On This Day: MLK Delivers His "I Have a Dream" Speech

On Aug 28th 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream Speech". There's not much for me to say other than, "Take it away Dr. King".

Lee Daniels: America Is a More Racist Country Since Barack Obama Became President

On Piers Morgan's program last night, Lee Daniels (the director and producer of the hit movie Lee Daniels' The Butler) was a guest along with two of the film's cast members (Lenny Kravitz and Cuba Gooding Jr.). During the segment, Piers asked Lee if America is a more or less racist country since Barack Obama became POTUS. Lee responded by saying that sadly, America is more racist since then. In addition to Lee's remarks, the clip below also contains comments by Lenny and Cuba.



I don't think America has become more racist since Barack Obama became president. Instead, his presidency has caused the racism simmering below the surface to rise to the top. The people harboring racist views already felt this way before Barack Obama was sworn in as POTUS. His presidency has just allowed them an excuse to spread their venom. The same thing happened during the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson trials back in the 1990s. As I've said before, America has come a long way when it comes to race relations. However, events such as the presidency of Barack Obama demonstrate that we still have a lot of work to do.

What are your thoughts on the state of racism since the presidency of Barack Obama?

Guest Post: Which Group is Most Identified With Being More Racist Than Others? The Answer May Surprise You

One of the goals of Progressive Soup is to allow people with differing viewpoints on a variety of issues to share them here. Last week, I came across a blog post (Which Group is Most Identified With Being More Racist Than Others? The Answer May Surprise You) about a recent Rasmussen poll on race. When I contacted the blogger (Teresa) to see if I could use it as a guest post here, she gave her consent. For a wording of the Rasmussen poll's survey questions, click here. 

This was posted by Teresa on her blog on July 6, 2013:

According to a poll more citizens believe blacks are more racist than whites or Hispanics. The poll revealed that a person's political affiliation played much more of a role in feelings towards various races rather than a person's ethnicity.

The poll's findings: "Overall, 37 percent of Americans feel that black Americans are the most racist among the three ethnic groups, 15 percent feel that whites are and 18 percent think Hispanics are." 

Do you think this poll is accurate? And accurately reflects the feelings and perceptions of the various groups of Americans?  The only thing I'll say is if blacks are brought up to believe they are a victim then they are buying into the false notion that they're not as good or can't be as good as people of other ethnicities. If blacks accept victim status then jealousy could breed resentment, which could ultimately lead to hatred and misconceptions about other races. But being taught to hate can happen within any ethnicity or race.  From my perspective I see a majority of the mob violence and hate coming from blacks and gang members which consist of a variety of races.

Colin Powell Discusses the Problems of the GOP

On the January 13th edition of Meet the Press, David Gregory questioned Colin Powell on whether or not he's still a Republican. Along with saying he still is, Powell also outlined why he thinks the GOP has lost it's way. Among the reasons Powell discussed were Romney surrogate John Sununu referring to President Obama as “lazy” and Sarah Palin accusing the president of shucking and jiving in regards to the Sept. 11 2012 attack against a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. You can watch the segment below:




Colin Powell could have gone on, but don't fault him. After all, he only had approx. 30 minutes. Sadly, Powell seems to be the exception instead of the rule when it comes to prominent Republicans. The far right will likely dismiss his comments, label him a RINO, etc. However, unless the GOP wants to continue losing national elections, they'll listen to him. There are solid reasons why Mitt Romney lost to President Obama and no it's not the fault of the so-called mainstream media or any other BS excuse conservatives have used. The GOP is in trouble, but it can be fixed. So in the words of the Captain (played by Strother Martin) in the movie Cool Hand Luke, my message to the GOP is simple: "It's all up to you".

More Inanity From Sean Hannity

Damn, Fox "News" is predictable! Just the other day at a family get together, me and some of my relatives were talking politics as we often do. I was telling them about one of Fox's favorite tricks in their worn out playbook: have black guests come on to spout "fear of a black planet" type rhetoric in order to give it some credibility. Almost on cue, GOP waterboy Sean Hannity has on Deneen Borelli and David Webb to whip up fear over President Obama's "ties" to the New Black Panthers. These two should be ashamed of themselves. But hey, as long as those Fox checks keep rollin' in, why worry about such minor things as honor and integrity.

Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks breaks down the silliness that is Fox "News" in the clip below:

Final Results of the Recent Jeremy Lin Polls

In the recent poll in which I asked people to give their primary reason behind the Jeremy Lin hype, almost half of you said it's due to the underdog factor. Here are the final results:

The "underdog" factor: 46%
His talent: 26%
His race: 20%
The fact that he plays in New York: 6%

Although I think Lin's race is the primary factor for the hype, I don't feel it's by an overwhelming margin.  If I had to break down the reasons behind Lin hype percentage-wise, I'd say it was 35% race, 30% each talent and the "underdog" factor, and 5% because he plays in NY.

I look forward to the day when seeing Asian stars in the NBA is a common occurrence. In addition to Jeremy Lin's success possibly being a gateway for more Asian players into the NBA, I think it'll also cause coaches to look a little closer at the end of their respective benches. For all they know, the next Jeremy Lin (regardless of race) could be riding the pine just waiting for a chance to shine.

Below are the results for the second poll in which I asked for your thoughts on ESPN's disciplanary actions against Anthony Federico and Max Bretos for their use of the term "chink in the armor" (on ESPN's mobile website and ESPNews, respectively):

Federico deserved to be fired:	57%
Federico should have been suspended:	0%
Bretos deserved to be suspended:	14%
Bretos should have been fired:	0%
No action should have been taken against Federico	:  28%
No action should have been taken against Bretos:	28%

I wavered on the Federico portion of this poll. Although part of me thinks he deserved to be fired, I wouldn't have been up in arms if ESPN had just suspended him. On the one hand, Federico's actions could have been intentional. However, it's also possible that this was a simple case of ignorance.

As for Bretos, I think he got caught in the crosshairs of ESPN not wanting this to spiral out of control. Since he was speaking on live TV about a legitimate question regarding Lin's play, I think ESPN should have cut him a bit more slack. Bretos only has about a week left on his suspension. Best wishes to him for when he does return to the airwaves.

Thanks to all of you who participated in and commented on these polls.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Two Jeremy Lin Polls ... Thank You

Please note that this post is "future dated" because it's poll-related. For posts which were written after this one, but have their actual date attached to them, please scroll down. Thank you.

Ever since "Linsanity" took the world by storm, I've been planning on writing a post about the man who inspired the term... New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. As of this writing, the New York Knicks are 8-1 since February 4 (the date Lin began playing substantial minutes for them). The superb numbers Lin has put up in his first eight NBA starts had the crew on NBA Sunday comparing his stats to the first 8 pro starts of Hall of Fame point guards Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and John Stockton.

Lin's success hasn't gone unnoticed by the non-sports media either, receiving coverage on regular newscasts, inspiring jokes by late night TV hosts, as well as a skit on the 2/18 edition of SNL. The meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin and the way his success has captured the imagination of sports fans and non-fans alike is a combination we don't see too often in sports. The other similar instances in my lifetime that come to mind are Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

Jeremy Lin's "out-of-nowhere" success is all the more amazing given his previous "underdog" status:

• Despite being named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year during his senior year in high school, Lin failed to receive any college athletic scholarship offers. He wound up attending Harvard (which like other Ivy League schools, does not offer athletic scholarships)

• Although he had a successful hoops career at Harvard, Lin was undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft

• After his first year, he was waived by the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets in the preseason before joining the Knicks early in the 2011-2012 season. 

• The Knicks considered releasing Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10 so they could sign a new player.

Because Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, his phenomenal success has brought the often uncomfortable subject of race into the conversation. On Lin's Wikipedia page, there already is a section on the racial issues that have come up before and after Lin's rise to prominence in the NBA.

Two of the stories which have arisen in the wake of "Linsanity" are the subject of the two poll questions I've posted. One involves whether or not the Jeremy Lin hype is caused by race. The question first arose after heavyweight boxer Floyd Mayweather wrote the following on his Twitter page, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."

The other poll deals with ESPN firing one employee and suspending another over the use of the term "chink in the armor" in relation to Lin.  On the night of February 18, Anthony Federico posted the following headline on ESPN’s mobile website: "Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin's 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-Snapping Loss to Hornets." By Sunday afternoon, Federico was cut loose by ESPN. Also on 2/18, ESPNews television personality Max Bretos posed the following question about Lin live on the air: "If there is a chink in the armor, where can he improve his game?" As a result, Bretos was given a 30-day suspension.

After voting in the polls, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this post. In the clip below, the panel of ESPN First Take discuss the role that race plays in the Jeremy Lin hype.

Racist Incident Ruins A High School Basketball Game in Pittsburgh

From Yahoo! Sports

By Cameron Smith

Vile racism raised its ugly head during a boys basketball game near Pittsburgh on Friday when fans of a nearly all-white suburban school ran on the court in banana suits and made monkey noises to taunt the players for their rivals, who play for a school which is predominantly African-American.

As reported by a variety of Pittsburgh media outlets, the Monessen Valley Independent and WPXI prominent among them, the annual basketball rivalry game between Pittsburgh (Pa.) Brentwood High and Monessen (Pa.) High turned extremely ugly when the two teams tried to head to their respective locker rooms for halftime. Before the players could leave the floor, three fans from the visiting Brentwood student section ran onto the court in full-body banana suits.


The fans surrounded the Monessen players and allegedly began making monkey noises and hurling racial epithets at the Monessen players, with no one entering the fray to stop the horribly inappropriate catcalls.

"I was appalled and shocked," Monessen parent Terri Payne told WPXI. "I was like, 'I can't believe they're doing that, and they didn't do anything about it.'"

Disturbingly, other Monessen parents claim that the Brentwood players hurled similar racist epithets themselves, calling the Greyhounds "monkeys and cotton pickers," as one Monessen fan told WPXI.
Meanwhile, Valley Independent staff writer Jeremy Sellew claimed that Brentwood Director of Security Joseph Kozarian, who was on duty at the game, refused to intervene, instead sitting back and at one point smiling and laughing with the Brentwood fans in the stands.


As more media attention has swirled around the disgusting incident, Brentwood officials have scrambled to try and alleviate pressure on the school and district as a whole. As of Tuesday the three students involved had been identified and disciplined, though their punishment was not disclosed to the media. Similarly, officials claimed they were "reviewing school policy to make sure a similar incident doesn't happen again."

Clearly, that's not strong enough. If the banana suit incident and subsequent racist abuse from Brentwood players occurred as numerous witnesses claim it did, the entire Brentwood season should be put under much deeper inspection before moving forward.

This is legitimate hate speech, after all, and the teenagers who were responsible need to realize just how damaging that is, both to their victims, themselves and society as a whole. At the very least, any players who made racist comments during the game itself should be punished significantly.

Despite being a cynic, I'm still amazed this disgusting incident went down in 2012. Then again, it sounds like some of the folks in Brentwood have a 1952 mentality.  I can just imagine them listening to their Patti Page records while waiting to catch that week's episode of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet".

For the news story which aired on WTAE in Pittsburgh, click here.

In a side note, Monessen defeated Brentwood by a score of 59-45.

Pete Hoekstra Ad Draws Criticism For Racial Insensitivity Against Asians

While getting ready to head out to a Super Bowl party, I saw the now infamous ad run by U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow. The ad features a young Asian actress thanking Sen. Stabenow for weakening the U.S. economy and making China's stronger. The problem with the ad is that it has the actress speaking in broken English as if she just stepped off the set of a Charlie Chan flick. It was kinda surreal for me when I first saw the ad because I had to ask myself if I saw and heard what I think I did.

Although the ad only aired in Michigan markets before and during The Super Bowl, it is getting criticism on a nationwide level (from both sides of the political aisle) due to its racial insensitivity.  In the article that I linked to above, Hoekstra defended the ad (which is scheduled to run for two weeks on cable stations across Michigan).

By the way, there is actually a website titled Debbiespenditnow.com and it's as over-the-top with the Asian imagery as you can imagine.

In the clips below, Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks and Lawrence O'Donnell attack the ad... but from different angles.

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Samantha Stephens & Co. Tackle Racism On A Christmas Episode of Bewitched

Since it's that time of year, I thought I'd share one of my favorite episodes of Bewitched. Titled "Sisters of the Heart", this Christmas episode (which first aired on December 24, 1970) deals with what happens when Tabitha's friend Lisa, the daughter of a black colleague of Darrin's at McMann and Tate, visits for Christmas.

This episode, which was written by the students of the 5th period, room 309, 10th grade English class at Thomas Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, received the Governor's Award at the 23rd Primetime Emmy Awards in May 1971.

"One, Two, Three, N****r!": High School Basketball Players Suspended for Pre-Game Chant

From the Daily Mail:
  
A girls high school basketball team is in trouble in Buffalo, New York after one team member alerted teachers that they used an offensive racial curse in their pregame cheer.

Tyra Batts, who is new to the team and the only black player, was shocked and offended to learn that there was a tradition of chanting 'One, two, three, n*****!' before heading out to the court. 

Ms. Batts could not believe that her team-mates, who are all white, continued the supposedly long-standing tradition even after she made a point of telling them that she found it offensive. 

'I said, "You're not allowed to say that word because I don't like that word." They said, "You know we're not racist, Tyra. It's just a word, not a label." I was outnumbered,' Ms. Batts told the local Buffalo News. 

Apparently the chant has been used by the Kenmore East High School girls team for years, but coaches and school officials never knew because the team would sing the offensive chant in the locker room when there were no adults around. 

The issue was only brought to the attention of school administrators after Ms. Batts, 15, got into a physical fight with another team-mate at school after an argument at a practice game last Friday followed over the weekend and moved from the court to the hallways.

Before Friday's practice, Ms. Batts argued with her team about the chant, and then she 'said something stupid' to one team-mate, who proceeded to call her 'a black piece of [expletive]'. When Ms. Batts saw that team-mate at school on Monday, she slammed her into a locker, punched her, and choked her. 

Both girls were promptly suspended, and that was when she told school officials about the chant.

'It was a build up of anger and frustration at being singled out of the whole team,' Ms. Batts told The Buffalo News. 

Upon hearing the news, the team's coach, Kristy Bondgren, said that she had heard the girls make the occasional comment that Ms. Batts was black but had no idea about the chant. 

Ms. Bondgren, who has not commented on the issue, apparently missed some other barbs, as Ms. Batts said that the team-mates would often make racially-charged comments during practice. She said that they often made remarks referencing slavery, picking cotton, and shackles. 

'The minute an adult knew, we started our inquiry and investigation,' said Mark P. Mondanaro, the superintendent of the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda school district.

As a result of the allegations, practice is suspended for the team for the week, a game has been postponed, a college visit was cancelled and a previous sportsmanship award was taken away.

All of the girls that participated in the chant were suspended from school for two days and they will all have to sit out one game each over the course of the season. All of the team members will have to undergo cultural sensitivity training.

The "PolitiChicks" Resurrect the Birther Conspiracy

 The "PolitiChicks" l-r: Jennie Jones, Victoria Jackson, Jannique Stewart, and Ann-Marie Murrell

While visiting a conservative blog early last week, I learned of a new Internet talk show called "PolitiChicks". Headlined by former SNL-er and Tea Party darling Victoria Jackson and featuring Jennie Jones, Jannique Stewart and Ann-Marie Murrell, the show has been billed as a conservative alternative to The View. 

The conservative blogger posted the 1st episode of "PolitiChicks" and it was even worse than I anticipated. In less than 15 minutes, the hosts managed to touch on practically every trait that currently passes for conservative "thought" in some circles (lies that an 8 year old could debunk, victimhood, projection, hypocrisy, etc.). You can judge for yourself here.

As bad as episode 1 of "PolitiChicks" was, I decided to watch further episodes because the program does have a "train wreck" appeal. In episode 2, the ladies delved into President Obama's citizenship:



At times, it's hard to tell if Victoria Jackson is serious or if she's pulling off a satirical mindfuck which would have made Andy Kaufman proud. When she proclaimed that the president's birth certificate contained a smiley face I was like, "Come on, she's got to be kidding!" Sadly, I don't think she is. Her "PolitiChicks" cohorts aren't any better. Outside of the lunatic fringe, there shouldn't be any question that President Obama was born in the United States.

Regardless of one's political viewpoint, I don't see how anyone can take "PolitiChicks" seriously. If conservative women feel they are underrepresented in the media, they have every right to make their voices heard. However, if "PolitiChicks" is the best they have to offer, it doesn't bode well for female conservatism. 

Here is a clip from earlier this year in which President Obama has fun with the birther conspiracy.

Eracism: Former Skinhead Endures 25 Surgeries to Remove Hate Tattoos

Props to Byron Widner. Not only did he change his ways for the better, but he also endured unspeakable pain to make the transformation complete.

Former skinhead endures 25 surgeries to remove hate tattoos

Ad by Americans for Herman Cain/Touré's Take On the Discussion of Racism

 Ad by Americans for Herman Cain

In the aftermath of the sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain, the group Americans for Herman Cain released the following ad:



The only way this ad makes any sense is if you know zilch about U.S. news/politics of the last 25 years.

1. Blaming Herman Cain's problems on the left is baseless because we don't know who gave the story to Politico. Cain himself can't seem to make up his mind on who he wants to blame for the sexual harassment allegations coming to light. So far, he's pointed his finger at the left, the Rick Perry campaign and the media. Next, he'll be blaming the rain or the boogie!

2 .As for Politico breaking the story and the "so-called" mainstream media covering it, what were they supposed to do?!  I hate to break it to Cain and his supporters, but the fact that he is running for president makes these sexual harassment allegations a news story. If you think it's only black conservatives who get media coverage when scandal touches their political career, tell that to Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, John Edwards, Anthony Weiner and a host of others.

3. The "left hates black conservatives" talking point used by some on the right is a classic case of a straw man argument. I hear people on the right claim they don't see color. If this were true, they wouldn't cry foul whenever a black conservative gets criticism based on the issues. Why should a black conservative get special treatment simply because of the color of their skin?

4.To say "they" (aka "the left") can't argue with Herman Cain on policy is a lie. Cain's "9-9-9" plan and his stances on such issues as foreign policy, abortion, and immigration have been criticized by the left. Also, people on the GOP side have been critical of Herman Cain on various issues as well. I guess IOKIYAR.

As I've stated before, there's nothing wrong with blacks being conservative. The problem I have with black conservatives like Herman Cain is that they downplay racism until they get into trouble. Just last month, Cain stated that racism isn't holding anyone back. However, he played the race card awfully quick as soon as his ass got into hot water. What's even worse is that he even admitted there was no evidence to support his claim!

Of all the people Herman Cain has pointed the finger at for the sexual harassment allegations and the ensuing media firestorm, to the best of my knowledge he has yet to blame himself. Had he taken some personal responsibility (the conservative/GOP mantra), he wouldn't be in this mess.

Touré's Take On the Discussion of Racism

During his segment on Friday's installment of The Dylan Ratigan Show, writer/TV personality Touré talks about how some on the right are trying to squash any rational discussions we have on racism.

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Although I disagree with Touré's assertion that efforts to end discussions about racism is racism itself, he hit all the right notes with the rest of his commentary. There are serious discussions that need to be had on the subject of racism in this country and they should involve people of all political viewpoints. Rush doesn't want that to happen because if it does, he's finished. Rush's calling cards are divisiveness and stoking fear/resentment. To expect him to have an honest and intelligent discussion on the subject of racism is a waste of time. Let's leave the "I'm rubber, you're glue"-style accusations of racism to people like Rush. While he and his ilk engage in their simple minded approach to race/racism, the rest of us can get down to business.

By the way, that Louis C.K. clip was hilariously on point!

What are your thoughts on the Americans for Herman Cain ad and Touré's comments on how we talk about racism?

Black Conservative Activist Calls the Democratic Party Racist

Earlier this week at a Houston rally, conservative activist Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani called the Democrats a racist party of the KKK. The words were spoken at an event sponsored by the Clear Lake Tea Party where GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain was the keynote speaker. Kamau-Imani is the chairman of the right wing blog RagingElephants.org. The name of organization may ring a bell because it was responsible for this foolishness.

Cain took the stage after Kamau-Imani and has not condoned nor condemned the comments. "Our campaign is all about promoting civil dialogue -- while there may be differences of opinion on a wide variety of topics, we believe in never being disagreeable," Cain's spokesman told NBC News. Cain was not on stage while Kamau-Imani was speaking and his spokesman said he does not think Cain was aware of Kamau-Imani's contentious remarks.



In his speech, Kamau-Imani resorted to one of the oldest tricks in the GOP playbook. Just as I said in a post earlier this year, Republicans/conservatives will often go back in time to prove their "theory" that today's version of the Democratic party is racist. You'd have to be stupid on multiple levels to buy into that line of thinking. Does Kamau-Imani really expect to lure blacks to the GOP with his distorted, inflammatory rhetoric?!

Conservatives crack me up when they relive the glory days of the GOP's history of civil rights. It would be like a Miami Dolphins fan talking about the franchise's distant past as if that has anything to do with the 2011 team. The Dolphins were great at one time. However, they flat out suck right now with no signs of improving. Sadly, the GOP is the political version of the Miami Dolphins.

Fan Goes Bananas At An NHL Exhibition Game

An exhibition NHL game in London, Ontario was marred by an apparently racist incident Thursday night when a fan threw a banana peel toward black Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds. This occurred as Simmonds took part in a shootout during his team's pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings. One report said bananas were actually thrown at Simmonds twice during the game, but it was only during the shootout that one reached the ice.

Is it possible the fan who threw the banana(s) was concerned about Simmonds' potassium level and was sending a subtle message? Could it be the fan was trying to expand on the Legend of the Octopus? No, I'm not buying those theories either.

Both the NHL and several players (current and former) were quick to condemn the actions of the fan. On Twitter, Norton Sports, a Chicago-based athletics management company, offered a $500 reward for the identity of the suspect.

In a league that is approximately 93% white, ugly incidents like this are bound to happen. As the NHL becomes more racially diverse, it's possible we may see a rise in this type of behavior by some white fans threatened by blacks taking over "their" sport. However, with the NHL and others speaking out against this type of nonsense, hopefully that isn't the case.

Side note: Simmonds demonstrated that he has thick skin by scoring on the shootout (one of two goals he netted during the game). However, the Red Wings prevailed 4-3.

Read more here: Banana thrown at black NHL player in pre-season game

Wife of NJ Republican Sends Racist Email To Carl Lewis

l-r: Carl Lewis, Pat Delany and Jennifer Delany

Earlier this summer, Pat Delany (R-NJ) stepped down from the state Assembly due to a racist email sent by his wife Jennifer to the campaign of Carl Lewis (the track & field legend who is running as a Democrat for the New Jersey State Senate. Jennifer's email said, in part, “Imagine having dark skin and name recognition and the nerve to think that equaled knowing something about politics.” You can read more on the story at the following link:

Pat Delany Resigns Over Wife's Racist Email

Here are some of my thoughts on the incident:

1. It took a certain level of brazenness on the part of Jennifer Delany to spew bigoted comments like that and not only think it's OK, but not expect any fallout.

2. Based on what we know, I kinda feel sorry for Delany because he's paying a political price for the stupidity of his wife.

3. I also credit Delany for not trying to deny or brush aside the incident.

In the clip below, The Young Turks break it down:

The Reason President Obama Hung A Racial Painting in the White House: Is It Art or Politics?

Pictured with President Obama are Ruby Bridges (the subject of the painting) and two reps of the Norman Rockwell Museum

In July 2011, President Obama hung Norman Rockwell’s iconic painting “The Problem We All Live With”  in a hallway near the Oval Office. As a result, a debate has started as to President Obama's motives for hanging the painting. Some view it as a political move meant to quiet the criticism the president has faced for his failure to address problems in the black community. On the other hand, there are people who feel there's no agenda behind the hanging of the painting (which reportedly will remain there until October 2011).

Last Friday, The Young Turks had an interesting debate on the topic. I side with Michael Shure. In addition to not thinking putting the painting up is political, I also don't believe President Obama is naive enough to think such a gesture would appease those disappointed because he hasn't fixed problems such as the high unemployment rate among African-Americans. Also, according to an article on Politico.com, President Obama keeps other emblems of the civil rights movement near him so the hanging of the Rockwell painting isn't an isolated incident.

One last thing, I also disagree with Cenk Uygur's assessment that the hanging of the painting is safe from criticism by the "Fox News of the world". Please! Cenk should know better than practically anyone how the right-wing noise machine operates.

What do you think... was the hanging of the painting a political move or not?

Cross Post By Sandy About Bill Maher's Tweeted Response to Kim Kardashian

The following was originally posted by Sandy (one of the contributors to Diversity Ink) on his blog Best Seat In the House on 7/8/11. He was kind enough to let me feature it over here as well.

Maher Comes Out With Race-Based Attack On Kim Kardashian

 Bill Maher was at his predictable worst as he used Twitter as a platform to issue what was, by his standards, a fairly standard distasteful attack of Kim Kardashian. One sort of expects that Maher will say tasteless things, but then there are comments that are even bad for his standards (such as his standards are).

It started when Kardashian Tweeted this in response to the verdict in the case of Casey Anthony (you can look it up on your own if you don't know about it):

“WHAT!!!!???!!!! CASEY ANTHONY FOUND NOT GUILTY!!!I am speechless!!!”

Maher, smelling blood in the water, responded as he Tweeted the following:

“Kim Kardashian is upset with Casey Anthony verdict? Ur father defended O.J.! Starting the Kardashian tradition of getting black men off.”

A few thoughts about the original comment and the response went through my head:

1. He has probably been looking for an opportunity to unload this kind of comment on the Kardashian women.

2. He perhaps has some underlying issues with the Kardashians and their relationships with black people.

3. He is tired of seeing the Kardashians with guys like Reggie Bush, Lamar Odom, etc... Maybe he wants to see them getting off more guys like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Bill Mah ... nevermind

4. His comment smacks of racism (not that he cares one bit about what anyone things of him ... good, bad or indifferent ... this is how he makes his money).

Posted by Sandy Gholston at 8:42 PM on July 18, 2011.

 

I don't think Bill Maher's comments were racist. The tweet made me laugh out loud because his use of the term "get off" is a clever play on words. In order to be funny, humor usually has some basis in the truth. After all, Kim's father (the late Robert Kardashian) did help in getting O.J. off and Kim has a history of dating black men. Also, if Maher has a problem with the Kardashian sisters dating black men, he's being hypocritical because he has dated black women in the past.

Do you think Bill Maher's response to Kim Kardashian's tweet was racist?

Guest Post: Neal Boortz Calls for Vigilantism

Recently, I contacted Mary (whose blog is titled Mary's World) and asked if she was interested in writing a guest post. She offered up the following about comments Neal Boortz recently made on his radio show:

Why is Neal Boortz Still Broadcasting on American Airwaves?

BOORTZ: You know what? I, for one, am tired of putting up with this crap. And you want to know why I moved out of Atlanta and only spend a couple of weeks a year in this town? That's one of the reasons. Carjackings, violence, people getting shot. It's ridiculous. This city harbors an urban culture of violence. And I want you to look around. You drive into the city. The railroad overpass is on the downtown connector covered with graffiti. And that-- That is just an advertisement for everybody coming into this town that we really don't give a damn about those who would screw up our quality of life around here. We really just don't care. We don't care enough to paint over graffiti on the overpasses that come into our city, advertising welcome to Atlanta, here's some of our finest graffiti, from some of our finest urban thugs and their little gang signs. And pick up the paper tomorrow morning. Read about all the carjackings. Read about the innocent people shot for the pure de-hell of it.

This town is starting to look like a garbage heap. And we got too damn many urban thugs, yo, ruining the quality of life for everybody. And I'll tell you what it's gonna take. You people, you are - you need to have a gun. You need to have training. You need to know how to use that gun. You need to get a permit to carry that gun. And you do in fact need to carry that gun and we need to see some dead thugs littering the landscape in Atlanta. We need to see the next guy that tries to carjack you shot dead right where he stands. We need more dead thugs in this city. And let their -- let their mommas -- let their mommas say, "He was a good boy. He just fell in with the good crowd." And then lock her ass up.

Media Matters

Neal Boortz has called for killing!  He claims it is self defense, but he has taken law enforcement, the court system and the rule of law totally out of the picture.

He has put out a call for all his listeners, you know them, the 'good citizens of Atlanta' to pick up arms!  Go get "trained" people, before you head out to do some "urban thug" hunting.  Don't forget your permit, while you drive down that Atlanta street, sweaty palmed, just waiting for that "urban thug, Yo".  Every stop light is a potential killing ground.  If one of those "urban thugs" come near your precious car, the car you work every day to pay for, the car that is the life blood of your family, when that "urban thug" comes to take your car away, you will be ready to shoot him dead "right where he stands!"  That car of yours is far more important than any "urban thug's" life, "yo."...but why wait until they get to your car, like the Bush doctrine taught us (get them before they get you) and "see some dead thugs littering the landscape" in the ATL!

I know I went a little overboard here, but seriously, why is this guy still on the air?  I heard today that he is a lawyer so we can assume that he isn't a total idiot, but from a simple Google search he does have a history of being a racist.  Why is this guy who put out a call for citizens to pick up arms and become vigilantes still on the radio?  Have we become so desensitized by the "Right Wing Shock Jocks" of the world that this man's rhetoric is no longer shocking?  I found it extremely disturbing and so does Ed Schultz and Joe Madison.  Joe said on Ed's show this morning,  "I think that skin heads are thugs, does that mean I can go out and shoot them too?" Could you imagine the outrage if "The Black Eagle" Joe Madison went on his show and said what Boortz did, only about skin heads?  Both of these guys have called out Boortz on their radio shows and Ed has done so on his MSNBC show, but the big 4 networks have said nothing.  I do remember a story about 3 New Black Panther members standing outside a predominantly Democratic polling place in Philly in 2008, on not just the nightly network news but my local news here in Wisconsin, but not a peep about this "more dead thugs in this city guy".  I don't want this to just fade into another news cycle and neither does Joe Madison.  He is telling his listeners to call the people responsible for putting this man on the air: Cox Communications/Cox Media Group.  Several of his callers tried to call Cox directly, but they transferred them over to the Neal Boortz show producers.  Cox put out a statement saying they were sorry for anyone who was offended, and providing links to Boortz's show.

One of the Mom things that I used to tell my little "urban thugs" before they went out to play with a ball or bat was, "That is your responsibility, if something gets broken because of your ball or bat, you are to blame, even if you weren't holding it at the time.  You make the choice to take it outside or not." Knowing full well that if something got broken, my child would be the only one left stand there anyway, because the rest of the kids (non-urban thugs) would scatter.  And things did get broken, and my kids did take responsibility and were often rewarded with not having to pay for the window.  This is how Cox should be treated.  You have to take responsibility for what you put on your air!

Cox Enterprises: http://www.cox.com

Corporate Headquarters:
Cox Media Group
6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30328


Phone: (678) 645-0000
Fax: (678) 645-5002
Links to the Radio:  http://www.wsbradio.com/contact-us/
WSB-AM
1601 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: (404) 897-7500
Fax: (404) 897-7363

You can't scream "fire" in a crowded theater and you can't call for the landscape of Atlanta to be littered with the bodies of dead "urban thugs, Yo!"