Why does the Journal-Sentinel's McIlheran link to a blogger who calls Mexicans "chihuahuas"?

Over at Patrick McIlheran's blog, Paddy comes under fire for linking to Texas Hold "Em Blogger, he who likes to call Hillary Clinton Hildabeast, liken her to Hitler and engage in other worthy pursuits.

Paddy's response:

After all, he (Tex) remains the Clorox of Wisconsin blogs: pungent and caustic in such a wonderfully beneficial way. 

To demonstrate exactly how "pungent and caustic"  "Tex" can get, Tim Rock at his own blog invokes some choice words that "Tex" made about Mexicans (in comments to a post at Texas Hold Em about the outrage of a Texas pizza chain accepting pesos) (Brawler's bold):

I am sick of them shoving their fucking culture and theire fucking language down my throat.

I stood in Wal Mart yesterday and listen to a bunch of chattering chihuahuas speaking Mexican until I sick of listening to it and finally said, “You’re in America. Speak English or go back to wherever you came from” and walked away.

Either adopt our culture or language or get the fuck out of the U.S. My grandparents were immigrants and guess what? English was learned in their homes. It was the only acceptable language.

In the same comment string, Tex said:

Welcome to the United States of me-HEE-co. A nation that refuses to protect its borders doesn’t deserve to be a nation. And with the illegal alien lobby firmly in control of policy, it won’t be long until we aren’t one any more.

And to this America, I say good riddance. It isn’t the one I learned to love.

Tex hates America!

Beyond being clearly racist (while this word can get thrown around fast and loose, the Brawler thinks most reasonable people would agree that calling a group of people dogs is a fairly clear-cut example of racism) and jaw-droppingly stoopid (speaking "Mexican"?), the behavior described  is insane. Who acts or talks to people like that?

Now, Paddy can say that a link to "Tex" isn't an endorsement of his knuckledragging views ("Hyperlinks from my blog, either in posts or in the blogroll, do not imply agreement in whole or in part with any particular content on the linked pages."). But it certainly raises questions about McIlheran's -- and the Journal Sentinel's -- judgment. Indeed, one could feasibly argue that linking to a guy like Tex after his chihuahua comments have been brought to light shows that McIlheran and the JS are bigots. Or hold Mexican Americans in vulgar contempt.

McIlheran might argue that's unfair. But let's recall the invective Paddy hurled in the direction of John Edwards after it came out that two bloggers his campaign had hired had written critically, and in NSFW language, about Catholicism:

It makes clearer what kind of voter the man is trying to woo. He's free to hire and keep anyone he wants. If the leading populist lefty in the race wants to signal faithful Catholics he regards them with vulgar contempt, that's a useful political signal.

Here's how that could be recast:

The Journal Sentinel and its bloggers are free to link to any bloggers they want. If the leading newspaper in the region and its conservative columnist wants to signal Mexican Americans they regard them with vulgar contempt, that's a useful political signal.

And after one of the bloggers resigned and Edwards said he was offended by her writings, Paddy wrote this:

Of course, why Edwards could say he was "personally offended" by Marcotte's work and yet keep her in charge of his campaign's blog is unclear. The whole point of a campaign is about expressing a message to voters.

Rewrite!:

Of course, why McIlheran could say he doesn't necessarily agree with linked bloggers and yet continue to link to a blogger who calls Mexicans "chihuahuas" is unclear. The whole point of being a newspaper columnist is about communicating opinions and insights to readers.

(Note: It's quite possible that McIlheran was unaware of Tex's "chihuahua" rhetoric when he linked to, and subsequently praised, his blog. Though the Brawler would note that Tex's chihuahua comment has been pointed out before in the cheddarsphere.  In any event, between Rock's work and this post, it's fair to say that McIlheran is aware of it now.)

While we're at it, here are some choice quotes from McIlheran about the two lefty bloggers -- note how, if you change some words around, they could easily pass for descriptions of Tex's work:

The vulgarity is stunning, as is the sheer volume of it. It is as if some people believe that it makes one’s views more genuine or heartfelt if they’re conveyed in language that one expects from Michael Richards on a bad night. (Here's the whole post)

From another post:

But the weird part, the buddy-are-you-even-awake-when-you-type-this part, is where he refers to Edwards' blogger as "colorful" and "outspoken."

Colorful and outspoken is how you refer to that whole Molly Ivins-Ann Richards routine. The blogger, Amanda Marcotte, routinely uses language that gets you thrown off a bus. She uses the same kinds of words that amounted to a meltdown for Michael Richards. She imagines lawmakers she doesn't like having sex with a desk. Go on, read some of Marcotte's colorful outspokenness. I've run into her blog before this and took her for some fringe nutcase. She is not about being colorful and outspoken in support of some view. She is about insulting Catholicism in gutter terms.

Is it the McIlheran line that insulting Catholicism is outrageous but calling Mexican immigrants (also likely Catholic, now that I think about it) "chihuahuas" merely "caustic and pungent"?

Is that the Journal Sentinel line?

There are plenty of thoughtful conservative bloggers out there. Tex is not one of them.

Comments

[John Foust]

P-Dig recently foamed about the Packers v. Vikings and had to refer to them as the "Viqueens". Isn't he wonderfully beneficial?

[Hermes]

OMG dude.
I wasn't gonna cross this line, but this makes me re-think how I'm gonna list him in my side bar. Used to be Texas Whole Dumb Blogger, now I feel justified in the more acerbic Tex: Asshole Dumb Blogger.

[kpli]

Hi..first of all thanks for the post..i've enjoyed reading them and had bookmarked this beautiful blog..i hope it is not late for me to wish you a Happy New Year ..;)