Looking stunning and every bit the confident First Lady, Michelle Obama last night delivered a genuinely inspiring and electrifying speech at the open of the Democratic National Convention. A speech, which threatened to bring down twitter driving 28,000 tweets-per-minute at its peak. In less than 30 minutes she managed to cover a woman's right to choose, labor protections, equal pay, gay rights, family values and health care for the poor. You know all the things Republicans fervently oppose and unlike the First Lady wannabe from last week’s convention, in her speech she never mentioned her husband’s presidential opponent by name. She instead attacked him by implication.
In response to Clint Eastwood’s attack of the President’s use of Air Force One to travel around to speak with college undergraduates about student loans, which Clint and his audience for some reason found laughable, she told of her and President Obama fresh out of college and struggling to make student loan payments and of how they “were so young, so in love, and so in debt”. She told the story of how even though they had student loans and grants her father insisted on contributing to her and her brother’s college education even taking out loans himself when he couldn’t make payments on time because he was so proud to be sending his kids to college. Unlike last week’s testimonial from “I won’t apologize for being wealthy” Queen Ann Romney on the same subject of her and Mitt’s so-called college struggle (in spite of having a multimillion dollar safety net) the First Lady’s account came across as relatable, sincere and honest.
Michelle didn’t have to speak to Romney’s plan to cut programs for the poor, reduce taxes for his wealthy backers and to take healthcare away from 30 million Americans instead she spoke of the letters President Obama has received from real Americans struggling with credit card debt, underwater mortgages, those without healthcare and those simply stressed with how to make ends meet and of him telling her “You won't believe what these folks are going through, Michelle. It's not right.” He also told her, “Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” Those statements alone accomplish so much more in portraying the President as infinitely more humanistic and authentic than anything ever said by his privileged, self-entitled Republican opponent.
The First Lady spoke of dignity and decency, honesty and integrity and said “success doesn’t matter unless you earn it fair and square.” An example both she and President Obama learned from their parents as they struggled raising their respective families. In the end she said our President is the same man we elected four years ago. A man who has not forgotten where he came from and in spite of what his opponents want us to believe a man who wants to unite not divide, a man who has not forgotten promises made and she reminded us that “we can trust Barack to do what he says he is going to do, even when it’s hard, especially when it’s hard.” Folks change is never easy, it takes time.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The Dark Ages
It seems that there is a secret contest between Republican celebrities to see who can make the most stupid comment or perform the most bizarre act. This week it’s Chuck Norris, you remember him…well maybe not but he’s back and nutty as a fruit cake. Chuck and his wife have a video out where they offer helpful gems like, “Our great country and freedom are under attack" and “If President Obama is reelected, we will take the first step into 1,000 years of darkness."…the GOP sure has changed a lot since the "1,000 Points of Lights" days, they don’t seem to know if they want the lights on or off. In the infomercial video Chuck manages to squeeze in a couple of ads for his workout videos and a promotion for his new movie…nothing like offering up stupid ass statements to be used as marketing & promotional tools. Even dismissing the obvious coded darkness reference to our first African-American president, I can’t take this man seriously. He’s the same idiot who vigorously endorsed crazy pants Newt Gingrich up until he pulled out of the race after it became clear that even the zaniest right wing whacko wouldn't vote for him.
Anyway, I’m certain that we’re more likely to find 1,000 years of darkness under that ridiculous toupee Chuck sports in the video. Seriously, that thing is worse than Donald Trump’s comb over, was a hairstylist not included in the video budget? Wow, 1,000 years? No king or ruler in the history of man can be said to have brought about a thousand years of darkness but somehow President Obama will. That's one powerful black man. Not to be outdone, Chuck's latest wife (because you know he’s all heterosexual and shit and can marry as many wives as he damn well pleases) says she wants 30 million Evangelical Christians to go out and vote for Mitt Romney. So let me get this straight. She wants Christians to go out and vote for the guy who's religion doesn't accept Christ as their savior, doesn't believe in heaven or the Holy Trinity... oh wait he's white, my bad.
Vying for the crazy ass celebrity seeking attention award of the week is trailer park trash Hank Williams, Jr. Over the weekend Junior said, "We’ve got a Muslim for a President who hates cowboys, hates cowgirls, hates fishing, hates farming, loves gays, and we hate him." That’s a lot of presumptive hate Hank and that last line “and we hate him,” sounds like a 3 year-old throwing a temper tantrum. What in the world makes him think President Obama is so hateful and more importantly how does old Hank know the President hates fishing. Is it because he’s never seen him fish? Well Hank I’ve never seen you go to the restroom either so should I assume you’re anti-restroom and holding it in? I mean that would explain why you seem to be so full of shit. Remember when President Obama was being criticized for having connections to Jeremiah Wright, retired senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, for his anti-American sermons. So the right wing wants to condemn President Obama for his Christian church connections, but also because he is a Muslim. I don’t know, I guess it depends on the time of day or something, I can’t keep up.
So the GOP offers up dumb and dumber who want us to believe there is a radical communist Christian Muslim terrorist in the White House and he’s intent on driving the country into darkness. You know with all his crazy socialist ideas like providing access to healthcare for all citizens, lowering taxes for low wage earners, stimulating the economy with jobs and offering help to the poor because as we all know, there’s absolutely nothing Christian like about that. The truth is these people are simply afraid of the inevitable. They see the country’s power structure changing and becoming more diverse and perceive it as a threat to their age old hold on supremacy...and they should.
Anyway, I’m certain that we’re more likely to find 1,000 years of darkness under that ridiculous toupee Chuck sports in the video. Seriously, that thing is worse than Donald Trump’s comb over, was a hairstylist not included in the video budget? Wow, 1,000 years? No king or ruler in the history of man can be said to have brought about a thousand years of darkness but somehow President Obama will. That's one powerful black man. Not to be outdone, Chuck's latest wife (because you know he’s all heterosexual and shit and can marry as many wives as he damn well pleases) says she wants 30 million Evangelical Christians to go out and vote for Mitt Romney. So let me get this straight. She wants Christians to go out and vote for the guy who's religion doesn't accept Christ as their savior, doesn't believe in heaven or the Holy Trinity... oh wait he's white, my bad.
Vying for the crazy ass celebrity seeking attention award of the week is trailer park trash Hank Williams, Jr. Over the weekend Junior said, "We’ve got a Muslim for a President who hates cowboys, hates cowgirls, hates fishing, hates farming, loves gays, and we hate him." That’s a lot of presumptive hate Hank and that last line “and we hate him,” sounds like a 3 year-old throwing a temper tantrum. What in the world makes him think President Obama is so hateful and more importantly how does old Hank know the President hates fishing. Is it because he’s never seen him fish? Well Hank I’ve never seen you go to the restroom either so should I assume you’re anti-restroom and holding it in? I mean that would explain why you seem to be so full of shit. Remember when President Obama was being criticized for having connections to Jeremiah Wright, retired senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, for his anti-American sermons. So the right wing wants to condemn President Obama for his Christian church connections, but also because he is a Muslim. I don’t know, I guess it depends on the time of day or something, I can’t keep up.
So the GOP offers up dumb and dumber who want us to believe there is a radical communist Christian Muslim terrorist in the White House and he’s intent on driving the country into darkness. You know with all his crazy socialist ideas like providing access to healthcare for all citizens, lowering taxes for low wage earners, stimulating the economy with jobs and offering help to the poor because as we all know, there’s absolutely nothing Christian like about that. The truth is these people are simply afraid of the inevitable. They see the country’s power structure changing and becoming more diverse and perceive it as a threat to their age old hold on supremacy...and they should.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Nothing To See Here, Keep It Moving
So according to the Republican National Convention their aim for this presidential election is to target what they call disillusioned Obama supporters. Who are these people? Other than the previously discussed turncoat Artur Davis, I’m not so sure these people even exist. This sounds like a ploy to get voters into the mindset that President Obama hasn’t followed through on promises made. What‘s conveniently left out is all the push back the President has received from Republicans whenever he attempts to enact legislation. They act as though this is a regular presidency and President Obama hasn’t faced added pressure from being the first African-American president. When was the last time a president had to literally fight tooth and nail for almost four years just to get one piece of legislation enacted…the Affordable Healthcare Program. There were over 100 filibusters in the first year of his presidency alone over twice the number than ever before in the history of our government. How, exactly, is a president supposed to succeed in his promises when one party is blocking the way?
Last night at the convention, Clint Eastwood who has never identified himself as being from one party or the other but has more often than not exhibited republican leanings, sauntered out and spoke of how disappointed he was in the president and of broken promises made…as if he was ever an Obama supporter. But to be honest the old man looked confused and spent the entire time talking to an empty chair as if President Obama was sitting there so I’m not sure if the old coot even knew where he was. If the goal of the republicans was to use Eastwood as a distraction, I say mission accomplished. Not only was he distracting, he gave a bizarre incoherent all over the map speech and continually spoke to that empty chair, even implying that the chair (President Obama) told him to go f***k himself which was exactly what I was thinking. In the end he was just another rambling, less government libertarian conservative nut job who arrived at the convention on federally and state built roads, from federally run flight corridors and funded airports, to broadcast a ridiculous speech on the public airwaves…but I’m sure he did it all on his own.
Just a quick note, Wednesday night Mitt Romney’s VP running mate Paul Ryan came out and told so many lies and distortions regarding President Obama that several fact checking websites crashed and even FOX News called him out on it. So I have no comment on him other than to say I guess its desperation time for the Republicans.
Finally, last night we got to see ole Mittens himself for some personal Obama bashing. He came in all presidential like down the middle of the aisle instead of from behind the podium like all the other speakers and stood a full five minutes smiling and beaming looking every inch the arrogant entitled rich white man waiting to be crowned…I swear every time he smiles I just want to slap it off his stupid face. He kept throwing up his hands like he was trying to get the party started or something. The man managed to spend forty minutes talking and revealed absolutely nothing, the man avoids substance like the plague. He simply repeated the same old republican lies, misrepresentations and distortions about President Obama’s record emphasizing Medicare and welfare reforms. According to the republicans the number one issue in America is the economy. So where was his plan for improvement and what would he do differently than President Obama? If he in fact does have a plan, he’s kept it very well hidden being all secretive like he held the recipe to the Colonel’s 11 different herbs and spices or something. In an effort to appear more personable he told some boring story about his lifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz…sorry I just dozed off thinking about it. Honestly who would trust this lying, arrogant, impractical, vulture capitalist crook? Really, when it comes to likability the man scores a negative 1,000. We all know what he wants to do. Cut taxes for the rich, cut aid to the poor and continue the republican’s campaign of class warfare pitting the rich against the poor and whites against all other minorities…and still no mention of his tax returns.
So what did we learn from the Republican National Convention. Well nothing new, that’s for sure. Republicans continue to blame President Obama for an economic meltdown that occurred seven years into the Bush administration and if elected they would continue and even double down the same failed Bush policies. They refuse to acknowledge the ongoing GOP obstructionism and have the audacity to blame the President for a war started by Bush and previously encouraged by so-called patriotic conservatives. They plan to give tax breaks to those who don’t need them and squander more money on the military. In other words business as usual.
Last night at the convention, Clint Eastwood who has never identified himself as being from one party or the other but has more often than not exhibited republican leanings, sauntered out and spoke of how disappointed he was in the president and of broken promises made…as if he was ever an Obama supporter. But to be honest the old man looked confused and spent the entire time talking to an empty chair as if President Obama was sitting there so I’m not sure if the old coot even knew where he was. If the goal of the republicans was to use Eastwood as a distraction, I say mission accomplished. Not only was he distracting, he gave a bizarre incoherent all over the map speech and continually spoke to that empty chair, even implying that the chair (President Obama) told him to go f***k himself which was exactly what I was thinking. In the end he was just another rambling, less government libertarian conservative nut job who arrived at the convention on federally and state built roads, from federally run flight corridors and funded airports, to broadcast a ridiculous speech on the public airwaves…but I’m sure he did it all on his own.
Just a quick note, Wednesday night Mitt Romney’s VP running mate Paul Ryan came out and told so many lies and distortions regarding President Obama that several fact checking websites crashed and even FOX News called him out on it. So I have no comment on him other than to say I guess its desperation time for the Republicans.
Finally, last night we got to see ole Mittens himself for some personal Obama bashing. He came in all presidential like down the middle of the aisle instead of from behind the podium like all the other speakers and stood a full five minutes smiling and beaming looking every inch the arrogant entitled rich white man waiting to be crowned…I swear every time he smiles I just want to slap it off his stupid face. He kept throwing up his hands like he was trying to get the party started or something. The man managed to spend forty minutes talking and revealed absolutely nothing, the man avoids substance like the plague. He simply repeated the same old republican lies, misrepresentations and distortions about President Obama’s record emphasizing Medicare and welfare reforms. According to the republicans the number one issue in America is the economy. So where was his plan for improvement and what would he do differently than President Obama? If he in fact does have a plan, he’s kept it very well hidden being all secretive like he held the recipe to the Colonel’s 11 different herbs and spices or something. In an effort to appear more personable he told some boring story about his lifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz…sorry I just dozed off thinking about it. Honestly who would trust this lying, arrogant, impractical, vulture capitalist crook? Really, when it comes to likability the man scores a negative 1,000. We all know what he wants to do. Cut taxes for the rich, cut aid to the poor and continue the republican’s campaign of class warfare pitting the rich against the poor and whites against all other minorities…and still no mention of his tax returns.
So what did we learn from the Republican National Convention. Well nothing new, that’s for sure. Republicans continue to blame President Obama for an economic meltdown that occurred seven years into the Bush administration and if elected they would continue and even double down the same failed Bush policies. They refuse to acknowledge the ongoing GOP obstructionism and have the audacity to blame the President for a war started by Bush and previously encouraged by so-called patriotic conservatives. They plan to give tax breaks to those who don’t need them and squander more money on the military. In other words business as usual.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Three Blind Mice
This week at the RNC in an effort to show their diversity and in support of their theory that African-Americans need to get over it and act as though racism does not and has never existed and also to prove the NAACP got it wrong with Mitt Romney, the Republican Party trotted out the 2012 Model of self-loathing African-Americans to demonstrate their point. However, prior to that there was a required event taking place in the main hall where conventioneers were invited to throw peanuts at Black camera women working for CNN and call them animals. So who did they choose to represent them in their effort to attract African-American voters? Artur Davis, you know him former Obama supporter turned Republican ass licking token, Condoleezza Rice accompanied by her dated press and curl and Herman Coon (ok the man’s name is Cain but isn’t it more fun to call him what he is?) Anyway, this is what the Republican Party chose as their trifling representatives a backstabber, a war criminal and a nut job. Notably absent was Allen West of Florida. You know the modern day Harriet Tubman…his words not mine. Why wasn't he invited has he gotten too loony even for the Republican Party? Or maybe he’s just last year’s model. At any rate someone should check the basement of the convention hall.
Artur Davis spoke first, apparently growing up his parents couldn’t afford an “h” for his name. Seriously someone get this man an “h” for his birthday, come on folks everyone deserves a full first name. Anyway, fresh from getting his ass kicked in his democratic bid for the governor of Alabama…ok wait a minute, this Black man ran for governor in the land of George Wallace and his Dixiecrat contemporaries and he’s surprised he didn’t even get the nomination? Idiot! So he’s switched parties and now this man who was solidly behind President Obama in 2008 is now all my bad, Obama is the devil and he’s seen the light…hallelujah! One day he may realize the light is from thinly veiled KKK torch bearers. So this newly christened Republican, sore losing hater intent on bringing our President down showed up to subliminally remind his new party that during slavery the unemployment rate for African-Americans was zero. Apparently he was so busy dodging the devils pitchfork he missed the fact that his new party blatantly seeks to disenfranchise, diminish and dismiss black voters, consistently uses them as political bogeymen, calling African-Americans lazy, shiftless, unwilling to work and welfare cheats as these realities did nothing to dissuade him from his mission to kiss Republican ass. So how did his speech go? I’m not sure, as soon as he began speaking I became focused on that 90’s era Fresh Prince of Bel-Air flat top and I zoned out…but I’m guessing they didn’t throw peanuts at him.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke on her belief in the American dream but apparently her dreams are what make up my nightmares. She and her fellow republicans want to take America back to what they call simpler times. Ah the good ole days, when Jim Crow ruled and Black people stayed in their place. She spoke of her personal upbringing you know all boot strap pulling up and making it in spite of obstacles, blah, blah, blah. Fine except that she and her fellow Republicans act as though racism is no longer an obstacle to overcome and the fight for equality has been won, which is easy to do when you’ve made it. She also seems to forget what it took for her to make it and the sacrifices of those who made it possible. More importantly she attacked President Obama’s foreign policy calling it weak. She made no mention of the two wars begun under her former boss’ tenure and conveniently left out the fact the President Obama successfully ended the one in Iraq and is working on the other in Afghanistan and what about Osama Bin Laden being taken out. Or how about the fact that our President has restored worldwide respect for the United States which had been shamelessly lost by George Bush’s war mongering. I wouldn't call any of that weak and by the way lady no planes have flown into buildings on President Obama’s watch.
In an effort to play it safe or perhaps subscribing to the theory that you never know what the hell crazy rhetoric is gonna come out of Herman Cain’s mouth, only Davis and Rice were invited to speak. However, he was allowed to lead the pledge of allegiance (I’m guessing they figured even he couldn’t screw that up) and provided many loony interviews including one with Sean Hannity where he said “some Black people can think for themselves.” Apparently Herman’s not one of them. The fact that he a Black man and onetime leading GOP presidential candidate was not invited to speak at the convention was completely lost on him…idiot!
Originally I wanted to title this post the Three Stooges but I felt that might be an insult to the Stooges.
Artur Davis spoke first, apparently growing up his parents couldn’t afford an “h” for his name. Seriously someone get this man an “h” for his birthday, come on folks everyone deserves a full first name. Anyway, fresh from getting his ass kicked in his democratic bid for the governor of Alabama…ok wait a minute, this Black man ran for governor in the land of George Wallace and his Dixiecrat contemporaries and he’s surprised he didn’t even get the nomination? Idiot! So he’s switched parties and now this man who was solidly behind President Obama in 2008 is now all my bad, Obama is the devil and he’s seen the light…hallelujah! One day he may realize the light is from thinly veiled KKK torch bearers. So this newly christened Republican, sore losing hater intent on bringing our President down showed up to subliminally remind his new party that during slavery the unemployment rate for African-Americans was zero. Apparently he was so busy dodging the devils pitchfork he missed the fact that his new party blatantly seeks to disenfranchise, diminish and dismiss black voters, consistently uses them as political bogeymen, calling African-Americans lazy, shiftless, unwilling to work and welfare cheats as these realities did nothing to dissuade him from his mission to kiss Republican ass. So how did his speech go? I’m not sure, as soon as he began speaking I became focused on that 90’s era Fresh Prince of Bel-Air flat top and I zoned out…but I’m guessing they didn’t throw peanuts at him.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke on her belief in the American dream but apparently her dreams are what make up my nightmares. She and her fellow republicans want to take America back to what they call simpler times. Ah the good ole days, when Jim Crow ruled and Black people stayed in their place. She spoke of her personal upbringing you know all boot strap pulling up and making it in spite of obstacles, blah, blah, blah. Fine except that she and her fellow Republicans act as though racism is no longer an obstacle to overcome and the fight for equality has been won, which is easy to do when you’ve made it. She also seems to forget what it took for her to make it and the sacrifices of those who made it possible. More importantly she attacked President Obama’s foreign policy calling it weak. She made no mention of the two wars begun under her former boss’ tenure and conveniently left out the fact the President Obama successfully ended the one in Iraq and is working on the other in Afghanistan and what about Osama Bin Laden being taken out. Or how about the fact that our President has restored worldwide respect for the United States which had been shamelessly lost by George Bush’s war mongering. I wouldn't call any of that weak and by the way lady no planes have flown into buildings on President Obama’s watch.
In an effort to play it safe or perhaps subscribing to the theory that you never know what the hell crazy rhetoric is gonna come out of Herman Cain’s mouth, only Davis and Rice were invited to speak. However, he was allowed to lead the pledge of allegiance (I’m guessing they figured even he couldn’t screw that up) and provided many loony interviews including one with Sean Hannity where he said “some Black people can think for themselves.” Apparently Herman’s not one of them. The fact that he a Black man and onetime leading GOP presidential candidate was not invited to speak at the convention was completely lost on him…idiot!
Originally I wanted to title this post the Three Stooges but I felt that might be an insult to the Stooges.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Able To Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound
You know President Obama truly is a real live super hero. I mean really, think about it. As a newborn he was able to slip out of a Kenyan hospital, fly to the other side of the world, plant his birth announcement in two separate Hawaiian newspapers for future use and then slip back into the maternity ward all unnoticed. Later he was able to master the teachings of communism, socialism and Nazism all while attending Ivy League schools that he wasn’t smart enough to get into. Finally he was able to outsmart every intelligence agency in the United States as well as millions of citizens and launch his Islamic terrorist agenda to bring down the American government. The man accomplished all of this and managed a pretty cool rendition of Let’s Stay Together as well. Of course none of this ever happened, well except the Let’s Stay Together interpretation (the man can sing) but this is what the Tea Party and conservative nut jobs would have you believe.
Last week Mitt Romney appeared at a rally in Michigan along with his wife old what’s her name…seriously for some reason her name doesn’t stick with me, the woman’s way too vanilla. Romney said, “No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place where both of us were born and raised.” Translated, “no one ever asked to see my birth certificate because I am white, male and rich.” He was literally saying that he is more American than the President of the United States because he is white and his first name is Mitt and not Barack. Romney called it a joke (wink, wink) but could he make it any clearer to his supporters that it’s all about race? Of course Rush Limbaugh weighed in immediately with “Right On, Right On, Right On”… what the hell, did Rush suddenly become a brother? If so, the man needs to pick up some millennium vernacular and leave the sixties speech with the hippies where he found it.
So President Obama's birth certificate is fair game. Ok. Let's examine the past racist beliefs of the Mormon Church. Prior to the mid 70's African-Americans could not become priests in the Mormon Church. In the early 70's, the IRS published regulations denying tax exempt status to organizations which discriminated based upon race. Based upon these regulations, the IRS began proceeding against Bob Jones University because they prohibited inter-racial marriage. Fearing they might be next, the Morman Church changed their policy in 1978. The Mormons claim the policy change was based upon a "divine" revelation…funny how divine revelation can be timed to be revealed just when you need it most.
Seriously, this is nothing more than an obvious attempt to polarize America and Romney is gonna rake in a ton of money from that one race baiting comment. The Republican propaganda machine has been successful in their anti-Obama campaign, the cheers that followed Romney’s statement are proof of that. In fact they have convinced these under-educated, partially successful and even unemployed idiots to vote against their own best interests and they will eagerly give up their weekly lotto and bingo tickets just to send him money. They have instilled fear that under President Obama, it’s payback time and people of color are coming to take what's yours. With the help of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other bigots they have incited racism and hatred by portraying President Obama as someone who is not one of us. They’ve succeeded in making people feel afraid of minorities, as if minorities are not real Americans.
Last week Mitt Romney appeared at a rally in Michigan along with his wife old what’s her name…seriously for some reason her name doesn’t stick with me, the woman’s way too vanilla. Romney said, “No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place where both of us were born and raised.” Translated, “no one ever asked to see my birth certificate because I am white, male and rich.” He was literally saying that he is more American than the President of the United States because he is white and his first name is Mitt and not Barack. Romney called it a joke (wink, wink) but could he make it any clearer to his supporters that it’s all about race? Of course Rush Limbaugh weighed in immediately with “Right On, Right On, Right On”… what the hell, did Rush suddenly become a brother? If so, the man needs to pick up some millennium vernacular and leave the sixties speech with the hippies where he found it.
So President Obama's birth certificate is fair game. Ok. Let's examine the past racist beliefs of the Mormon Church. Prior to the mid 70's African-Americans could not become priests in the Mormon Church. In the early 70's, the IRS published regulations denying tax exempt status to organizations which discriminated based upon race. Based upon these regulations, the IRS began proceeding against Bob Jones University because they prohibited inter-racial marriage. Fearing they might be next, the Morman Church changed their policy in 1978. The Mormons claim the policy change was based upon a "divine" revelation…funny how divine revelation can be timed to be revealed just when you need it most.
Seriously, this is nothing more than an obvious attempt to polarize America and Romney is gonna rake in a ton of money from that one race baiting comment. The Republican propaganda machine has been successful in their anti-Obama campaign, the cheers that followed Romney’s statement are proof of that. In fact they have convinced these under-educated, partially successful and even unemployed idiots to vote against their own best interests and they will eagerly give up their weekly lotto and bingo tickets just to send him money. They have instilled fear that under President Obama, it’s payback time and people of color are coming to take what's yours. With the help of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other bigots they have incited racism and hatred by portraying President Obama as someone who is not one of us. They’ve succeeded in making people feel afraid of minorities, as if minorities are not real Americans.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Stone Castin'
Just one more thing about the chicken restaurant that shall not be named and I swear I’m done with it. Wednesday hundreds of people poured into these restaurants to show their support and I hope they’re proud of themselves. In the guise of free speech and religiosity these so called Christians showed up and celebrated hatred and bigotry. This had nothing to do with the home of the brave, or free speech, or any of the other absurdities people like this told themselves as they gave money to a million dollar plus company. This was about supporting a company who hates people based on their sexual preference and more importantly funds groups that promote hatred and intolerance of a specific group. Free speech according to these people is supporting the oppression of other people's "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness." These people claim they showed up for Jesus but guess what, Jesus Christ is on the side of tolerance and understanding, acceptance and peace. Jesus Christ never encouraged the stone casting of hatred towards your fellow man and in fact did the exact opposite. Jesus had nothing to say about homosexuality. He was too busy teaching more important things.
So I hope you’re proud of yourself Big-Boi from Outkast who tweeted “they eating chicken for the lord” and “freedom of speech motherfukka”…wow. I hope you’re proud to stand with Pat Boone, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and the other right wing nut balls who showed up. I hope you’re proud anonymous Black woman who when asked by a reporter why she was there stated “cause the Bible say it ain’t right”. I hope you and your fellow hatred enthusiasts and false Christians are proud of the affect this promotion had on the thousands of young gay people who witnessed Wednesday’s parade of narrow-minded fanatics and are now filled with self-hate, guilt and shame. Fanatics that include their friends, family, neighbors, pastors, teachers, and so many other people they look up to. I hope you’re proud of those who will be driven to self-destructive behavior, withdrawal, isolation and perhaps suicide. I hope you’re proud of the countless bullies who now feel encouraged, validated and empowered by what they saw to continue their verbal and physical attacks on gay youth and make their lives a living hell. I hope you all enjoyed your “motherfukkin” chicken.
So I hope you’re proud of yourself Big-Boi from Outkast who tweeted “they eating chicken for the lord” and “freedom of speech motherfukka”…wow. I hope you’re proud to stand with Pat Boone, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and the other right wing nut balls who showed up. I hope you’re proud anonymous Black woman who when asked by a reporter why she was there stated “cause the Bible say it ain’t right”. I hope you and your fellow hatred enthusiasts and false Christians are proud of the affect this promotion had on the thousands of young gay people who witnessed Wednesday’s parade of narrow-minded fanatics and are now filled with self-hate, guilt and shame. Fanatics that include their friends, family, neighbors, pastors, teachers, and so many other people they look up to. I hope you’re proud of those who will be driven to self-destructive behavior, withdrawal, isolation and perhaps suicide. I hope you’re proud of the countless bullies who now feel encouraged, validated and empowered by what they saw to continue their verbal and physical attacks on gay youth and make their lives a living hell. I hope you all enjoyed your “motherfukkin” chicken.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Do Fries Go With That Hate?
I’m not sure if you’ve ever had Chick-fil-A fried chicken but it’s actually pretty good however, I want to be clear why they will no longer be receiving my money. In case you haven’t heard, the owner of the fried chicken chain recently made comments about not supporting gay marriage. Specifically he said, "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit, and that doesn’t include Adam & Steve. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives, thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles." Fine, I have no problem with that in fact I commend him and his family members for their marriage longevity but apparently in Mr. Cathy’s world, gay people don’t have families, Christians don’t get divorces and in fact the whole world is Christian. He went on to say he would probably fire an employee or terminate an operator who “has been sinful,” well disregarding the legality of such terminations the man could end up with no employees to run his restaurants…or maybe he just meant those who commit selective sins.
So is this the new business model? You alienate a segment of the population thereby limiting your clientele and income. A better question is would you support a business that admittedly contributed to hate groups? Let me be more specific, would you support a business that contributed to the KKK? I don’t want to get into a debate on the issue of gay rights vs. civil rights, I previously addressed that issue but I will say hate is hate and bigotry is bigotry no matter how it’s concealed or to whom it’s directed. Between 2003 & 2010 Chick-fil-A donated more than $5,000,000 to anti-gay hate groups, $2,000,000 in 2010 alone. Groups like the Family Research Council and Exodus International. In an effort to promote their hatred and fan the flames of homophobia, these groups foster and advocate inaccuracies’ regarding gay people. Exodus International promotes the idea that gays can change their sexual orientation an idea completely discredited by the legitimate scientific community. However, legitimate scientific research doesn’t prevent them from charging insecure gay people thousands of dollars for this phony reparative therapy which includes shock treatment and drugs to decrease sex drive. In order to support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) the Family Research Council distorted research to compare gay men to pedophiles. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council has stated that pedophilia is a “homosexual problem.” In a 2009 attack on gay seniors the Family Research Council falsely promoted the idea that gay people don’t live long enough to become seniors. Your guess is as good as mine why they would promote such a ridiculous and idiotic notion. They also endorsed a fraudulent study that stated parenting by gay couples would be harmful to children and that it would be better if a child was raised parentless or in group homes as opposed to being raised by loving committed same-sex couples.
The bottom line is Chick-fil-A obviously doesn’t value my patronage. A company that so blatantly insults and offends its customers and supports hate speech and bigoted groups doesn’t deserve my money. I have no respect for a regressive organization that claims to be built on following and emulating a loving and accepting God and then does the exact opposite and instead only treats a select portion of their clientele with dignity and respect. Still, it’s a free country, first amendment rights, blah, blah, blah. The man is free to promote his stone-casting values cloaked in the bible as much as he wants but free speech sometimes includes repercussions. I also have the freedom to speak out against him and more importantly take my business elsewhere. By the way Chick-fil-A might want to take a note from history. In the 60’s there was a restaurant that refused to change with the times. They were blatant with their racist imagery and their attitudes regarding the civil rights movement. If Chick-fil-A isn’t careful they may just disappear. When was the last time you saw a Sambos Restaurant?
So is this the new business model? You alienate a segment of the population thereby limiting your clientele and income. A better question is would you support a business that admittedly contributed to hate groups? Let me be more specific, would you support a business that contributed to the KKK? I don’t want to get into a debate on the issue of gay rights vs. civil rights, I previously addressed that issue but I will say hate is hate and bigotry is bigotry no matter how it’s concealed or to whom it’s directed. Between 2003 & 2010 Chick-fil-A donated more than $5,000,000 to anti-gay hate groups, $2,000,000 in 2010 alone. Groups like the Family Research Council and Exodus International. In an effort to promote their hatred and fan the flames of homophobia, these groups foster and advocate inaccuracies’ regarding gay people. Exodus International promotes the idea that gays can change their sexual orientation an idea completely discredited by the legitimate scientific community. However, legitimate scientific research doesn’t prevent them from charging insecure gay people thousands of dollars for this phony reparative therapy which includes shock treatment and drugs to decrease sex drive. In order to support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) the Family Research Council distorted research to compare gay men to pedophiles. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council has stated that pedophilia is a “homosexual problem.” In a 2009 attack on gay seniors the Family Research Council falsely promoted the idea that gay people don’t live long enough to become seniors. Your guess is as good as mine why they would promote such a ridiculous and idiotic notion. They also endorsed a fraudulent study that stated parenting by gay couples would be harmful to children and that it would be better if a child was raised parentless or in group homes as opposed to being raised by loving committed same-sex couples.
The bottom line is Chick-fil-A obviously doesn’t value my patronage. A company that so blatantly insults and offends its customers and supports hate speech and bigoted groups doesn’t deserve my money. I have no respect for a regressive organization that claims to be built on following and emulating a loving and accepting God and then does the exact opposite and instead only treats a select portion of their clientele with dignity and respect. Still, it’s a free country, first amendment rights, blah, blah, blah. The man is free to promote his stone-casting values cloaked in the bible as much as he wants but free speech sometimes includes repercussions. I also have the freedom to speak out against him and more importantly take my business elsewhere. By the way Chick-fil-A might want to take a note from history. In the 60’s there was a restaurant that refused to change with the times. They were blatant with their racist imagery and their attitudes regarding the civil rights movement. If Chick-fil-A isn’t careful they may just disappear. When was the last time you saw a Sambos Restaurant?
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Dirty Laundry
I like to think that Janet Jackson has more class than what’s being touted by the gossip rags this week. I mean she certainly doesn’t need the money. Of all the Jacksons she was the only one not relying on Michael as a means of support. But the truth is the Jacksons are just like any other Black family after a loved one departs…we lose it. If you haven’t seen the scene from the movie Kingdom Come where Jada Pinkett’s character throws herself on the casket of her late father-in-law and sobs “Aw lawd, take me…take me”, you should. Not only because it’s a really funny and highly underrated movie but because it clearly demonstrates what happens to Black folks when somebody dies. Besides the attention seeking, look at me I’m grieving loud enough to wake the dead, actors and actresses who attempt to make the funeral all about them, if there’s money involved people tend to lose their minds…and it doesn’t have to be millions. Somebody could leave behind a $1,000 savings bond and a fight could break out with relatives taking sides like a scene from the Beat It video. And don’t get me started on those who come by to “clean” the house of the dearly departed and abscond with old moth eaten furs, that leftover couch from 1972, dime store jewelry and even food from the freezer…but nobody else was gonna eat that leftover Gumbo from last January anyway, so she can have it.
So imagine then if you were set to possibly inherit the close to a billion dollars the Michael Jackson estate has accumulated since his death. You too might kidnap your mother and her mother as well and pack their asses off to Arizona to “rest”. Especially if it meant you would no longer have to roll out of bed every morning put on your glad face and trot off to that job where you start counting the hours to quitting time five minutes before you arrive…seriously how can it only be 8:05 AM, I could swear I’ve been here 12 hours already. Of course you would go back for that last check (you earned it) and give them your “y’all can kiss my ass!” speech… really, I’m not kidding I have my “I just won the lotto and y’all can all go to hell...immediately” speech written out and ready to go. Or just imagine you had gotten used to Michael’s millions taking care of you all those years, living the life of Riley, not a care in the world unable to spend it fast enough and then suddenly it was gone. I’m pretty sure I’d rather never have had it, than to have it taken away.
Who knows maybe the Jackson’s claims that Michael’s will is fake are actually true. Like I said before, Janet certainly doesn’t need the money and just how far fetched would it be for some non-related businessmen or trustee to steal billions from the estate. Or maybe the others are just pissed that Michael had gotten sick of taking care of them while he was alive and didn’t feel pressed to do it in death. Hmm, maybe Janet is sick of forking out cash herself to these leeches so she figures she can help them get it from Michael. Or maybe he just wanted them to go out get a job and take care of their damn selves. At any rate, Michael certainly had the right to leave his money to whomever he chose, although anyone who needed an IV full of drugs stuck in his arm to make him sleep clearly wasn’t in their right mind.
On the other hand, Paris Jackson, Michael’s daughter (I’ll save that for another post) needs a good old-fashioned butt whooping and from the looks of the video shot by TMZ, Randy had to stop Janet from doing just that. In this age of electronic messaging and social networking she should know that anything she tweets about her family is going to be picked up by all the news sites, which have never been exactly sympathetic to her family. Little girl needs to sit her ass down somewhere and quit tweeting family business out for the world to view. Part of the problem between Janet and Paris began when Paris tweeted about becoming an actress and Janet told her she should concentrate on being a teenager first which coming from a former child actress is pretty good advice. Paris didn’t appreciate the advice so Janet offered to kick her ass instead…well not really but I’m sure she thought it and they did exchange words. And why are people listening to her anyway? She’s 14! As far as Tito’s (it’s even funnier when you type it) son getting involved, well what are his motivations and what does he stand to gain. Somebody needs to check his ass out as well.
So as the drama continues, according to Michael’s will Diana Ross is next in line for custody of the kids. Now say what you will about Miss Ross, anyone who knows me would know I’m not exactly impartial (ok, I love the woman, is it a crime?) but you never hear anything about her children airing dirty laundry.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
No Regrets
George Zimmerman showed up on the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News last night to:
a) Shamelessly solicit more funds for his defense.
b) Set the record straight…as he reimagines it.
c) Generally make a fool of himself.
Correct answer, all of the above.
The Zimm Man appeared on the “Fair and Balanced Network” with his attorney who stated, he hopes the interview will result in donations to his client’s defense fund, which leads me to ask, “what the hell is wrong with people”. I mean who would donate money to this man. Well, considering Zimmerman’s choice of Fox News to plead his case, I guess I have my answer. But seriously, of all the charities people could donate money to, they give it to this nut? Why, because "the left" doesn't like unarmed Skittles toting teenagers being shot dead? Do these right-wing bigots, who are the same ones that claim to cherish life, really find this a cause worth celebrating? All these people heard was young Black male being “menacing”' not where he was “supposed to be” and stand your ground laws and they chose to side with Zimmerman. How is this even a controversial & political issue and not simply common sense? This is the same man who had coded conversations on the phone with his wife while in jail and told her to pay their bills with donations they had previously collected. Then the wife lied to the judge about the money. Now he's on Fox News begging for more money! In case you have not had time to listen to the interview, allow me to provide a few highlights.
Zimmerman stated, contrary to what he reported to police on the night in question, that he was not pursuing Trayvon Martin and that Trayvon was not running but instead was “skipping, going away quickly, he wasn’t running out of fear”, an obvious attempt to refute that he was stalking Trayvon who was running for his life. In fact on the 911 call Zimmerman is clearly out of breath as if he was chasing him and tells the dispatcher “he’s getting away!” Hannity asked if Zimmerman regretted getting out of his car, following Martin or carrying a gun that night. Zimmerman replied, “No,” adding that he would not have done anything differently. Wow. So you take an innocent human life and you have no regrets. I think that says it all, this man is completely deranged. Any decent human being having just taken a life would have some regret but especially upon reflection. How about this for something different you could have done, how about you don’t hunt down an innocent teenage boy like an animal kill him and then claim he attacked you. Zimmerman also said that he noticed that Trayvon “was very leisurely for the weather”. I’m not sure where he was going with this, I mean it was raining and Trayvon as we all know had on a hoodie so what the hell does that mean. By leisurely was he implying that Trayvon was strolling along like he didn’t have a care in the world while talking to his girlfriend on the phone? You know like an innocent kid. Of course we’ll never know because softball Hannity never asked a follow up question…a theme repeated throughout the interview.
The most ridiculous and insulting statement from Zimmerman was when Hannity asked, "Do you regret that you had a gun that night?" and Zimmerman replied "No sir", “I feel it was all God’s plan.” WHAT? WHAT GOD DOES THIS MAN WORSHIP?? God’s plan was for him to pursue, shoot and kill an unarmed kid based on his preconceived bigoted notions about teenaged African-American boys. Great. Points for deflecting responsibility Georgie and to the Almighty no less. Predictably Trayvon Martin’s parents were insulted and released the following statement. "George Zimmerman said that he does not regret getting out of his vehicle, he does not regret following Trayvon, in fact he does not regret anything he did that night. He wouldn't do anything different and he concluded it was God's plan," Trayvon’s mother added, “We must worship a different God because there is no way that MY God would have wanted George Zimmerman to kill my teenage son." Couldn’t have said it better myself. Of course if Fox News was truly "fair and balanced" they would invite Trayvon Martin on to tell his side of the story...oh, wait...Zimmerman already took care of that…with no regrets.
a) Shamelessly solicit more funds for his defense.
b) Set the record straight…as he reimagines it.
c) Generally make a fool of himself.
Correct answer, all of the above.
The Zimm Man appeared on the “Fair and Balanced Network” with his attorney who stated, he hopes the interview will result in donations to his client’s defense fund, which leads me to ask, “what the hell is wrong with people”. I mean who would donate money to this man. Well, considering Zimmerman’s choice of Fox News to plead his case, I guess I have my answer. But seriously, of all the charities people could donate money to, they give it to this nut? Why, because "the left" doesn't like unarmed Skittles toting teenagers being shot dead? Do these right-wing bigots, who are the same ones that claim to cherish life, really find this a cause worth celebrating? All these people heard was young Black male being “menacing”' not where he was “supposed to be” and stand your ground laws and they chose to side with Zimmerman. How is this even a controversial & political issue and not simply common sense? This is the same man who had coded conversations on the phone with his wife while in jail and told her to pay their bills with donations they had previously collected. Then the wife lied to the judge about the money. Now he's on Fox News begging for more money! In case you have not had time to listen to the interview, allow me to provide a few highlights.
Zimmerman stated, contrary to what he reported to police on the night in question, that he was not pursuing Trayvon Martin and that Trayvon was not running but instead was “skipping, going away quickly, he wasn’t running out of fear”, an obvious attempt to refute that he was stalking Trayvon who was running for his life. In fact on the 911 call Zimmerman is clearly out of breath as if he was chasing him and tells the dispatcher “he’s getting away!” Hannity asked if Zimmerman regretted getting out of his car, following Martin or carrying a gun that night. Zimmerman replied, “No,” adding that he would not have done anything differently. Wow. So you take an innocent human life and you have no regrets. I think that says it all, this man is completely deranged. Any decent human being having just taken a life would have some regret but especially upon reflection. How about this for something different you could have done, how about you don’t hunt down an innocent teenage boy like an animal kill him and then claim he attacked you. Zimmerman also said that he noticed that Trayvon “was very leisurely for the weather”. I’m not sure where he was going with this, I mean it was raining and Trayvon as we all know had on a hoodie so what the hell does that mean. By leisurely was he implying that Trayvon was strolling along like he didn’t have a care in the world while talking to his girlfriend on the phone? You know like an innocent kid. Of course we’ll never know because softball Hannity never asked a follow up question…a theme repeated throughout the interview.
The most ridiculous and insulting statement from Zimmerman was when Hannity asked, "Do you regret that you had a gun that night?" and Zimmerman replied "No sir", “I feel it was all God’s plan.” WHAT? WHAT GOD DOES THIS MAN WORSHIP?? God’s plan was for him to pursue, shoot and kill an unarmed kid based on his preconceived bigoted notions about teenaged African-American boys. Great. Points for deflecting responsibility Georgie and to the Almighty no less. Predictably Trayvon Martin’s parents were insulted and released the following statement. "George Zimmerman said that he does not regret getting out of his vehicle, he does not regret following Trayvon, in fact he does not regret anything he did that night. He wouldn't do anything different and he concluded it was God's plan," Trayvon’s mother added, “We must worship a different God because there is no way that MY God would have wanted George Zimmerman to kill my teenage son." Couldn’t have said it better myself. Of course if Fox News was truly "fair and balanced" they would invite Trayvon Martin on to tell his side of the story...oh, wait...Zimmerman already took care of that…with no regrets.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Free Stuff
The NAACP held its annual convention this week in Houston and Mitt Romney showed up to speak talk down to them…and was promptly booed like an off key singer at the Apollo Theater attempting a Whitney Houston song. In spite of this I think his little publicity stunt worked as he had planned. Romney walked into a crowd of obvious President Obama supporters and swiftly began attacking the president’s policies, generally putting him down and referencing his health care plan as the derogatory Obamacare. Anyone who did this would expect to get booed…right? You don’t go to an event sponsored by the nation’s oldest civil rights organization and toss out Tea Party inspired slang against the first African-American President. I don’t know maybe with this crowd he should have actually referenced the real name of the health care legislation. He said, “If you want a president who will make things better in the African American community, you are looking at him.”…feel free to insert your own comment here. When the crowd reacted negatively as expected and booed he said, “You take a look”.. I have no idea what he meant by that so I don't have a snarky comment. But what was most telling of his ultimate intention was when he spoke later in the day to a crowd of his mostly white supporters in Montana and told them if those in the NAACP audience like "free stuff," from the government they should vote for Obama…wait, what now? Health care, a decent living wage, benefits and a pension are considered free stuff?
The truth is Romney was being deliberately provocative and he got exactly the reaction he wanted, so now he can boast of his ability to speak truth to those people. This was to show conservative voters "Oh well, I tried" and make him look like he is reaching out to the black community. Julian Bond said after Romney's speech, "He was speaking to that slice of white America that hasn't made up its mind about him, and he's saying, I can say things to them that they don't like, so I'm not afraid to stand up to them.” His statements only serve to further entrench himself with people who think Black people want and get benefits without "earning" them. Free Stuff, was this statement meant to infer that the NAACP audience was full of welfare and food stamp recipients? Well guess what, of the 46 million people living in poverty in America, in 2010 the U.S. census revealed that 31 million were white, ten million were black. Of the 49 million people without health insurance coverage, 37 million were white; 8 million were African-American. Latinos and Asian-Americans represented the remaining largest ethnic groups. White Americans, poor and middle-class alike, receive the vast majority of tax-funded government assistance programs, from monthly assistance to Social Security to food stamps. But truth is not this man’s or his party’s objective. He is committed to race baiting and pandering to the bigoted minds of his supporters. Speaking of which, Rush Limbaugh weighed in immediately saying the Republican candidate was booed “simply because Romney’s white”. Yeah Rush it couldn't possibly have been his rhetoric.
The only way that Republicans can continue to win elections in this country is to demonize and vilify the poor, minorities, gays, women and those that acknowledge the existence of science. They have managed to convince middle class and poor whites to vote against their own best interests by plugging in to their irrational “fear of a Black planet”. In addition, the Republicans insistence of denying voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Americans, if it continues, will allow them to "win" more elections. Just ask any minority voter in Florida or Texas whose registrations have been purged from the records.
The truth is Romney was being deliberately provocative and he got exactly the reaction he wanted, so now he can boast of his ability to speak truth to those people. This was to show conservative voters "Oh well, I tried" and make him look like he is reaching out to the black community. Julian Bond said after Romney's speech, "He was speaking to that slice of white America that hasn't made up its mind about him, and he's saying, I can say things to them that they don't like, so I'm not afraid to stand up to them.” His statements only serve to further entrench himself with people who think Black people want and get benefits without "earning" them. Free Stuff, was this statement meant to infer that the NAACP audience was full of welfare and food stamp recipients? Well guess what, of the 46 million people living in poverty in America, in 2010 the U.S. census revealed that 31 million were white, ten million were black. Of the 49 million people without health insurance coverage, 37 million were white; 8 million were African-American. Latinos and Asian-Americans represented the remaining largest ethnic groups. White Americans, poor and middle-class alike, receive the vast majority of tax-funded government assistance programs, from monthly assistance to Social Security to food stamps. But truth is not this man’s or his party’s objective. He is committed to race baiting and pandering to the bigoted minds of his supporters. Speaking of which, Rush Limbaugh weighed in immediately saying the Republican candidate was booed “simply because Romney’s white”. Yeah Rush it couldn't possibly have been his rhetoric.
The only way that Republicans can continue to win elections in this country is to demonize and vilify the poor, minorities, gays, women and those that acknowledge the existence of science. They have managed to convince middle class and poor whites to vote against their own best interests by plugging in to their irrational “fear of a Black planet”. In addition, the Republicans insistence of denying voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Americans, if it continues, will allow them to "win" more elections. Just ask any minority voter in Florida or Texas whose registrations have been purged from the records.
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