Rudy's Man In Philly Hearts Confederate Flag
Will Bunch has a nice catch on Rudy's man in Philadelphia, Joey Vento, the cheese-steak store owner who made national headlines for insisting that his customers order in English.
Bunch points us to this new article in The New Republic which sketches in a bit of detail about Rudy's Philly supporter, who endorsed the Mayor not long ago:
A little staff work, though, ought to have demonstrated that Vento was more than just another simple restaurateur with his mind helpfully focused on integrating non-English speaking immigrants into the modern U.S. economy. They might, for instance, have simply checked out his arm, which has a tattoo of the confederate flag. Vento says it's an homage to the old cartoon character Johnny Yuma, the rebel. He must have liked that show a lot, because he also had the flag on several of the Harley-Davidsons he keeps across the street from his restaurant.
The piece also notes that Vento once told a reporter that Mexicans carry disease into the U.S. because they "play and drink out of the same water." Rudy, you may recall, was a big defender of immigrants when he was Mayor of New York. Now he's hanging with Vento.
Here's the video from Rudy's web site of Vento's endorsement of the Mayor:
Comments (16)
philly guy wrote on October 11, 2007 2:56 PM:Ventos' a Rizzo kind a guy. And rainbow coalition is not the colors he salutes.
Anonymous wrote on October 11, 2007 2:59 PM:What? Anti-immigrant xenophobes are also racists? Shocking!
jerophonic wrote on October 11, 2007 3:11 PM:Vento sometimes does his own radio ads in Philly. It'd be interesting to have him take a written English test with a couple of recent immigrants, and compare scores.
turtleguy wrote on October 11, 2007 3:15 PM:It's honestly like he's TRYING to gather a collection of racists for his campaign. I mean, how dumb can you be?
John McKay wrote on October 11, 2007 4:00 PM:Vento says it's an homage to the old cartoon character Johnny Yuma...
Doesn't everybody model their lives on old cartoon characters? I've based my life on Tom Terrific. That's why I always wear a red funnel on my head when I go out in public.
Poster Nutbag wrote on October 11, 2007 4:02 PM:if joey vento loves america so much, why does he support the most un-american institution of them all: the confederate states of america?
it makes me embarrassed that he is a philadelphian, and, for the record, i prefer my cheesesteak chopped (like pats & jims) not sliced (like genos).
OxyCon wrote on October 11, 2007 4:26 PM:There is an element of the Italian population in South Philly that really hates blacks in general. Perhaps this is why the Confederate flag appeals so much to Vento. I know it did to the racists I went to high school with in the Philly suburbs.
brianm0122 wrote on October 11, 2007 4:32 PM:Vento says it's an homage to the old cartoon character Johnny Yuma...
Doesn't everybody model their lives on old cartoon characters? I've based my life on Tom Terrific. That's why I always wear a red funnel on my head when I go out in public.
I follow the cult of Foghorn Leghorn myself (do-dah).
Who the heck is Johnny Yuma, never heard of him.
jmcg wrote on October 11, 2007 4:44 PM:I don't believe it is accurate to call Johnny a cartoon character:
http://www.womenwritersblock.com/ourfavwest7.htm
PaMan wrote on October 11, 2007 4:45 PM:Funny, somebody should remind Vento and Giuliani that not that long ago people with last names like theirs were considered undesirable in some quarters.
Larry Geater wrote on October 11, 2007 4:46 PM:Just did a google search on Johny Yuma. It was not a cartoon. It was a 30 min B&W show "Thge Rebel" staring Nick Adams as Johny Yuma on ABC from 1959 to 1961. You would think a guy who had a tattoo inspored by the show would rember wether it was animated or live action.
VictorLaszlo wrote on October 11, 2007 4:49 PM:Wikipedia sez: There was a cartoon character called Johnny Yuma on the short-lived animated series "C.O.P.S." in the late eighties.
Another "Johnny Yuma" was the protagonist in a live-action series called "The Rebel", which ran from 1959-1961. The theme song of this series was entitled "The Rebel - Johnny Yuma", and was a hit for singer Johnny Cash.
In summary, "Johnny Yuma" the cartoon character and "The Rebel - Johnny Yuma" were two different characters.
I would think a true fan would know that.
VictorLaszlo wrote on October 11, 2007 4:51 PM:GMTA, Larry.
nancy wrote on October 11, 2007 4:55 PM:Tom Terrific's funnel was red? Who knew - I only saw it in black & white
Cajie wrote on October 12, 2007 11:51 AM:He had the TATTOO before the naacp 1990s mandate condemned and promised to eliminate all Southern Heritage and Culture. The black power has the biased media by the throat and you play their game.
You have bought into their Jihad of lies and are playing the race card against the black and white Confederate Southern Americans.
www.votenic.com wrote on October 12, 2007 4:23 PM:2008 Presidential Election Weekly Poll
Results Posted Tuesday Evening At Midnight.
