[JRutledge]

No one said anything about the word "thug" being racist or a racist term.

As a matter of fact, I never said the comments were racist. I said the comments were inappropriate considering the double standards of how people talk about when talking about different people.

I remember when someone used the word "retarded" and folks from all over jumped down that person's throat for making a joke. I did not see many talking about sensitivity of those that took offense to that word and their opinion about why that was offensive.

I am not going to stop being who I am because it makes someone uncomfortable. Myself and others took on an association member that kept making comments about all the Black officials that stand and talk after meetings and tried to imply we were "up to something" in a joking way. His comments were not received well by fellow Black officials and we wondered why he did not make those some comments about the many white officials that stood around and talked to each other. Those comments were a double standard, so is the characterization of Chaney being a thug to me is. I think I have that right to voice my opposition like the others that were offended by the "retarded" comments.

Peace