One Apology Down, 303,829,130 To Go

Atheist-hater extraordinaire Monique Davis has finally issued an excuse apology to atheist extraordinaire Rob Sherman:

Yesterday, State Representative Monique Davis (D-Chicago) called me from the Floor of the Illinois House of Representatives to apologize for what she had said to me at last Wednesday's hearing of the House State Government Administration Committee.

[snip]

Rep. Davis said that she had been upset, earlier in the day, to learn that a twenty-second and twenty-third Chicago Public School student this school year had been shot to death that morning. She said that it was wrong for her to take out her anger, frustrations and emotions on me, and that she apologized to me.

Rob reports that he forgave her, which proves he's a kinder human being than I.


I think this is a sad fucking excuse for an apology, and I shall now count the ways.


1. It took being named Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" before she even bothered to offer an apology that should have been profuse and immediate.


2. It was issued privately, which is wonderful - except that while her statements were aimed at Rob, they hit us all. Christians, atheists, et al deserve a very public mea culpa. This wasn't a private matter. The offense happened when she was acting in her official capacity. It's ridiculous that she seems to think she can then apologize as a private individual.


3. This wasn't even an apology. It was a fucking pathetic excuse followed by "I apologize" and it does nothing to solve the latent problems that led to her outburst in the first place.


The phrasing in this so-called apology tells me she's only sorry she let her feelings out in public, not that she's sorry for the underlying prejudice. Note the key words "anger, frustrations and emotions." That so-called apology offers no understanding of or remedy for her (b)latent motivations. It's just damage control. It's spin. It's pure fucking bullshit. But I'm sure she thinks this solves everything.


It doesn't.

Oh, I grant you she fulfilled the letter of an apology:

1. An acknowledgment expressing regret or asking pardon for a fault or offense.

2.

a. A formal justification or defense.
b. An explanation or excuse...

But she sure as shit didn't manage the spirit:

[A]pology usually applies to an expression of regret for a mistake or wrong with implied admission of guilt or fault and with or without reference to mitigating or extenuating circumstances. [emphasis added]

Without that pesky little implied admission of guilt or fault, her apology means nothing. It's ass-covering. She's just trying to make people stop giving her a well-deserved spanking. She's not going to take anything to heart. She's not going to rethink her attitudes toward atheists. She's not going to take a step back and realize that such attitudes have no place in public service. She's not going to face what her outburst says about the meaning of the Constitution with its Establishment Clause and prohibitions on religious tests for public office.

She doesn't see how damaging her outburst is to the dignity of her office. She doesn't understand the damage done to her church. All of this is manifestly obvious by that half-assed excuse for an apology offered to Rob Sherman and no one else.

And she can get away with this because Christianity has a stranglehold on this country, and atheists are god-haters with no morals, no PAC, and no impact. Everybody can feel just fine hating on atheists. It's a total non-story.

If she had said "You have no right to be here" to a Muslim, there would have been an outcry. If she'd said it to a Jew, the media would have been screaming it 24-7. Same thing for a gay, a welfare mom, a drug addict, or any number of reviled minorities who still get defended when some complete assclown of a Democrat slips up. Even Republicans are forced to backpedal furiously when they let their prejudices slip that badly. Her apology would have had to be profuse, and extremely fucking public.

But she shouted down an atheist, and so there's nothing.

That, more than her lack of insight, apalls me. It shouldn't matter what shade of citizen was the subject of that tirade. You could have sat a serial killer, a child molester, or a Republicon in that same chair, subjected him to that same abuse, and I'd say the same thing I'm saying now: "Twasn't right, and you need to apologize to us all."

There's that pesky Constitution again, you see.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It's the right of the people to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The Constitution never, not once, adds "unless they are atheists, or another despised group, or unless the Representative is having a bad day, or if the theoneocons get in power and decide who does and does not deserve these rights."

The right to petition is even in their very own Illinois State Constitution, in case you were wondering:

SECTION 5. RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE AND PETITION

The people have the right to assemble in a peaceable manner, to consult for the common good, to make known their opinions to their representatives and to apply for redress of grievances.

That's right below the section on freedom of religion, mind.

To sum up: No public official has a right under either the United States Constitution nor those of the states to tell any citizen of this country that they have no right to come before the government and testify. And this is what I think Monique Davis needs to realize, and make abundantly clear, in a very public apology.

I'll even draft a sample one for her:

"I want to extend my sincerest apologies to Rob Sherman, to the people of this great State of Illinois, and to all Americans, for the remarks I made to Rob Sherman during his testimony before the House State Government Administration Committee. My outburst was inexcusable. I apologize to those I hurt. I reaffirm the rights of all citizens to petition their government, whether they profess a faith or no faith. And I pray that I can understand and overcome the fear that led to this regrettable outburst. Let this incident give us the opportunity to reach out to each other in understanding and in hope, and strengthen our commitment to the principles of freedom this country was founded upon. Thank you."

See? That's not so hard. And it's a fuck of a lot better than a snivelly excuse and a quick dodge.

Lessee... it's been two hours since I started this. Let's see how many people Monique Davis needs to apologize to now:

303,829,771

I'd hurry before that number hits 400,000,000, myself.