As the letters of complaints continue to flow into Comcast over Tom Bennett's profane-laced, bigoted cable access show, the Tribuna raises the stakes and offers a thought-provoking editorial aimed directly at BigT and those at Comcast who still refuse to do the right thing and enforce their rules.

Last month, sparks flew in every direction over the racist and sexist commentary of radio host and shock jock Don Imus concerning the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. His extremely bigoted comments cost him his job with CBS Radio.
Sadly, we do not need to go too far to find the same level of bigotry.

Within Danbury’s local media, there are individuals who express vile and uncivilized opinions, using profanity when referring to woman, regularly making racist comments, referring to undocumented immigrants as “dirty pigs” and calling upon people to purchase guns to protect themselves from them.

Because of the freedoms guaranteed by this great country, we can express our thoughts and opinions publicly. We can differ from, debate with, and protest against one another. However, history has taught us about the high price of these very freedoms when they are spent aimlessly, invested in scars whose brand upon generation after generation serves as a reminder of the insoluble effects of hatred and intolerance.

An old friend of mine in the Danbury police force once told a class of ESL students the story of his parents and their struggles when they arrived in the United States as migrants from Ireland. He described the time his father had walked into a store hoping to buy a present for his Grandmother, but the store clerk refused to sell the item to him simply because he was Irish.

Every group of immigrants that has settled in Danbury has its own tales to tell about the struggles and discrimination they endured or continue to endure. Regardless of whether they arrived legally or illegally, groups from Europe, Asia, the Middle East or other parts of the Americas, have all experienced the unfortunate behavior of “natives” who may be suspicious or fearful of people unfamiliar to them – from signs on storefronts refusing entry to the public humiliation of racial or ethnic slurs to full-blown protests.

As free people, we have the right to voice our opinions on the immigration issue. But regardless of the role one may have in the community, opinions should be shared with tolerance and sensitivity. Those whose opinions are heard publicly should not ignore the responsibility that comes with freedom of speech.

The history of our community is woven from the stories of the many different immigrants groups that have contributed to its growth – from 17th-century British migrants crossing an ocean to escape tyranny to the workers answering the call of industry in the 19th century to the political and economic refugees of the twentieth. These immigrants represent the ancestors of Danbury’s U.S.-born population – past, present, and future.

Even in a republic that from its founding, has been a beacon of democracy and has served as the model for dozens of other nation around the globe, the road to freedom for all has been a rough one. It took the near-destruction of our Union and a civil war to end the formal enslavement of African Americans.

Yet one hundred years later, its aftermath of racial segregation filled land with violence yet again - riots, murders and gruesome beatings of blacks and whites committed to ending racism and intolerance. History provides us with the lessons we need to learn. There is no need to prolong discrimination and intolerance of any kind. The 1960s are still a vivid memory, and we have all seen and heard all the damage hatred and bigotry sow.

We are all from the same point of origin, hailing from the same cradle of civilization, and we are all frail human beings that wither with time, leaving behind only what we have done to change the world around us.

Beyond all of this, I have learned through my faith that to love one another is to love God. It is impossible to have a relationship with the Creator while discriminating among his creation. We in Him are all brothers and sisters.

Well said...but I'll just be blunt.

Tom Bennett and his followers represent the worse our great city of Danbury has to offer. When he's spinning the oldies as a wedding DJ or creating those annoying party favors that everyone throws out after a wedding reception or birthday party, Bennett has the nerve to use the PUBLIC'S airwaves to spew out a slew of indecent and profane remarks, which has gone unchecked by the higher-ups at Comcast who apparently rather look the other way than enforce the rules on their books.

Just based on the clips I've posted so far, Bennett and his co-hosts have 1.) talked about violence against immigrants; 2.) used sexually explicit language with a minor; 3.) offered a slew of racist remarks. THAT'S JUST IN TWO CLIPS FOLKS AND I'VE BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.

Again, this is just in the small clips I presented and as recent as his last show, he has continued this pattern of toxic bigotry and violence. Here's another letter that was just sent to Comcast based on Bennett's show last Friday.

To Whom It may Concern,

I understand that recently Tom Bennett has taken some flack concerning statements made on his BIG T's TALK AND VARIETY SHOW. Curious, I tuned in last night to see for myself what Mr. Bennett had to say.

After mentioning this very situation, and insinuating it had been rectified, Bennett proceeded to use the racist epithet "raghead", the homophobic term "dyke", and went on to imply that Lynn Cheney should be beaten with a baseball bat, and that Mexicans should be shot while trying to cross the border.

Please explain how allowing this hate monger to have his bully pulpit benefits our community in any way, (which I believe is the root purpose cable access is intended to have).

Free speech is one thing, but BIG T's show is hate speech.

Just like you can't teach a old dog new tricks, you can't teach a hardened profane-mouth bigot to tone down his racist rhetoric...it's simple, Bennet can't change who he truly is which is why his remarks will never change.

Enough is enough.

Bennett's antics need to come to an end and his show (and everyone who repeatedly violated the stations guidelines) need to be escorted off the Comcast premises and pronto. Adding a disclaimer after Bennett's show won't cut it and this issue will only escalate until the rules and enforced on Bennett. We're not talking about someone who let a profane remark slip out of his mouth once or twice, we're talking about someone who uses bigoted language on a regular basis and it needs to come to an end.

PLEASE keep sending emails to Comcast and help bring an end to Tom Bennett's show. Let Comcast know that we're not going away and we will not stop until this issue is resolved.

Dave King: Comcast Head Coordinator:
Phone: 203-792-1265
Email: Dave_King@cable.comcast.com

Candiann Roswell: Comcast Coordinator:
Phone: 203-792-1265
Email: Candiann_Roswell2@cable.comcast.com

When emailing Comcast, please CC: hatcityblog@yahoo.com and we'll post your message on the site (privacy will be honored).

YOUR EMAILS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AS LOCAL BUSINESSES, CUSTOMERS OF COMCAST (WHO NOW HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN COMCAST THE AT&T TV SERVICE) AND THE MEDIA ARE PAYING ATTENTION. Keep up the pressure and tell Comcast to do simply do their job, enforce their rules, and properly deal with their Big(o)T problem.