AFTER FAKE PILOT NAMES ARE BROADCAST, A POWER TOOL FEARS THAT THAT RACISTS WILL BE THE REAL VICTIMS

I'm sure you know about this by now:

Bay Area news station KTVU just reported that the pilots of Asiana's disastrous flight 214 were the crack team of "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."

Despite the names obviously being just a bunch of racist jokes, KTVU, which has since apologized for the report, says in a statement given to Gawker -- and read on the air -- that an NTSB official confirmed the names to them earlier today.

The NTSB says that the "official" was actually "a summer intern [who] acted outside the scope of his authority." (May I just say, as a middle-aged guy, that it's depressing to think a young person would still find it amusing to confirm these pathetic racist names, especially under these circumstances? Are you people no less provincial and ignorant than your elders were at your age?)

Disgust has been widespread. I assume the intern will be canned, and I hope the same thing happens to whoever "compiled" the list in the first place.

Ahhh, but not everyone feels disgust. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Scott Johnson of 2004 Time Blog of the Year Power Line:

... KTVU has apologized for the error, but in a sense I appreciate it. Humor has been in short supply. I needed the laugh.

... The NTSB angle is interesting, and detracts from the humor. The NTSB has issued its own abject apology for confirming the "inaccurate and offensive names." It almost makes me want to issue an apology for my inappropriate laughter. I didn't mean it! It was involuntary!

... I fear that the NTSB is going to get to the bottom of this. Discipline will be imposed. Heads will roll. The agency will commission a panel to study the incident and propose new procedures to prevent this from happening again....

The post is filed in the Category Laughter Is the Best Medicine.
Yeah, here it comes from the right, I fear. The real victims here are innocent whiye people who are hounded into pariah status for an innocent chuckle. The last accepatable prejudice is the prejudice against harmless mirth-makers. First they came for Paula Deen....