Reflections on the wasted life of an unrepentant racist

June 9, 2007

Guest Post by Morbo

Some religious people I know insist that there is goodness in all people. We all carry a spark of the divine within us, they argue, and therefore no life can be without some worth and dignity.

I respect the people who hold this view, but I must disagree with it. Some people possess no dignity and are of precious little worth. Consider, for example, James G. Clark.

Clark was sheriff of Dallas County, Ala., during the struggle for civil rights. He died recently at age 84, and, reading his obituary in The Washington Post, I searched for any clue that his life had been anything but wasted. My search was in vain.

During his tenure as sheriff, Clark strutted about in a goofy metal helmet, wielding a billy club. His main job was to prevent African Americans from registering to vote at the courthouse in Selma. He was backed by a legion of goons — and they were very effective.

Here’s the kind of guy Clark was: In January of 1965, he confronted a 54-year-old black woman named Annie Lee Cooper who was waiting in line to register to vote at the courthouse. The Post recounts the incident:

Mr. Clark prodded Cooper in the neck with a billy club. She turned around, decked him with all the strength in her 226-pound body and sent him sprawling. The sheriff’s deputies then held down Cooper as Mr. Clark hit her repeatedly with his club.

Although I’m sure Cooper suffered greatly from her injuries, it must have been exhilarating to see Clark go down like that.

The excesses of people like Clark spurred Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. The feds enforced it, and African Americans in Dallas County were able to register. Newly enfranchised blacks used their vote wisely: In 1967, Clark was voted out of office. Lacking skill, talent and intelligence, Clark went into a downward spiral. In 1978, he was convicted of conspiring to import three tons of marijuana from Colombia and served nine months in prison. He sold mobile homes after that.

Clark never changed his views on race. He never apologized. As The Post noted, “In interviews, he remained unrepentant about his years as sheriff. He continued to denigrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights figures of the 1960s as cowards.”

Despite Clark’s noxious life, I think it is important that his legacy of hate be remembered — not just by people in Selma but all over America and indeed the world. His squandered life should serve as a reminder to all of us. Therefore, I propose that a statue of Clark be erected in Selma. It should depict Clark being knocked on his butt by a brave woman named Annie Lee Cooper.

I don’t know how a statue of Clark being kicked by a woman would do anything other than reinforce this nation’s propensity for really awful public art. But Clark’s brand of racism was endemic to his generation. Let’s hope the movement for inclusion continues with the next generation.

  • the first thing that ran through my head when i heard of the unlamented demise of jim clark was the old tom lehrer song called “national brotherhood week:”

    “but during national brotherhood week,
    national brotherhood week,
    lena horne and sheriff clark are dancing cheek to cheek.
    step up and shake the hand
    of someone you can’t stand.
    it’s only for one week so have no fear…
    be grateful that it doesn’t last all year!”

  • Bill O’Reilly would say this guy was just upholding his traditional values.

  • The fact that “good” southerners allow scum like this to not only live among them but thrive, and that they apologize for them, is the basis of my dislike of the entire (white people’s) culture down there.

  • “He continued to denigrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights figures of the 1960s as cowards.”

    Taking the story of Annie Lee Cooper, one can see who the “coward” was – like most of the redneck scum who are only “heroic” when running in packs and outnumbering their victims.

  • Well, Tom, would you have white Southerners go to the scums’ houses and burn crosses out front? In the 50s, running people out of town was possible, but thank heaven it isn’t as easy any more anywhere.

  • “[I]t must have been exhilarating…”

    Why? It is just a vicous cycle of violence begetting violence begetting violence… Why not be the one hemoraging inside a cage of broken ribs and bleeding out your anus in a jail cell before projecting emotions onto the scene.

    Do you think your emotional surge is on par with whatever that bloodthirsty sack of shit Bill Kristol feels when we beat a 56 year old man to death or kill a terror suspect by torture and crucifixion?

    The toll on the folks actually doing the living, fighting, and dying is a lot different than that of the guttless cowards living vicariously from a distance. Have you ever been beaten shitless defending a cause? Have you ever been in real harms way? Have you ever watched a friend’s brains get blown into your lap while gutless blowhards debate from a safe distance?

    Try it, then see how you feel about cheap thrills at another’s suffering.

    -jjf

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