August 09, 2007 05:40 AM UTC

Maybe a "Hate Crime"?

• 4 Comments
• by: cologeek

From the Aug 2-8 Colorado Springs Independent

Think before you push “Send’
by J. Adrian Stanley

In fairness, we’re probably all guilty of clicking the send button on our e-mail a little too hastily every now and then.

El Paso County Public Trustee Patricia Thompson certainly is. She recently forwarded an e-mail, meant to be humorous, that ended up offending at least one recipient.

The joke was about an American air traffic controller instructing a Saudi plane and an Iranian plane to land on the same runway, causing a collision. The punch line included the American controller sending out a “Praise Jesus” to the panicked pilots.

Not exactly PC.

Thompson, who was appointed by the governor, is unlikely to be penalized for sending out the e-mail because oversight of her office is minimal. If she answers to anyone, it will be Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.

Thompson, who comes from a family of multiple ethnicities, says she sent out the e-mail in a careless moment and didn’t mean to offend anyone. She says she’s not prejudiced and is sorry for her actions.

“It’s very embarrassing,” she says. “It’s just the direct opposite of the person I am.”

That was the whole story in the Independent.  Several unanswered questions, was this sent through a government computer, using a taxpayer funded account?  Will Governor Ritter ignore the action of an appointee of his in regards to an obviously religiously biased and racist joke?
Will this be ignored because it was a Democrat who did it?