Buckeye State Blog - Hey Bobby May! Someone Already Tried the NAMBLA Thing - Comments

IS BUCHANAN COUNTY RACIST?

broncoII — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:50:40 -0700

IS BUCHANAN COUNTY RACIST? NO-OBAMA, McCAIN, AND WORLD- WE ARE NOT! Were we called racist when a black man walked into our local law school and shot and killed only Caucasian people? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because some local businesses and homes have vote Obama signs in their front yards? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because a local private school enrolls 75% or more black needy children instead of 75% or more Caucasian needy children. No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because of in a community of over 99% Caucasian that there have been no blacks harmed by any of us? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because our local papers didn’t call the black man racist who shot and killed only Caucasian people? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because people from other ethnic groups are brought into our county to do jobs that we know that we could do? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist when we choose to drive 50 miles to shop instead of buying from our neighbors? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because we expelled a Caucasian child for 365 days for doing nothing wrong? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because we didn’t think up the song called “cop killer”? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because we haven’t used the word “racism” in any other presidential election in the past 200+ years? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist when we drive 30 miles past one church to go to another one even though we all believe in God? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist because mother and daughter, father and son, sister and brother are angry and don’t speak to each other? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Are we called racist when we accuse someone of sin when we think we have sinned not? No, we were called racist because of a few printed words. Remember, “Any man can walk into a room and say ‘please rise’ but a real judge can walk into a graveyard and everyone stands!” Written by a proud Buchanan County man! W.F.B

"Idiots," eh?

kJk — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:12:41 -0700

Being misinformed about Buchanan County qualifies a person as an idiot? I guess that makes more than 300 million Americans idiots.

Pay a little closer attention to language.

TO ALL YOU IDIOTS WHO ARE MIS-INFORMED ABOUT BUCHANAN COUNTY

AmandaBaker — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:05:12 -0700

Look people, you can shoot your mouth off all you want to about statistics & percentage & what color the majority is if you want..I know my hometown & I know how people perceive us. Bobby May is hated by nearly everyone in this county. He embarasses us & he puts down on people who live here everyday. & maybe you can check the online reports about my county all you want & maybe you will see that there are not alot of residents of this county that are not white, but there are alot of Law school & Pharmacy students of different races who live in Buchanan County & I guarantee they rarely EVER if EVER deal with people discriminating towards them. Furthermore, Mountain Mission Christian school, is the "uppity" school in this county. They are rich, very very well taught (more so than any public schools) & that school is mainly ONLY FOR BLACK KIDS!!! & they are very well off. So dont speak about things you are ignorant to please. & also the reason that most people in Buchanan County are white, its because I guess black people dont want to move here. I dont know but its not our fault, No one moves here because there isnt anything here to do. So why would people move here. & also I went to school with about 10 black kids & they were never made fun of. They actually moved here to get away from other schools in PA, NC, & Ohio..& they never left...So shut up people seriously

That Sorta Kinda Just Might Have Been An Apology

tudorman — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:24:40 -0700

Good for you Notrol. Nick owes you one for finally cleaning up his mess.

Racial profiling is such an ugly thing.

in fairness

kJk — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:36:08 -0700

In fairness, while Pope Benedict is one of the foremost scholars on Catholicism in the world, and has been for decades, QE2 does not know very much about England. She lives an entirely isolated and secluded life and her knowledge of England comes from reading and occasionally appearing in public. Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, David Miliband, Alistair Darling, and Michael Howard she sure is not.

I hope you've enjoyed my needling as much as I have.

Where this came from.....

Notrol — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:25:48 -0700

Since the focus of this back and forth has become distraction from the original point of my first post, I'll ignore your ad hominem that continues down that road.

In the "Keepin' it Real in Stockport" post, I felt much as starfrenzy- embarrassed and dismayed that in today's world and close to home such blatant racism still would show itself. Proudly, arrogantly, and in-your-face.

Mr. Nesselrode's quote reminded me of my 7th grade history teacher's anecdote in class about finding Klan sheets in his grandfather's house in southern Ohio, as if it was just an accepted thing to be or do. Kind of like being in the local Kiwanis or Rotary....just a little different.

What struck me about Bobby May and Mr. Nesselrode was their assumption that they could confidently portray their locality in such stark terms. No nuance, no "code words". When you look at the borders of where Morgan county and Buchanan county sit, they have the state of West Virginia in common. West Virginia, where the polite term "working class white, low information voter" has been coined by the MSM to describe those individuals. If you look at the demographics of Buchanan and Morgan, they are almost identical- 96+% white, 3% black.

What can be extrapolated from that? Well, Nick D makes a leap that is intuitive, but not necessarily accurate. The "quacks like a duck" rationale can lead to false conclusions like "I agree with the Fox network's political stance because I have to watch the Fox network to see the Redskins game".

So, in my view, we'll wait for the results of the election. If the county is as you say then the collective disgust you portray should show itself within the voting stats. If Bobby May and William Nesselrode are correct, we should see that reflected also.

And again ..

thetruth — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:49:10 -0700

Notrol, you continue to speak on this matter as if you know the people of this area or what goes on. I am not from Orange County in New York, so why would I speak as if I know the people or what their thoughts and beliefs are? That is where you get caught up in yourself as a know it all and it is beyond sickening. As much as you continue to spew that the people of this county are close minded, you continue to show your close minded nature by assuming that a white, poor county automatically makes it a racist county.

You have not heard the outrage towards Mr. May and you have not stepped foot in this county to understand a single thing about it. So why continue to speak on the topic as an outsider with no knowledge of anything in it?

Numerous people already have given you insight into this county, but yet you continue to think you know better than any of us. You are more interested in not being wrong than actually being talked down from your bigoted POV. That sir, is sad.

But you continue to act as if you have more knowledge of any situation than people who are actually around. Next you will know more about Catholicism than the Pope, more about England than the Queen, more about the global economy than Warren Buffet and so on. Step down from your perch and get a reality check, you are not as smart as you want to believe.

Notrol

starfrenzy — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:51:12 -0700

I happen to agree with you on this. There are racists everywhere. Most of the time, however, people tend to keep their racism hidden behind closed doors. In the case of Bobby May he just put his out on public display. I was very upset with the Virginia Mountaineer for endorsing George Allen after he used a racial slur like that on video tape that was broadcast for the world to see. Buchanan County will never recover from the bad press we have received. If you think about it, look at the times this county has been on national news: The murder of Wanda McCoy and the execution of Roger Keith Coleman. The Applachian School of Law school shooting. The infamous "macaca" incident. Now Bobby May. This deeply saddens me to think other people in the world would associate me or my hometown with these events. Thank you Mr. May you just put another mark of shame upon our community.

John McCain thought he knew "thetruth" also....

Notrol — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:03:45 -0700

You're taking my comments as an ad hominem on you and the above mentioned posters. Nothing could be further from "thetruth".

What McCain finally realized in the last several campaign stops is the amount of flat out ugly that he and The PalinBot have unleashed by encouraging and allowing the use of surrogate attack dogs such as Bobby May- not just in Buchanan- but all over the country. Finally the McCain of 2000 had to acknowledge how false the accusations were and how dangerous it had become, only to reap the jeers of his own supporters....

In that same way, when you point out that The Mountaineer is the local paper, you fail to remember several things about the area in which you live- (from the WaPo)

At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb "macaca." During the speech in Breaks, near the Kentucky border, Allen began by saying that he was "going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas" and then pointed at S.R. Sidarth in the crowd. "This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great," Allen said, as his supporters began to laugh.

After saying that Webb was raising money in California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen said, "Let's give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." Allen then began talking about the "war on terror."

But the apology, which came hours after Allen's campaign manager dismissed the issue with an expletive and insisted the senator has "nothing to apologize for," did little to mollify Webb's campaign or Sidarth, who said he suspects Allen singled him out because his was the only nonwhite face among about 100 Republican supporters.
"I think he was doing it because he could, and I was the only person of color there, and it was useful for him in inciting his audience," said Sidarth, who videotaped the event for the Webb campaign. "I was annoyed he would use my race in a political context."

This little incident was in August. Even after all the negative national media attention was directed at Allen for the next two months, on October 26th, The Virginia Mountaineer ENDORSED Allen over Webb in the Senate race:.

"George Allen is also a true friend of Buchanan County. He has been here often and has always shown that he knows where we are. He has been a good friend. We will be well served if he remains in the U.S. Senate."

So, even if he is a confederate flag wavin', cowboy boot wearin', make fun of the only brown kid around kind of guy, he's our kind of guy.

And that's the point. The really ugly ones that form "the base" take heart, solace and feed their hate through the demeanor and public statements of the campaign.

So, if you're telling me that Bobby and Earl are the only whack jobs in Buchanan, well, maybe you need to take a look around at the rest of the state to know how out of touch you are.

See, even though I was born and raised in Ohio and still consider it home, I've been living in Virginia for almost 20 years. I try to pay attention to all sorts of things and unfortunately when both Bobby and George are playing to an audience with their local yokel behavior, it just makes you wonder who makes up the audience.......

And you make one...

thetruth — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:11:33 -0700

Notrol, what you continue to fail to recognize that no matter the backlash and thoughts of countless people in this county, the ultimate decision on whether Bobby can continue to write is based upon one person and a close friend of his -- Earl Cole. The editor has decided to defend him, even after the backlash in this county has been unbelievable. But being that Earl is a former felon himself, why does it surprise anyone?

You see, you speak of absolutely no knowledge of the area or the people from it, but yet you are ready to lump them all together. How close minded and full of yourself are you?

Bobby is no more a person that speaks for anyone in this county than you are for the people of Ohio. Although if you want me to lump your bigoted thoughts upon them, I guess we can do that as well ...

And you make four....

Notrol — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:50:52 -0700

Sad thing is, even with the embarrassment he has brought on himself and this area, he will be right back at work next week with another of piece of journalistic mastery. That's the kinda guy this man is.

And that was my point with furelise and starfrenzy- no matter how repug-nant, he's not only tolerated but supported. If that's the front end of the county's repubs, the spokesperson, the face and the voice, how weird must the ones be that are not acceptable in that role?

Here's the reality ..

thetruth — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:23:16 -0700

1.) "The Voice" is not the local paper for this area and in no way represents the thoughts from this area. There are three types of stories from that paper -- shock, conservative and money.

Shock - They will publish articles that dig a little deeper than most area newspapers will go.

Conservative - Highly in this area as evidenced by May's column and Earl Cole (the editor) in his defense of Bobby.

Money - If you are a democrat, you can get a fair shake. If you are willing to provide the cash in buying ad space. The reason being the paper isn't well funded.

2.) The actual local newspaper is 'The Virginia Mountaineer'.

3.) Bobby May is likely one of the most hated men in this county. If not for being friends with Earl Cole, he would be laughed at by anyone who even thought of him as a 'columnist'. Just recently he was campaigning for John McCain and was doing so near some stoplights in Grundy, VA. One person is kind enough to roll down the window and ask Bobby what he was doing campaigning for McCain because "you know it will hurt him more than help him since everyone around here hates you."

4.) To further the last point, Bobby has ran multiple times for some type of office on the Republican ticket in this county. Multiple times he has lost. A dead turtle pulled from a creek bed would likely garner more support than him.

5.) The diversity in this county is for many reasons. Namely this is coal country. In heavy coal mining counties, the diversity isn't at it's highest.

6.) The lack of income in this county is due in large part to the county becoming dry on coal. During the 80's, the county management could not probably manage funds nor the coal companies which led to county coal companies going overboard in shipping coal.

7.) To further on #6, for years this county was the richest in Virginia by wide and far due to the amount of coal it produced. At one point, this county produced and shipped more coal to foreign countries than any place in America. It was large in wealth, but could not control the boom for the future.

8.) After the coal boom from the 70's and 80's, the population has decreased by massive amounts. Schools have been consolidated and there have even been talks of one large county school due to the insanely small numbers. The jobs are simply not here and people have moved away.

But to the original point -- Bobby May is respected by only a few in this county, namely a few people who find him insightful in the Republican party. Consider him an even more annoying version of Sean Hannity and you would have an idea of this man.

In reality, people in this county understand that we have a stigma of being racists by outsiders who look in on us. Unfortunately, folks like Bobby May will never let us break that idea.

Sad thing is, even with the embarrassment he has brought on himself and this area, he will be right back at work next week with another of piece of journalistic mastery. That's the kinda guy this man is.

That's three....

Notrol — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:43:42 -0700

Starfrenzy/Your Mother/furelise:

This is not personal. No one is calling you out as a racist. Your efforts (and your Ma's) to fight this ignorant bit of trash are commendable.

The problem, however, is that while you and probably quite a few others recognize the lunatic in your midst, the editor of the local paper doesn't see it that way. If he thought that the column was offensive to the majority of readers, it would be gone, even if he was committed to a notion of free speech.

Want to test the theory?

Tell the editor of the paper that you want to write a column akin to Dan Savage's "Savage Love". Post your first column here, we all would like to read it when you are published.

Bobby doesn't represent Buchanan County

starfrenzy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:27:25 -0700

I am a life long resident of Buchanan County, VA. I want you to know that Bobby May in no way, shape or form represents me. I am an unapologetic 100% liberal Democrat. Mr. May has been writing "letters to the editor" and has had a "Right From the Start" column in the Voice newspaper for years. The newspaper is published bi-weekly and during the last presidential election he was always writing something equally as vile and dirty as this in regard to Senator Kerry. He has been doing this for years. I got sick of it and started writing letters to the editor myself, to rebute Mr. Mays letters and column. My mother would also write letters in response to Mr. May. After a while, I asked the editors of newspaper if I could write a column for the left seeing as how they never could find anyone who wanted to keep the job. I started writing the column and I would most of the time e-mail my column to Mr. May before it appeared in the Voice to make sure he would read it. All I got in response were e-mails from Mr. May personally attacking me saying I was "probably a twelve year old girl who needed to be playing with my Barbies". After months and months of my columns and breaking down Mr. Mays columns line by line and correcting his lies with facts I simply got tired of it. It was like talking to a brick wall and no one seemed to read my column or care about it so I finally gave up. So then my mother took over the column but she too ended up getting tired of talking to herself. On occasion I would write Letters to the Editor and would most often get a response back stating that my letter was too long and needed to be edited. I wrote a letter in the last issue where I took Mr. Mays column from the last issue of the Voice (mind you it was filled with lies, smears and distortions about Barack Obama being a Muslim, etc.) and one of his Letters to the Editor and I once again broke it down line by line and hit him back with facts (something he tends to dislike). I was elated when I found out that Mr. May was fired by the McCain campaign and FINALLY exposed for the type of person I always knew he was. What you fail to realize is, the editor of the newspaper allowed him to write a column and multiple "Letters to the Editor" bi-weekly. Most people in this county don't even bother to read his column because they know what kind of person he is and they know how extreme he is in views. I do take issue however, where "Nick D" assumes that because Buchanan County, VA is 97% white we are quote "Klan country". There are racists everywhere, and yes I know there are racist people right here in my hometown but you CANNOT lump all of us together. I've been fighting Mr. May for years trying to expose him for what he is. I am not now nor have I ever been a racist. Just because we are in an isolated part of the country and the majority of our county is white does not make us all racists and this is NOT Klan Country as you would lead others to believe. Mr. May does not speak for me!!!!! This is NOT a fair representation of my hometown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Racism isn't blue or red, furelise.....

Notrol — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:53:31 -0700

furelise:

The fact that you have lived in Buchanan all your life and also known Mr. May (who has of this writing been fired by the McCain campaign, and made "worst person" on Olbermann) your entire life shows how insulated you really are down there. So you want some facts?

Buchanan county (as of the 2007 census figures posted to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service) breakdown by race show that whites comprise 96+ percent of the 23,000 population estimate in over 500 square miles of the county. Only 3% of the 23,000 reported as black.

Just because Mr. May is so outspoken about his racism doesn't preclude the idea that white "democrats" from the area are not all that liberal. They may not wear sheets, but with only 3% of the population being black, they might not have to. You only have to look at the state legislature and see how many times Tim Kaine has lost fights to gauge their support for anything labeled "liberal".

I'm glad that you feel Buchanan such a tolerant and accepting place, but tolerating and accepting racists and bigots in the public sphere just because "they're from around here" diminishes us all.

Hey Bobby May! Someone Already Tried the NAMBLA Thing

Nick D — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:56:46 -0700

Okay, remember my last post down there, when I wondered if this new line of attacks isn't John McCain's NAMBLA moment?

Well, good ol' doggone Bobby May just confirmed it.

You see, Bobby May is the McCain campaign's chairman in Buchanan County, VA, population 26,978. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Buchanan County is one of America's poorest, and is about 97% White.

Well, good ol' Bobby May wrote himself a little op-ed in the local paper. Remember, this is an official representative of the McCain-Palin campaign (note my emphasis added to the line below:)

REPARATIONS TO BLACK COMMUNITY: Opposes before Election Day and supports after Election Day.
FREEDOM OF RELIGION: Mandatory Black Liberation Theology classes taught in all churches - raise taxes to pay for this mandate. Put Rev. Jeremiah Wright in charge. Condemnation of homosexuality from the pulpit will become a Class 1 Felony.
HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE: Raise taxes. And coddle sexual perverts. Give tax breaks for NAMBLA membership fees.
DRUG CRISIS: Raise taxes to pay for free drugs for Obama’s inner-city political base.
ABORTION: Anywhere, anytime, for anyone for any reason up to 9 months and send taxpayers the bill. Encourage Partial Birth Abortion.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Keep buying foreign oil and sending billions to Muslim countries that hate us and want to destroy us. [Wait, isn't that the Republican platform?]
2ND AMENDMENT: Under Obama will only apply to gang-bangers, illegal aliens, Islamo-Fascist terrorists, and Senator Jim Webb’s aide.
THE WHITE HOUSE: Hire rapper Ludacris to “paint it black.” Taxes to be increased to buy enough paint for the job plus spray-paint for graffiti.
THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES: Raise taxes to send $845 billion, most of it to Africa so the Obama family there can skim off enough for them to free their goats and live the American Dream.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Change to the “Black National Anthem” by James Weldon Johnson. And raise taxes.
U.S. FLAG: Replace 50 stars with a star and crescent logo; red stripes changed to green to represent Obama’s tree-hugging radical environmentalism and his lack of experience. Flag lapel pins, having become a substitute for “real patriotism,” will henceforth be banned. And raise taxes.
U.S. MILITARY: Confiscate all weapons, substitute water pistols, pea shooters and bows with suction cup arrows. Replace U.S. flags on uniforms with peace symbols changing uniform color from green to pink and abolishing the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, replacing it with “A queer in every foxhole and a camouflage sex toy in every backpack” requirement. Condoms will be issues instead of bullets and brotherly love will be encouraged. Barney Frank will be the new Secretary of Defense (renamed Secretary of Peace and Love) and Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Lindsay Lohan, and Rick Boucher will all be made 5-star generals. And raise taxes.

Just for the record, Rick Boucher is the local Democratic congressman. And doesn't it sound an awful lot like the GOP isn't even trying to hide its racism anymore?