Question: When is hate not hateful? Answer: When it is committed by a leftwing investigator for the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Last week, the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission tried to sneak in a pre-holiday disclosure: Alvin Forbes, Sr., an Illinois Department of Human Rights employee, was caught using his state-owned computer to send anti-Tea Party emails last November and given a verbal reprimand. A reprimand? Not a termination of employment for violating state ethics laws against political activity?

So what was the point of this phony wrist slap? Was it a coincidence that the Commission chose to post this news on its website a week prior to Labor Day – the kick-off to the all-important 2011-2012 political season – hoping few would notice? Strategically, they were correct; with the exception of a few news outlets, this story has gone unreported.

In November 2010, Forbes emailed a propaganda-filled diatribe targeting Glenn Beck and Gov. Sarah Palin, carping about a dastardly plan to “take down President Obama and the government.” Excuse me, Mr. Forbes, but the freedom to oppose a political philosophy you disagree with – that’s called democracy. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Forbes’ email further stated that “dangerous radical hate mongers called the ‘Tea Party'” have taken over the Republican Party and directed recipients to vote Democrat because “these people [Tea Party] hate blacks. They hate Latinos. They hate Muslims and have at times made many anti-Semitic statements. They hate gays. They hate any moderate Republican who might be likely to cooperate with Obama.”

And this guy is investigating discrimination cases in Illinois? Looks like someone could use a Tea Party sensitivity class. Maybe Glenn Beck could teach it.

What if Forbes’ email had targeted Democrats instead? Can you imagine the whiny liberal media outcry? The political outrage? The incident raises other serious questions: Is there more to this cooked-up story than Gov. Pat Quinn & Co. are letting on? Forbes sent the email in November, was reprimanded in spring, and the reprimand was only reported last week. Is this what is meant by ethics?

Of course, with Democrats still in control of the Illinois legislature and governorship, ethics is a relative term.

In Illinois, the employees of other government and tax-exempt educational organizations have been caught recently using equipment and email accounts to help Democrat candidates and spread anti-Tea Party propaganda. In July, DePaul University professors were caught trying to shut down a Tea Party jobs fair at a private club opposite President Obama’s birthday celebration in Chicago. The professors – an associate dean and a director of Women’s Studies – used university email accounts to send out 2,000 emails to harass the club in violation of their university’s charter and tax-exempt status. What action was taken? None. Not even a wrist slap.

Once again, the left-wing Thought Police want to have their progressive cake and eat it too. They create special categories to support their liberal patronage. They dream-up new fictitious classes of victimization, enact their shiny new categories into law, and litigate uncooperative companies and people. Muslims are just the latest category to be awarded with this “special victims status.” But political discrimination is different. It is acceptable. It is encouraged. It is codified. It is rewarded.

And political hate certainly isn’t a punishable offense at the Illinois Department of Human Rights. Perhaps Gov. Pat Quinn should rename his agency to comport with its actual purpose: The Illinois Department of Democrat Rights.

Ethics Commission finding below:

10-01167_Forbes_08.29.11

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