Robert "Say" McIntosh

Robert "Say" McIntosh (born 1943) is a colorful political and black rights activist and restaurant owner in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was born in Osceola, but grew up in Little Rock around the Granite Mountain area. During Bill Clinton's terms as governor of Arkansas, McIntosh was a persistent gadfly for state politicians.

Early life

He was the fifth child of eleven. He attended Horace Mann High School and dropped out in the 10th grade.

Adult life

McIntosh opened his own restaurant becoming famous for his sweet potato pie. He frequently held sweet potato pie sales to fund his various political campaigns. When Bill Clinton raised the license plate fee to double its previous value, "Say" had trouble keeping up with the demand for his pies as Arkansans chose them as a form of protest, knowing that it would fund some mischief against Clinton.

There was a tree ceremoniously planted on the Arkansas capitol grounds on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to honor King. McIntosh showed up the next day and chopped it down in front of the press, and commented that "No black man was invited to be present for the tree planting. I'm cutting it down till blacks are invited to be part of the political process in Little Rock."

He made frequent allegations that Bill Clinton had several affairs around Little Rock and had fathered a child out of wedlock named Danny Williams. (The "Star" tabloid later determined through a DNA test that Clinton was not Williams' father. [cite book |last=Colmes |first=Alan |authorlink=Alan Colmes |title=Red, White & Liberal: How Left Is Right & Right Is Wrong |year=2003 |publisher=HarperCollins |pages=46-47] ) McIntosh posted a flier during Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign which read "The Hottest Thing Going: Bill Clinton's Dick Will Keep Him From Running for President of the United States of America" with a picture of Danny Williams. Secret service agents were seen around Little Rock with paint scrapers removing the fliers.

Some of his campaigns have resulted in self injury, e.g. he once crucified himself on the capital steps to protest racism by state officials. There was a problem with the setup, and in the hot Arkansas summer heat, he developed heat stroke and nearly killed himself resulting in a several day hospitalization.

His critics have called him a loose cannon, but few debate that he has been a major part of local color in Arkansas.

References

External links

* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973585-2,00.html "Investigations: The Busybodies on the Bus"] , by Margaret Carlson, "Time", Aug. 12, 1991
* [http://www.cals.lib.ar.us/butlercenter/manuscripts/collection/mss97-43.html Robert "Say" McIntosh Materials] , manuscript collection at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
* [http://hometown.aol.com/patriot888/dannyw.htm Racist Cover-Up in Story of Clinton’s ‘Illegitimate Son’?]
* [http://members.aol.com/beachbt/milton.txt Hillary Bio: Bill Traded Pardon for Silence on 'Love Child']
* [http://emporium.turnpike.net/P/ProRev/WHTWTRA.HTM Whitewater & Clinton Scandal Clips]