Mid-November 1998

Yesterday National Propaganda Radio dragged out the black commentator they usually drag out whenever they need to have a "black" viewpoint made. This woman is named BeBe Campbell or something of that nature, and man, does that chick ever have a chip on her shoulder! As usual, her tone was arrogant and antagonistic, claiming the seemingly all-important key role of "oppressed victimhood" due, of course, to white racism.

I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I just can't seem to get myself to admit that I somehow have oppressed blacks or committed slavery due to the fact of my white skin. Shame on me.

At any rate, the Oh So Self-Righteous Ms. Campbell was discussing the news report concerning the alleged relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings. Without bothering to notice some of the specious facts concerning the report, Ms. Campbell immediately jumped on the bandwagon blaming Jefferson for being a slave-owner and for sleeping with Hemings. And she went even further--Ms. Campbell said that because the Jefferson/Hemings relation "could not have been consensual" that it "must have been rape." "Ms. Heming's no was powerless." This is assuming that Hemings even said no, of course, but it is typical liberal feminist blather to assume she must have. Even though she had five children with light complections--fathered by somebody, if not Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson went from being the author of one of the all time greatest political documents, the Declaration of Independence, to a viscious slave-owning rapist in a matter of minutes, sneered at by one of the most obnoxious NPR commentators. From Campbell's report you got a picture of Jefferson barging into Hemings slave cabin in the dead of night, throwing her on the bed and brutally having his way with his poor oppressed slave. We won't discuss the fact that Hemings was Jefferson's daughter's companion, was gently educated, and at least got a trip to Paris out of the deal, if deal there was.

Let's look at a few other assumptions here. First, Dr. Eugene Foster, the man who started all this, did NOT use DNA from Thomas Jefferson, since Jefferson had no male descendants, and the so-called DNA matching was done on genes found on the Y chromosone--passed through males "mostly unchanged from father to son." Note that "mostly" there. Dr. Foster sought out the male descendents of Field Jefferson--Thomas Jefferson's paternal uncle. So we're not even looking at Thomas Jefferson's DNA here--merely that of one of his relatives (who could also have fathered Hemings's children, needless to say).

What the geneticists found was an unusual Y chromosone. "The analysis found that the Jefferson Y chromosome was highly unusual, of a kind that has never been observed outside the family." Never? Ever? Have they checked all the Y chromosomes in the world, I wonder? I've heard of DNA being collected from a wider and wider group of humans, but that "never" kind of gets to me.

"Foster cautions that his study doesn't conclusively prove paternity of Eston Hemings. Male descendants of Field Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson's younger brother Randolph would also have carried the unusual Y chromosome, and one of them could have been the illegitimate father of Eston Hemings or one of men farther down the Eston Hemings family tree."

Of course, since the DNA of Thomas Jefferson wasn't even consulted in this entire scenario, it is entirely possible that Thomas Jefferson didn't even have this Y chromosome--but rabid liberal feminists can't be bothered with facts such as these. Might get in the way of the great rape theory/victim ideology that has become a religion to them, don't you know.

Even Foster said, "I can't say it seals it, but it is very, very, very likely." First we have a "mostly" as in "mostly unchanged from father to son." Then we have a "never"--as if all male DNA in the entire world has been checked for this Y chromosome. Then we have a "very, very, very" even though Foster says he can't conclusively confirm his report.

So what in the world is all this about? Why have I had to listen to seeming hundreds of little "news" (propaganda) items about this? I don't suppose it could be the timing of the report, could it? Is it cynical of me to think that NPR couldn't resist blasting this bilge all over the place for days on end just before the First Philanderer's impeachment hearings?

Anyone who has read their history of that time (which obviously doesn't include Ms. Campbell) is aware that Jefferson was visciously attacked by the Federalists he opposed. Politics were rough in those early days and both Federalists and Anti-federalists took off the gloves when they belted each other. That's when the original rumor of Jefferson's alleged affair was dragged out and thrown into the arena. Just as the "vast right wing conspiracy" is supposedly doing its level best to topple the First Liar, the Federalists of Jefferson's time did everything they could to ruin his day. And Jefferson never denied nor admitted the Hemings affair, unlike another certain president we could name who has both denied and admitted his affair--while we have tapes upon tapes proclaiming it to all the world.

Did Thomas Jefferson have children by his slave Sally Hemings? It could be. But we sure as hell still don't have conclusive proof.

"Before a method can be accepted as valid for forensic use, it must be rigorously characterized in both research and forensic settings to determine the circumstances under which it will and will not yield reliable results. It is meaningless to speak of the reliability of DNA typing in general...i.e., without specifying a particular method. (National Research Council, "DNA Technology in Forensic Science", 1992, pages 51-52)."

See DNA in the Courtroom and ABC reporting on this item.

© Patricia Neill 1998

---