Maplewood Councilman forwards porn to softball buddies, inadvertently copies reporter on e-mail

By Aaron Rupar Mon., Apr. 30 2012 at 7:30 AM

Bob Cardinal needs an internet coach.

Bob Cardinal, Maplewood Councilman and a former mayor, forwarded a comically offensive e-mail to a handful of his softball buddies last Thursday night.

The e-mail's subject line read "Muslim's" and inside was an attachment splashed with topless women, calling on folks to partake in "Walk Naked for America Day" next Saturday. Pretty juvenile, right? Sure, but at the same time we live in a free country and Cardinal is free to forward whatever internet junk he wants to his friends.

Cardinal, however, generated some unwanted attention for himself by accidentally copying a Pioneer Press reporter on the e-mail. Oops!

Not only is the Naked Day message pornographic, it's also anti-Muslim. The attachment encourages "American hotties" to walk out of their homes naked because "it is a sin for a Muslim male to see any woman other than his wife or daughter naked."

"Patriotic men" are urged to gather on lawns to watch, and the e-mail characterizes the whole enterprise as an attempt to "weed out neighborhood terrorists."

Asked to explain himself by the PiPress, Cardinal said he sent the Naked Day e-mail to his friends because he thought it was "shocking" and wanted to share.

"I couldn't believe what I saw," he said. "I don't know how that even got on the internet."

Cardinal, a military veteran who now works as a business agent, said he originally received the e-mail from a constituent. He said he disagrees with the message's content but nonetheless felt compelled to share it with friends.

Not everyone finds the nudity and anti-Muslim message to be to most offensive components of the e-mail. As one PiPress commenter notes:

Also shocking: that Cardinal is shocked by the fact naked chicks and racism exists on the internet. But maybe he's not really as shocked as he now claims to be after accidentally sharing the e-mail with a reporter. After all, he had to somehow explain his erroneous button-click, and he probably felt compelled to come up with something better than 'I thought it was funny and figured my softball buddies would get a chuckle out of it too.'

Tags:

Bob Cardinal, internet gaffes, Maplewood, Walk Naked for America Day

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Nigel Parry

if it was sent using his city account, you can file a FOIA

Vanessa L Freeman

I wonder what else he's been sending out.

Kirk the Conservative Jerk

Why would Citypages "forget" to include the message in it's full context?Are we now inspiring to be like NBC and the Today Show?

The message should have read -"It is a sin for a Muslim male to see any woman other than his wife naked and if he does, he must commit suicide."Not sure where the "daughter" thing come from but I believe she also can be legally traded to the neighbor under openly practiced Islamic law.

Kirk the Conservative Jerk

Tax, spend, tax, spend, watch porn, forward porn, tax, spend, tax, spend...

Mac Wilson

Don't you mean "forward's porn to softball buddie's"?

Albatross

Hm, he's sexist, racist, and inept with technology more advanced than a rotary phone. It doesn't say anywhere in the article, but I'm guessing he's a Republican...

Decievious Leroy Johnston Jr.

Yep, he's a Republican.

He has a job.

Valid Email

He is in fact a Republican, endorsed by the local party unit when he ran for his office last year. He also sought but failed to receive Republican endorsement for the MN House of Reps this year.

Calenti

...accepting government checks while working to deny benefits to others. Yah, sounds about right.

Momo

He'd be an exemplary public official if he shelled out "benefits" to every living soul, that's the proper function of government, right?

anon

As shockingly stupid as Cardinal acted, I just wish he would own it. The apology is more pathetic than the behavior that prompted it. He did something unbecoming of an elected official, sure, but he did not break the law. He should have just said, "yep, I was stupid, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again." It would be refreshing to hear honesty for once.