July 7-13, 2005

fine print

It's All a Slur

by Sara Satullo

Last week in the state House, during a charged debate over condo-dwellers' right to fly American flags (even when flag flying is prohibited by condo rules), Cambria County Rep. Thomas Yewcic, who is white, said that anyone who wanted to display a flag from a foreign country should "go back to their ethnic origins and fly it there." Because one ignorant turn deserves another, fellow Democratic representative, John Myers, an African-American from Philadelphia, replied: "I think that those type of remarks would come from a cracker."

It's just the latest in a series of politically incorrect moments on the House floor. This past October, LGBT community ally Sen. Vincent J. Fumo became infuriated during a debate to amend state gambling laws and called Senate President Pro Tem Robert Jubelirer and other Republicans "faggots" a reported four times.

These incidents got us wondering if there's something in the Harrisburg water these days, or if this is a recurring problem. Unfortunately, we've found that Pennsylvania politics has a not-proud history of insensitive utterances. Here are the top five in recent memory, complete, sadly, with repeat offenders.

1. "Sen. Byrd's inappropriate remarks comparing his Republican colleagues with Nazis are inexcusable. These comments lessen the credibility of the senator and the decorum of the Senate. He should retract his statement and ask for pardon." --U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, March 2005, responding to U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd's suggestion that the Republican plan to eliminate the filibuster was reminiscent of the Nazis
2. "The audacity of some members to stand up and say, "How dare you break this rule.' It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942, "I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me. How dare you bomb my city? It's mine.'" -- Santorum two months later, comparing Democratic opposition to the filibuster-busting "nuclear option" to Nazi Germany
3. "That's what the community wants! I don't give a shit! We've got the votes. We're going to put you out of business. Your community ain't going to get shit!" --state Rep. Mike McGeehan, June 1995, speaking to Hispanic leader Juan Ramos
4. "You have no idea what racial politics is about. You don't have to deal with niggers, jigaboos and jungle bunnies." --McGeehan's June 1996 barroom comments to a fellow representative

5. "Inner city nigger" --phrase state Rep. Terry Van Horne of Westmoreland County used to describe state Rep. Dwight Evans to a Pittsburgh newspaper reporter in June 1994