WTF? MARCUS EPSTEIN? WTF?
by Guest Contributor Jeff Yang
Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Wingnuttia) has been one of the most vitriolic attackers of the Supreme Court candidacy of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, notably calling into question her membership in the Hispanic American advocacy organization National Council of La Raza, which he has referred to as a “Latino KKK without the hoods and nooses.” (And without the history of racist violence, or supremacist ideology, or toxic anonymity, or deep-rooted influence on America’s tragic record on race. But otherwise, just exactly like the KKK!)
Of course, this only opens up the standard “takes one to know one” line of retort, and by that standard Tancredo should be quite the authority on knowing racists.
You see, Tancredo’s hostility toward Sotomayor is due in great part to his broader hostility toward off-white folk, especially those who hail from places other than this great nation of ours (and only ours): The grandson of Italian immigrants has spent most of his legislative career and bully-pulpit bandwidth trying to turn out Liberty’s lamp, lock the golden door, and disperse the huddled masses with pepper gas and rubber bullets. For example:
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* He sponsored a bill called the “Mass Immigration Reduction Act,” which would have imposed an indefinite moratorium on immigration to the United States. Under the act, only spouses and children of American citizens would be allowed to immigrate—limiting the total number of immigrants allowed annually, by his calculations, to fewer than 300,000 individuals per year.
* He believes illegal immigrants are the greatest threat to America’s security, claiming that federal prisons are overflowing with illegal immigrants, some of whom aim to “harm people,” and has been quoted as saying “They’re coming here to kill you, and you, and me, and my grandchildren.” During his abortive campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, he released an ad called “Tough on Terror,” positing a future in which inept border security leads to a catastrophic new terrorist attack. Over images of an injured child and a wrecked train, the ad’s voiceover says, “There are consequences to open borders beyond the 20 million aliens who have come to take our jobs … the price we pay for spineless politicians who refuse to defend our borders against those who come to kill.”
* He wants to spend billions erecting an enormous wall between Mexico and the U.S., and believes mayors and city council members who adopt “sanctuary city policies” should be tried as criminals.
* And finally, to ensure that his bizarre brand of ultra-paranoid xenophobia spreads virally through the ranks of the Right’s next generation, he’s created a PAC that “identif[ies], recruit[s], and help[s] elect to public office individuals who are committed to enforcing our laws and securing our borders.”
And that’s where the sad part comes in. It turns out that the guy Tancredo appointed to run this PAC as executive director is a toolbox named Marcus Epstein…who happens to be half Korean, half Jewish, and all a-hole.
You see, Epstein is expected to be sentenced on July 8 for a charge—to which he has pled “guilty”—that he karate-chopped (tae kwon do chopped?) an African American female while calling her “n*gger.” For no reason. While walking down the street muttering to himself. All according to witnesses, including the federal agent who apprehended him.
It’s incredible that Tancredo has been able to find a proxy for his loathsome views who’s actually more insane and racist than he is. It’s embarassing that he happens to be Asian American, though one somehow doubts he uses that label proudly, any more than does Michelle Malkin.
If there’s anything funny about this sad set of circus clowns, it’s the name of the PAC that Epstein runs on Tancredo’s behalf: It’s called the Team America PAC. Perfect. Did they name the PAC after the hilariously impolitic puppet movie by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, thinking it was a frakkin’ documentary or something?
I’m going to say yes. Because I can totally imagine Epstein, Tancredo and their hate-filled, anti-immigrant buddies dressing up in their spare time as a paramilitary super-soldier squad, convinced they’re defending America against invading hordes of brown, disease-ridden, evil rapist deathmongers. Plus Kim Jong Il. Assuming that Epstein’s mom is South Korean, anyway.
America, f*ck yeah!
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Mary wrote:
I’m sure I will be enraged by this story eventually, but first I have to get over how absolutely god damn weird it is. “Karate chop,” “Epstein’s mom,” “Team America” – it’s like the racist jackass edition of Mad Libs.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 10:19 am ¶
Celeste wrote:
I still have to get over Karate chopping someone while yelling a racial epithet at them just randomly out of the blue. This whole thing is one big WTF.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 10:40 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
Sounds like Epstein had a psychotic break…
As for Tancredo, what a loathesome whacko. I don’t think he’s mentally ill at all, that’s an insult to mentally ill people… he’s just plain nasty. My favorite Tancredo story is that he was the only Republican Presidential candidate brave enough to accept the NAACP invitation to speak… of course, most of his speech was about the evils of illegal immigration, and he used his standard line that illegal immigration is “a slap in the face to everyone who came to this country the right way“. He was too oblivious to bother changing that line for an African-American audience.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 10:41 am ¶
jen* wrote:
this really IS bizarre. and stupid. wtf is right – i have no other words.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 10:44 am ¶
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist! wrote:
Ugh, what a douche-bag.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 10:48 am ¶
Miles Ellison wrote:
If anyone understands the KKK, it would be Tancredo. Yet another shining post racial moment.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 11:00 am ¶
Lisa J wrote:
I heard this guy is supposed to be attending law school in the fall, at UVA I believe. I hope his fellow students find out about what he did. And as Tim Wise pointed out in one of is facebook comments, could you imagine if a black guy, or a mixed guy who looked more black than anything else, went up to a white lady at random and karate choped her on the head and used a racial epithet? Doubt he’d be able to go to law school. On the plus side, hopefully pleading guilty to something like this will make it difficult for him to join the bar if/when he graduates. Both of these dudes are total cro-magnons.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 11:02 am ¶
Abu Sinan wrote:
Some of the craziest lot are the people who seemingly turn sides.
Reminds me of the African American girl I knew as a teenager. She was very tall and rather dark complected, but made it VERY clear she hated black people and the back race.
It is weird to see someone like that give a Nazi salute……..but she did anyways.
She was known as “Scary Sherry” and I always wondered if she didnt have mental health issues.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 11:05 am ¶
Lisa J wrote:
Oh, I just read that his law school acceptance was rescinded, though it was only in the comments section on HuffPo. I hope it is true.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 11:14 am ¶
Rachel_in_WY wrote:
Birds of a feather…
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 11:17 am ¶
cb3n wrote:
@Lisa J
Yeah, he’s not going to UVA. In addition to being executive director for Tancredo’s absurd Team America group, Epstein is also executive director for The American Cause, a similar organization founded by the Buchanan siblings. In an effort to defend her employee, Bay Buchanan released a statement basically saying “Everyone just needs to forget this incident, Marcus is going on with his life and going to law school at UVA, it’s ancient history” (paraphrased). Almost immediately the dean of admissions at UVA came out with a statement saying that Epstein was no longer welcome at the school and in light of this incident, likely never would be.
What gets me about this whole thing is that Tancredo and the Buchanans are publicly defending this guy, while still calling Sotomayor a racist. It’s mind boggling.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 12:09 pm ¶
Matt wrote:
A couple worthwhile links from the SPLC on Tancredo and the anti-immigration movements he’s been with. He’s got quite a history with white supremacists.
One. Since it’s long, see especially
here. Two, with the League of the South. And this one on John Tanton is some great background.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 12:20 pm ¶
johnjihoonchang wrote:
@Lisa J (7): “Both of these dudes are total cro-magnons.”
Please don’t insult Cro-Magnons by placing these fools in their prehistoric camp.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 12:20 pm ¶
Genevieve wrote:
Hey, I’m against immigration, too, buddy! NOW GET YOUR ASSES OFF THE LAND OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME HERE THE “RIGHT WAY”– THE BERING STRAIT, DOUCHEBAG!! /ridiculousness
In all seriousness: BRAINASPLODE. I actually sat at my computer reading this going “What… the… how… ‘right way’… immigration… Epstein… karate… huhhh?!” I swear, the world makes no sense anymore. KKK? An Italian-American and a Jewish-Korean-American against immigration? Madness.
(The Photoshop up top soothes the ache, a little bit.)
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 12:33 pm ¶
Yonah wrote:
At first I was offended, then weirded out, and by the time I got to Abu’s Scary Sherry my brain broke and I just started laughing. I wish all racists were this batshit.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 12:52 pm ¶
Aishtamid wrote:
Actually, I read on a few other blogs that Marcus Epstein has untreated bipolar disorder. That explains a lot. That said, I have a severe mental illness myself and I absolutely believe that we are all accountable for our actions. Not only that, his racism is a whole separate problem from his mental state and it needs to be dealt with.
And yeah, I had no idea how crazy Tancredo really was before I heard about Sonia Sotomayor and this incident. Wow. Who elects these people?
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 1:49 pm ¶
Mollie wrote:
Funny, I once heard the exact same “La Raza is the Latino KKK” bullshit from my wingnut, fundamentalist Christian uncle. This in front of his wife (my dad’s sister), the daughter of a Colombian immigrant. Classy! I guess it’s some kind of Republican meme.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 1:50 pm ¶
Aishtamid wrote:
@Abu Sinan –
I met a Jewish guy who was the same way – white power, Nazi salute and all. Self-hate is scary.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 1:51 pm ¶
Phrone wrote:
I think I remember Tancredo from the Republican primaries. His official YouTube channel had the worst, most racist sh*t on it, all directed at Latinos. But all of this shit? The martial arts move? “Team America”? I wouldn’t believe it if it was in a movie.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 7:42 pm ¶
Tracey wrote:
I hope no one’s brought it up yet, but this is the guy behind Youth for Western Civilization (co-founder at least). When I read about this story I nearly jumped out of my chair.
http://westernyouth.org/our-mission.html
When I first heard about the group I thought it was a joke. I mean, it had to be a trollish group or one that was satiric but where it’s hard to tell b/c so many people actually feel that way.
@atlasien: You know, he might have very well included African-Americans as coming here the “right way”. He probably included most people (except Native Americans who cheated and took a lazy way here, and Latino immigrants who are all actually illegal immigrants from Mexico who are devoted to taking jobs, making Spanish the national language, and carrying out terrorist attacks).
@Genevieve: sorry, but cont. with the YWC line of thinking, the Bering Straight cross over was a cop out and probably purely by accident .Unlike Columbus. Only those of “western” civilizations had the intelligence and ingenuity to build ships and develop navigation sufficient for an ocean voyage making them the true owners and masters of the land.
I hate that a person was assaulted by Epstein. I am however glad that this is getting coverage and hope it reveals him for the xenophobic racist that he is. Same goes for members of Youth for Western Civilization. (sorry for yet another long post, but I really, really, really, hate that group and everything it stands for. Seriously, it is possibly the most conceited, blatantly racist group that considers itself non-racist that I have seen. Their whole premise is that Western civilization is being threatened, and must be protected. WTF, indeed? I mean seriously).
Posted 05 Jun 2009 at 1:43 pm ¶
Aishtamid wrote:
@Tracey –
At first I saw YWC and thought “well, there’s nothing wrong with Plato and Voltaire.” Then I saw this:
“In the words of conservative columnist Mark Steyn, multiculturalism is a cult of ignorance. The multiculturalism in practice on campuses today has nothing to do with actually learning about other cultures. Instead, it is about learning politically correct slogans that are designed to denigrate Western heritage in general and American heritage in particular. Multiculturalism is really about destroying and dispossessing the people and culture of the West, not about an appropriate education about other peoples.”
Hmm….no
Posted 06 Jun 2009 at 1:10 am ¶
browne wrote:
How did I miss this? This Marcus guy sounds like a movie waiting to happen. It sounds like a bad b movie or a self published book.
Browne
Posted 07 Jun 2009 at 9:10 pm ¶
Ted Haggart wrote:
I hope that somebody updates the sentencing today on July 8, and that the judge was aware of his previous assaults.
My 2 concerns are did he COMPLETE his previous mandatory psychological counseling and was it Effective? I think this guy’s repeat patterns are dangerous.
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 1:38 pm ¶