Today’s moron is an appointed member of the Staten Island Community Education Council — a school board, more or less, in the New York City borough — who is the latest dick to forget just how fast assholery can spread via the Internet.
"I even let a black guy wash my car once!"
Ballarino sent out an email loaded with racist crap, consisiting of a fake debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, which involves McCain telling racist jokes. There’s also a reference to excrement, and the astonishing claim that Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles were always smiling because they never figured out that they were black.
People who saw this message, were, understandably, upset. Particularly community members of African descent. That’s kind of a no-brainer, right? The people who oversee their children’s educations are supposed to be the best of the best, the moral and intellectual paragons of their city. And then Sally Ballarina comes across this nugget of idiocy and decides it has to be shared with everyone.
Did Ballarino fall back on the trusty I-got-caught-being-a-racist excuse, claiming he didn’t realize it was racist? No! No, he freely admits he knew it was racist. He just didn’t care: “If they’re upset about something it’s their own inner workings — it’s what they want to make out of it,” said Ballarino in an AP report. He also said he’ll send on any discriminatory humour he likes, not just anti-black jokes. Seems he hates everyone equally. Or he’s a moron. I’d go with my second choice there.
But it gets better, because out came the “some of my best friends” argument, which always makes me laugh.
“I have black people who are my friends,” he said. “I work with black people; I have black people sit at my dinner table with me.”
Later, he repeated this crap for the New York Post:
“So, what’s the big deal?” he said. “I have plenty of black friends. I have plenty of black people I think the world of. I drove black people home from work.”
How big of him.
The Staten Island Advance reported today that Ballarino has resigned, at the request of his boss.
“I am glad the borough president asked for Mr. Ballarino’s resignation this morning,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. “The emails he forwarded were deeply offensive, and there was no longer any role for him influencing policies that affect our children.”
Right on, Mike. Meanwhile, Ballarino is packing up and moving cross-country. Word is he wants to run for mayor of Los Alamitos, Calif.
