quote:
“ And so what I've testified to you - I was in the Watts riots. I seen the beginning fire and I seen the last fire. What I seen is civil disturbance. People who were not happy, people are thinking they don't have their freedoms, they didn't have these things and, they didn't have them.

WE HAVE PROGRESSED QUITE A BIT FROM THAT DAY UNTIL NOW, AND WE SURE DON'T WANT TO GO BACK. We sure don't want the colored people to go back to that point. We sure don't want these Mexcian people to want to go back to that point. And we can make a difference right now by taking care of some of these bureaucracies, and do it in a peaceful way.”

Now the part in the middle that was reported.

“ Let me tell you about the Mexicans, and these are just things I know about the negro, I want to tell you one more thing I know about the negro. When I go went go to Las Vegas, and I would see these little government houses, and in front of that government house the door was usually open and in front of that house and the older people and the kids - and there's always usually a half a dozen people sitting on the porch. They didn't have nothing to do. They didn't have nothing for the kids to do. They didn't have nothing for the young girls to do.

And because they were basically on government subsidies - so now what do they do ? They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never, they never learned how to pick cotton. And I have often wondered were they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things ? Or are they better off under government subsidies ?

You know they didn't get more freedom, they got less family life and happiness - you could see it in their faces - they weren't happy sitting on that concrete sidewalk. Down there they was probably growing their turnips - so that's all government, that's not freedom.”

Now, the other part they left out.

“ Now, let me tell you about the Spanish people. You know, I understand that they come over here against our constitution and cross our borders. But they're here and they are people - and I've worked side by side with a lot of 'em.

Don't tell me they don't work, and don't pay taxes. And don't tell me they don't have better family structures than most of us white people. When you see these Mexican families, they're together, they picnic together, they're spending their time together, and I'll tell you in my way of thinking they're awful nice people. And we need to have those people join us, and be with us, not come to our party.”

Now I know Mr Bundy is not a greatly educated man, and not very well spoken, I grant that. But why did the NYT only show the parts of the speech that make him look bad and racist, but not show the parts that make him seem to be NOT A RACIST ? It's called an agenda.

I take it that Bundy was more or less stating ( in an unlearned way ) that todays government assistance is a form of slavery also, he was asking a rhetorical question, not stating that black people were better off as slaves( and if you read the first part where he says NO ONE WANTS TO GO BACK TO THOSE DAYS ), then you could have understood that, yes, this man has a way of bumbling his words, but in the end he doesn't seem racist. He was juxtaposing slavery, to the slavery that Johnson's government assistance programs have brought about. Of course, like I said, he is not a well spoken man, but when his statements are viewed in full, this looks more like a hatchet job to me. Lots of people cant speak in public eloquently, but that doesn't make them a racist.

Now, he might actually be a racist, but the NYT's should not cut and splice the tape in order to make him appear as such, when they had other parts that made him seem like a caring person who doesn't want to go back to yesteryears ways.

But the NYT's has an agenda, so they want to hide the fullness of the conversation.

I am not saying that the middle portion of his speech sounds any better, but when placed in full context, I don't see Bundy as a racist, but rather as a guy that probably shouldn't be talking to the media.

This post was edited on 4/26/14 at 12:50 pm