Responses to the Staten Island Advance
in response to the Corbert King smear of Tea Party members.
FROM FRANK SANTARPIA:
April 4, 2010
Re: The Deeper Roots of Tea Party Rage
Ladies and Gentlemen;
When I turned to your Sunday Perspective page and read the hit piece on the Tea Party movement, I could only sit in stunned silence.
Whatever possessed those of you who make these decisions to run such a horrible, demeaning and FALSE story? Your concern for responsible journalism has been shown, in one simple stroke, to be non-existent - and I am a person that has defended your newspaper time and time again.
Many of you know many of us in the Staten Island Tea Party - does this race-baiting drivel reflect your opinion of us? You have covered our events; you have seen the folks who participate: they are your relatives, neighbors and friends. They are the constituents of our elected officials. We are invited to the offices of our Congressman and Councilmembers to discuss policy and politics. We have been invited to YOUR offices to discuss political matters. We are invited to political clubs from all over the island to discuss the meaning of the Tea Party movement in America. We are well-received wherever we go, and discuss issues of the day in a reasonable and knowledgeable fashion.
Do we look and sound like racists to you? Colbert King's observations are grounded in NO reality - the essay is a poorly-reasoned mess of race-baiting and inaccuracies. The author makes fantastic connections between us and Southern racists from fifty years ago, and yet your screaming headline purports it to be the real, eye-opening truth.
He states as fact that "some shouted racial and homophobic epithets at members of Congress," yet not one single shred of evidence exists to support these charges. Then, further on, he writes that because many have pointed out that the charges were patently untrue and probably hurled for political reasons, the Tea Party movement is suddenly akin to the 60's Klansman who accused the "nigras" of bombing themselves to attract attention.
Apparently, Colbert King believes that we should listen to these outright lies and smears and just sit down and shut up? So Colbert King believes that speaking up to defend ourselves, to point out that these accusations are false, somehow proves that we are no better than the Ku Klux Klan?
What could have possessed you to print this calumny? You have smeared thousands of your own readers. You have fed into this nonsense that we are racist, homophobic extremists (millions of us!), and what most upsets me is that you all know better - at least, those of you that were journalistically responsible enough to get to know us.
My disappointment knows no bounds. At every turn since the inception of the Staten Island Tea Party one year ago, my response to verbal attacks on your newspaper and your reporters is to say that, with few and minor exceptions, you have been fair and balanced with us. And now this travesty - a smear on good and patriotic Staten Islanders whose sole crime is that they believe in individual liberties for all, and that those liberties are being threatened by a bloated federal bureaucracy.
Somehow, this equates to racism.
Yes, the piece was in the Perspective section, and yes, it is the opinion of the author; but try as I might I cannot find a disclaimer on the part of the Staten Island Advance. To a man, you should be ashamed of yourselves for printing this dangerous and false libel.
So now let me be the first to say that because of this essay, I am canceling my subscription to your newspaper effective immediately. I am assuming that there may be others who feel as I do.
Frank Santarpia
The Staten Island Tea Party
April 4, 2010
Re: The Deeper Roots of Tea Party Rage
Ladies and Gentlemen;
When I turned to your Sunday Perspective page and read the hit piece on the Tea Party movement, I could only sit in stunned silence.
Whatever possessed those of you who make these decisions to run such a horrible, demeaning and FALSE story? Your concern for responsible journalism has been shown, in one simple stroke, to be non-existent - and I am a person that has defended your newspaper time and time again.
Many of you know many of us in the Staten Island Tea Party - does this race-baiting drivel reflect your opinion of us? You have covered our events; you have seen the folks who participate: they are your relatives, neighbors and friends. They are the constituents of our elected officials. We are invited to the offices of our Congressman and Councilmembers to discuss policy and politics. We have been invited to YOUR offices to discuss political matters. We are invited to political clubs from all over the island to discuss the meaning of the Tea Party movement in America. We are well-received wherever we go, and discuss issues of the day in a reasonable and knowledgeable fashion.
Do we look and sound like racists to you? Colbert King's observations are grounded in NO reality - the essay is a poorly-reasoned mess of race-baiting and inaccuracies. The author makes fantastic connections between us and Southern racists from fifty years ago, and yet your screaming headline purports it to be the real, eye-opening truth.
He states as fact that "some shouted racial and homophobic epithets at members of Congress," yet not one single shred of evidence exists to support these charges. Then, further on, he writes that because many have pointed out that the charges were patently untrue and probably hurled for political reasons, the Tea Party movement is suddenly akin to the 60's Klansman who accused the "nigras" of bombing themselves to attract attention.
Apparently, Colbert King believes that we should listen to these outright lies and smears and just sit down and shut up? So Colbert King believes that speaking up to defend ourselves, to point out that these accusations are false, somehow proves that we are no better than the Ku Klux Klan?
What could have possessed you to print this calumny? You have smeared thousands of your own readers. You have fed into this nonsense that we are racist, homophobic extremists (millions of us!), and what most upsets me is that you all know better - at least, those of you that were journalistically responsible enough to get to know us.
My disappointment knows no bounds. At every turn since the inception of the Staten Island Tea Party one year ago, my response to verbal attacks on your newspaper and your reporters is to say that, with few and minor exceptions, you have been fair and balanced with us. And now this travesty - a smear on good and patriotic Staten Islanders whose sole crime is that they believe in individual liberties for all, and that those liberties are being threatened by a bloated federal bureaucracy.
Somehow, this equates to racism.
Yes, the piece was in the Perspective section, and yes, it is the opinion of the author; but try as I might I cannot find a disclaimer on the part of the Staten Island Advance. To a man, you should be ashamed of yourselves for printing this dangerous and false libel.
So now let me be the first to say that because of this essay, I am canceling my subscription to your newspaper effective immediately. I am assuming that there may be others who feel as I do.
Frank Santarpia
The Staten Island Tea Party
FROM STATEN ISLAND YOUNG REPUBLICANS:
For Immediate Release
Richmond County YR's express their disappointment with SI Advance
Staten Island, NY April 5th, 2010
The Richmond County Young Republican Executive Board was deeply disappointed by the Sunday Advance's choice to run "In the faces of Tea Party shouters, images of hate and history"
Colbert I. King's attempt to paint the Tea Party movement in one broad stroke as "racists" isn't surprising. The Liberal machine has done everything in its power to marginalize this grassroots movement of the people. Lacking facts to fight the Tea Party movement with, they have resorted to a smear campaign.
What is surprising is that the Advance chose to run this hit piece. Our local Tea Party movement has been actively engaged in the political discussion on Staten Island through forums, demonstrations and conversations with our elected officials. They have done so with professionalism and maturity despite the name calling and insults directed at their organization and its members personally.
All of this is well-known by the Advance and it's choice to run Mr. King's piece in spite of these facts can only be seen as the Advance deciding that it's integrity as a news source for Staten Island runs second to it's interest in preserving the Liberal Agenda.
The First Amendment is nearly absolute, but it does not mean that the Press can publish without consequence or condemnation. The Executive Board of Richmond County Young Republicans joins all those who have condemned this piece and asks all Staten Islander's to join in doing so. We can no longer stand on the sidelines and trust that journalists will seek out the truth for us and that is truly a shame. We can only hope that the Advance will one day restore that Trust.
Stephen A. Thompson, President
Carmine Raimondi, Vice-President
Richard Hoffmann, Treasurer
Michael Sheehan, Secretary
Richmond County Young Republicans are a political organization open to all Republicans 14-40. They meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at Canlon's Restaurant 8:30PM
For Immediate Release
Richmond County YR's express their disappointment with SI Advance
Staten Island, NY April 5th, 2010
The Richmond County Young Republican Executive Board was deeply disappointed by the Sunday Advance's choice to run "In the faces of Tea Party shouters, images of hate and history"
Colbert I. King's attempt to paint the Tea Party movement in one broad stroke as "racists" isn't surprising. The Liberal machine has done everything in its power to marginalize this grassroots movement of the people. Lacking facts to fight the Tea Party movement with, they have resorted to a smear campaign.
What is surprising is that the Advance chose to run this hit piece. Our local Tea Party movement has been actively engaged in the political discussion on Staten Island through forums, demonstrations and conversations with our elected officials. They have done so with professionalism and maturity despite the name calling and insults directed at their organization and its members personally.
All of this is well-known by the Advance and it's choice to run Mr. King's piece in spite of these facts can only be seen as the Advance deciding that it's integrity as a news source for Staten Island runs second to it's interest in preserving the Liberal Agenda.
The First Amendment is nearly absolute, but it does not mean that the Press can publish without consequence or condemnation. The Executive Board of Richmond County Young Republicans joins all those who have condemned this piece and asks all Staten Islander's to join in doing so. We can no longer stand on the sidelines and trust that journalists will seek out the truth for us and that is truly a shame. We can only hope that the Advance will one day restore that Trust.
Stephen A. Thompson, President
Carmine Raimondi, Vice-President
Richard Hoffmann, Treasurer
Michael Sheehan, Secretary
Richmond County Young Republicans are a political organization open to all Republicans 14-40. They meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at Canlon's Restaurant 8:30PM
FROM CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE MICHAEL GRIMM
I would be remiss if I didn't rebuke the disgraceful rhetoric that is infecting the national media and now the local media here in Staten Island. The notion that the Tea Party Movement is in any way motivated by racism is a disgusting and baseless untruth. I know many of these Patriotic members and I salute every one ...
I would be remiss if I didn't rebuke the disgraceful rhetoric that is infecting the national media and now the local media here in Staten Island. The notion that the Tea Party Movement is in any way motivated by racism is a disgusting and baseless untruth. I know many of these Patriotic members and I salute every one ...
