Roanoke Times Publishes Op-Ed From Self-Proclaimed “White Supremacist” Who Argues that Anyone Mentioning Racism Is a Racist, etc.

Generally speaking, I’ve viewed the Roanoke Times editorial board as not great, but not horrible in terms of partisan/ideological lean. As for their op-eds, they have a mix of views, from right to left, which is perfectly fine. But occasionally, the editorial page does something that just leaves me scratching my head, wondering what the heck they’re thinking. Today, sad to say, is one of those days, as the top article in their “Commentary” section is this…whatever the hell it is. Here are a few excerpts from what is a very poorly written op-ed, so – grasping at straws here – maybe there’s a chance this guy doesn’t actually mean what it seems like he means? And maybe – again, grasping at straws – the Roanoke Times editorial folks read this completely differently than I did (and several others I showed it to this morning)? (note: bolding added by me for emphasis)

• “The Kavanaugh feminists’ law that convicts without trial the one named for racist slaveholder Lord Fairfax.‘
• “Feminists have dictated that all women, regardless of intelligence, education and sense of fairness, are not allowed to decide things for themselves.”
• “Critical thinking, opposing positions that differ from the feminists’ male emasculation agenda cannot be tolerated by the thought police of their Orwellian Progressive society, now disguised as the Democratic Party.”
• “Dishonoring Lee, taking down statues, ignoring the racially-motivated actions of Charlottesville City Council and insulting anyone who opposed removal, including me, as a white supremacist is unconscionable.”
• “Anyone who introduces race into this conversation is themselves a self-identified racist.“
• “To all those who claim to be hurt by racial references along with ethnic humor from the past or by others honoring heroes of a war that, because of myopic self-centeredness some think was all about them……… get over it.”
• “Mr. Northam incurs a heightened opposition for his concurrence to murdering the new born. As if his support for abortion was not bad enough, this view descends to the River Styx.”

So tell me if I’m reading this wrong – this guy bashes feminists, claims Ralph Northam thinks that “murdering the new born” (sic) is cool, argues that anyone who brings up racism is him/herself a racist, claims that the Democratic Party is actually the “Orwellian Progressive society,” argues that everyone needs to “get over” racism,and last but not least, appears to admit that he’s a “white supremacist.” And tell me if there’s any way the Roanoke Times editorial page folks didn’t understand what they were publishing here.

By the way, this isn’t the first time that the op-ed writer (John Cahoon; pictured on the pages of the Roanoke Times standing in front of a Confederate battle flag, no less) has had his work published in this fine newspaper. For instance, see M vs. M war, in which he argues – among other things (e.g., bashing football players protesting violence and injustice as “kneeling losers”) – that “the pinnacle of Mediocracy” is “liberal clergy and congregations, pseudo-intellectuals at Washington & Lee, the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and others who proclaim that any association with the Confederacy or slavery by anyone, anytime, anywhere, regardless of generations removed, is grounds for immediate damnatio memoriae.”

Then there’s Cahoon’s “How to divorce poverty,” in which he riffs on “imaginary welfare leech Marry Freeloader Poverty’s plight,” ” tons of black, oriental and white success stories” (yes, he actually uses the word “oriental”), claims that “Marry Freeloader” needs to “take your sons and daughters to church via it’s (sic) free buses,” and rants “to hell with the secular atheists, their failed morality and their irresponsible belief in the innate goodness of man alone. ”

Oh, and check out “Yes, we need to arm teachers,” in which he argues that the answer to America’s gun violence problem is…yep, more and more guns. He also writes stuff like “War is upon us because that defines precisely what we are facing against an enemy of sociopaths and Islamic terrorists attacking soft undefended targets”; ” Train, arm and utilize every adult teacher and staff, to maintain, with lethal force if necessary, a secure fort like building and campus”; “So-called student rights, overbearing parents, and disciplinary problems must be subordinated and controlled to ensure safety and to create the learning environment that is the right of all students”; “Curriculums for teachers must be modified to include weapon handling and basic defense tactics”; and “The longer you allow the left to tout the stupid belief that we can solve this by illusionary gun control, the longer the slaughter will continue.”

Finally, as you ask yourselves how the hell the Roanoke Times could possibly allow this unhinged, racist, sexist, etc. extremism and lunacy to be published on its pages, check out the following very short letter to the editor which sums up my feelings about the Roanoke Times editorial page at this point..