! :sarcasm:

Membership in an organization is not a private matter for a public servant, as above posts have noted. Also, how does she know that the Greenwood Voters League has no Caucasian members? Greenwood Voters League is not a racist organization, while the CCC is a known racist organization. Is she trying to compare the two???

What's worse than a racist repub is a tapdancing racist repub that's trying to say, "I'm not a racist, really!"

GMAFB! :eyes: