Don Sterling on Tape

The hits just keep on coming.

I have a conservative friend who tells me, among other things, liberals and especially African American liberals play the race card as if this nation is still mired in the Jim Crow era. She has constantly challenged me when I say things like, in the dark heart of many tea party quacks there lies an incurable strain of racism. It has been my contention that racism is what has driven the "birther" movement and the virulent, unreasonable, hatred of Barack Obama. Her argument is that while there are racists they are generally confined to skin head groups and covens of the Ku Klux Klan. According to her, it is politics and politics alone which causes tea party types to post photos of the president dressed in stereotypical Hollywood style African bushman costumes, complete with a bone through his nose.

Out in Los Angeles a twenty something model named V. Stiviano recently taped an argument she and her 81year old boyfriend had on the phone. He was plenty pissed she had posted a photo on instagram which showed her with former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

He had this to say about it. "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?

There was more. "I'm just saying, in your lousy fucking instagrams you don't have to show yourself walking with black people."

Then: "Don't put him (Johnson) on an instagram for the world to see, so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games."

Games? Who is this beast? What sort of crude outback Yahoo are we dealing with here?

Well, his name is Donald Tokowitz Sterling. He owns the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. In 2013 his reported net worth was $1.9 billion. The skinheads and KKK won't let him join because he is Jewish.

Mr. Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million. That was when they were in San Diego and lucky to win 20 games a season. Now they are in the playoffs and according to Forbes Magazine, last year the franchise had an estimated value of $575 million. As you might guess, there are more than a few African Americans playing on the team and they are obviously making Don Sterling tons and tons of money.

Okay, maybe ol' Don just went a little funny in the head during a heated moment. After all dating a woman 50 years younger than you is liable to effect you in strange ways. Let's face it, God only knows what the running tab for Viagra costs the man.

Actually Sterling, who made his initial fortune in real estate, was taken to court by the feds in 2005 for not renting apartments to African Americans, Latinos, or families with children. According to Wikipedia he ended up having to pay a $2.7 million fine and court costs amounting to nearly $5 million.

In 2009 NBA legend Elgin Baylor, who worked for the Clippers, accused Sterling of discriminating against him based on his age and race. A jury let the boss off the hook. Later in same year the U.S. Department of Justice sued his ass, charging he refused to rent to non Koreans in the Koreatown district of L.A. and wouldn't rent to African Americans at a Beverly Hills property he owned. One of the accusations made in the suit is that Sterling claimed he wouldn't rent to blacks because they smelled and attracted vermin. The case is still pending.

TMZ, who broke the story, posted a few, brief responses to the contents of the tape. Earvin Johnson called Sterling, "Shameful." Sports guy Keith Olbermann wants the Clipper's players to boycott the rest of the playoffs. Reverend Al Sharpton suggested the league should take the team away from him. My favorite, however, came from rap star, Snoop Dogg. He had this to say about Don Sterling, "He's a bitch ass redneck, white bread, chicken shit, mother fucker."

Now there is eloquence.

And honestly--there is not a thing I could possibly add to it.



4-26-14