Michigan State Needs To Stop Whining About Michigan In Football

Every year, when University of Michigan and Michigan State University play in football, we have the usual trash talk. Clearly, that is part of any college football rivalry. The biggest rivalry for Michigan is, of course, the one with Ohio State. As part of that rivalry, there has been some historic trash talk that has taken on almost legendary status through the years.

This year, the U-M vs. MSU rivalry lacks a little bit of buzz. Michigan is undefeated while State has struggled with losses to Central Michigan University, University of Notre Dame and University of Wisconsin. The Wolverines are coming off a pitiful 2008 season (its first under Rich Rodriguez). Meanwhile, Michigan State has seen its program become more stable under head coach Mark Dantonio (frankly, there is no need to panic because of a few bumps in the road this fall).

Even last year, as Michigan State beat Michigan fair and square in Michigan Stadium, players, coaches and fans of the Spartans still persist on this working-class hero thing and trying to portray Michigan in a certain way (as arrogant, elitist ... which is silly since you know MSU fans, coaches and players thumb their nose at some schools ... like say, uh, CMU).

Anyway, this brings me to some comments in an article written by Shannon Shelton of the Detroit Free Press. Shannon compiled some quotes from some MSU players:

"This game is personal, and we need to win it," sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "And we better win it."

That was one of the milder comments. When players were asked how they felt about the U-M rivalry, they didn't hold back.

"Before the game last year, Coach D told us that if you haven't played Michigan, within 30 seconds you'll realize why we don't like them," defensive end Trevor Anderson said. "After about 15 seconds, I realized why I didn't like them. Just the total lack of respect that they have for our school in general. Not just the program, but the general lack of respect they have for us.

"As an athlete you go out there ... we're always taught as Spartans to respect our opponent. And just the lack of respect they have, period, is just sickening."

And from left tackle Rocco Cironi, an Ohio native, when asked if he grew up with a hatred for U-M: "Yeah, I think everybody has a hatred for Michigan."

I know, I know ... Dantonio and his Spartans are trying to fire up their base. I get it.

But ...

Dantonio has sparked this persistent bitter pettiness and it's frankly beneath him and the Michigan State program to constantly whine about Michigan. Dantonio needs to get control of himself and his players. Remember these are some of the same guys crying about former U-M running back Mike Hart's stupid comments a few years back. Michigan and Ohio State players, over the years, have said far worse to each other. But, both schools go out on the field and battle it out. Some of these whining MSU players need to let it go, grow up and be better on the football field. State did a good job of it last year, but this crying stuff has to go.

So far (or so it seems), Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez is trying to take the high road in this rivalry:

That doesn't mean a whole lot to second-year Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, however.

"The only one we're involved in (as a) staff was last year," Rodriguez said. "Players may say, yeah, we owe these guys and all that kind of stuff. They won the game fair and square last year. And we're going to try to win it this year. But I don't ever look back and say oh, this happened 20, 30, 40 years ago, it's really not relevant to this year. Every year is a new year."

A rivalry should be intense and trash talking is OK. Keep the trash talking and ditch the hypocritical crybaby stuff. I am pretty sure people in the Mid-American Conference perceive pretty much all teams in the Big Ten the way MSU seems to think it is perceived by Michigan. You think Michigan State fans see their loss to Central Michigan as no less embarrassing than their losses to Notre Dame or Wisconsin? Of course CMU is going to be looked down upon when compared to Notre Dame and Wisconsin (whether it's fair or unfair). So, if MSU players or U-M players cry about respect ... remember what student-athletes from the MAC think when they're looked down upon by Big Ten schools.

Rush Limbaugh’s Words Inspire Hate Group To Fight For ‘White America’

Far-right talk show host Rush Limbaugh, a veteran hater on the airwaves, might be proud to know his messages of hate and divisiveness have finally touched some people: white supremacists. Limbaugh got this whole thing started when he turned a story about two black kids who beat up a white kid into a hate crime (the local police authorities have not indicated that this attack was motivated by race). Even with no evidence, Limbaugh has been pushing the notion that this was some kind of a racial hate crime. Now, that is not necessarily a bad thing (since people are entitled to reasonable opinions … even the right-wing people who trashed President Obama for coming out in support of Harvard University professor Skip Gates early in that conflict). Famously, Limbaugh had a hate-driven on-air tirade during which he talked about how this is (as documented by Think Progress) what happens to “white kids” in “Obama’s America.” Limbaugh continued as he proclaimed, “We need segregated buses.”

LIMBAUGH: In Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, ‘Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on. I wonder if Obama’s going to come to come to the defense of the assailants the way he did his friend Skip Gates up there at Harvard.”

The way Rush sees it, all people of color (he might say “colored people”) stick together.

During that comment, Limbaugh mocked what he seemed to think was the way black people talk, but he seemed to be stuck in the 1970s with his vision of how black people talk.

Still, it’s shocking to hear garbage like this in 2009.

These are the kinds of comments we heard from racial segregationists 40, 50, 60 years ago.

Here is what Think Progress said about the white supremacists marching in Belleville, Ill., “On Saturday, members of white supremacist groups marched in Belleville holding signs echoing Limbaugh’s rhetoric that said, “It was a hate crime.”

Here is an excerpt from the story:

While a police sniper watched from the roof of the police station, 22 members of white supremacist groups, shouted obscenities and made obscene hand gestures. One man, who had a crew cut and wore a black uniform, told the crowd of onlookers, “Wake up white America!”

“We were out there to denounce the violence,” said Belleville resident Jason Bonn, who is a corporal with the National Socialist Movement, a group with a name similar to the Nazi Party of Germany during World War II. Bonn’s group is “fighting for white civil rights.”

While a police sniper watched from the roof of the police station, 22 members

Where are the right-wing moderates standing up to condemn Rush Limbaugh? Can you imagine the outrage that we’d be hearing from Bill O’Reilly if black men like Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton said something like this about segregated busses or this is what happen’s in Bush’s America? Remember the hate that came down on Kanye West when he made his infamous comments about President Bush after the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina?

WEST: I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, “They’re looting.” You see a white family, it says, “They’re looking for food.” And, you know, it’s been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help — with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way — and they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us!

MIKE MYERS: And subtle, but in many ways even more profoundly devastating, is the lasting damage to the survivors’ will to rebuild and remain in the area. The destruction of the spirit of the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi may end up being the most tragic loss of all.

WEST: George Bush doesn’t care about black people!

West was blasted in a lot of circles and, to some extent, still suffers from the impact of those words. Farrakhan, Jackson and Sharpton are routinely hammered by men like O’Reilly for controversial things they’ve said (even stuff that is 20 years old or older), yet people like O’Reilly let Limbaugh off the hook for his hateful commentaries.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/28/white-bus-limbaugh/

The O’Reilly Sucks Blog Chimes In On O’Reilly-Levitt Interview

This is from Steve at The O’Reilly Sucks Blog:

Florida Law Professor Confronts O’Reilly Over Racism
By: Steve – September 25, 2009 – 10:30am

Dr. Jeremy Levitt, a law professor at Florida University, confronted Bill O’Reilly last night over Fox News role in fomenting racial tensions regarding President Obama. Specifically Dr. Levitt cited Glenn Beck and the network’s role in encouraging the 9/12 protests, which featured an assortment of racist signs.

O’Reilly dismissed the racist right-wing attacks on Obama as part of a fringe group, insisting that an equivalent group exists on the left. He also stated that 10 percent of the nation is racist. Dr. Levitt would not let up, however, telling O’Reilly that “Fox News and the far right have a race deck, and they play the ace of spades every day.”

The 10 percent number from O’Reilly is just made up, and he made it up, a FOX poll showed that 20% admitted to being racist towards Obama, but O’Reilly said he dont believe that, then made up the 10 percent number as what he believes it really is. Earth to O’Reilly, even at 10% that’s 30 million people.

Not to mention, in the past O’Reilly has denied there is any racism against Obama at the protests, when Professor Levitt showed there was. O’Reilly admits it is 10 percent, when the polls show it’s 20 percent, and that number is most likely higher because a lot of people will not admit to being racist, even in polls.

The O’Reilly Sucks Blog:
http://www.oreilly-sucks.com/

Florida A&M Law Professor Dr. Jeremy Levitt Challenges Bill O’Reilly, Fox News On Using Race As A Weapon

Today, I am a big fan of Florida A&M University law professor Dr. Jeremy Levitt, who was on Bill O’Reilly’s far-right show and strongly challenged the conservative commentator as he declared, “Fox News and the far right have a race deck, and they play the ace of spades every day.” O’Reilly didn’t like that too much. Also during the segment, Dr. Levitt went through a bunch of statistics that showed death threats against the president sky high (a 400-percent increase), hate groups (have increased 4 percent) are growing (based on statistics he cited). Clearly, O’Reilly was not quite so comfortable (however, I do give Big Bill credit for inviting the doctor on the show). Credit goes to Dr. Levitt. I don’t know very many people who would have had the guts to go on national television and confront Fox News in its own backyard of bigotry based on its constant use of race to frighten and divide Americans.

O’Reilly frequently shouted down and/or talked over Dr. Levitt, and near the end mostly lied about giving the doctor the last word at the end of the segment and simply lacked the courage to challenge racial flamethrowers Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (men who seem to frighten Bill). Throughout the interview, Dr. Levitt maintained his composure throughout and never allowed himself to be knocked off course.

Predictably, O’Reilly tried to spin it around as he brought up The New Black Panther Party and Louis Farrakhan to try and highlight racism on the left. Dr. Levitt countered with the Ku Klux Klan and O’Reilly came back by throwing Sen. Robert Byrd, a former Klansmen from way back in the day, under the bus. O’Reilly showed his partisanship right there as he made sure to declare Byrd was a Democrat. Throughout the segment, O’Reilly shouted down his guest, argued with him about everything, tried to dodge anything related to far-right extremists Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

Here is an excerpt from a Huffington Post article that chronicled Dr. Levitt’s visit to the No-Spin Zone:

Dr. Jeremy Levitt, a law professor at Florida A&M University, confronted Bill O’Reilly tonight over Fox News’ role in fomenting racial tensions regarding President Obama. Specifically Dr. Levitt cited Glenn Beck and the network’s role in encouraging the 9/12 protests, which featured an assortment of racist signs.

O’Reilly (like many other conservatives), as Dr. Levitt in essence was asserting, lacks the character to challenge those on the far-right using race to fire up its older, white and conservative base.

Since the segment probably didn’t go as well as O’Reilly wanted it to go, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that Big Bill might come back on a later show and attack Dr. Levitt while he is unable to defend himself.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/law-professor-confronts-o_n_299350.html

Information From School District About President Obama Song That Has Fox News, Other Conservatives Whining About Indoctrination

Fox News and nutty far-right bloggers like Michelle Malkin and the Matt Drudge (among many others) have attempted to turn this group of elementary school kids singing a song about President Obama into a scandalous-type conspiracy seemingly on scale with the Kennedy assassination, Watergate and the Lincoln assassination. While some are frustrated with No Child Left Behind, conservatives like Malkin, Fox News and Drudge are advancing a new project ... No Obama Smear Left Behind. Operating on the premise that it's better to smear first and ask questions later, some of these far-right commentators have been trying to advance the notion that this is some kind of an indoctrination plot seemingly hatched by President Obama to control the minds of young students.

After Fox News blew up the story on its Web site all day, here is a response from the school district (B. Bernice Young Elementary School) in question about the scandal according to Fox 29 News in Philadelphia:

The first of two Burlington Township School District letters to local families posted online Thursday and obtained by Fox 29 News confirms that a video circulating online and in the media is a class at B. Bernice Young Elementary School singing about the president.

"The activity took place during Black History Month in 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country," the letter states. "Our curriculum studies, honors and recognizes those who serve our country. The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized."

Of course, for Fox News, Malkin, Drudge and others ... why let context get in the way of a good smear?

I found this on Daily Kos:

It's what a nutty comedian network would do to our nation's youth:

Drudge and the right-wing blogosphere are flogging a "SHOCK VIDEO" from YouTube that purports to show "[s]chool kids taught to praise Obama."

The children in this video appear to be no more than 8 years old. They have done nothing wrong. Presumably, neither they nor their parents have consented to having their faces plastered all over the right-wing media. They did nothing to justify Matt Drudge's invasion of their privacy. They did nothing to justify Michelle Malkin's invasion of their privacy.

Nothing these kids have done would warrant a decision by Glenn Beck, his enablers at Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, or Lou Dobbs to further invade their privacy.

The right is ruthless.

These conservatives are now using children (via exploitation using an unauthorized video) to advance their bigoted right-wing agenda.

As I wrote earlier, this is stupid, overblown and extremist even by far-right standards. It also shows these right wingers have learned nothing from their hysterical reactions to a speech that the president gave to school students weeks back.

Think Progress Explores Glenn Beck And “The White Culture” Comment

I had wondered what Fox News far right wing hater Glenn Beck meant when he talked about “the white culture” during a rant on the conservative network when he basically called President Obama a racist (ignorantly ignoring the fact that Barack Obama is half white).

Here is an excerpt of what Think Progress has about Beck’s comments about “white culture” as NBC’s Katie Couric tries to figure out exactly what he meant by his “white culture” wording.

In July, Fox News’ radical host Glenn Beck called President Obama a “racist,” saying that he “has a deap-seated hatred for white people, or white culture” — a comment that sparked a successful advertising boycott of his Fox News program. This week in an interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, Beck said he was “sorry” for the way he “phrased” the claim, but still contended that it’s a “serious question” as to whether Obama is a racist.

During the interview, Couric posed a question from a Twitter user who wanted to know what Beck meant by “white culture” in his attack on Obama. Beck responded by stuttering: “Ummmmm, I don’t know.” He then suggested that he had already answered the criticism on his website, and therefore didn’t want to “make news” by responding to Couric.

“Can you explain what you mean by the white culture?” Couric insisted, “because some people say that sounds kind of racist.” Beck complained that he shouldn’t be the “target” for “asking” if Obama is a racist. Then he turned snarky as Couric persisted with her line of questioning:

COURIC: People just want to know. What is white culture?

BECK: I’m going to see if I can play your game. People just want to know.

COURIC: You know, well, [Twitter questioner] Adrian wants to know.

BECK: That’s good for Adrian.

Conservatives are always so quick to accuse black people of playing the mythical “race card” but so quick to use that against racial flamethrowers like Glenn Beck who use race to strike fear in older, conservative whites. Then, the elitist Beck finishes this portion of the interview by showing a complete lack of respect and disregard not only for Katie Couric, but also for a questioner who just wanted to have this point clarified. Beck is an immature coward who was called out for his comments and did not have the guts to explain himself and his bigoted comments that could be reasonably viewed as racist (particularly with no explanation or any kind of sufficient context).

Imagine if a high-profile black television show host had accused George W. Bush of being racist and said he had a deep-seated hatred for black people or the black culture. People like Beck would have been all over such a person … charging such an individual with playing the so-called race card. Look how viciously Beck and others attacked Van Jones, who said nothing even remotely as controversial as Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh regularly bark out on their shows. Yet, Jones was attacked and demonized by the conservative media (Beck, Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and others).

Good for Katie Couric to challenge Glenn Beck. It’s a shame he didn’t have the character to stand by his hateful comment and instead covered up like a coward.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/24/beck-white-culture/

Fox News Distorts Innocent Classroom Activity To Attack President Obama, Hint At Anti-Americanism

This is a reach by even the low Fox News standards for objectivity.

Fox News on-air personalities have been whining about President Obama not coming to them and kissing their butts when he made appearances on major television networks, but skipped Fox (which has skipped out on him during a few of his speeches and meetings when other networks covered them). Was that a case of putting financial gain before country? (If Fox can ask these kind of loaded questions then I guess others can, too). But, perhaps part of the reason the president has avoided Fox News is its ongoing campaign to demonize him and hint that he may somehow be anti-American or that supporters of him may be anti-American. The latest from Fox News is a video it has plastered all over its homepage of young school students from B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, N.J., singing songs about the messages they’ve heard from President Obama. But, instead of looking at it as students learning about the presidency and the messages of equality they were actually singing about, Fox News takes it and turns it into the most negative interpretation possible.

Here is the image it put on the Web and (below it) how Fox News described the video:

Here is how Fox News describes the video of those evil messages such as lending a hand, making the country strong, equal work means equal pay and being fair.

Video shows little kids at the B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, N.J., being taught to sing Obama’s praises — have they already learned the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful and God Bless America?
• VIDEO: School Kids’ Song Praises Obama

The messages below the Fox headline don’t match. The kids, based on those lyrics were not singing the president’s praises, but rather singing about his messages that all good people should embrace. A large majority of the people who are angry are those who just can’t stand that a black man is in such a prominent position and can’t handle the historical significance of his presidency, with positive messages and that people are listening and being moved. None of these people cared about this kind of stuff when Bush was in office or even when President Clinton was in office.

Where were these conservatives when President Bush was going to schools hyping No Child Left Behind and drawing praise from school children?

Now, notice the part where Fox asks if the children have already learned the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful and God Bless America? This is of course done to again raise the idea of the president and those who support him being anti-American or not having the best interest of the country first and foremost. This is yet another case of Fox News injecting its right-wing bias into what should have been a fair and balanced news story. But, as we know, Fox is neither fair nor balanced its news and is especially unfair and unbalanced when it is reporting on almost anything it feels can portray Barack Obama in a negative light.

I bet none of the right wingers at Fox cared about praise from school children toward President George W. Bush when he was in office or since he has been out of office. No, the bigotry of Fox News is on display only in matters related to President Obama.

Watch the video for yourself. The video is completely innocent. I did stuff like this when I was in elementary school where we talked about national leaders, historical figures and others.

This is just stupid, far-right political hate from conservatives , such as those we see from morning to evening on Fox News, who didn’t (and still don’t) care about praise school kids have given to previous presidents.

Angry right wingers, such as the people who run Fox News, are in full-blown attack mode as they go at President Obama and we still are not even a year removed from Election Day 2008.

This one is weak even by far-right standards (on the YouTube page some nut compares President Obama to Kim Jong il, Fidel Castro, Adolph Hitler and others). These right wingers are overflowing with hate. My goodness, well-known people who speak to elementary school students often are praised with songs or get handmade drawings, paintings or handwritten thank yous. This is weak.

A couple of things:

Oh yea, Fox News also had this bullet underneath the video as more evidence of fear and smear politics:
Is Obama’s ‘Safe Schools Czar’ Unsafe for Schools?

Bush visits George W. Bush Elementary (remember when conservatives had a fit when an elementary school was about to be named for President Obama?):
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2006/10/03/bush-visits-george-w-bush-elementary/

Rep. Steve King Of Iowa Pleased With His Vote Against Aid For Katrina Victims

This article from Think Progress highlights one of the more pitiful politicians in this country.

Rep. Steve King, who is from Iowa and is one of the far-right extremists in the Republican party, has come out with yet another appalling statement that spits in the face of the horrors of Hurricane Katrina and its many victims. While many politicians swell with pride related to the good things they can do to help their country and to help people in need overcome tragedies, this man takes the opposite viewpoint. Sadly, there are people voting for this disgraceful man who routinely makes outrageous statements and thumbs his nose and what he seems to view as lesser people or dumb people (as far too many people have called the victims of Hurricane Katrina) or morally corrupt people. This is how far too many in our society think of people who they see as beneath them. Some people feel like they can’t be on top unless they’re standing on the neck of someone who is under them. King was one of only 11 members of Congress to vote against the $52 billion aid package (one that was passed unanimously by the Senate).

Here is part of what King said to The Hill as he reveals his proudest moment as a lawmaker:

THE HILL: What vote would you like to redo?

KING: I don’t really go back and re-live that sort of thing. Some of the big votes that I’ve thought about, some of the jury’s still out. And at this point, maybe I’d answer that question another way, probably the singular vote that stands out that went against the grain, and it turns out to be the best vote that I cast, was my “no” vote to the $51.5 billion to [Hurricane] Katrina. That probably was my best vote. But as far as doing something different again, I don’t know.

Think Progress adds this nugget:

Media Matters Action Network’s Matt Finkelstein writes, “Katrina killed 1,464 in Louisiana alone and uprooted the lives of countless others all over the gulf region. Yet, King says this was his ‘best’ moment in Congress. Not fighting for ‘conservative principles’ like smaller government, lower taxes, or a strong national defense — no, he’s most proud of opposing relief for victims of a catastrophe.”

Nice of Rep. King to spit in the faces of these people who died and/or had their lives and everything they’ve worked for destroyed not once but twice. After spitting in their faces once, voting down this bill, he comes back and spits in their faces again by proclaiming how proud he is to have voted against this relief effort.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/22/king-katrina/

Sarah Palin Goes Overseas To Bash President Obama, America

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a former candidate for the vice presidency, has gone overseas to Hong Kong to attack our United States of America president, Barack Obama. But, Palin apparently repulsed some U.S. delegates so much that they walked out and commented, but refused to be identified so (apparently) as to not be linked to the new conservative hero. Palin turning people off is nothing new, but her going overseas to attack our president does speak to the kind of person she is and continues to become as the spotlight is attracted to her. It wasn’t that long ago that Americans who were criticizing a president were considered anti-American and thought of as being haters of America.

Here is an excerpt from the Huffington Post story:

HONG KONG — Former U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, criticized for her lack of foreign policy experience, emerged in Asia on Wednesday to share her views from “Main Street U.S.A.” with a group of high-flying global investors.

In her first trip to the region, the former Alaska governor addressed an annual conference of investors in Hong Kong in what was billed as a wide-ranging talk about governance, economics and U.S. and Asian affairs.

Two US delegates left early, according to AFP, with one saying “it was awful, we couldn’t stand it any longer.” He declined to be identified.

“I’m going to call it like I see it and I will share with you candidly a view right from Main Street, Main Street U.S.A.,” Palin told a room full of asset managers and other finance professionals, according to a video of part of the speech obtained by The Associated Press. “And how perhaps my view of Main Street … how that affects you and your business.”

Palin spoke out against government intervention in the economy. “We got into this mess because of government interference in the first place,” Palin said, according to the Wall Street Journal. “We’re not interested in government fixes, we’re interested in freedom,” she added.

In what could be considered a paid attack, it seems Palin might have been paid for her speech to go to another area of the world to attack the President of the United States of America.

I wonder if conservatives will be attacking Palin for going over and using this platform to engage in partisan politics, attack the president and bring negativity to the U.S. before its worldwide neighbors.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/palin-hong-kong-speech-im_n_295812.html

Some Conservatives Finally Speaking Out Against Glenn Beck And Rush Limbaugh

Where are the good and strong conservatives who are going to stand up against the race baiting from extremists to the far right like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh? A few brave souls, ones rejecting this racial antagonism, have begun to speak up and demand their voices be heard. Clearly, it’s not easy, but a few of these conservatives are trying to regain control of a Republican party that has been hijacked by the extremists on the far right who are plenty comfortable with a party that not only lacks significant diversity, but oftentimes seems to be running away from it while screaming in fear.

Fox News Beats Irony Into A Painful Submission

Fox News, home to right-wing news and opinion, recently sent out a memo to its people with “standards” in the subject line. As many of you know, Fox has effectively carved out a nice spot for itself in the media as the voice for the conservatives of this country and as media leader of the forces loudly opposing pretty much anything that is proposed by President Obama. But, Fox News is increasingly taking heat for its blatant activism for the causes for people far to the right of the political mainstream. Recently, after being busted leading cheers at what was in essence an anti-Obama rally (packed with tea baggers), the network apparently decided to issue a memo (one that is nothing short of ironic and laughable) to its employees.

From: Sammon, Bill
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 2:25 PM
To: 005 -Washington
Subject: standards

For those of us who have only been at Fox for a relatively short period of time, it’s useful to remind ourselves that, as journalists, we must always be careful to cover the story without becoming part of the story. At news events, we’re supposed to function as dispassionate observers, not active participants. We are there to chronicle the news, not create it.

That means we ask questions in a fair, impartial manner. When approaching interviewees, we identify ourselves, by both name and news organization, up front. We seek out a variety of voices and views. We take note of the scene in order to bring color and context to our viewers.

We do not cheerlead for one cause or another. We do not rile up a crowd. If a crowd happens to be boisterous when we show it on TV, so be it. If it happens to be quiet, that’s fine, too. It’s not our job to affect the crowd’s behavior one way or the other. Again, we’re journalists, not participants — and certainly not performers.

Indeed, any effort to affect the crowd’s behavior only serves to undermine our legitimate journalistic role as detached eyewitnesses. Remember, our viewers are counting on us to be honest brokers when it comes to reporting — not altering –the important events of the day. That is nothing less than a sacred trust. We must always take pains to preserve that trust.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please stop by.

Uh, we have a lot of questions, but we expect few meaningful answers and thus see little reason to stop by.

This is completely and utterly laughable as Fox News regularly spits on these hollow standards Sammon is talking about.

Fear Of A Black President: Conservative Media Drumming Up Racial Fear

Here is a Media Matters for America-produced video that I have published on here before. I am posting it again as I think it has again become relevant in the current political climate.

When you see these videos it becomes a bit easier to put together the puzzle and see the pattern that begins to come into focus.

Bill O’Reilly And The Growing Liberal Menace Broken Down In Video

Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News right winger, has been attacking Media Matters (which calls him out on his lies and distortion with detailed information and documentation such as video, transcripts, Web sites, etc.) and anyone else who disagrees with him. He has demonized George Soros, but turned a blind eye on the man who pays his salary: Rupert Murdoch.

Floyd Mayweather Drops A Few N-Bombs On The Public

Boxer Floyd Mayweather is not exactly what you would consider an introverted kind of guy. The man many people consider to be the best pound-for-pound boxer can create at least as much excitement with his mouth, outside of the boxing ring, as he can with his fists, inside the ring. Mayweather, in an article published by ESPN, had some explosive comments prior to his Saturday night showdown with Jan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

MAYWEATHER: If you’re rich, you’re a rich n—–. If you’re poor, you’re a poor n—-. If you’re smart, you’re a smart n—–. At the end of the day, they still look at me as a n—–.

Oh, no he didn’t. Yes, he did. You know, I can already imagine a good number of people squirming in their chairs as they read those comments.

The 32-year-old Mayweather returned to the ring about two years after defeating Ricky Hatton in what was, at the time, a much-anticipated bout. Mayweather is one of the master’s of using words to promote his fights – even if he causes you to want to watch him to be sure you’re there just in case he loses (as Muhammad Ali used to do back in the day). During his interview (one that you already now know is overflowing with controversy), Mayweather did not let down as he continued elevate the racial DEFCON level.

Here is a quote from Mayweather who compares how he was received in England vs. in the United States.

MAYWEATHER: This country needs to be more positive. We’re already at war. We’re in a recession, we’re at war and we continue to be negative. The fans in the UK showed me more love than in my own country. That’s crazy … Sometimes I’ll sit back, I’ll be in my theater sometimes, and I’ll think: ‘Imagine if I was the same fighter that I am, and I was the same person that I am, and I was from another country. Can you just imagine how big I’d be?

As Field Negro wrote: See, that’s what the white man is talking about; you have a theater in your house, and the rest of us are still watching the wall mounted plasma. So instead of wondering why they look at you as “just another nigger”, kick back in your home theater, break out some popcorn, and slip in that last Ricky Hatton fight.

It would be nice to have a theater, but I am still working up to the mounted plasma.

Did you think Floyd was done there? Come on, now.

MAYWEATHER: But I wouldn’t change my life for nothing in the world. There’s nothing like being young, black and rich. But there are certain things you think about. If Floyd Mayweather was white, I’d be the biggest athlete in America. The biggest, the biggest. I know that for a fact.

I am always intrigued by people when they talk about themselves in the third person.

Back to the subject.

No, Floyd is not done yet as he compared himself to one-time popular boxer Oscar De La Hoya, a man Floyd defeated in a split decision in 2007.

MAYWEATHER: One thing you never hear. You never hear anything negative about Oscar De La Hoya. Anything he do negative, it gets swept under the rug.

Oh goodness … where do I start?

One thing with Floyd Mayweather is sometimes you don’t know if he is in fight promotion mode or if he truly is saying what’s on his mind. With most of these statements, however, I think Floyd is telling the world exactly how he feels about these topics related to race, success, athletes, money, popularity, etc.

I think Floyd is perhaps remembering an older era of the United States. The country has made a lot of progress (although you would be hard-pressed to know that listening to racial right-wing flamethrowers like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Bill O’Reilly and others). This country has really moved forward and continues to break down some of the walls that divide us.

We’re not there yet, but we’re closer than Floyd Mayweather thinks.

ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4478216

ESPN (Jemele Hill column):
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/090918

Bridge Over The River Cry ... Starring Fox News Mouthpiece Chris Wallace

Crybaby Chris Wallace, of the right-wing Fox News and host of the conservative-leaning Fox News Sunday, was back on the air whining like a kindergartener again because President Obama won’t come on his show. Wallace then goes into the usual temper-tantrum stuff of cheap-shotting the president and the White House like we used to do as kids when we were in elementary and middle school and didn’t get our way. This is what Wallace said as the tears started to flow when he found out he would not get a chance to interview the president, “biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with” as Obama made the media rounds for Sunday. Wallace then went on to refer to the Obama administration as being petty and childish. The hypocrisy there is nothing short of stunning considering Fox News enjoys popularity due largely to the right-wing people who flock there and get drunk on the old G.O.P.-flavored Kool-Aid.

Wallace, as he mentally talked himself down off the ledge from his on-air fit, finally cried, “What ever happened to reaching out to all Americans?” Maybe Wallace and his Fox cronies should have thought about that when Fox blew off events the president had that were picked up by the other networks and dismissed it to the right-wing Fox News channel (which has been bashing Obama with reckless abandon).

This is from Think Progress, and it is interesting:

But ironically, later during the panel discussion, Wallace cited a recent report showing that Obama has done more one-on-one interviews than both Presidents Clinton and Bush up this point and wondered if Obama is “overexposed” (despite wanting to interview him on his show). In another bit of irony, Wallace, who has been complaining for the past few days about the snub, accused the White House of being thin-skinned:

WALLACE: Every president is thin-skinned but I wonder whether this administration, this White House has a particular problem with criticism. … Not talking about just us but just the attitude of this White House. Whatever happened to reaching out to all Americans?

By the way, media people are way more thin-skinned than presidents (check out the vendettas Bill O’Reilly constantly wages against anyone in the media who has a beef with him or anyone he does not like).

This adminstration doesn’t have a problem with criticism (it seems Wallace is the one who is more thin-skinned and with a problem based on the amount of crying we’ve heard from him and his crew at Fox News). For example, MSNBC has people like Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan who regularly bash the president, but the network also has balance with commentators who give a different set of views with respect to the president. CNN has Lou Dobbs who regularly trashes the president, but is a reputable organization because it balances its news and offers balanced opinion (something Fox News rarely attempts to do).

Fox News is free to show clips from the interviews the president conducted with other media outlets.

Also, Think Progress added this:

During one of Wallace’s whining sessions this week, another Fox host complained that Obama is skipping out on “the highly rated Fox News Sunday.” But as Media Matters points out, Fox News Sunday is “in dead last, where it has remained pretty much since its inception.”

If Fox News was the only major news outlet that didn’t get the love then that seems to indicate something about Fox News than about President Obama.

ACORN Video Response

Think Everything Is Cool With Health Insurance

Maybe not all is as good with health insurance as a lot of people would like you to believe. Some of this angry opposition is just plain, old-fashioned opposition to pretty much anything that President Obama is going to bring to the table. This story is based on research from Harvard Medical School.

Check out this story posted by Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year — one every 12 minutes — in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday.

“We’re losing more Americans every day because of inaction … than drunk driving and homicide combined,” Dr. David Himmelstein, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said in an interview with Reuters.

Overall, researchers said American adults age 64 and younger who lack health insurance have a 40 percent higher risk of death than those who have coverage.

The findings come amid a fierce debate over Democrats’ efforts to reform the nation’s $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry by expanding coverage and reducing healthcare costs.

Here is the rest of the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090917/hl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_deaths

ANOTHER Falsehood in ACORN Attacks: Fox News, Andrew Breitbart face more questions about videos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, September 18, 2009

CONTACT Jess Levin (202) 772-8162 jlevin@mediamatters.org

Washington, D.C. — Today, mere days after exposing Fox News’ reporting of a false ACORN story as fact, Media Matters for America called attention to new developments that raise further doubts about the right-wing campaign currently being waged against ACORN. A recently released video and police report show that ACORN officials in Philadelphia threw out filmmakers and called the police, directly contradicting the claims of conservative activists who made the widely circulated ACORN videos that the filmmakers were never rebuffed by any of the ACORN offices they visited.

“Every day brings more questions about the credibility of this story and Fox News’ reporting,” said Eric Burns, president of Media Matters. “Legitimate news outlets should thoroughly investigate these videos and the ‘citizen journalists’ who created them before reporting them as fact.”

BACKGROUND

In recent days, Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe, the conservative filmmakers who made the widely circulated ACORN videos, as well as BigGovernment.com’s Andrew Breitbart and Mike Flynn, who have been promoting the videos repeatedly on Fox News, have claimed that the filmmakers were never rebuffed by any of the ACORN offices they visited in their attempts to get ACORN to assist them in improper activities. However, in a newly released video, ACORN Housing Corp.’s Katherine Conway Russell directly rebuts those claims, citing a police report ACORN filed as evidence that she asked the filmmakers to leave the ACORN office in Philadelphia and called the police after the filmmakers asked suspicious questions.

Media Matters recently called attention to Fox News devoting significant programming to a video of Giles’ and O’Keefe’s interactions with an ACORN worker, who claimed she murdered her former husband and gave advice on how to run a brothel, but stated after the video was released that she had merely been attempting to “shock them as much as they were shocking me.” In running with the video, Fox News hosts frequently promoted the fake claim that the ACORN employee killed her former husband without fact-checking the allegation or indicating that they had contacted ACORN for a response. The employee’s supposed murder confession was soon debunked, a fact Fox failed to report on for almost a full day.

The Associated Press reported that Fox News spokeswoman Dana Klinghoffer said the tapes were vetted editorially before they were aired.

For more information, please see:

Police report filed by ACORN exposes false claims by individuals behind videos

Fox News runs with San Bernardino ACORN video without needed fact check

Fox News reports fake murder story from ACORN video as fact

A Letter I Received From Media Matters For America

Since President Obama’s inauguration, Fox News has officially abandoned its already dubious standing as a news organization and is now engaging in outright political activism, completing its transition into the 24/7 media wing of the far-right conservative movement.

Fox News’ leaders have admitted as much themselves. In a March interview with the Los Angeles Times, Fox News chief Roger Ailes described his network as “the Alamo,” and Fox News vice president for programming Bill Shine has referred to the station as the “voice of opposition.” Clearly, Fox’s employees have taken their bosses’ words to heart. Led by resident demagogue Glenn Beck, Fox has spent much of the year openly advocating against the Democratic Congress and White House. Beck and Fox aggressively promoted and encouraged attendance at the anti-Obama Tax Day tea parties in April and subsequent follow-up events, including this past weekend’s 9-12 protest in Washington, D.C. During the August congressional recess, Fox hosts frequently lauded and encouraged the health care town hall disrupters. And now, emboldened by the resignation of White House green jobs adviser Van Jones, Beck and Fox have launched an all-out witch hunt against Obama officials and nominees.

Fox isn’t going to change on its own. We have to expose the network for what it is. We have to fight back.

Tell 10 of your friends to sign up for Media Matters action alerts so they can be on the cutting edge of the fight against conservative misinformation and the activism it fuels: http://mediamatters.org/action/fightfox/
If you have a Twitter account, follow Media Matters so you can get up-to-the-minute updates on our latest items, clips, and blog posts: http://twitter.com/mmfa

Media Matters has been a leading voice in the progressive community’s effective and escalating response to the propaganda of the Right. In recent weeks, our friends at Color of Change have built a massive, ongoing campaign focused on getting advertisers to boycott Glenn Beck in response to his accusation that President Obama is a racist. Media Matters was the first group to capture and post the statement, which might have otherwise gone unnoticed. In the following days, we clipped dozens more outrageous Beck comments, documented his complete disregard for facts in a host of research items, produced a series of videos highlighting his abuses, and publicized a running tally of the companies that continued to advertise on his show.

The results have been immediate and significant. Within a few weeks following his initial outburst, Beck has lost an estimated 62 advertisers. According to Color of Change, this ad boycott costs Fox News nearly $600,000 every week. But we’re not going to stop there. We’re keeping the heat on Beck and will continue holding him accountable for his outlandish, incendiary rhetoric every day.

The pressure is working. Help us keep up the fight:

Tell 10 of your friends to sign up for Media Matters action alerts so they can be on the cutting edge of the fight against conservative misinformation and the activism it fuels: http://mediamatters.org/action/fightfox/

If you have a Twitter account, follow Media Matters so you can get up-to-the-minute updates on our latest items, clips, and blog posts: http://twitter.com/mmfa

Together, we are going to keep winning this fight. Thank you for your continued commitment to fighting conservative misinformation in the media.

Eric Burns
President
Media Matters for America

Fox News Is At It Again … Fooled By ACORN?

Nuts about ACORN?

The obsession Fox News has over some low-level ACORN people doing bad things has become so ridiculous that it is barely laughable anymore.

Brit Hume Of Fox News Finds Conservatives’ Favorite Whipping Boys … Jesse And Al

When conservatives become angry about racial politics, and feel things are not going their way, it’s generally not long before too familiar names come up … ahem … Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton.

As Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page said in an interview, some of the hatred being directed at President Obama is paybacks for the anger that a good number of conservative (by far predominantly old and white) feel toward Jackson and Sharpton. President Obama is an easy and high-profile target for these conservatives to step up and unleash their venom disguised by code words or terms like socialist, communist, fascist, anti-American, Marxist and more.

This is from a CNN special:

ELAINE QUIJANO: Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page sees the Obama presidency as a chance for some to lash out.

CLARENCE PAGE, DC-BASED CHICAGO TRIBUNE COLUMNIST: People are not just mad at Obama. They’re mad at Jesse Jackson, they’re mad at Reverend Wright, they’re made at Al Sharpton, they’re mad at people who have nothing to do with Obama except they all happen to be black.

QUIJANO: Page says the vehement racial resistance that’s emerged is another sign any notion of a post-racial society after Barack Obama’s election was wishful thinking.

PAGE: It’s only the beginning of the process that we are able to live with leadership that may not look like us, may not come from the same background as us but is still part of this very diverse society.

This all brings me to a commentary published on the Fox News Web site by conservative talker Brit Hume, who sort of proves what Page was talking about with respect to Jackson and Sharpton.

Fox News article by Hume (speaking for racism/racial politics deniers aided by the more subtle form of racism that exists today):

FOX News’ Brit Hume with ‘Special Report’ host Bret Baier

One of the great achievements of the American civil rights movement is a broad and deep consensus that racism — which has a long history in this country — is unacceptable, indeed even intolerable. Civil rights activists, led by Dr. King, appealed to the conscience and good will of the nation on the issue and won the nation over.

See, a lot of these conservatives will say something like “yeah, we know racism is still out there” but every time an instance of racism is pointed out they (generally speaking) vehemently deny it’s racism and then turn around and go on the offense by accusing you of playing the mythical so-called “race card.”

In America, one of the worst things that can be said of anyone is that he or she is racist. The charge is so potent that some — Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton come to mind — have hurled it about with abandon, knowing how far people will go to avoid the label.

To say Jackson and Sharpton have “hurled it (the racism charge) about with abandon” is a tricky statement – even by Hume’s (Fox News) standards. Whenever a race issue comes up, reporters from Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and others jump up and stick a microphone in the faces of Jackson and Sharpton. Then, the two reverends are accused of playing the race card when a lot of times they are the ones who are sought out by the media. Now, there are times when a lot of us wish people (including Jackson and Sharpton) would sometimes say “no comment” as those two in particular inexplicably seem to represent the so-called black community to a lot of white people (in a negative way).

If there is a black community then does that mean there is a white community? There’s food for thought.

Enablers of racism blame the victim instead of standing up against these more disguised forms of racism. Now, people need to be careful hurling the charge because, as Hume says, it is a powerful charge. But, those who engage in these kinds of activities or use inflammatory language must be called out by people like Brit Hume (don’t hold your breath waiting on that to happen) who seem to have no problem calling out Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, but are silent on certain other people.

President Carter Has Harsh Words About Rep. Wilson, Tone Toward President Obama

Only Fox News would accuse President Jimmy Carter of playing the race card while (on a daily basis turning blind eyes and deaf ears to Rush Limbaugh’s almost daily racial rants).

Carter, the former president of the United States, had some harsh words related to Rep. Joe Wilson’s angry, hate-driven and irresponsible outburst during President Obama’s speech before a joint session of Congress. Fox News, as you might expect, had a headline on its homepage that charged Carter with playing the mythical so-called “race card” with his comments about Rep. Wilson (Fox News links to an AP story with a more fair and balanced headline to describe the story, “Carter: Wilson’s Outburst ‘Based on Racism’”).

Here is a portion of the AP story Fox News posted:

ATLANTA – Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst to President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress last week was an act “based on racism” and rooted in fears of a black president.

“I think it’s based on racism,” Carter said in response to an audience question at a town hall held at his presidential center in Atlanta. “There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”

The Georgia Democrat said the outburst was a part of a disturbing trend directed at the president that has included demonstrators equating Obama to Nazi leaders.

“Those kind of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national program on health care,” he said. “It’s deeper than that.”

Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, was formally rebuked Tuesday in a House vote for shouting “You lie!” during Obama’s speech to Congress last Wednesday.

The shout came after the president commented that illegal aliens would be ineligible for federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Republicans expressed their disbelief with sounds of disapproval, punctuated by Wilson’s outburst.

I am not sure Rep. Wilson’s undisciplined and out-of-control outburst is directly based in racism (although he does have a bit of a checkered past relative to issues regarding race). But, I think it is based on a strong lack of respect for this particular president (the reason for that lack of respect is certainly up for debate), who merely is making proposals for healthcare. Rep. Wilson’s anger seems disproportionate to the kind of legislation that President Obama is simply proposing (as little if anything is actually set in stone). So, I think President Carter may be a bit off base with Rep. Wilson, specifically, but in general I think he is on the money with some of the more outspoken people on the far right as far as their motives are concerned.

This also is from the story:

“I think Joe’s conduct was asinine, but I think it would be asinine no matter what the color of the president,” said Dick Harpootlian, who has known Wilson for decades. “I don’t think Joe’s outburst was caused by President Obama being African-American. I think it was caused by no filter being between his brain and his mouth.”

Harpootlian said he received scores of racial e-mails from outside South Carolina after he talked about the vote on FOX News.

“You have a bunch of folks out there looking for some comfort in their racial issues. They have a problem with an African-American president,” he said. “But was he motivated by that? I don’t think so. I respectfully disagree with President Carter, though it gives validity to racism.”

I think that is more the issue: Rep. Wilson’s outburst emboldens the racists and far-right nuts who hated (or at the very least were uncomfortable with) Barack Obama the first time they saw him (long before anything came out of his mouth).

Rep. Wilson’s thoughts have inspired the haters and racists. Moreover, Rep. Wilson’s unwillingness to formally apologize for his disgraceful actions before Congress makes me think two things: 1. He is not really sorry for his actions. 2. He now is officially playing politics (by forcing primarily Democrats to reprimand him). 3. He is willing to be a martyr for those who hate President Obama.

Rush Limbaugh Is Back At It Again Playing Racial Politics

Rush Limbaugh is back at it playing racial politics to scare conservative white people (who follow it like dummies)about Barack Obama, this black president of the United States.

Here is what Limbaugh, the leader of the GOP and the conservative wing of the political spectrum had to say:

“[I]n Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering”

What a disgraceful man this Rush Limbaugh is, and it just shows how nutty and blind these far-right crazies who hang onto his every word have become over the years.

Conservatives are afraid of him and fall like dominoes for his brand of divisive racial politics. People like Limbaugh have hijacked the Republican party.

Fear keeps indoctrinated conservatives in line.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200909150017

Wow, Some People Find The Darndest Things Funny

Attacking President Obama

Steve Malzberg Uses Racial Politics To Divide

Steve Malzberg, a right-wing radio show host, begins this clip using the customary racial politics to take a shot at President Obama and the media.

It’s sort of a predictable way for Malzberg to start …

Ralph Peters, who has a history of making highly offensive comments in his role as a columnist and a Fox News analyst, makes the following statement in audio captured by Media Matters for America. Now, Media Matters captured the audio because Peters slips and mixes up (President) Obama with Osama … as conservatives curiously seem far more apt to do than liberals or independents. I was more disturbed by something Peters said later in the clip when he started to talk about President Obama in a little more depth.

When trying to describe why he thinks it could be good to have a black president of the United States, Peters said the following:

“I would welcome a black president because it’s great for our image in the world. Maybe it can help minority Americans get their act together and behave responsibly.”

Uh, excuse me. (Don’t think too highly of the right-wing nut Peters as he eventually goes on to attack Barack Obama as, in essence, being incompetent.)

He later attempted to clarify (as host Steve Malzberg seemed to realize the gravity of how stupid and racist the statement comes across as) the offensive remark by talking about minorities stay in school. Hmm…

Oh yeah, there are the obligatory poor-Sarah-Palin comments here, too.

Previous MMA articles:
Ralph Peters claims it’s “shocking” that “eight years after 9/11, we have a president who doesn’t think it was any big deal”

Fox News’ Peters claimed Obama “clearly has a massive Third World chip on his shoulder”

Kanye West Apologizes; Damage Already Done

Kanye West inexplicably and completely ruined a great moment for Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. Swift won the Best Female Video award as she topped, among others, Beyonce Knowles. This did not sit well with West, who stormed his way onto the stage and took the microphone away from Swift (unbelievable) as she started her acceptance speech. West was upset because he felt that Beyonce should have won the award and he let his feelings be known in front of a stunned and hurt Swift and a completely shocked Beyonce who was caught by the unforgiving lens of the cameras looking on in disbelief at Kanye’s display.

Here is what West said:

“Yo Taylor. I’m really happy for you. I’m gonna let you finish but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!”

The crowd, after recovering from the shock that floored so many people in the audience and at home in TV land, showered West with boos.

Kanye is a great musician and I love his works, but this was foul.

Later in the show, when Beyonce won an award, she invited Taylor Swift back onto the stage in what was a nice gesture to allow the 17-year-old to make her acceptance speech.

It was a nice gesture by Beyonce to give Taylor her moment on stage (uninterrupted) and you know the fans truly appreciated it.

Kanye did come back (as is customary) to issue an apology of sorts, but long after the considerable damage already was done.

Here is West’s apology:

“I’M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD’VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED! I LIKE THE LYRICS ABOUT BEING A CHEERLEADER AND SHE’S IN THE BLEACHERS! …….. I’M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!…….. BEYONCE’S VIDEO WAS THE BEST OF THIS DECADE!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FANS IF I LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FRIENDS AT MTV. I WILL APOLOGIZE TO TAYLOR 2MRW. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!! EVERYBODY WANNA BOOOOO ME BUT I’M A FAN OF REAL POP CULTURE!!! NO DISRESPECT BUT WE WATCHIN’ THE SHOW AT THE CRIB RIGHT NOW CAUSE … WELL YOU KNOW!!!! I’M STILL HAPPY FOR TAYLOR!!!! BOOOYAAAWWWW!!!! YOU ARE VERY VERY TALENTED!!! I GAVE MY AWARDS TO OUTKAST WHEN THEY DESERVED IT OVER ME… THAT’S WHAT IT IS!!!!!!! I’M NOT CRAZY YALL, I’M JUST REAL. SORRY FOR THAT!!! I REALLY FEEL BAD FOR TAYLOR AND I’M SINCERELY SORRY!!! MUCH RESPECT!!!!!”

Not exactly the strongest and most convincing apology there. He clearly gives a not-so-subtle hint that he thinks Swift should give her award to Beyonce. Uh, come on Kanye … you’re better than that.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/13/kanye-west-steals-taylor_n_285198.html

Media Matters For America Call Out Fox News Host Glenn Beck On His Irresponsible Advocacy Of Hateful 9/12 Protests

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, September 11, 2009

CONTACT Jess Levin (202) 772-8162 jlevin@mediamatters.org

Washington, D.C. – Today, on the eighth anniversary of 9-11, one day before Glenn Beck’s “9-12 Project” descends on Washington, Media Matters for America calls attention to what has become a familiar, disturbing pattern on the purportedly “fair and balanced” news network.

Fox News now routinely engages in political advocacy against the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress, and Beck’s promotion of a September 12 march on Washington is the latest example. Network executives have made little effort to hide Fox News’ agenda, with one referring to the network as the “voice of opposition.”

“There is little difference between being the ‘voice of opposition’ and just being the opposition,” said Eric Burns, president of Media Matters. “Since the president’s election, Fox News has become nothing more than the 24/7 media wing of the Republican Party. No political party in American history has had such an enormous megaphone.”

BACKGROUND:

Since President Obama’s inauguration, Fox News network executives have made their intentions clear. In clips aired on the March 23 broadcast of NPR’s Media Circus, vice president for programming Bill Shine referred to the network as the “voice of opposition.” And chief executive officer Roger Ailes reportedly said of the new administration: “I see this as the Alamo,” adding, “If I just had somebody who was willing to sit on the other side of the camera until the last shot is fired, we’d be fine.”

On air, the network’s agenda is even clearer. Fox News personalities and hosts have promoted and encouraged viewers to “join” tea party protests and town hall meetings. They have implored viewers to call Congress and the White House to protest Democratic policies. And they have declared “Victory!” when Democratic legislation has been stalled.

Most recently, Beck and Fox News have repeatedly promoted Beck’s “9-12 Project,” which, in addition to encouraging local events, is organizing a September 12 march on Washington, which Fox News will broadcast live.

• Beck’s 9-12 Project “a place” for people looking to take back their country. Beck started the 9-12 Project, which describes itself as “a place for you and other like-minded Americans looking for direction in taking back the control of our country.” Beck’s FoxNews.com website, under a section titled, “TAKE ACTION: GET INVOLVED!” states of the 9-12 Project: “Check out Beck’s new Web site for updates on the stories and people who prove that your values and principles are still very much alive.”

• 9-12 Project organizes events across country. The conservative project frequently organizes events around the country. For instance, members of the 9-12 Project have helped organize tea parties, and Beck’s 9-12 website is working with others for a “March on Washington,” among other local events, on September 12. Beck will participate in a 9-12 “March on Washington” by broadcasting live from 1 to 3 p.m. ET on Fox News.

• Beck: “9-12 Projects and rallies happening all over.” In recent months, Beck has frequently touted the effectiveness of his 9-12 Project in organizing followers. On August 12, for instance, Beck described the 9-12 Project as giving “ourselves an outlet of voice to connect, because you needed to community organize. … Well, you have already done it. There are 9-12 Projects and rallies happening all over. The biggest one seems to be in Washington, D.C., on September 12.”

• Beck: “We started that. Millions all involved across the country and the 9-12 project and other organizations like it.” On August 27, Beck said of the 9-12 Project:

BECK: Now, the second part of this. A few months ago, I told you, you got to know you’re not alone. You’ve got to know. You got to unite. Talk to people. Make sure you know you’re not alone, through the 9-12 Project. We started that. Millions all involved across the country and the 9-12 Project and other organizations like it. I knew we needed to connect with one another.

• Beck: “On 9-12, I hope to see you in Washington. I will make sure you’re seen all over the country.” On August 28, Beck described the 9-12 march on Washington as something “worth standing up for” and told viewers, “I hope to see you in Washington. I will make sure you’re seen all over the country.”

• Beck: Will we find people “to stand for our country?” Discussing his participation in the 9-12 march, Beck asked viewers: “Will we find another 50 men or women willing to stand for our country and the republic? On the Fox News Channel, you can find out all of the details at the 912Project.com.”

• 9-12 march website: Beck “really helping our numbers grow!” A post on the 9-12 march website 912dc.org states, “The recent coverage by Glenn Beck is really helping our numbers grow!” The website frequently mentions Beck’s promotion of the march and excerpted a September 8 USA Today articlewhich reported that the march has been “[e]ncouraged by conservative commentators such as Fox’s Glenn Beck.”

For more examples of the network’s political advocacy, please see Media Matters‘ comprehensive report:

“Voice of the opposition”: Fox News openly advocates against Democratic Congress, White House

Open Letter From Media Matters For America To CNN About Disgraceful Lou Dobbs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, August 28, 2009

CONTACT Jessica Levin (202) 772-8162 jlevin@mediamatters.org

Washington, D.C. — Today, Media Matters for America President Eric Burns issued an open letter to CNN President Jonathan Klein regarding prime-time anchor Lou Dobbs’ scheduled appearance on September 15 and 16 at the “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” legislative advocacy event and rally sponsored by the anti-immigration organization Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). FAIR, an organization that has been designated a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center and that has been sharply criticized for its racially-tinged ads, was founded by John Tanton, who has a long history of making racist statements and espousing racist beliefs.

A FAIR press release announced that Dobbs will broadcast his show from the rally and will be joined by 47 conservative talk radio hosts.

Burns writes, in part:

“Mr. Dobbs represents an ongoing threat to CNN’s credibility as a serious news organization, in no small part because of his polemical coverage of immigration issues and his continued use of his CNN show to lend prominence to groups such as FAIR. The attention and legitimacy he gave to the “birther” movement — and CNN’s condoning of his actions — did real damage to that credibility. His participation in the upcoming FAIR rally would do further, serious damage. We urge you to finally acknowledge that Mr. Dobbs’ actions in this and other contexts are inconsistent with the reputation that CNN strives to maintain.”

The complete text of the letter reads:

August 28, 2009

Dear Mr. Klein:

On September 15 and 16, Lou Dobbs is scheduled to broadcast from Capitol Hill as a leading voice of the annual “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” two-day legislative advocacy conference and rally sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Including Mr. Dobbs, the event will feature 47 conservative talk radio hosts from around the country. We write to urge you to prohibit Mr. Dobbs from participating in this event.

FAIR is a rabidly anti-immigrant organization founded by an unrepentant racist, who remains on its board. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated FAIR a “hate group.” Mr. Dobbs’ participation — and, inextricably, CNN’s — would bestow legitimacy on the rally and on FAIR, as the group itself recognizes and touts. In announcing its 2008 “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” conference (from which Mr. Dobbs was allowed to broadcast his CNN television show), the FAIR Congressional Task Force boasted in a press release that Mr. Dobbs’ “prominence will add to the visibility and stature of an event that has already had an enormous impact on the national debate about immigration policy.” FAIR’s website approvingly stated that in 2007, “talk radio and cable news programs such as Dobbs’ ” helped turn the public against immigration reform efforts, which it labels as “amnesty.” The press release announcing this year’s rally notes that it will be “led by Roger Hedgecock … and Lou Dobbs.” In addition, the group has given Mr. Dobbs its “People’s Voice Award” for “his continued efforts in leading the immigration reform movement through both his talk radio show and his television show.”

CNN’s association with FAIR through Mr. Dobbs is nothing less than a stain on an organization that calls itself “The Most Trusted Name in News.” FAIR was founded by John Tanton, who still sits on the organization’s board of directors. Tanton has a long history of making racist statements, espousing racist beliefs, and funding racist organizations. In 1986, Tanton reportedly wrote: “As Whites see their power and control over their lives declining, will they simply go quietly into the night?” In 1993, he reportedly wrote: “I’ve come to the point of view that for European-American society and culture to persist requires a European-American majority, and a clear one at that.” In 1997, Tanton was quoted by the Detroit Free Press as saying that without a reduction in immigration levels, the United States will be overwhelmed by people “defecating and creating garbage and looking for jobs.” In 2001, Tanton reportedly praised the work of John Trevor, a notorious Nazi sympathizer, saying his work should form “a guidepost to what we must follow again this time.” Tanton is not a relic of FAIR’s past: In the organization’s 2004 annual report, chairman of the board of directors Nancy Anthony wrote that Tanton’s “visionary qualities have not waned one bit. He stills floods us with more ideas than we can possibly absorb.”

In March, Dobbs’ CNN show reported that FAIR “supports a temporary moratorium on immigration.” FAIR executive director Dan Stein has been quoted saying the following: “Many [immigrants] hate America, hate everything the United States stands for. Talk to some of these Central Americans.”

FAIR has been sharply criticized in the media for racially tinged ads. A 2000 campaign ad the group ran against former Sen. Spencer Abraham, a Lebanese-American, attacked his support for making more visas available for foreign workers and accused him of “trying to make it easier for terrorists like Osama bin Laden to export their way of terror to any city street in America.” In 2004, a group of FAIR-backed ads targeting former Texas Democrat Martin Frost and former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel featured dark-skinned men loitering on street corners and running from the police. The Dallas Morning News denounced the ads in an April 2004 editorial, calling them “as racially tinged as those Willie Horton ads the late Mr. [Lee] Atwater put together for the first President Bush during his 1988 White House bid.” In an April 24, 2004, editorial, the Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star called the ads “trash” that “incite hate,” “play upon stereotypical racial fears,” and “are full of half-truths and lies.’”

And yet, rather than denouncing the group, Mr. Dobbs’ CNN show has cited FAIR as a credible source on immigration issues no fewer than six times in the last year while also routinely failing to disclose his close association with the group.

There should be no doubt concerning the content of the upcoming rally. It will give a platform to precisely the type of radio host you, Mr. Klein, reportedly said would no longer be invited on CNN. Speakers last year included Les Kinsolving, a WorldNetDaily.com columnist who asked Robert Gibbs at a White House press briefing why the president won’t release his “long-form birth certificate.” Another speaker from last year, South Florida radio host Joyce Kaufman, has reportedly said of undocumented immigrants: “If you commit a crime while you’re here, we should hang you and send your body back to where you came from, and your family should pay for it.” Also on the roster last year was Steve Gill, a Nashville radio host who has said of President Obama: “This man, and his evil minions, really do hate this country.” Jeff Katz, while a radio host in Sacramento, reportedly “said motorists should be awarded a sombrero-shaped bumper sticker for every illegal immigrant hit while attempting to cross the border from Mexico,” adding, in the words of the Sacramento Bee, that “[f]or every 10 bumper stickers … a motorist would earn a free drink or meal at Taco Bell.”

As Media Matters has highlighted repeatedly, Mr. Dobbs represents an ongoing threat to CNN’s credibility as a serious news organization, in no small part because of his polemical coverage of immigration issues and his continued use of his CNN show to lend prominence to groups such as FAIR. The attention and legitimacy he gave to the “birther” movement — and CNN’s condoning of his actions — did real damage to that credibility. His participation in the upcoming FAIR rally would do further, serious damage. We urge you to finally acknowledge that Mr. Dobbs’ actions in this and other contexts are inconsistent with the reputation that CNN strives to maintain.

We await your response.

Sincerely,

Eric Burns

President

Media Matters for America