Good Lord, who could believe that members of one of the most elite law enforcement groups in the country would still find this kind of thing funny in 2008? Have they been hiding under a rock for the last 50 years?

The last email (if you got that far) is particularly disgusting. Where do they get these guys, from the dregs of the bottom of the barrel of the worst small-town sheriff's departments in the far reaches of shit-kicker country?

As a white man, I've always found these kinds of jokes pointless and demeaning to the person telling them. If a black comedian wants to make fun of black people, that's his prerogative, and I'll laugh along with everybody else (if it's funny). When a redneck white cop does it, I get that queasy feeling...

And these are the guys who are supposed to be protecting Obama?

Poster, you took the words right out of my mouth. I just said the same thing after I read the article 'and these are the people protecting Obama?!?!' Wow...all I can say is wow! I like to think that they aren't still these ignorant people lurking around but wow. At least don't put this kind of stuff in an email....please, fool me, please. I've heard an open racist is better than a closet-one so I'm not sure if I think our new politically correct society has made the plight any better. For one thing, we would not be taken seriously by any other nation if this was our majority view.

i used to live down south and now live in nyc. i have heard a lot of people up north say very disparaging things about racism in the south. when i point out how there is a lot of racism/ prejudice up north (to immigrants as well as native minorities), they say "well, at least people are open about it".

But is it better? I personally believe that if people want to be bigots in their personal life, that's their prerogative. The issue is when they let it bubble over into public policy or when they are interacting with others in public- e.g. serving customers. I'd rather someone be polite to me, southern style, and then talk about me later if they want than to treat me like crap in public. of course, many bigots would probably have a hard time keeping their bigotry to themselves. or are in denial of how much it affects their thinking and how since it's a personal belief, it shouldn't change their thinking on public policy. Much as people don't seem to be able to keep their religious beliefs out of their thinking on public policy.

slobone:

Where do they get these guys, from the dregs of the bottom of the barrel of the worst small-town sheriff's departments in the far reaches of shit-kicker country?

The truly depressing thing about it is that the answer is no. These are, in many ways, the white guy (possibly gal) next door. Racism is a long way from dead - particularly when the racist feels he or she is in safe company.

Why don't you do more research. What is not mentioned in this article is the fact that the 10 e-mails filed in court came from a comprehensive search of more than 20 million electronic documents over a 16-year period. Only 10 found out of 20 million makes the Secret Service racist? I do not believe so. This and similar articles are being published just to make headlines.

jcarver3:

Why don't you do more research. What is not mentioned in this article is the fact that the 10 e-mails filed in court came from a comprehensive search of more than 20 million electronic documents over a 16-year period. Only 10 found out of 20 million makes the Secret Service racist? I do not believe so. This and similar articles are being published just to make headlines.

What’s your point?

Things like this need to make headlines so people know that bigotry is still alive and well in America. So what if these things were compiled over time. There wouldn’t be a case for a hostile environment if there weren’t repeated accounts. And more to the point, isn’t it worse that these don’t all come from the same week? Or month? At the very least then you could call it an “unfortunate phase” of conversation, that at lease could be spun.

One racist email should make head lines. We need to root out any racist ideology any and very where we find it.