Leave Bill O'Reilly alone!

When I first heard O'Reilly speaking about Sylvia's Restaurant, I began a series of gestures more appropriate for my pet terrier. My head cocked to the side, my eyes widened, and my eyebrows shifted forward indicating a vain and futile attempt at comprehension. In case your home is located somewhere below a rock, O'Reilly said the following:

"I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship...There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, "M-Fer, I want more iced tea."

It was simply one of those moments where you feel a dizzying mixture of confusion, disgust and pity, like at a family gathering when your weird cousin says that Barack Obama is surprisingly articulate for a black man...

But then, it suddenly dawned on me that I had once been in an unfamilar place, and said something very similar. Some of you may remember me from my frequently bizarre 2006 campaign blog View From 22, in which I kept a diary of happenings in the CD22 races. In early July, I attended a super special emergency Fort Bend County Republican meeting in which they planned to vote on a replacement candidate for Tom DeLay. It was an odd experience: alternatively creepy and hilarious. But I was surprised in one important respect. When I got home, I told my wife:

"I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between the Fort Bend Republican meeting and any other meeting in Fort Bend County. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by Republicans, primarily Republican patronship...There wasn't one person in the men's restroom who was whispering, 'Cut-N-Runner, I want more gay sex.' Not one foot tap! Nothing! And I'm a young attractive man. Do you have any idea what it does to your self-esteem to be ignored by a restroom full of balding sexually repressed insurance salesmen? "

Shame on me. And shame on me for judging Bill O'Reilly. Frankly, he expects more of me.

Tolerance and forgiveness,

Mark Bankston