GOP Governor's Wife Calls Asian-American Students "Terrorists"

Posted by Paddy , Cliff Schecter's Blog at 3:15 PM on February 4, 2008.

I had to read this a couple times before the idiocy really sunk in.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.-A group of Southeast Asian youth said Monday they want an apology from Gov. Don Carcieri's wife for comparing teenagers who criticized her husband to suicide bombers.

The Providence Youth Student Movement also plans to write a letter asking First Lady Sue Carcieri and her husband to meet with them, said Jane Wang, a staff member for the group, which tries to develop leadership skills among Asian youth.

Carcieri made the remark Jan. 22 to a columnist for The Providence Journal in response to students who had called the governor's decision to lay off three Southeast Asian-language interpreters "racist." The interpreters, who worked in the Department of Human Services, lost their jobs amid layoffs aimed at closing an estimated $560 million state deficit.

"First of all, I think they have mentors who are much older than them who are training them up. You know -- how those terrorists have kids blow up, you know, Benazir Bhutto and so forth? You think the kids thought of it? I don't think so," Carcieri was quoted as saying.

Even if you think the kids were out of line for calling the governor "racist" (I don't know much of the back story), what the hell was she thinking? "Training them up"?

Tagged as: racism, terrorism, carcieri, rhode island

Paddy is a regular contributor to Cliff Schecter.com.