The Julie Myers fiasco: It’s not the racism. It’s the stupidity.
Back in November, when the latest Julie Myers fiasco broke out, I said I had no tears for her. She’s the crony DHS head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau whose unpreparedness for the job I’ve spotlighted repeatedly over the years. When word spread about her photo-op at a Halloween party with a politically incorrect employee wearing a prison costume and darkened skin, I noted that however much she might have tried to compensate for her inexperience the last two years, she reinforces the perception (and reality) that the White House still doesn’t take immigration enforcement seriously enough.
Now, the pictures of the party–like the one above–have been released. And they underscore and illustrate my points vividly.
Myers, whose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency runs the nation’s 32,000-bed immigration detention system, was on a three-judge panel that gave a “most original costume” award to the worker at an ICE charity event Oct. 31. Myers subsequently apologized, saying the costume could leave “a negative impression” of ICE’s respect for people whom it detains and explained that she learned only the next day that the man was wearing makeup.
Myers’s Senate confirmation was delayed until December partly as a result of the controversy, and she told lawmakers who inquired last fall that she had immediately instructed aides to order that the digital photographs of the worker be deleted. The images aired on CNN yesterday, however, after the cable television network obtained 113 official photographs of the party, including recovered versions of all the deleted ones, through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“At a minimum, she was being disingenuous,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a member of the Senate homeland security committee. McCaskill had objected to Myers’s nomination over her handling of the matter and over ICE’s slow release of data about criminal enforcement against companies that hire illegal immigrants. “You would not think the committee would have to resort to a FOIA request from the media to get these photographs,” she said.
A spokesman for Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), another committee member, added in a statement: “The perception of racial insensitivity is a serious threat to the credibility of ICE. These pictures raise serious concerns about whether ICE purposely withheld the pictures requested by Congress and whether Ms. Myers’ account of the incident was completely forthcoming.”
…In a Nov. 8 letter replying to questions by McCaskill, Myers said that she was “shocked and horrified” to learn that the employee was wearing makeup but that within minutes of leaving the party she instructed her chief of staff to direct ICE’s events photographer “to delete all photos of the employee.”“Although I didn’t know that the employee had disguised his race, I believed I had made an error in judgment in recognizing an escaped prisoner,” Myers wrote.
It’s not the “racism” that’s so offensive.
It’s the utter stupidity.
The head of ICE, one of the top domestic homeland security officials in the country, couldn’t tell that the dweeb in a dreadlock wig standing next to her was wearing makeup.
Criminey.
If Bozo the Clown were standing next to her, would she know the red nose wasn’t real–or would she need posterior-covering staffers to help her realize that, too?
Compounding the stupidity are all the whiny, sanctimonious senators who now claim they were “misled.”
Myers was unfit for the job at the start and little had changed when the Senate voted to confirm her in December on an unrecorded voice vote.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Yeah, we’re “backsliding” all right, Chertoff.
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Categories: Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff
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I watched CNN reporting this yesterday on a waiting room tv . . . volume too low to hear the substance, and couldn’t fathom why this surfaced months after the fact.
Interesting that the photos were just released. These photos should have been widely released in a more timely fashion – specifically when Julie Myers confirmation was on the line.
This timing stinks to high heaven.
She’s the only thing that stinks to high heaven. She told congress she had deleted the photos and it took CNN’s Freedom of Information Act request to force DHS to find and release them. In other words they were withheld until she was safely confirmed.
What gets me is that if someone had been dressed as an arrested Muslim terrorist, she would never have allowed that. It would be way too offensive to Muslims, and she thinks her department’s main goal is to make sure their “civil rights” are not infringed upon. They must never be offended at any cost.
But someone wearing makeup, making fun of black American men: She doesn’t care.
Notice the dreads? Maybe the guy was making a statement dressed as Tookie Williams. Don’t ask me what that statement would be ’cause I don’t speak moonbat.
Notice the hands?
Good thing we’ve got this sharp cookie on the case. I feel safer already.
Can anyone point me to the closest brick wall that needs a skull smashed against it? I’m feeling too sober this morning.
I hear she watched highlights from the old friar’s club roast of Whoopi Goldberg, and then the next day was watching a rerun of Cheers, stating, “Ted Danson? I thought he was a black actor?”
I counter with Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. These three examples of stupid idiots deserves more attention and rebuke than any stupid party pictures.
That was from the caption. “hadn’t known”.
If she cannot figure out he was wearing face paint (and I could from the little picture), what CAN she figure out?
“hadn’t known”. Is that they new double secret speak for:
Plausible Deniability
Which Bush appointees do you think have done an excellent job? (Leave out judges)
Rumsfeld, Chertoff, Gonzo, …?
Can you spot the pattern?
I place this squarely on the desk of GW Bush. When you appoint cronies, this is what you get. It is high time to tell friends, relatives, and close associates to pound sand when it comes to “giving back” after winning an important election.
Just because someone may have been helpful in your earlier career, or because they were instrumental in getting you elected, that doesn’t mean they are fit for the job of government when you get there. Enough already. Hire the right people and hold them to strictly-held standards.
“It’s not the racism. It’s the stupidity.”
Well, that’s assuming she really was that stupid. How could she not have known that dude was wearing make-up? If she’s just covering for herself now, them yeah, it is the racism.
And I sure hope Mr.(b)(6) got fired. Blackface is never appropriate. Honestly, they should have public service announcements before Halloween reminding people that.
Just pathetic. And there are some who want our government to administer health-care as well. Can you imagine the photos coming from that nightmare?
Seems perfectly symbolic of the way DHS operates – No observation skills at the top filters all the way to the bottom ranks. *sigh*
This is a nonsense controversy. If there is substance to attack her on her qualifications and record, do it with that.
No wonder the wall at the boarder is not being built.
As far as Cabnet members…. Rumsfield was the man. He cut a lot of dead weight out of the top of the military that needed to go. This is why you had all these generals speaking against him. He got rid of them. I voted for Bush, not for his abilities but for his origional cabinet.
Didn’t know? Please. Don’t tell me anyone buys that. On this, I don’t think it’s stupidity, I think she’s lying. She’s safe to do so too, since no one can prove otherwise.
#15 Fco is right on target! I’ll judge Myers on her ability to keep those 32,000 detention beds filled every night.
what is appalling is that her first reaction is to ‘award’ the individual as the most original costume. Then before leaving an epiphany causes her to realize that it might not look too good if this were to get out so you advise your assistant to ‘destroy’ all the photos, speaks volumes to me.
you are a bigot and an insensitive elitest. the realization of which causes you to instinctively CYA before leaving the event.
not to mention the possibility that she might be unqualified for the position she holds, i think the elitist bigotry is far greater.
That was from the caption. “hadn’t known”.
yeah, past plus perfect… she “hadn’t known” …. of course that was before she even saw the guy in costume….
I spotlighted this on my site, yesterday, and there is so much more to the story. Read it here.
If her father Gen Richard Myers, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had done any of her buffoonery while CJCS, he’d be summarily fired.
She should have learned something and the results of her actions should be no different.
With the red nose and clownish behavior , she could think it’s just Ted Kennedy. Perfectly understandable mistake.
Bush has really picked some winners to work at the Department of Homeland Insecurity no wonder they feel they are backsliding. But, then again they never really have done much to make us more secure other than waste billions of our tax dollars building a bloated nonfunctional government organization.
Julie Myers is Michael Brown in a skirt. Actually she’s worse. Julie covered up, had evidence destroyed, and lied about it. She should be made an example of.
…in other news, Julie Myers today issued a statement saying “I didn’t know Michelle Malkin had Photoshopped that picture of Chertoff. I always thought he had green hair.”
What is appalling is the tax payers money wasted on fricking parties for government workers. Why do we continue this form of welfare? I’m sure all agencies have parties all the time on the backs of the American tax payers (the upper 60% of income earners).
The whole costume thing no big deal. PC folks need to get a life and sense of humor.
The only pattern I see when u post lgm is the test pattern of your utter vacuousness.
Let’s just do a roll call of the Clinton cabinet and his advisors shall we? Why truncate the pattern of government inepitude and cronyism?
“Jewels” is obviously a crony appointment. What an original sin!
Get ready for your liberal fascist orgy in Washington in 09. And hold onto your skinny wallet.
Pish.
bear1909 (#28)
Some Clinton appointees were good, particularly the economic ones — Rubin, etc. He appointed a professional to run FEMA.
Now answer the question: which Bush appointees are good?
I see it differently.
The PC reaction among career bureaucrats and elected officials in Washington after the fact, while posturing as if this is a breaking news story- when in fact, as Ms. Schlussel aptly describes, it isn’t- is a big part of the stench in this fiasco.
As far as the costume not being a “big deal”, when taken out of context, it might not appear to be a significant issue.
However, there are few of us here on this blog who can even imagine what it is like to be black in the United States, no matter how much we might have suffered in our own lives. So, getting back to Missy Meyers, her staffers believe it is just plain peachy to assign themselves permission to do black face costumery while African American ICE agents go through degradation every day.
Seems like that would constitute a hostile racial environment in the work place;something defined not by liberal political correctness but by federal statute under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and subsequent laws that are constitutional 100%.
I hope the ICE agents affected by this racist buffoonery, and this demagoguery of federal employees using “parties” to make political statements while supposedly working for US taxpayers, will file complaints against their employers and launch a full investigation of this numbskull Meyers and her agency.
So it is a big deal and the PC reactionaries should get a life. But if no one stands up and starts the process rolling and fights to get policies in place that nix the parties and the costuming at taxpayer expense and on the taxpayer clock, nothing will change.
The unruly children on the Federal teat will continue to suckle and people will be hurt.
Bear1909 out.
n February 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pm, lgm said:
bear1909 (#28)
Some Clinton appointees were good, particularly the economic ones — Rubin, etc. He appointed a professional to run FEMA.
Now answer the question: which Bush appointees are good?
#27, I’m a municipal employee and my dad was a federal employee for several years. Most of these parties are no-budget potluck shindigs, not fancy balls. We chip into a fund here to pay for social functions.
Nevertheless, I don’t think ICE is going to have a costume party next year.
I wonder if the agency has to put out public service announcements reminding those frisky fun-loving ICE employees (who will remain racially ambiguous)them how imitating homosexuals at Halloween is never appropriate. Or people in wheelchairs? Or Muslims? Or Same Sex Couples? Or females in positions of authority? Or poor people?
They remind me of those frisky fun-loving touristas on the Princess Cruise Line commercials…..a brief parody…”Somewhere between the black face costume show and Julie Meyers giving out Best Costume…..it hits you….YOU ARE A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE!!!!”
Puke, cRusty.
I misread your command here while opening a can of dog food for you.
Good? As opposed to “bad”?
Effective? Rumsfeld got done what needed doing. Plenty of people disagreed with him. Does that make him good or bad (since we are involved in a 2 grade level of discussion here)?
Not even history is going to deal with him in that way. His successor? Same deal.
So why don’t we talk about the great Clinton appointee, Donna Sha-la-la-la-Live for Today? Good? Who knows? Brain dead….kinda. Effective….not by my standards.
Or Sandy Berger? Good. Nope. Evil lying parasite.
Now…name your Bushies that are good. And name your Clintonistas that were good. You may address their effectiveness by your own standards….
as long as you eat the dog food.
So, conversely, it can be said that Mike Brown is Julie Myers in lederhosen?
Now, there’s an image I didn’t need in my head – Michael Brown in leather shorts/pants. *shiver*
I think you’re trying to bait me, but, whatever. You should know that the history of blackface in America has made it totally unacceptable in contemporary culture. That same stigma is not attached to many of the things you mentioned.
Although any of the costumes you mention wouldn’t work if they weren’t handled respectfully.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 02/08/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
No, cRusty, you baited yourself.
The history of Blackface in America (racist parody of Negroes) hasn’t made it “Totally Unacceptable” at all. It is still being done today…and ICE is proof positive that it is somwehat acceptable and “not a big deal” if done for a good reason (like making some kind of point at a government grab-ass event.
And that the same stigma is not attached to the other groups is precisely the point….no reminders necessary not to belittle these *predominantly white* protected groups….but y’all need a reminder not to belittle “negroes”.
Get it. Now go away.
No fishin for me today.
I was in error to refer to Muslims as predominantly white. They are the exception to my intentional generalization.
Pile on at your own peril.
Clinton legacy is a joke.
Only Rumsfeld?? Nobody can name a single person but Rumsfeld as a good Bush appointee.
Rumsfeld left office early because he had made a mess in Iraq. He invaded with far too few soldiers. When all heck started breaking loose there, he said (and I quote) “Stuff happens.” Asked about troops without armor: “You go to war with the army you have, not the one you wish you had.”
To be quite honest, I can’t name any cabinet appointees, in the last 20 years that I really liked, that includes both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as William Jefferson Clinton.
I’ve not been too happy with GWB on a lot of issues. It was, yet, another instance of picking the lesser of evils for me. It starts to wear on one to have to keep doing that.
But, if I happen to recall an appointee that I was okay with, I’ll get back to you.
Let’s make a big issue out of racial insensitivity, rather than ridiculing an educated idiot, who was placed in a position where she was allowed to show her naiveté, and who obviously was keenly unaware of the political ramifications of letting her guard down.
If only the PC police placed as much emphasis on protecting our borders, as they do on destroying public servants. Are we becoming as bad as “the religion of perpetual outrage” when we call for the heads of those who commit political blunders? It sure seems like it.
Might I suggest a new Democrat motto? Instead of “Wa-a-h, it’s not fair!”, maybe it should now be “GOTCHA!”
Hey, does this mean that the ICE Minstrel Show scheduled for later this year is on the back burner?
What? You mean the players are not really African Americans? Who would have thunk it….
Right On, that’s a great idea. We are being invaded by Illegals (oh cra p, non PC term) I mean “American’s that are deprived documentation by the evil Gringos” and our Government does nothing about it. I was watching the local news last night about the Swat officer killed by a latino gang banger. Boy how they tried to get around the fact that he was a gang banger and latino.
lgm: you obviously missed the point. Rumsfeld was an exampleof how pointless “good” is when used as a qualifier of somebody’s effectiveness.
You mentioned Bob Rubin as being “good”. His fingerprints are all over this lending crisis which got set in motion under Hubba Bubbaz “let’s party like rock stars” era of the current money printing scam.
Rumsfeld was right about going to war with the army ya got. And he inherited Clinton’s top brass officer corps on down to the middle ranks who were not battle tested. By the time the surge came around the President did what the sitch called for and that was to eliminate Rumsfeld. In the meantime, Rumsfeld did what was needed in the time he had to do it…..say what u will
he was right about war— stuff does happen.
Of course the liberal fascist wants war that is neat and done from the air like Clinton in eastern europe with his buddy Wesley What’s His Face over the Danube.
Pish.
Stop bothering me. :LOL:
Ya. Aint that somethin? The MSM sanitizing the problem so there is no problem. That’ll work until the Mayor of Los Angeles is held hostage by these punks with firearm caches that rival the National Guard (if not surpasses).
Hell hath no fury like an electorate scorned.
A bit of good news from Arizona (Foxnews)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329829,00.html
Now, if other states would follow…
lgm:
Comparing apples to oranges aren’t we? Who (or what) is the better fruit? How like a Clinton devotee to stir the pot with the old my guy’s admin are better than yours! Too funny…
Oh, and yes, if you really can’t remember who the admin was (of either administration) than I guess they didn’t do squat, huh? Uh, yeah, that Berger guy, didn’t he stuff some classified material down his pants? Wow, that must have been a proud moment for you when that happened, huh, lgm?
Oh, and how was the education secretary during Clinton? Remember anything he/she/it did? Hmmm… I really don’t. Though, as a teacher myself, I firmly feel that either a)the DOE (department of education) should be entirely eliminated, b)all schools should be centralized because the states aren’t doing a great job as it is (oh, and I’ve taught in 4 different states- there is a difference in performance), and c)teacher’s unions really need to stop giving to Dems because there is that conflict of interest. Hey, lgm, you can always hug the NCLB close to your manly chest at night to keep you warm. I bet more federal intervention really made your day. It’s common practice for every president to start some new “educational” initiative even if it’s pointless.
One further note, Rummie was good… the new guy isn’t. He should have stayed in the private sector. Rummie was abrasive and that’s why many military higher-ups didn’t like him too much. I personally never liked Gonzalez-
but then you Dems already know everything there is to know about cronyism (<<<>>> public education) that it’s okay for a Clinton but not a Bush. Like that one way rule thing you got there.
I liked the first Homeland Security director- Chertoff (the second) is a bit of prick. Margaret Spelling was okay. The new FEMA guy is fine… people do learn from mistakes.
Can you name all the chicks Clinton slept with as an encore, lgm?
Clinton admin is a joke part 2
Clinton admin part 3
Halloween 2008 Costume Contest winner; Julie Myers. Said the judges, she was stunning in her orange jumpsuit from the Martha Stewart, Susan McDougall collection. Her impressive use of stainless steel accessories caught everyones eye.
Washington Post Fashion Reporter Robin Givhan gushed; “orange is just so becoming on republicans”.
I bet I know who paid for the party, and who cooked.
Myers has a position, not a job.
How these DHS have time for a party while there is an illegal alien invasion going on is called being a civilian puke.
Listening to the media’s take on appointees, you’d think Janet Reno was a great Attorney General and Ashcroft the scum of the earth. Just compare what happened under each’s stewardship. Look at that great sec.of state halfbright or is it madeline semibright?
Yes, some incompetent people in executive branch and plenty more in Congress. Why didn’t Bush and McCain push for more conservative judges? Thankfully Meirers was roundly rejected.
Still, a party on taxpayer’s expense is an outrage, but there are far worse things going on. Would be nice to see the good things highlighted such as efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I hate to have to educate you about Julie Meyers but her goes.
ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the most important law enforcement agency in the War on Terror. They have a multi billion dollar a year budget and ICE has more than 15,000 employees working in offices nationally and around the world.
Their mission is Law Enforcement.
GWB appointed the niece of General Meyers, a 36 year old lawyer with no law enforcement experience, to head up this agency. MM posted the following letter in a previous post about Julie Meyers and I suggest you read the previous post here:
“As you probably know, this is the largest investigative arm of DHS and the second largest Federal investigative agency after the FBI. ICE’s critical homeland security mission is directed at all Customs and Immigration violations occurring in the interior of the U.S. These are the officers that have to respond to calls of illegal aliens, drug loads with a border nexus and the detention and removal of all illegal aliens place in removal proceedings. ICE accounts for close to 80% of all arrests made within the FBI’s joint terrorism task force. ICE criminally prosecutes more individuals than any other Federal agency.
My point is, ICE is the lead agency to proactively prevent terrorism in the U.S. Ms. Myers, although learned, has barely the legal requirement to be nominated as the AS for ICE. The law requires 5 years of managerial experience and 5 years of law enforcement experience. Ms. Myers is 35 and has worked as the following(estimates): private attorney 2 years; AUSA EDNY 2 years; Deputy Asst Sec Treasury 2 years; Chief of Staff for Michael Chertoff at Main Justice 2 years; Starr Commission 1 year; Director of Commerce’s Export Control agency 2 years; and the White House Personnel 2 years. The most direct law enforcement experience is supervising 250 Commerce Special Agents which pursues similar violations on export control as ICE. Roughly 11 years of experience to lead the 12,000 law enforcement officer ICE agency. You decide if this is sufficient. I can guarantee you that she would never have been nominated to run the FBI, DEA or Secret Service. It’s almost like the old INS days where they just throw out the political favors. Maybe she’s getting the job because she’s tight with Chertoff. Maybe it’s because she’s the niece of General Myers (Chair Joint Chiefs of Staff). Who knows, but I guarantee you this, the next time some illegal aliens commit a terrorist act on U.S. soil, people are going to be scrutinizing her resume.
Sorry to ramble but unfortunately the majority of DHS is being run by hacks, snot nose youngsters who couldn’t find an illegal alien in Tijuana, and other “connected” people with no knowledge, experience, or business being in the Homeland Security sector. I guess it’s a good resume line to have these days.”
Any more questions regarding her qualifications?
BTW-I think it does matter that she should would be part of this racist contest especially when her agency has discriminated against black employees in the past.
After such gross racial insensitivity, the public is due additional details as to how such a nincompoop was selected for this position of authority. We were unhappy with her selection before; now we’re damn mad.
In the meantime, Mr. President, fire this broad.
Maybe not.
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007464.html
Were she and Chertoff in a special school together?