From the NY Times:
ALBANY — State Senator Kevin S. Parker apologized Monday for an outburst last week in which he called Republicans white supremacists, saying that he realized his comments had become a major distraction for the Senate.
“To the extent that my words last week brought commotion and emotion to this house in ways that may distract or divert us from the important work of the people of New York State, work that’s so important for all of us,” Mr. Parker, a Democrat, said in a lengthy speech from the Senate floor, “I offer my sincerest apologies for my zealous advocacy.”
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Mr. Parker, who has gained a reputation for occasional angry flare-ups directed at colleagues, qualified his apology somewhat. “But to the extent that my words bring debate and discussion to this house on the issue of race and exclusion,” he added, “I offer my sincerest commitment to continue that debate and that discussion, and ask you to be partners in that debate.” Mr. Parker also said he had received death threats over his remarks.
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[10:45 a.m. – 4/29/2010] – N.Y. State Senator: Republican Legislators Are White Supremacists
From the NY Daily News:
ALBANY – In his latest off-the-wall behavior, hothead Sen. Kevin Parker Wednesday morning accused Senate Republicans – and even some Democrats – of being white supremacists.
Parker updated his Facebook status, saying he was “in Albany fighting the evil of White Supremacy!”
And Parker, who exploded in a fury during a public committee meeting Tuesday, defended his outburst during a radio interview as “par for the course of what we have to do up in Albany fighting the forces of evil.”
Asked by Daily News columnist and WWRL host Errol Louis what the forces of evil were, Parker said, “these long-term white supremacist Republican senators.”
He accused the GOP of not being able to handle losing the Senate majority and now having blacks, Latinos, women and gays running the chamber as part of the Democratic majority.
“They have a real problem with that and because of that they do things that are very very inappropriate,” Parker said.
