O man WTF? You are going to have to insist that the folks who work in and around the White House use common sense while carrying out their day to day duties. When I heard what happened to Vernon Baker's grandson I was seriously pissed off.
"SPOKANE, Wash. - The White House apologized Thursday for turning the family of a Medal of Honor recipient away from an exclusive tour last week because the late veteran's 10-year-old grandson was wearing shorts.
Vernon Baker, the last surviving black Medal of Honor winner from World War II, was buried Friday at Arlington National Cemetery after dying in July from complications of brain cancer at age 90. He belatedly received the military's top award from President Bill Clinton in 1997, after historians concluded he'd been wrongly denied because of his race.
On Saturday, his widow and grandson went to the White House for a special tour of the West Wing, which includes the Oval Office and rooms that are in use.
The staffer who was to lead the family wasn't sure whether 10-year-old Vernon Pawlik's attire , shorts and a T-shirt bearing a picture of the boy's grandfather , was considered appropriate.."
"SPOKANE, Wash. - The White House apologized Thursday for turning the family of a Medal of Honor recipient away from an exclusive tour last week because the late veteran's 10-year-old grandson was wearing shorts.
Vernon Baker, the last surviving black Medal of Honor winner from World War II, was buried Friday at Arlington National Cemetery after dying in July from complications of brain cancer at age 90. He belatedly received the military's top award from President Bill Clinton in 1997, after historians concluded he'd been wrongly denied because of his race.
On Saturday, his widow and grandson went to the White House for a special tour of the West Wing, which includes the Oval Office and rooms that are in use.
The staffer who was to lead the family wasn't sure whether 10-year-old Vernon Pawlik's attire , shorts and a T-shirt bearing a picture of the boy's grandfather , was considered appropriate.."
You have got to be kidding me! And no, I am not crying racism, just stupidity on this one. I honestly think that dumb ass staffer would have turned away a white family for the same reason. Oh, and BTW, the boy's T-shirt had a picture of his grandfather. Could they have f&^%*d this up anymore? Yes, I believe that they could have. [Article]
Finally, you have got to love A-merry-can exceptionalism. We are so much more important than other folks that we experiment on them for the greater good of us god fearing folks. Hell they were just a bunch of poor Central Americans who really don't contribute much to humanity, so why not use them as guinea pigs? Besides, they were just prison inmates and mental patients. And, if we are going to be honest, here in A-merry-ca we have our own second class citizens to experiment on , so we really didn't need the Guatemalans.
Still, I am glad O and his peeps apologized, it was long overdue. I just wonder how long it would have taken for someone to discover this little incident if Susan Reverby didn't have a curious mind.
59 comments:
I agree with you Field that this time it wasn't race but just tone deafness. This Administration just can't seem to connect. Governing for them has been the antithesis of how they managed the campaign. Unreal. It was outrageous though, because Vernon was denied the honors he deserved because of his race, so to turn away his grandson ..... (shakes head in disbelief).
Any CEO is only as good as his support staff. O's are a train wreck. He needs to sweep house ASAP.
Word verification -- DISSE -- ha!
The actions of a doctor who tested the effectiveness of penicillin on Guatemalan prisoners 50 years ago are directly transferrable to American society as a whole, and the entirety of American culture should be viewed as evil, racist, and illegitmate.
Thank you Field for once again validating our core beliefs.
This was a tour. Was the child any less appropriate than any standard tourist on an ordinary tour?
I do think Obama is not too connected to the bureaucracy.
Hey Field, it's been a while and I think I'm a little disagreement with you on this one. All of the family should have been dressed according to which the occasion called for it. This was the last Black Medal of Honor recipient from WWII, taking place at the White House! And you dress your kid in a pair of shorts and one of those t-shirts I've seen some black folks wear at a funeral?! What happened to dress slacks and button-down shirt? Granted what SHOULD have happened was that specific instructions on dress-code should have been given to the family prior to the memorial or at the very least, as soon as it was known that the boy's outfit was inappropriate a staff should have discretely either provided the boy w/ appropriate options or have someone from the family solve the problem. So really this is on the parent(s) or guardian for not making sure EVERYONE was dressed appropriately and respectfully for such an honorable occasion.
@Karen, yep. All they had to use is good 'ol common sense. #Fail.
also if it was just a tour then dress-code expectations should have been conveyed prior to the tour and then fire the staffer for having them dismissed for not handling the incident in a sensitive manner.
He won't get fired but his next review is gonna suck.
And also I don't think he should get fired.
I'm pretty sure after some collegiate womens team showed up for their Presidential photo at the White House in flip-flops, they made the rules about the dress codes pretty clear.
I've been on that tour. There is a dress code. Maybe the staffer should have been told who they were...but I don't think she should be fired.
wonder if hobama will ever apologize to all the rest of us who are vets of his/his bankters' war on the poor???
Go to sleep AB. Damn!!!
Obama only apologizes for America's sins, never his own. His perfection is enhanced by his contrition for the misdeeds of those he seeks to bring down.
assnon:
u hobama nazis are sleeping OT for everybody!
AB, did you hear that Rahm is going to be the next mayor of Chicago? that means his first job is to get your ass out of Chicago for calling his good friend Obama dirty names. Your new home might be in WI with Sharon from WI. LOL You deserve it for lying on Obama and kissing up to the GOP. and don't even try to mess with me...i have an IQ of 260!
Watch out Field, you may spark a reaction from the real patriots. Oh yeah I forgot, you only have to love Amerikkka when a Republican is president. Carry on.
"I've been on that tour. There is a dress code. Maybe the staffer should have been told who they were...but I don't think she should be fired."
Exceptions to the rule are made every day. Considering who it was, an exception should have been made. It would have saved the White House and the staffer a lot of grief.
Information on White House Tours. Can't find a dress code.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-and-events
Perhaps with your acceptance document you get a dress code.
Summer time in DC is HOT!!! A child wearing shorts is normal. @blackgirl#1 so your saying that during Kennedy's funeral his son shouldn't have worn shorts?
I don't think there's a dress code for the White House. If it's a tour, then you should be able to wear whatever you want.
I'm upset that the governemnt performed these experiments on us black and browns, but our own people helped to keep them secret and some participated in assisting the medical staff knowing full well it's effect on our people. Tuskegee Institute knew about the experiment, which is why they loaned out the campus hospital to monitor the research. They even had a mole working directly with the doctors and patience, Nurse Rivers who worked in the Tuskegee Hospital.
It's sad that Americans lack respect for our browns and black brothers.
We really do need to start our own political party. If the Tea Party can gain ground then let's rebuild the Black Panther Party.
"Granted what SHOULD have happened was that specific instructions on dress-code should have been given to the family prior to the memorial or at the very least, as soon as it was known that the boy's outfit was inappropriate a staff should have discretely either provided the boy w/ appropriate options.."
Well there you have it. I wear a suit to work every day. And on weekends (when weather permits) I like to wear shorts. Hell I wear shorts when I travel sometimes and when I visit different places on vacation. I mean the kid was 10!Should his parents have known bettter? Perhaps. But should the staffer have used common sense? Definitely.
See what Karen said.
" The actions of a doctor who tested the effectiveness of penicillin on Guatemalan prisoners 50 years ago are directly transferrable to American society as a whole, and the entirety of American culture should be viewed as evil, racist, and illegitmate."
And continued until 1972 on...wait for it... wait for it.....AMERICANS!
The "entirety of American culture"? Of curse not. But knowing stories like this helps to understand the A-merry-can mindset. I am just trying to learn here.
"Watch out Field, you may spark a reaction from the real patriots. Oh yeah I forgot, you only have to love Amerikkka when a Republican is president. Carry on."
Thank you PilotX, I think I will.
Damn it Phil4Real, there you go slapping me in my face with some "realness" again.Yep, ole skippy Carver, Booker an em.Hmmmmm
I have been on a tour of the white house as well. there is a dress code and it is communicated to you before you show up. still, there should not even need to be one. People used to know that you got cleaned up and dressed before you went out in public.
not anymore, I see women shopping in their pajamas and fuzzy slippers. One can find men dressed in ratty tee shirts and baggy pants in nice restaurants. It is as if some folks feel they have the right to not care about their appearance and to subject everyone else to it as well. being neat and well dressed seems to be worthy of scorn. what is the logical outcome of that?
if the boy wanted to wear a tee shirt with gramps' likeness on it he certainly could have worn a jacket over it. i haven't seen the shorts but even there you gotta ask yourself, if the boy had been wearing Daisy Duke cut offs, would you still think that was appropriate apparel for a visit to the residence of the President of the United States? Or any other leader of any other nation on earth?
dan of steel et al.
Its interesting that no who claims there is a dress code has produced one.
Obviously no one seems to know what boy's shorts for 10 years old look like. I've not seen or bought shorts that have been above knee length.
The original residence of the President was so precious that it was torn down in the 19th century and when I visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, no one was dressed up.
Damn Field, did ya have to HN Eddie Long's barber? Shoot, from what I hear Eddie Long wears a lacefront wig.
field, I think this post would have been better if it was written as 2 separate posts. One regarding the grandson in shorts, the other about the Guatemalan and Tuskegee experimentations.
An American "oops" is not going to cut it. The Guatemalans deserve reparations as well as the African-Americans that were harmed by these unethical experimentations.
And can you give Nurse Rivers an Honorary Slave Catcher award?
Show me the money!
"An American "oops" is not going to cut it. The Guatemalans deserve reparations as well as the African-Americans that were harmed by these unethical experimentations."
I think statements such as this one is too harsh. Americans are good people, not evil people.
I don't care, I want my money!
dan of steele, believe me, I am in touch with my sartorial side. And yet I can appreicate a 10 year old on vacation with his family wearing shorts to wherever. I know that as Americans we can be slobs when it comes to our dress at times, but in this situation I don't think the staffer would have been out of line to let the young man go on the tour.
"Damn Field, did ya have to HN Eddie Long's barber? Shoot, from what I hear Eddie Long wears a lacefront wig."
Rippa, I feel you, that's why I put his stylist on blast as well. :)
Hmmm...how does one go from animal to human experiments? Oh, we just use models....;)
Sorry folks, there is a need to test. And, miffy-puffy aside, it is all too often the most expendable among us. Choose only one subject, 10yo shorts wearing lad or the wealthy white st reagan shooter.
Mold
I bet the staffer was White. If so, a racism chaser would clearly see the problem. To a white person, it doesn't matter what medal or award a black person has received, he's still just a xxxxxx. And so is his family.
Of course, all you HN don't want to believe that. You want to chalk it up to an incmpetent staffer who was just 'dumb' and 'ignorant'. Right. Do you know anything about the staffer? Was he/she a member of Stormfront or KKK or skinheads?
One thing for sure, Obama's skin color has made NO difference in how Blacks in America are treated. In fact, things have gotten worse. I know if Clinton had been President, that shit wouldn't have happened and that staffer would be history.
Its interesting that no who claims there is a dress code has produced one.<<
I did a search and there seems to be none. Now, there are provisions on what you *can't* carry onto the premises, e.g., weapons, but I haven't found anything indicating dress casual is okay but shorts and flip-flops are not.
I did a search and there seems to be none. Now, there are provisions on what you *can't* carry onto the premises, e.g., weapons, but I haven't found anything indicating dress casual is okay but shorts and flip-flops are not."
Right. Any American should be able to wear whatever...flip flops, shorts, etc. they can dress like a bum if they want to. Afterall, the White House has no one of stature to respect.
Some folks have no sense of decency. "Most" Americans would know to dress in an appropriate and respectful manner.
The boy's guardian should have known better, but parenting kids is very weak in the black community.
to anon at 2:11, nice try at racism and projection but baker's widow and family are white.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/veteran_family_denied_white_house_yTglgqtjq5Y44yGOA8KEcL
whoever is taking care of the boy has failed before. here is a picture of him at Arlington for the burial of his grandfather.
http://m.spokesman.com/galleries/2010/sep/24/vernon-baker-buried-arlington/
real class there.
maria, "to anon at 2:11, nice try at racism and projection but baker's widow and family are white."
that makes it even worse. they weren't caring enough to dress appropriately because the grandfather was Black. I bet if he were White, there would be no problem with appropriate dress, now would it?
Anyway, nice try to cover the race bit up, maria.
There are several pictures of the funeral on Getty Images. Tiny Url for the page: http://tinyurl.com/2c3dc2l
I would imagine that the boy is wearing the same clothes he wore to the funeral at Arlington when the family went to the White House.
dan of steel,
Your link doesn't work
Typical ignorant racist remark Anon @2:11. Use facts to prove you wrong and then you just make up more non-sense. i won't be too tough on you because I know how hard it is being raised by your uncle/daddy. Good god Field, you should feel bad getting the B team white supremecists/bigots. They sure are stupid.
dan of steel,
From WaveLenght's link, I do agree about the funeral, but I still disagree about the tour. But it doesn't appear that the grandson is being disrespectful and it could be that he refused to dress up and the parents decided that was not the time to battle.
pilotx, right? i prove anon wrong and then more shit.
hathor, agreed about tough to get 10 year old boys to dress up. looks like he at least put on a shirt and tie and probably argued--rightly--that it was too hot for pants. it was probably 95 degrees here that day.
what i see instead in those funeral photos is a boy devoted to his gram. he's the one who traveled with her to WH. what we have here is an insensitive US govt. that continues to fuck this man's family and him over.
It hurts when I pee, reparate me!
field, you wrote:
When I heard what happened to Vernon Baker's grandson I was seriously pissed off.
Would you have felt equally pissed if Vern had been white?
Meanwhile, this reportage is pseudo-news. Factual, but nevertheless a phony story.
Moreover, if the White House episode sends any message, it is a message of incompetence at every level of the Obama admniistration.
With respect to Clinton, he went much further, permitting the burial of an acquaintance at Arlington. Unfotunately, the acquaintance had lied about his military service and was therefore not qualified for burial at Arlington. Thus, after the mistake was discovered, the grave-diggers went back to work, pulled his coffin out of the ground and sent it elsewhere.
Anyway, if the lame actions of front-line staffers at the White House get your blood boiling, you should stay far from the Department of Motor Vehicles, and, never, under any circumstances should you get into it with a NY City tow-truck driver hauling your car from a no-parking zone.
It seems Obama is turning over every stone to find more nations to which he will apologize.
The Guatemala STD testing issue seems woefully under-reported.
Among other facts, the experiments conducted by US doctors/scientists were done with the APPROVAL of the Guatemalan government.
Thus, it seems if apologies are to be made, the Guatemalan government should offer its own to the families of the subjects.
The troubling aspect of Obama's act is the likelihood that Guatemala will exploit this admission of US guilt and seek money from US taxpayers.
"It seems Obama is turning over every stone to find more nations to which he will apologize."
Obama is like Pope John Paul II, who apologized to the Jews for the Catholic Church's wrongful actions toward Jews. Isn't it ironic that no_slappz--a Jew--is criticizing Obama for apologizing to the Guatemalans?
Wow, instead of being offended innocent people were being used as lab rats this cat is mad the Prez apologized. Good god the Obama Derangement Syndrome is strong in this one.
Brother Field...Brother Phil4Real good idea about a group that today is matured and may be an integral component to the Black race's recovery. Post civil-rights period (akin to when we were let/forced off the plantation), AIDS epidemic, crack epidemic and family breakdown realities will take supreme efforts to recover from. Original Black Panthers may be a doable.
The widow, the step daughter and the step grandson was white. I knew it, now it makes sense. I just knew that is wasn't a black mother who lacked the common sense, respect and decency in this situation. Leave it to a white mother. This is how they behave in the carib, with their holey, wrinkled, dingy khaki clothes and flip flops like their appearance doesn't matter around black folks and dogs. Thanks Maria...
This clearly wasn't about racism. This was about white arrogance that got checked, finally. The staff person should have gotten a medal, LOL. And Obama and the white house administration should not even be apologizing to this disgusting family for their disrespectful attire.
Good god Field, you should feel bad getting the B team white supremecists/bigots. They sure are stupid."
Hey I am working on it.:)
Would you have felt equally pissed if Vern had been white?
Ahhh, if he were white he would have gotten his medal and we woould not be discussing this story. Right?
An obvious vildistic panterome on the part of the typical herpitudic staffer. We can hardly expect any level of gimponic vortitude in a world inhabited by Teutonic AnoTooters like Bruno Leicht and illiterate mumblers who are trying to fill the void Daddy left by skronking and pretending it is music a la Matt Lavelle.
Nothing will spertitiously change any time soon, I suspect. But buy at Amazon just to be safe.
Chris Rich
FN, what are you talking about, the negro got his medal when he alive, he got his white woman. lol
La♥audiobooks said...
The widow, the step daughter and the step grandson was white. I knew it, now it makes sense. I just knew that is wasn't a black mother who lacked the common sense, respect and decency in this situation. Leave it to a white mother. This is how they behave in the carib, with their holey, wrinkled, dingy khaki clothes and flip flops like their appearance doesn't matter around black folks and dogs. Thanks Maria...
This clearly wasn't about racism. This was about white arrogance that got checked, finally. The staff person should have gotten a medal, LOL. And Obama and the white house administration should not even be apologizing to this disgusting family for their disrespectful attire.
9:25 PM
you are insane. the family should have been let in and no disrespect was shown. you've clearly never been to DC and think everyone has to wear has to wear long pants (or maybe only white people do...and how do you know they were step family member?)
thanks back to you (not).
your thinking is just nuts. why are you calling this family disgusting?
"The negro got his medal when he was alive etc,etc" Now that's funny.
The reality is that this story only received traction because the the usual suspects wanted to play up the black white angle.It's subtle but obvious since
the two biggest selling drugs in this country are race and religion.
Across this entire country there only could have been 3 initial responses to this story. (1) Grandson! (2) Here we go again with this nonsense or (3)How cute!or that's nice.
@ hathor
sorry, apparently my html skills are not what I thought they were. here is the link without any coding
http://m.spokesman.com/galleries/2010/sep/24/vernon-baker-buried-arlington/
and yes, it is possible that a 10 year old boy can overrule his parent(s) wishes to put on some decent clothing before going to a funeral at the Arlington National Cemetary or a tour of the White House. He will almost certainly grow up to be a captain of industry and a leader of men.
me, I don't think his mom gives a shit.
the family traveled from spokane. the tour was the day after the funeral. maybe all his pants were dirty. maybe he failed to pack them. WTF!! you think they didn't care, and LAA calls them disgusting.
you all are disgusting.
To all those saying this wouldn't happen to a black family and black people should make their children dress right--let me inform you, this man's wife is white and the grand son is his all white step grandson. So let stop chasing racism, this happened to a bunch of white folks.
maria, "the family traveled from spokane. the tour was the day after the funeral. maybe all his pants were dirty. maybe he failed to pack them. WTF!! you think they didn't care, and LAA calls them disgusting.
you all are disgusting."
I am in total agreement with you. The folks on this blog can be cruel and racist. It's quite disgusting and embarassing to know there are Blacks who think like this. Well, I guess if there are skinheads and KKK's then there are these in the black race.
This is low-level undignified intelligence ruled by black prejudice. It's ugly.
Really anon? You want to compare the response to racism by people of color to the KKK? Get off the tired old oppressed white man bandwagon. At no time have you EVER been oppressed by being denied a right to vote or been lynched and your property stolen. Stop this new narrative that the only racims id from Black and Brown people. This is not a zero sum game as this is a false equivalency. When whites have to have laws passed to protect them from people of color then come back and talk to me.
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