The offending remark cannot be unspoken: Keven Graves
Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:57 am
Nisqually Valley News
Editorials
The offending remark cannot be unspoken
By Keven Graves
Published: Friday, November 9, 2012
I have watched four of them now, and I find the JZ Knight videos deplorable and indefensible.
The first video was a highly-edited political hit piece with an ominous soundtrack. It was denounced by Knight representatives and students as pure political chicanery.
Knight’s diatribe against “homosexual priests” and the Catholic church had to do with the child molestations that were covered up by the church, according to Knight supporters.
OK.
That argument might have stuck if not for the subsequent videos. As it turns out, video No. 1 was only a glimpse behind the walls of Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.
In longer stretches of unedited video, Knight rails against Mexicans, gays, Catholics and even organic farmers.
Mexicans, said Knight, while purportedly channeling Ramtha, “breed like (expletive) rabbits,” adding, “they’re poison.” She decries the failure of Mexicans to use birth control.
This makes the crowd of RSE students chuckle.
“All gay men,” she said in another video, “were once Catholic women” sick of being forced to give birth.
Again, guffaws from the audience.
In yet another video, she tells students, “I have yet to meet a good-looking organic person. They have rotting teeth, have a lot of furrows on the face … they need a whole facelift.”
The crowd erupts in laughter.
I don’t find any of the comments amusing. They are mean-spirited and bigoted.
The remarks are surprisingly intolerant considering RSE leaders’ and students’ repeated calls over the years for tolerance from members of the Yelm community.
Why is the Nisqually Valley News covering this story? Why have I now written two columns on this subject? Because I think it would be negligent of the newspaper to ignore it.
JZ Knight is a public figure and is subject to greater scrutiny than the average citizen. By entering the political arena through her contributions, she opened the door to increased scrutiny.
And now Knight is suing the woman accused of being behind the release of the videos, Virginia Coverdale.
Coverdale says she was labeled a “whore” by Knight herself, and that’s become the drumbeat in letters to the editor written by Knight supporters.
I’ve never met Coverdale. She refused to speak to an NVN reporter because she didn’t like the newspaper’s coverage in the past.
I don’t know what her motivations are behind releasing the videos. I don’t care. I don’t think it matters one bit that, as the RSE machine is alleging, Coverdale slept with Knight’s former boyfriend.
I don’t believe that most of our readers care either.
In trying to discredit Coverdale, and by going after her in court, I think RSE has made Coverdale an underdog in the public eye.
As a result of RSE’s lawsuit, this story has grown legs. It won’t be going away any time soon.
In trying to position herself as a victim of a contract violation, Knight is appearing to be on the defensive — perhaps desperate to prevent the release of additional embarrassing videos?
For me, it boils down to the fact that, out of Knight’s mouth came foul and discriminating comments.
Just as toothpaste can’t be put back in the tube, Knight’s hurtful words cannot be unspoken.
http://yelmonline.com/articles/2012/11/ ... 564363.txt