Mayor Sent Email With White House Watermelons

Montana's top judge Richard Cebull caught forwarding joke

(NEWSER) - It always seems like a good idea at the time: Open stupid email forward at work, guffaw under your breath, forward it on to a couple of buddies. Except when you're a federal judge. On your official email. And the content of the email takes a not-so-subtle racist jab at a biracial president. And it predictably ends up in the hands of the media. Such is the plight of Montana's Chief US District Judge Richard Cebull, who now tells the Great Falls Tribune that he sent the forward to six "old buddies" because, "I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan. I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama." More»

Turn Right USA not apologizing for ad many are calling racist, sexist

(NEWSER) - If you were offended by the Turn Right USA ad featuring machine-gun-toting gangsters ordering a Democratic candidate for Congress to "Give me your cash, bitch, so we can shoot up the streets,” well, tough. Ladd Ehlinger Jr, the conservative filmmaker who created the ad, tells Salon that critics of the spot can “suck it.” The filmmakers fully intended to “piss a lot of people off,” and it’s worth it because the ad raises an important issue, he says. Watch the ad here or click for more of Ehlinger’s response . More»

'Give us your cash, ho, so we can shoot up the streets,' chant gangsters

(NEWSER) - The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is blasting what could be the most stunningly racist, sexist campaign ad in history. The web ad, produced by the ultra conservative Turn Right USA PAC , features machine-gun toting black ganstas ordering "bitch" and "ho" Democratic candidate for Congress Janice Hahn to give them money to fund their crime sprees. The Los Angeles candidate is represented by a stripper at a stripper pole who gets money stuck into her waistband as she grinds, and who gives oral sex to one of the gangstas. The ad is aimed at a program supported by Hahn as a City Council member to pay reformed former gang members in her Los Angeles district to act as "gang intervention specialists." More»

Wyclef Jean will be in good company if he loses

(NEWSER) - Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti , but already things aren’t going well for the controversy-plagued singer. If he loses, he won’t be the first celebrity to suffer a failed political campaign: Time lists 10 others:

• Norman Mailer: Despite being a literary giant, the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author ran for mayor of New York and lost—9 years after he first attempted to run for the position, telling a journalist he wanted to “bring back the Middle Ages,” complete with jousting tournaments.

Email on genes sets off firestorm

(NEWSER) - A racially controversial email by a Harvard Law student is causing a flap after being forwarded to black student law groups around nation. The damning line from the unidentified third-year student: "I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent." The Above the Law blog has details. More»