A Republican congressman called Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) racist for making a joke about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s space ambitions.
Fresh off the Islamic Republic swearing that it really did send a monkey into orbit, the president has volunteered to go to space himself, reported Mehr News Agency this morning.
“I am ready to be the first human to be sent to space by Iranian scientists,” Ahmadinejad said.
“So Ahmadinejad wants to be first Iranian in space – wasn’t he just there last week? ‘Iran launches monkey into space,’” McCain tweeted.
Some 20 minutes later, after multiple replies accusing him of making a racist slur, the senator followed up with, “Re: Iran space tweet – lighten up folks, can’t everyone take a joke?”
In response to his explainer, Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) tweeted, “Maybe you should wisen up & not make racist jokes.”
I agree, I agree, the monkeys should be offended by the joke of McCain !
It would be racist to call Iranians monkeys, but McCain called Ahmadinejad one. I think that is fair. Amash should apologize for being an over-sensitive idiot.
Per the “Internet” – Amash is a second generation Arab-American. This could explain why he got his panties in a bunch. McCain did not call Iranians “monkeys”. He did not call Arabs “monkeys”. He called an anti-Semitic, anti-American, anti-Western jackass a monkey. Perhaps we should ask Mr. Amash to respond to the comments made not long ago by the President of Egypt (an Arab) concerning Jews being the descendants of “apes and pigs”. Would that be racist Mr. Amash? Or is it okay? Methinks Mr. Amash protests too much (or is there another reason why he attacks a fellow Republican for such a harmless comment).
Indeed, Iranians aren’t Arabs. The country’s name means “Land of the Aryans.” Seems to me the world got carte blanche to make racist jokes about Aryan back in the 1940s.
Well, according to paleontologists, we’re all descended or ascended from the apes. What does it matter? The idiot, he doesn’t know those paleontologists are racists and apparently he forgot humans have already been to space and the moon so the Iranian can’t be the first human lost in space.
Rep. Amash needs to learn the differnce between race and ethnicity. If he knew already he would not make such a sincerely stupid accusation.
Their lack of evolution can be traced to the burqua. Forced the marry the woman with the most goats arabs have failed to get better looking and less hairy like the rest of us. I’d fight jihad if I were married to a hobbit.
I put McCain’s comments down to an honest mistake. Has anybody seen a picture of Ahmadinejad and the monkey side by side? Even most Iranians have trouble telling them apart. They even sound a lot alike.
As to him being the first man Iran sent into space, I’m all for it. To the moon Achmed, to the moon!
Someone in Grand Rapids needs to contact Amash and tell him that Iranians are Aryans or Caucasians (not Arab). There was NO racial element to this joke anyway. He was calling an ugly little hateful dictator a monkey–not anyone’s ethnicity or race. Amash needs to publicly apologize to McCain.
They probably smell a lot alike too!
Well, JanineC, my primary alma mater (Ohio State) has a student newspaper that proudly proclaimed an Iranian girl who was elected homecoming queen some years ago, a “woman of color”. I kid you not. The paper did not print my corrective letter citing my anthropology professor’s (Ohio State, again) characterization of Iranians as Caucasians. Idiocy abounds, especially in academia!
As for Sen. McCain, he was correct, and Amash needs to apologize. President I’m-A-Dinner-Jacket is, as you say, “an ugly little hateful dictator”. Perhaps monkeys should be offended, but no one else!
Here’s support for John McCain….this whole politically correct, “racist-racism” instantaneous pop-up, label-pasting has become simply silly….this mere layman typing this was banned from even merely searching on the ABAJournal website by making an earlier snark-comment on their august blog that “with a name like Ortiz, she should be assured of lifetime tenure just about anywhere she wanted” in the context of the Aaron Swartz suicide where she played that prominent prosecutor role.
Well, it’s politically very correct and true, ain’t it? Admit It.