It was at a campaign rally in southwestern Virginia--heavily Republican and very VERY Caucasian that Allen noticed S.R. Sidarth, one of Webb's campaign workers, in the crowd. Siddarth is of Indian descent, so he was easy enough to spot in the sea of white faces. That's when Allen decided to make Mr. Siddarth feel welcome:
"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."
Gee, Senator. Why not just incite your supporters to lynch the poor bastard?
Now the first question, of course, is just what the hell is a "macaca?" Well, apparently it depends on the precise spelling, but
"the word macaca could mean either a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs."
Hmmmm..... So which of those particular definitions was Allen thinking of when he singled out the only dark complexioned man at a Republican rally?
Asked what macaca means, Allen said: "I don't know what it means." He said the word sounds similar to "mohawk," a term that his campaign staff had nicknamed Sidarth because of his haircut. Sidarth said his hairstyle is a mullet -- tight on top, long in the back.
Allen said that by the comment welcoming him to America, he meant: "Just to the real world. Get outside the Beltway and get to the real world."
Oh, so my United States Senator is spouting off racist sounding remarks without even knowing what the hell they mean?!?! And here's the best part: Allen has presidential aspirations. There is even talk of him running for the office in 2008.
Can you imagine if Allen wins and actually becomes leader of the free world? He'll probably show up at some major summit meeting and refer to the President of China as a "Chinc."
And 20 minutes later the world will be incinerated in a nuclear holocaust.
Unfortunately I live in Virginia. Have all my life. And more than anything, I find Allen's remarks personally embarrassing. Any Virginian should, for it appeals to the racial insensitivities that this state practiced until the late 1960's. I still remember being in second or third grade when a single black girl began attending our school. It was a big deal, because the vast majority of this state still practiced racial segregation at the time. Is that the "real Virginia" that the Senator was referring to?
Thankfully, northern Virginia is NOT part of Allen's real Virginia. I'm sure that the rednecks voters whose support Allen is seeking consider those of us up here to be out of step with the rest of the state. And you know what? I'm damn proud of that. I'm also proud that most of northern Virginia voted solidly for John Kerry two years ago even while Bush was winning the rest of the state with 54% of the vote.
I'm guessing that 54% was the same group that finds it amusing to hold a man up for public amusement simply because his skin is darker than theirs.
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