Fox Nation Misleads (If Not Lies) In Another Predictable Attack On NBC

I tend to avoid reading anything off of Fox Nation because it is nothing more than the unhinged arm of Fox News which is the public relations firm for the Republican party.

But, this screen grab (below) I found interesting because the headline read: "NBC News Anchor Viciously Attacks Laura Bush."

My first reaction was ... why would Brian Williams (someone who is about as fair as they come) attack Laura Bush? That made no sense to me.

So, I clicked on the link:























The link takes you to a video of commentator Keith Olbermann's show. Obviously, Olbermann is a liberal, but to refer to him as an NBC News Anchor is misleading at best and dishonest at worst. First, he is a commentator and second, technically, he is on MSNBC on a show (in a time slot) designated for commentary.

Is right-wing hater Glenn Beck a Fox News anchor?

NABJ: NBC Gets Best Practices Award

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2010 -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced at its spring Board of Directors meeting that NBC News and its local TV stations will receive the organization's annual Best Practices Award, and NBC Universal Executive Vice President Paula Madison will receive its Legacy Award. The honors will be recognized at the association's 35th Annual Convention and Career Fair in San Diego, the largest gathering of minority journalists in the country.

"NBC News and its owned and operated stations nationwide have done tremendous work promoting diversity in its management positions as well as in its coverage. NABJ has championed such issues in news for 35 years.," said NABJ President Kathy Times.

"Best Practices" is the association's highest honor to a news organization -- annually awarded for its exemplary work in covering issues of significance to the black community or for its efforts in increasing diversity among its newsroom staff and management.

"According to NABJ's annual survey of broadcast news management, NBC Universal contains the most African-American Vice Presidents, General Managers, News Directors, Senior and Executive Producers in its Network News Division and in its owned-and-operated stations than any broadcast or cable network in the country," said NABJ Vice President-Broadcast Bob Butler.

"NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker's commitment is apparent in NBC's Network News and local news operations and is a model many media companies should explore," said Times.

Madison, Executive Vice President of Diversity for NBC Universal & Company Officer with General Electric, will receive NABJ's Legacy Award -- awarded to a pioneering black print, broadcast or photojournalist of extraordinary accomplishment who has broken barriers and blazed trails. At NBC Universal, Madison, a 34-year NABJ member and former board secretary, has worked with the company's business executives who have developed programs that mirror the diversity of their customers, clients and audiences.

Madison began her career as a journalist in print media and then became a television news manager. She worked her way up the corporate ladder to become a news director and eventually the president and general manager of the NBC station in Los Angeles, the second largest broadcast market in the country. Madison was the first African-American woman to become a general manager of a top five network-owned television station.

She was also the first person to hold the position of executive vice president of diversity at NBC Universal and is a member of its board of directors.
Throughout her career Madison has promoted the fair inclusion and representation of minorities in the media. She has built a reputation as a strong leader who is committed to quality journalism and community involvement.

"News organizations are encouraged to reflect the communities they serve. The management teams at NBC Universal's stations are the closest at meeting that standard among the major television groups," said NABJ Vice President of Broadcast Bob Butler. "NBC Universal has made a commitment to diversity that is reflected in all of its business units."

This year Madison and NBC executives will join other top honorees, CNN's Soledad O'Brien for Journalist of the Year, and NABJ Founder Paul Delaney for Lifetime Achievement.

NABJ's 35th Annual Convention and Career Fair will take place July 28-August 1 in San Diego, Calif. For additional information, ticket sales, registration, please visit us at www.nabj.org, or contact Ryan Williams at rwilliams@nabj.org or (301) 405-0248.

Source: NABJ

Bill O'Reilly Race Baiting ... A Blast From The Past

Here is an old clip from Fox News as posted on Media Matters for America regarding now U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Fox News far-right commentator Bill O'Reilly, who in the past has had the nerve to accuse CNN of race baiting, doing some race baiting of his own when he asks: "Should white Americans be concerned about Judge Sotomayor."

Here is a clip that is Dr. Boyce Watkins' response to O'Reilly's ridiculous and hypocritical accusation of CNN engaging in race baiting.



Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907140004

Fox News Doesn't See The Racism In Arizona Legislation

Here is the ignorance on Fox News.

Disgusting Facebook Group Speaks Volumes Of The Level Of Hate In This Country

It's rare for me that I "defriend" people on Facebook or get overly upset at what some people do as far as joining groups or liking groups on the social networking site.

For the most part, I recognize that some people are liberal, some moderate and some conservative. In fact, I took a Facebook poll once upon a time that indicated that my friends were almost evenly divided (slightly more liberal) between liberal and conservative. That mostly even split was not necessarily a huge surprise to me.

I recognize that my conservative brothers and sisters typically do not like President Obama (and some hate him ... some hated and disliked him when he was still running against Hillary Clinton in the primary). That's fine. Some people oppose the health care legislation. OK. That is part of politics. Such disagreement is reasonable ... even all the scare-tactic garbage about death panels and pulling the plug on grandma are part of political discourse these days (I reserve the right to change my mind later).

But, some things are disgusting and go well beyond civil politics (and even uncivil politics). One day, as I was looking through one of these feeds that Facebook runs highlighting activities of my friends, I noticed that a number of them had joined a group: "VOTE FOR OBAMA: BECAUSE SOCIALISM WORKED SO WELL IN USSR."

Obviously, I see that as stupid, but whatever.

Here is what made my jaw drop (a statement posted on the group's page ... perhaps symbolic of the group's core values:

DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA. AMEN

It's a poor attempt at humor that is disgusting and perhaps is indicative of why death threats against this president are up exponentially.

As of April 29, the group was up to 1,172, 331.

What it means reminds me of what a friend I had years ago used to say (excuse the language), "There are a lot of sick fucks in this world."

I could not agree more.

Is Bill O'Reilly Playing The So-Called Race Card?

Once again, Fox News far-right commentator Bill O'Reilly showed his true colors as he used his platform to again demonize and attack NBC and use racial politics to inflame conservative whites who are the Tea Party. Notice how O'Reilly cherry picks an NBC interview asking about that has a question regarding race in the Tea Party movement (a very legitimate issue). O'Reilly takes the question and spins it as NBC using race to strengthen the liberal strength among minority groups. It also plays into that old stereotype that O'Reilly buys into that blacks are not that smart and so easily influenced by white liberal leaders with sinister intentions.

What you will read below also shows that O'Reilly and Fox News clearly are in the corner of the Tea Party movement and are willing to go to great lengths to defend it to anyone who will listen.

Read how O'Reilly starts the segment with his mini soliloquy and then starts with what he sees as an inflammatory question.

Here is an excerpt from a recent O'Reilly Talking Points Memo:

For now, the liberal media and the left-wing establishment in general greatly fear the Tea Party movement. And so, led by NBC News, the media is trying to brand the Tea Party people as racist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY O'DONNELL, NBC NEWS: There aren't a lot of African-American men at these events.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

O'DONNELL: Have you ever felt uncomfortable?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. These are my people. Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, the NBC News reporter Kelly O'Donnell's question was legitimate. But coming on the heels of NBC's unrelenting racial attacks on the Tea Party, the question also illuminates the left-wing media strategy.

By the way, with 95 percent of African-Americans voting for Barack Obama, you would not expect them to sign up in great numbers for the Tea Party, would you?

Going forward, the Tea Party movement will face some challenges. Will it become a legitimate third party, or will it stay as an anti-Obama protest group? Or will it expand its passion into other areas?

There is no Tea Party leader. Sarah Palin comes closest, but she doesn't want the designation. So it will be interesting to see just how the Tea Party evolves.

But for now, these folks are scaring liberal America big time.

First of all, I find it funny that Fox News would accuse another network of unrelenting racial attacks when it has been doing that against President Obama since he was Sen. Obama, candidate for the presidency. Even in the last few days, Fox News has been working tirelessly to convince white Americans that President Obama is playing racial politics with the immigration legislation in Arizona. How can Fox News legitimately accuse any other network of playing racial politics without cleaning up its own racial backyard? Will Bill O'Reilly condemn his own network for its relentless racial attacks on black people. Why did Bill O'Reilly never speak out about racism on Fox News Web sites?

Next, the Tea Party people are not scaring liberals. To the contrary, I think some on the left are probably quietly liking the Tea Party protests for exposing the extremism in our midst. In fact, part of the reason that liberals are working to expose the Tea Party people is because of the anger of the movement and how the movement really only came to life shortly after President Obama was elected.

Is Bill O'Reilly playing the so-called "race card" when he says that liberals are trying to portray the almost exclusively white tea party people as racist? Is he playing to white racial anxiety?

Now, no one is saying that all tea party people are racist. Some are, but obviously not all are racist. BUT, far too many excuse the racism in their midst and make excuses for it.

Where were the (fiscally-conservative and anti-big government) Tea Party protests when George W. Bush was president?

There is nothing wrong with the angle that the NBC reporter took and it's difficult to tell if it was just one small part of a larger series of interviews that might have been conducted. It's just obvious that the Tea Party protesters are overwhelmingly white (whether that is a good thing or a bad thing). After Bill O'Reilly hosted that Wall Street Journal reporter (James Taranto) on to spew his racial garbage, it hardly seems that Bill O'Reilly can legitimately come back and accuse anyone competitor of launching a racial attack.

Why Do Conservatives Have Such A Low Opinion Of People Of Color?

It never ceases to amaze me how conservatives act like people of color are stupid or so weak-minded that they are easily influenced by white folks. It started with this ridiculous Wall Street Journal writer taking a shot at black people with an idiotic column he wrote that I addressed here in a previous blog.

With this whole issue of immigration and Arizona's draconian laws that will undoubtedly target Hispanic people comes more evidence that those on the right think that people of color are stupid and easily influenced by white people.

I found two videos posted at Media Matters for America from Sean Hannity's show on Fox News (surprise, surprise):

Here is the first one:

One is from the appropriately-named Dick Morris suggesting that Democrats are trying to rile up Hispanics for political purposes. Morris is completely unreliable and so filled with hatred toward this president and dislike toward Democrats in general that he has become a political loose cannon that spouts off without thinking and has a history of making false statements, offering irrational opinions and misguided predictions to qualify him as the worst political pundit on television.

Here is the second one:

The second video is from Tucker Carlson who essentially says the same thing as he appears to think very little of Hispanics as he makes a similar suggestion to what Morris said. Carlson tries to accuse President Obama of playing the race card when he had two people of color on to debate the issue. I doubt it was an accident that he had two people of color on the panel during one of the segments.

I wonder if it is a coincidence they ended up on Hannity's Fox News show? There is no way it's an accident that these two men were on Hannity's show with this kind of race talk.

This legislation in Arizona is horrible and must be overturned. It's predictable, however, that the Republicans would use it as an attempt to attack President Obama as playing what conservatives call the "race card."

Arizona Is Now Home Of The Brown Codes (It's Called 'Immigration Reform' In Arizona)

This attempt to legalize harassment (some would say racism) of Hispanics in Arizona, in the name of battling illegal immigration, is causing quite a stir.

It all made me think of a class I took in college where we had a brief opportunity to study apartheid in South Africa. This guilty-until-proven innocent approach to battling illegal immigration made me think of "pass laws" in South Africa.

First, this foundation part from the Omaha World Herald:

The law, which both opponents and critics called the broadest and strictest immigration measure in the country, makes the failure to carry proof of citizenship or legal immigration status a crime. It also gives police broad powers to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. Opponents have decried it as an open invitation for harassment and discrimination against Hispanics, regardless of their citizenship status.

This brings me back to the "pass laws" of apartheid South Africa. Here is a brief description of "pass laws" from Wikipedia:

Pass laws in South Africa were designed to segregate the population and limit severely the movements of the non-white populace. This legislation was one of the dominant features of the country's apartheid system. The Black population were required to carry these pass books with them when outside their compounds or designated areas. Failure to produce a pass often resulted in the person being arrested.

Seems there are similarities between the "pass laws" of apartheid South Africa and current immigration laws being pushed in present-day Arizona.

Here is an interesting piece of information:

By the time the increasingly expensive and ineffective pass laws were repealed in 1986, they had led to more than 17 million arrests.

It's so sad that people in our country, in Arizona, are doing something very similar to what oppressors and racists in South Africa were doing for centuries - up until 1986.

Then, it was black people as targets. Today, in Arizona, it's brown people in the crosshairs.

I'm not suggesting what is happening in Arizona is as bad as what happened in South Africa to black people under apartheid, but to not learn from that lesson is disturbing to say the least.

Not Looking For White People ... Obviously

This little nugget, from Media Matters for America, is another good illustration of what is so wrong with people in this illegal immigration extremism taking place in Arizona right now.

Crowder: Nothing wrong with law's racial profiling. During the April 23 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Fox News contributor Steven Crowder said that there's racial profiling in the law and "I don't think there's really anything wrong as far as racial profiling, stopping people who are coming in illegally. I mean, you're not looking for a blond haired, blue eyed Swede most of the time."

What a sad commentary. The last sentence seems indicative of the kind of mindset that suggests it is OK because it's not white people that are here illegally.

For these xenophobic extremists, on Fox News and elsewhere, the browning of the U.S. is too disturbing to handle.

Greg Gutfeld And 'No-Brainer' Go Well Together

I read an interesting comment that is not all that unexpected from a far-right Fox News personality like Greg Gutfeld.

From Media Matters for America:

Gutfeld: Racial profiling a no-brainer. On the April 21 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld said of the law: "A lot of the critics are saying this is racial profiling. Duh! They're coming from another country. That's what you do. You have to look at them and see who they are before you know they're legal or illegal. I don't think that's a fair criticism."

This shows the disconnect that Republicans and conservatives have with people of color. It's wrong to go around targeting people with this draconian-type legislation in Arizona.

It's a shame, but not surprising that extremists like Greg Gutfeld fail to see the harm in what Arizona is doing by targeting people of color because they may look like some people likely to be so-called illegal immigrants.

Fox News Hypocrisy Again Shows Through With Franklin Graham Situation

Fox News conservatives (I know ... kind of redundant) are crying like schoolchildren over anti-Muslim hater Franklin Graham having his invitation to speak at a Pentagon National Day of Prayer event revoked.

Fox News brought on a man by the name of whiner Peter Johnson Jr. to come on and cry about poor Franklin Graham being treated so poorly. Yes, if only we were all a little more sensitive to his anti-Muslim bigotry it would be a happier world ... for people like Franklin Graham.

Here is an excerpt of what Media Matters writes (with video of Johnson whining):

In a classic moment of cognitive dissonance, Johnson Jr. said:

No one is out to make any excuses for the statements that Franklin Graham made. And they were made nine years ago, in the wake of 9/11. In the wake of 3,000 deaths. He doesn't need excuses, he's made his viewpoint clear as an evangelical minister and as someone who wants to proselytize the world in the word of Jesus Christ.

Of course, in stressing that Graham's comments were "made nine years ago, in the wake of 9/11," Johnson Jr. is attempting to excuse Graham's comments a few seconds after claiming that "no one" is "out to make any excuses." As my colleague Simon Maloy pointed out, yesterday Johnson Jr. also spent several minutes offering excuses for Graham's anti-Muslim rhetoric, including invoking 9-11. And he's not the only one.

Graham himself has defended his rhetoric about Islam as recently as this past December on CNN, telling Campbell Brown that "True Islam cannot be practiced in this country. You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they've committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries."

Last night, Sean Hannity repeatedly excused Graham's comments, specifying that they were aimed at "radical Islam." But the outrage over Graham's comments is that he has taken the actions of fringe lunatics and applied them to an entire faith, which he has classified as a "very evil and wicked religion."

Defense of Graham hasn't been limited to Fox News, as CNN's Erick Erickson wrote that: "The Council on Islamic-American Relations and other Islamic groups got upset with Franklin Graham pointing out the truth."

So, conservatives want Graham's comments to be put into context (it was after 9/11 and it was almost 10 years ago).

Now, imagine if the speaker was say ... randomly ... oh ... the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Would these same conservatives be scrambling to have Rev. Wright put into context? No. Would these same conservatives care that Rev. Wright's controversial comments (the ones played constantly) were made a little after 9/11? No way.

Johnson's comments are so ridiculous it's difficult to know where to begin. Johnson weakly and pathetically tries to bring politics into the issue to try and paint the left as religiously bigoted (oh, the irony of such thought).

Were we "America-lite" when Rev. Wright was being attacked?

Were we "America-lite" when Fr. Michael Pfleger was being attacked?

Watch this video and ask yourself ... Would Peter Johnson would make the same argument for Rev. Jeremiah Wright?

Gretchen Carlson comes on near the end of the clip and whines about us being a politically correct society, but did she feel that way when Rev. Wright and Fr. Pfleger were being attacked and demonized?

Will Bill O'Reilly attack or send one of his "producers" to attack Franklin Graham for his anti-Muslim comments the way he demonizes Minister Louis Farrakhan for (negative comments made toward Jews) and sends his one of his "producer(s)" to hound Fr. Pfleger for defending Farrakhan? No. Is Bill O'Reilly "defending hate" with regard to Graham? see the clip on Pfleger>

Hannity is quick to defend almost anyone (white or black) of any comments that are bigoted or racist against people of color (Rush Limbaugh, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman, Don Imus, Jesse Lee Peterson, and Michael Richards).

Fox News once again proves to be hypocritical and unethical.

Is Stanford's Toby Gerhart The Victim Of Prejudice Against White Running Backs?

It's a theory that is picking up steam in recent days leading up to the 2010 National Football League Draft: Is Stanford running back Toby Gerhart the victim of racial prejudice against white tailbacks?

Here is something I read about Gerhart from Dexter Rogers of the African-American Sports Examiner:

One scout said of Gerhart, “He’ll be a great second-round pickup for somebody, but I guarantee you if he was the exact same guy – but he was black – he’d go in the first round for sure,” the scout said. “You could make a case that he’s a Steven Jackson-type – doesn’t have blazing speed but he’s strong and powerful and versatile.”

That is quite a powerful statement if you're one to believe in comments not attributed to a named source.

It has touched off a debate that has extended beyond the sports world and to Fox News which often champions the causes of conservatives (or those beloved by conservatives).

On Fox News, white rights activist Sean Hannity was working hard to advance the theory that there could be a racial bias against Gerhart, a physical and tough runner with an under appreciated level of athleticism and speed. Hannity hosted two black commentators, Stephen A. Smith and Spencer Tillman to talk about the issue (with the host's expected spin that whites were arguably being harmed).

Yes, Gerhart happens to be a white guy playing a position that most are just accustomed to seeing black players dominate.

More than a few people will compare Gerhart's situation to prejudice that many black quarterbacks experienced when conventional wisdom said that blacks were not smart enough to play QB (in high school, college or the pros).

Now, while I can see why that would be a natural comparison, I am not sure the similarities are as similar as a lot of people would like to think. The prejudice against black quarterbacks was a bit different as it was based exclusively on racist stereotypes (that extended well beyond the football field) that blacks were not smart enough to play the position.

Adder Rogers later in his column:

What Gerhart is facing is only slightly comparable to what African-American quarterbacks coming out of college have endured. Quarterbacks like Major Harris, Tony Rice and more recently Troy Smith have either been snubbed or drafted very low.

Again, I am not sure I totally agree, but I see how that argument can be made.

Most of the prejudice that some people perceive against Gerhart is based on the fact that we just don't see a lot of white running backs in major college football or in the NFL. One could argue that there is a prejudice against Gerhart not being perceived as being as athletic as the typical black running back.

Personally, I am a big fan of Gerhart and I was an advocate of him being a stronger candidate for the Heisman Trophy (even though I knew he wasn't going to win it due to a number of factors ... not the least of which is being from the West Coast).

A part of me hopes my beloved (albeit troubled) Detroit Lions can land him in the right spot. I think he has the potential to be a solid NFL running back.

I think, more so than race, Gerhart is the victim of not having the kind of "wow" factor that people look for from running backs. In running backs, people want to see a guy that can shake you out of your cleats, get past you and then pull away with breakaway speed and hurdle over the top of you.

Gerhart looks more like a solid football player who just doesn't have that "wow" factor (even though I think he is being undersold by a lot of people) that some want.

This is from a San Jose Mercury News blog

Gerhart’s fate this week depends not only on the answers but on who’s doing the answering.

The teams that believe Gerhart projects as an effective first-down runner might not need one. The teams that do might think Gerhart, who clocked a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, is too slow for the role.

“I’d be stunned if he made the first round, and that’s not an indictment of his ability,’’ said Rob Rang, analyst for NFLdraftscout.com.

“He’s very talented. But history shows us that first round running backs have to have explosive speed, and that’s not his game.’’

Yet Gerhart’s 40 time is faster than that of the 49ers’ Frank Gore, the Cardinal’s Beanie Wells and the Jets’ Shonn Greene, who combined to rush for 2,453 yards last season.

“I think speed is overrated,’’ said Trent Baalke, the 49ers’ director of player personnel.

“What’s their pad speed? That, to me, is important. You look at last year during the Seattle game, (Gore) had two long runs and nobody could catch him.’’

If the guy can play then he can play and he will ultimately prove his critics wrong.

It's not all about race in this case. Gerhart's draft stock is more complicated than race.

O'Reilly, Taranto Use Fox News Platform To Degrade Blacks, Attack Democrats

Leave it to Fox News conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly to provide a platform to a fellow Rupert Murdoch employee, the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto, to take a shot at black people and the Democrats. Stung by accusations of racism that has infected segments of the Tea Party movement, the far right is going overboard in an effort to defend Tea Baggers from this charge by reversing field and, in essence, attacking black people as ignorantly falling for the racism charge against America and Republicans; portraying Democrats as evil manipulators of black people and positioning the tea baggers as innocent Americans who only care about their country.It was one of the more insulting and degrading segments Bill O'Reilly has ever hosted, and that is saying something based on his history of insulting black people, lecturing black people about how bad they are and telling them what they need to do to shape up as if he is the all knowing moral integrity police.Here is the transcript from Lexis Nexis from the April 20 edition of The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News:

OREILLY: "Unresolved problem" segment tonight, the far left continues to
demonize the Tea Party as a racist outfit. And this has been going on for
months, as you know. A column today in "The Wall Street Journal" says the racist
deal is a political strategy that the Democratic party needs, because minority
voters have to be with them. And if they don't get them, they're in big trouble.
With us now James Taranto, editorial page editor of "The Wall Street Journal"
website. Now, you wrote the article and basically said, look, this is a pretty
tough charge now, Mr. Taranto. It's a pretty tough charge. You're saying the
Democratic party has to have the minority votes. And in order to keep them in
the flock, they're willing to use the racist charge. You know that for sure?

Hold it right there. First, to say the "far left" is demonizing the Tea Party as racist is not only misleading, but also ignores elements of racism that have been fairly obvious at far too many Tea Party rallies. But, you will not hear this from O'Reilly. Few people are saying, as a blanket statement, that the entire Tea Party movement is racist. What a lot of us are saying is that there are elements of racism in the Tea Party that is largely being ignored or excused by Tea Party people and Fox News. Fox News and other conservatives ignore the racism, blame critics for calling it out and then attack the critics for supposedly labeling the whole movement racist. The accusation that the "far left" sees the whole movement as racist is intentionally false to give conservatives an opportunity to point to the majority who are not necessarily racist.

JAMES TARANTO, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, let's start with the first half
of that, that they need the black vote.

O'REILLY: Everybody knows that.

TARANTO: Yes, I mean--

O'REILLY: Absolutely.

TARANTO: --if the black vote had split evenly between
the parties in 2008, Barack Obama would not have won.

O'REILLY: Right.

TARANTO: He would have gotten about 48 percent. And he was the most
successful Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. So they absolutely --
they're abjectly dependent on the black vote. Now, how do they keep the black
vote? I mean, it's not just that they need black voters. They need 80 to 100
percent of the black vote.

O'REILLY: Right.

TARANTO: It's a monolithic voting block. How do they keep blacks voting Democratic? They have to keep alive the idea that America is a racist country and that the Republicans are a racist party.

First of all, this portrayal of the Democrats as some Dr. Evil caricature trying to manipulate black people is just plain stupid. No white Democrat needs to tell a black person about racism in this country (particularly in the 1960s and 1970s when blacks began largely voting Democrat. This portrayal of blacks by Taranto I find as disturbing a statement from a conservative as any I've heard in quite some time. And, I don't think I can state this strongly enough. It's as if he is saying that blacks are so ignorant that whites can simply tell them that racism exists and is a danger to them and they just automatically vote Democrat ... as if blacks are just slaves. This man also absolves the Republican Party of any role or responsibility in the whole discussion (specifically in regards to why that party does not appeal to black people).

O'REILLY: When you say they, does this stretch into the upper echelons of
the party, the DNC, you know, people making those kinds of strategic decisions?
They sit around a table and they go we got to throw this racist stuff around and
keep these black voters on our side. I find it really hard to believe they would
be that underhanded.

TARANTO: I don't think that they sit around the table and say that. I
think this is a part of the culture of the party. This has been going on for 45
years. It's just something that is understood. It's a--

O'REILLY: Unspoken.

TARANTO: --fact of life. I don't know if
it's unspoken. But I don't -- it's not something they need to sit down and
conspire about. I think it's something that they understood. Understand, it's in
the air.

O'REILLY: So over the years, you submit, that the Democratic party has
used racism as a political tool to keep African-Americans in the fold? That's
what you're submitting?

TARANTO: Yes, absolutely. And I think that it's become more urgent that
they do so now. Because we have a black president of the United States. That's
something that a lot of people said would never happen or wouldn't happen any
time soon. It happened in 2008. And it's much harder to say that America is a
racist country now that we have elected a black man president. So that means
that it's all the more necessary to keep alive this idea that the Republican
party is a racist party.

Again, there is no mention of the Republican Party and why it does not appeal to black people. O'Reilly and Taranto continue to discuss the Democrats using race to, in essence, enslave black people. It is insulting and it is degrading. Also, I am always amused by how conservatives believe that racism disappeared because Barack Obama was elected president of the United States of America. Racism has instantly become a thing of the past. This is the kind of one dimensional thinking that is harmful to meaningful discussions about very real issues of race that continue to divide Americans. Again, very few people say that this is a racist country. People do say that there is an element of racism in this country that continues to serve as a barrier to fairness for all Americans. This is the kind of hysterical assertions we see from far-right conservatives. They say that some blacks think the entire country is racist so they can point to Barack Obama's election and say, "see, we're not racist ... we elected a black president." That does not mean racism is dead and buried. Few people believe the whole country is racist. That doesn't make any sense.

O'REILLY: Now, is that what the Tea Party thing is all about? Is just that
branding them as racist, so we can dismiss them and then keep people from
joining up?

TARANTO: Well, there are two elements to it. One is that left
wingers in the media and Democrats have been searching for a way to discredit
the Tea Party. So we've had this whole series of accusations there. Astroturf,
fake grassroots. They're extremists, they're birthers, they're -- the latest one
is they're a potential Timothy McVeighs as Bill Clinton implied. And so the
racist is part of that -- the racist accusation is a part of that. But it's also
part of the effort to keep blacks from leaving the party. One of the arguments
they make that the Tea Party is racist is that it's mostly white. There aren't a
lot of blacks. The Tea Party polls show between 1 and 5, which is much lower
than the black percentage of the population. Well, part of that is because of
the pre-existing partisan alignment. Blacks vote 80 to 90 Republican
(sic)--

O'REILLY: 95 percent voted for Barack Obama.

TARANTO: --Democratic rather. 95 percent voted for - Is it more telling
that 95 percent support Democrats or 95 percent oppose Republicans, and why?
Also, O'Reilly again jumps to the irrational claim that some people are
asserting all tea partiers are racist. It's just plan idiotic to state that "one
of the arguments they make that the Tea Party is racist is that it's mostly
white." That is just plain ignorant. It's not about the race of the people as
much as it is about the people in the race.

O'REILLY: (INAUDIBLE).

TARANTO: And this is a movement against the policies of a Democratic
president, who also happens to be the first black president. So blacks feel a
certain racial pride, which is a perfectly wholesome and understandable
emotion.

O'REILLY: President Obama himself rejected all of this
racism stuff, I think, very smartly. He has said, look, I was black before the
vote. You know, all of this racism, criticism of me is bogus. So he has not
bought into this.

TARANTO: He has largely stayed above the fray, I
agree.

O'REILLY: Right. Right. But does he know the fray is
happening? Do you believe that Rahm Emanuel and the other powers behind the
throne are saying, look, anybody who criticizes Obama, we can go after them as a
racist because that's been used particularly by the media when you criticize
Obama, you become suspect, maybe you're a racist. Maybe you're doing this
because he's black.

TARANTO: Well, I can't speak to what Rahm
Emanuel and company say in private. But certainly this is the case. And it seems
to me that the fact that people are vigorously criticizing Barack Obama just
like people vigorously criticized every other president of the United States is
evidence of how far America has come beyond its racist past. I mean Barack Obama
is the president of the United States. He's out there getting criticized. And
that's the great American tradition.

O'REILLY: All right. But you
do feel that the racism label is being used as a political
tool--

TARANTO: Absolutely.

O'REILLY: --by the
Democratic party?

TARANTO: And has been for many years.

Do you think O'Reilly would had this puff-piece interview with someone making a similar outrageous assertion about something or some group that is liberal? Of course not. There is nothing wrong with criticizing the president of the United States of America. But, where were the Tea Party people when George W. Bush was president? Where were these Tax Day protests when Bush was president? Where was the concern about government playing too big a role in our lives from Tea Party people when Bush was president? The Tea Party people did not organize in the current fashion until after Barack Obama was president and the birther nuts and socialism/Marxism/communism-crying nuts came to the forefront. Once again, far right people like O'Reilly take great joy in providing a platform to someone slamming black people and Democrats while hardly mentioning anything about Republicans and Republican ideology and policies that have helped drive black people away from the GOP. O'Reilly trying to play it real smooth, but there is no doubt he had an agenda with this segment and the agenda was to provide a platform to someone to take a shot at black people and Democrats.

Arizona Has Still Not Learned Since Public Enemy Rapped 'By The Time I Get To Arizona'

What is the matter out there with some of these people in Arizona?

Years ago, when far too many people continued to inexplicably oppose the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the rap group Public Enemy made famous a song that targeted one such state that was in opposition to the King holiday. PE's song was titled, "By The Time I Get to Arizona."

I was reminded of this song when I read a blog today from Think Progress about what these crazy irrationally xenophobic birthers are attempting to accomplish in Arizona.

The Arizona House on Monday voted for a provision that would require President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate if he hopes to be on the state’s ballot when he runs for reelection. The House voted 31-22 to add the provision to a separate bill. The measure still faces a formal vote.

It would require U.S. presidential candidates who want to appear on the ballot in Arizona to submit documents proving they meet the constitutional requirements to be president. Phoenix Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema said the bill is one of several measures that are making Arizona “the laughing stock of the nation.” Mesa Republican Rep. Cecil Ash said he has no reason to doubt Obama’s citizenship but supports the measure because it could help end doubt.

Arizona has learned very little through all these years.

Once again, we see hostility coming from individuals in Arizona. Once again, the state seems to be striking back against people of color (disguised as battling illegal immigration and just wanting to see President Obama's birth certificates). It's issues related to race and partisan politics all revealing their ugly faces in all too familiar fashions.

From Wikipedia:

The group’s next release, Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black, continued this trend, with songs like "Can't Truss It", which addressed the history of slavery and how the black community can fight back against oppression; "I Don't Wanna be Called Yo Nigga ", a track addresses on how the urban culture uses the word "Nigga" outside of its usual derogatory context. The album also included the controversial song and video "By the Time I Get to Arizona," which chronicled the black community's frustration that some States did not recognize Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday. The video featured members of Public Enemy taking out their frustrations on politicians in the States not recognizing the holiday.

By The Time I Get To Arizona (Public Enemy)

I'm countin' down to the day deservin'
Fittin' for a king
I'm waitin' for the time when I can
Get to Arizona
'Cause my money's spent on
The goddamn rent
Neither party is mine not the
Jackass or the elephant
20.000 nig niggy nigas in the corner
Of the cell block but they come
From California
Population none in the desert and sun
Wit' a gun cracker
Runnin' things under his thumb
Starin' hard at the postcards
Isn't it odd and unique?
Seein' people smile wild in the heat
120 degree
'Cause I wanna be free
What's a smilin' fact
When the whole state's racist
Why want a holiday F--k it 'cause I wanna
So what if I celebrate it standin' on a corner
I ain't drinkin' no 40
I B thinkin' time wit' a nine
Until we get some land
Call me the trigger man
Looki lookin' for the governor
Huh he ain't lovin' ya
But here to trouble ya
He's rubbin' ya wrong
Get the point come along
An he can get to the joint
I urinated on the state
While I was kickin' this song
Yeah, he appear to be fair
The cracker over there
He try to keep it yesteryear
The good ol' days
The same ol' ways
That kept us dyin'
Yes, you me myself and I'ndeed
What he need is a nosebleed

Read between the lines
Then you see the lie
Politically planned
But understand that's all she wrote
When we see the real side
That hide behind the vote
They can't understand why he the man
I'm singin' 'bout a king
They don't like it
When I decide to mike it
Wait I'm waitin' for the date
For the man who demands respect
'Cause he was great c'mon
I'm on the one mission
To get a politician
To honor or he's a gonner
By the time I get to Arizona

I got 25 days to do it
If a wall in the sky
Just watch me go thru it
'Cause I gotta do what I gotta do
PE number one
Gets the job done
When it's done and over
Was because I drove'er
Thru all the static
Not stick but automatic
That's the way it is
He gotta get his
Talin' MLK
Gonna find a way
Make the state pay
Lookin' for the day
Hard as it seems
This ain't no damn dream
Gotta know what I mean
It's team against team
Catch the light beam
So I pray
I pray everyday
I do and praise jah the maker
Lookin' for culture
I got but not here
From jah maker
Pushin' and shakin' the structure
Bringin' down the babylon
Hearin' the sucker
That make it hard for the brown
The hard Boulova
I need now
More than ever now
Who's sittin' on my freedah'
Opressor people beater
Piece of the pick
We picked a piece
Of land that we deservin' now
Reparation a piece of the nation
And damn he got the nerve
Another niga they say and classify
We want too much
My peep plus the whole nine is mine
Don't think I even double dutch
Here's a brother my attitude hit 'em
Hang 'em high
Blowin' up the 90s started tickin' 86
When the blind get a mind
Better start and earn while we sing it
Now
There will be the day we know those down and who will go

Properly Called Out By Jon Stewart, Bernie Goldberg Goes Into Full Crybaby Mode On Fox News

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart used a segment of his show to shred far-right Fox News commentator Bernard Goldberg for being the hypocrite that he is while posing as some kind of media analyst.

You can look at the video for yourself and draw your own conclusion. Following the video, however, I found myself rather intrigued as The O'Reilly Factor host Bill O'Reilly and Goldberg later appeared on the air to answer the video beat down Stewart issued for the far-right Goldberg. I read a headline some place that said something about Goldberg confessing that he was in fact wrong and caught red-handed with his blatant Fox News-style hypocrisy.

But, I should have known that Goldberg would not just take his whipping like a man and confess to the far-right bias of Fox News. Instead of just taking his ass whipping and atoning for his dishonesty, Goldberg bounced back and attacked Stewart and essentially whined about the comedian being a hypocrite for not taking on left wingers.

Goldberg, author of a book crying about the media's coverage of President Barack Obama, whining about someone not attacking their own is too laughable to be believed.

Here is the video: http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004160033

This video, picked up by Media Matters for America and News Hounds, is just a small taste of the right-wing bias on Fox News that maybe would not be so bad if the network was just honest about it.

Is It True: Black People With Guns = Thugs, White People With Guns = Patriots

Checking Facebook, something I do quite often on a daily basis, I stumbled across this comment posted by Tim Wise, one of my favorite activists. Wise, who can verbally mix it up with the best of them and is outspoken in issues regarding race (all the more intriguing because he is a white male), had this interesting little nugget of knowledge he dropped on Monday, April 19, in regard to a recent showing of so-called guns rights activists on the National Mall in Washington D.C.:

(Tim Wise) ... wonders how FOX News and conservative white folks in general would feel about thousands of black men descending on the DC area with guns as part of a political protest. Actually, I don't wonder. I know. They would no more consider them defenders of constitutional liberty than the NRA considered the Black Panthers as such 40 years ago. Black people with guns = thugs. White people with guns = patriots. Don't forget it.

So, that whole statement and particularly the last sentence got me to thinking about the issue a little more deeply. Is Wise correct? Are we that shallow that black people with guns could be considered thugs while white people with guns are considered patriots?

To a large extent, I find it difficult to argue with Wise's comment. Imagine the outrage if a group of blacks (they would probably be labeled a gang) descended upon the Washington D.C. area with guns lobbying for the right to get and keep guns.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/19/gun-rally-second-amendmen_n_542872.html

MSNBC/Washington Post:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36635695/ns/politics-washington_post/

Fox News Attacks President Obama And McCain Continues To Become Another Partisan Hack

If you want additional evidence of how Fox News is little more than a far-right public relations firm for the GOP, check out this article:

Being a superpower ain't all that, at least according to President Obama.

In a little-noticed remark at the close of the two-day nuclear security summit in Washington, D.C., this week, President Obama suggested the United States is somehow burdened by its military might -- a comment that drew a stern rebuke from his former rival in the presidential campaign.

Obama was responding to a question Tuesday about how the summit would play into peace-making efforts in the Middle East when he addressed the downsides of -- by virtue of America's world stature -- being obligated to intervene in international conflicts.

"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them," Obama said. "And that ends up costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure."

This is not journalism. This is another case of Fox News imposing its right-wing bias on its readers in an effort to mischaracterize President Obama's comments, twist his words and frame him in the worst possible way.

Later in the article, the increasingly irrelevant Sen. John McCain launched a blistering attack on the president to try and appease his hungry far-right base (a base that has become disenchanted with him as he is in an election with a far-right extremist, J.D. Hayworth).

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., slammed the leader of the free world Thursday, calling the remark a "direct contradiction to everything America believes in."

"That's one of the more incredible statements I've ever heard a president of the United States make in modern times," McCain, a Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war, told Fox News. "We are the dominant superpower, and we're the greatest force for good in the history of this country, and I thank God every day that we are a dominant superpower."

What has happened to John McCain is sad, but not surprising. He was not a maverick when he ran for president in 2008. He might have been, once upon a time, but that time has passed.

Now, he is a shell of the great public servant he was once. These days, he is just another far-right political hack resorting to extremism to try and satisfy a far-right base that wants nothing to do with working with the president for a better United States of America.

Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/15/obama-america-superpower-like/

Time Magazine Takes On Bill O'Reilly

Fox News right-wing commentator Bill O'Reilly's lie to beat all lies (that no one on Fox News has said you will go to jail if you do not buy into the new health care insurance reform) has been challenged by Time Magazine.

Time goes to the Fox News Web site and gets the transcripts of O'Reilly's ridiculous lie as he attacked Sen. Tom Coburn for his criticism of Fox News (Fox is with Republicans unless or until they say anything negative about Fox News).

Here is an excerpt:

Then, last night Fox News's Bill O'Reilly raked Coburn over the coals for his comment about the network. O'Reilly said no one had ever appeared on Fox News and told viewers they would go to jail if they didn't buy health insurance. “We researched on Fox News if anybody had ever said you're going to jail if you don't buy health insurance. Nobody's ever said it.”

Like Coburn, I was pretty sure I'd heard exactly this assertion numerous times on Fox News, so I did a quick search of their transcripts.

You can check out the rest of the story for the transcripts and analysis, here. It's too bad Coburn didn't have his facts in order or simply felt too overwhelmed to defend his accurate comments about health care fearmongering by Fox News.

Rather Than Blog About Bill O'Reilly's Big Healthcare Lie, I Will Let Keith Olbermann Do The Work

I was going to write an extended blog about Bill O'Reilly's flat-out lie that no one on Fox News talked about how you could go to jail for not buying into health insurance.

This lie is so bad it almost makes you question O'Reilly's mental stability.

Keith Olbermann, of MSNBC, says it best right here: Media Matters for America

Fake-Ass Journalist Bill O'Reilly Talks Down To Black People ... Unlike True Journalists

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly is still trying to defend himself from his controversial (some would say racist or racially-tinged) comments about black people when he went to a New York restaurant with the Rev. Al Sharpton and discovered black people were civilized.

All this time later, O'Reilly still finds a need to defend himself against his idiotic comments and then try to turn himself into the victim and in essence accuse black people of being crybabies.

Here is what O'Reilly said, as documented by Think Progress, during a recent episode of his Fox News show:

O’REILLY: Now, Juan, in a serious vein, and we talked about this with the infamous Sylvia deal a couple of ago, a few years ago, I, and many other white journalists, now don’t do nearly as many reports on African-Americans or their problems, because we don’t want to be put in a situation where our opinion is taken out of context, rammed down our throat as Media Matters and all these other sleazeoids do. So unless it’s a big thing, if it’s an optional thing where I used to do it, I’m not doing it anymore. If I go to Sylvia’s restaurant, a primarily black restaurant, very fine in Harlem, I’m not going to say anything about it anymore, which is not good for Sylvia’s because she got a lot of good publicity from that.

This is false. There is nothing wrong with white journalists reporting on black people. Many true journalists (O'Reilly is not a journalist, but is instead a right-wing commentator) can objectively talk about black people without it being poisoned by a far-right bias. The problem with O'Reilly is that he talks down to black people, lectures them about how irresponsible he sees them as being, badmouths black icons, tells black people who they should admire and who their heroes should be and so on and so forth.

Then he tries to pat himself on the back by talking about how much he did for Sylvia's.

O'Reilly crying about someone else taking him out of context is laughable since he frequently does it to his targets.

Finally, Bill O'Reilly calling Media Matters for America "sleazoids"is like O.J. Simpson chastising someone for being a bad husband.

Hearns Now In The Battle Of His Life ... Outside The Ring

Growing up in Detroit, Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns was a boxing hero to a lot of us born and raised in the Motor City.

Hearns, 51, had classic fights against Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and so many others. As is the nature of sports, Hearns had his highs and had his lows during a brilliant boxing career that saw him climb from the famous Kronk Gym in Detroit to the heights of boxing as one of the most devastating punchers of his era (mostly as a welterweight and as a middleweight). During the 1980s (one of the golden ages of boxing for middleweights and welterweights) and 1990s Hearns held numerous titles in different weight classes.

So many of remembered those famed gold Kronk Gym trunks her wore and loved his nickname: Hit Man.

That is part of the reason it was so sad to find out that he has been saddled with tax troubles so great it is virtually impossible not to think about the great but tax-troubled heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis.

Hearns, earlier this month, watched as an auction (of some of his prized possessions) was held to help him pay a $448,000 tax debt. Apparently, according to an Associated Press story, the auction went well (although there was no dollar figure as to how much was raised to help Hearns pay off his sizable government tax debt. The auction had Hearns items such as a 1957 Chevy, three boats, all kinds of boxing memorabilia and more. The event was dubbed, the "Battle of His Life."

It's a sad and all-too-familiar tale for so many rich athletes who in one way or another fall from the pinnacle of fame and fortune.

Hopefully, others will learn from the painful lesson of Tommy Hearns. And, let us hope, Hearns will recover from this situation and get himself back on track (without trying to step back in the ring again).

Detroit Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/article/20100404/SPORTS18/4040447/1066/Sports18/Thomas-Hearns-takes-his-lumps-at-auction

Detroit News:
http://detnews.com/article/20100304/ENT09/3040506/Boxing-legend-Thomas-Hearns-risks-losing-home

TV One:
http://tvoneblogs.com/thespin/tv/thomas-hearns-sucker-punched-by-the-irs-2931.htm

Yahoo Sports/AP:
http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ap-thomashearns-taxes

The Oakland Press:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/04/01/sports/doc4bb4ad2d3c108736201480.txt

Mickelson's Success, Struggles Of Woods Brings Out The Inner Racism In Some

This was bound to happen as Phil Mickelson claimed victory in the Masters on Sunday in Augusta, Ga. at Augusta National Golf Club - home of the legendary tournament. Mickelson clearly is a feel-good story with what his wife is going through with cancer and the stand-up way in which he has carried himself through these trying and challenging times. So, as Mickelson won, a lot of us could not help but think - at least a little bit - about the racial factor in his victory. Some, thought about it more so than others and some thought about it more viciously than others.

The Southern Poverty Law Center's "Hatewatch" picked up on one such individual who celebrated Mickelson's victory by launching a vicious racist attack on Tiger Woods.

Here is how it begins:

Count James Edwards, host of the Memphis-based white nationalist, anti-Semitic radio show called “Political Cesspool”, is among those likely celebrating Phil Mickelson’s victory at the Masters golf tournament on Sunday. Not because Mickelson is a feel-good story, winning the green jacket as his cancer-stricken wife watched, but because Mickelson is not Tiger Woods. That is to say, Mickelson is not black.

Yeah, you can see where this is headed:

The Masters “is civilized. All civilization channels basic desires and instincts into something higher and nobler. Lincoln and the abolitionists did their best to put an end to it, and the Jews and liberals are trampling down what remnants are left.”

Edwards was still warming up.

Then along came Tiger Woods, a “mixed race Negro with the skills to break down the last sport of white refuge, golf, and its citadel, Augusta National,” Edwards lamented. “He was the black messiah of sports. The long awaited one who would tear down the last remnants of segregation.”

Most would see that as a good thing. Not Edwards, of course. He cited a litany of rancid racial stereotypes to explain why.

“He’s got the sexual mores of the most stereotypical ‘nigger’ that even the most hardened, bigoted cracker could imagine,” wrote Edwards, who opposes “primitivism,” homosexuality, loveless sex, feminism and abortion. “Oh, and he apparently only wants white women. From his Nordic model wife to the dumpiest diner waitress, all of his trysts are with white women.”

“Segregation in the old South was all about maintaining racial integrity and civilization,” Edwards continued. “About keeping our wives and daughters safe from sexual animals like Tiger. About building up and maintaining what is noble and good. If the ‘black messiahs’ like Tiger Woods and Martin Luther King Jr. are such animals, what about the mere mortals among them? Do we want to find out?”

Contained in that lengthy excerpt would be all of the racist stereotypes generally used against black men over the years. All tied up in the neat little package of your classic racist.

Black Tea Party Activist Is Living Foul With Ridiculous Attack On Rep. John Lewis, A Civil Rights Hero

Kevin Jackson, one of a few black people who attend and are sort of designated to defend the Tea Party activists against charges of racism, had some interesting words to say about Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon. Rep. Lewis, a man who fought so that people like Jackson could have the right to go on a far-right television network and smear him, has rock solid credibility on any number of levels. Jackson, however, used his appearance on Bill O'Reilly's right-wing program as a platform to launch an attack on Rep. Lewis using out-of-context comments as his weapon of choice.

Below is a transcript from Jackson's segment on The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News, Wednesday, March 31:

O'REILLY: "Personal Story" segment tonight, the far left is making a big deal out of the Tea Party movement being almost all white, implying it's a racist situation. Joining us now from St. Louis, Kevin Jackson, Tea Party member and the author of the book "The Big Black Lie." So, Mr. Jackson, how long have you been associated with the Tea Party and why did you get involved?

JACKSON: I emceed the first Tea Party in St. Louis on April 15, the Tax Day Tea Party of last year, and for a lot of the reasons that other Tea Party people got involved – tired of runaway government and, you know, seems like the government’s gone wild. So I decided I’d get involved and have appeared at approximately 80 since then headlining most of them and just found these people to be the salt of the earth.

O'REILLY: Now, are you a conservative man?

JACKSON: I am indeed conservative.

O'REILLY: Okay, so your conservative principles of smaller government, less government intrusion led you to the Tea Party.

JACKSON: Absolutely.

O'REILLY: Why don't we see more Africans-Americans at the rallies?

JACKSON: Well, there are more, but, you know, black people in general do not go, we're not really politically charged. I think Obama was able to bring a little bit more of that out. But we're not rally types to begin with.

O'REILLY: Well, we see the 20,000 show up for Farrakhan in Chicago.

JACKSON: Well, with Farrakhan, it's probably a different dynamic. But I think, as a rule, we're not really the type to go out and rally for things such as this, even though in many cases we believe a lot of the same principles. I mean, when you look at things like the Department of Energy who’s got 16,000 employees, was supposed to be set up in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, half a trillion dollars later we’re no less dependent on foreign oil. I mean, people want to see where their money is being spent. And that's blacks as well.

O'REILLY: Okay, now obviously you know the controversy. There have been a number of commentators that have called the Tea Party people racists, branded them, you know, a white power organization or whatever you want to call it. So you hear that and you say what?

JACKSON: I say it's completely bogus. There’s been zero racial incidents at a Tea Party with me. And as I said, I’ve been to dozens. I’ll be speaking with a Tea Party express at a few here coming up, and I’ll be headlining a couple of Tea Parties in Houston. And I can tell you, I'm looking forward to going. And I look at it as the left is just trying to demonize a movement that, quite frankly, I consider the re-emancipation of America. I call it "Emancipation II." This time everybody gets freed.

O'REILLY: Now, do they pay you to go to these rallies? Do you get paid by the Tea Party?

JACKSON: More recently, I'm getting paid because I obviously I’ve sort of cut my teeth on them. But at the beginning, the majority of the Tea Party rallies, I was not getting paid.

O'REILLY: All right. Now, so they hire a bunch of speakers. We know Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck and, you know, big names like that have come in, and so a cynic might say hey, they bought Mr. Jackson. I'm not saying that because I think you’re a sincere man. I wouldn't put you on the air. But you know the charges that are being thrown around here. The Tea Party, for whatever reason, has angered, angered the far left in this country more than anything that I’ve recently seen except for Fox News Channel. I think we’re probably the only ones that anger them more. And so there’s a lot of stuff flying around.

JACKSON: Well, the reason for the anger is like I said, you’ve got the Congressional Black Caucus who’s now the new hit man for the Democrat Party who says that the Tea Party is racist. Yet, I would defy you to find any of them that have ever been to a Tea Party. You’ve got John Lewis who says-

O'REILLY: No, but they say that they got assaulted verbally when they came into the Capitol for the health care vote. That really lit the fuse on this latest thing.

JACKSON: Well, it's interesting to me that the symbology of what happened where you’ve got this very wealthy white lady leading a group of black, you know, men up to the thing with her gavel in her hand. It would have been more symbolic had she had a whip. And as far as John Lewis's credibility is concerned, this is a man that said about McCain on October 11 of 2008, that McCain was the equivalent of a racist Democrat Governor George Wallace who would keep blacks out of school. So I find a lot of the comments and things very disingenuous and very one-sided with respect to what they’re trying to accomplish by demonizing the Tea Party movement. But, in the same sense, they’re scaring black people off of something that none of them have ever been to. These guys have not been to Tea Parties, yet they’re willing to say Tea Parties are racist. Well, how about you come to one?

O'REILLY: All right, Mr. Jackson, we appreciate it very much. Thank you.

I will take a few of these points in order (since I don't want to waste too much time talking about Kevin Jackson). He says that there have been zero instances of racial incidents at Tea Party gatherings. Just because he has not been involved in any does not mean it has not happened or that the racism does not exist. It also does not mean that all people who attend the Tea Party events are racist (contrary to what right wingers like O'Reilly would like you to believe that liberals are charging).

Now, the attack on Rep. Lewis is reprehensible.

First, lets reexamine the context of what Rep. Lewis actually said.

“What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse,” Lewis said in a statement.

“George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights.

Rep. Lewis was not implying that Sen. John McCain or former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin were segregationists or a racists (contrary to what Jackson would like people to believe with his out-of-context summary). Rep. Lewis was talking about the climate of hostility he felt was being revved up at McCain-Palin campaign rallies where a lot of hateful and sometimes borderline violent rhetoric was being used to attack and demonize then presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Jackson purposely took Rep. Lewis's comments out of context to try and win favor with the Fox News conservative audience.

Notice that Bill O'Reilly allowed Jackson to get away with it, completely unchallenged.

It was disgraceful and reprehensible.

My fellow blogger, Field Negro, had it right when he labeled Kevin Jackson as "House Negro of the Day" for his words and actions:

(KEVIN JACKSON) NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE THE NEGRO OF THE MOMENT WITH THE TEA PARTY FOLKS. BUT BECAUSE YOU HAD THE NERVE TO DISRESPECT JOHN LEWIS ON NATIONAL TELEVISON. A MAN WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR YOUR BLACK ASS TO GET PAID WHILE YOU PIMP YOUR WINGNUT FRIENDS.

Too bad Jackson will never understand.

Michael Steele Gets In Trouble And Looks For Black Up

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, better known as "Money Mike," is in hot water these days.

Money Mike had us fooled. See, we all thought that Mike had turned in his so-called race card when he took over the RNC and became a full-fledged Republican. But, Mike has come to realize that his so-called race card was pretty valuable and decided he had not quite maxed it out as of yet. So, after using the media to whine about left-wing blacks playing the so-called race card, Money Mike has decided that maybe it is time for him to swipe his get-out-of-trouble-using-race-card again ... for old times sake.

On ABC's GMA, Steele said that he was being singled out in GOP politics because he's black. He's calling Republicans racists. Wow, he's joining us except in a much deeper way because I've been calling many in the Tea Party movement racist. In his case....

He's indicting the whole Republican party:

The embattled chairman played the race card today when asked on "Good Morning America" if he has a slimmer margin of error because he is African American.

"The honest answer is, 'yes,'" he said. "Barack Obama has a slimmer margin. A lot of folks do. It's a different role for me to play and others to play and that's just the reality of it. But you take that as part of the nature of it."

"My view on politics is much more grassroots oriented, it's not old boy network oriented, so I tend to, you know, come at it a little bit stronger, a little bit more street-wise, if you will. That's rubbed some feathers the wrong way," Steele told "GMA's" George Stephanopoulos.

Mike, Mike, Mike...

The oftentimes bumbling Steele just doesn't get it. Note to Brother Mike: You can't play the so-called race card if you're a Republican. Mike, right wingers don't mind MasterCard, American Express, Visa or even UNO cards, but the race one is the card they don't like.

By the way, Mike is no rookie at playing the race card.

Nothing like trouble to help Money Mike remember that he is black and find something in common with President Obama (this should illustrate how much heat Steele is feeling).

Here is what White House press secretary Robert Gibbs had to say: as quoted by The Hill:

GOP Chairman Michael Steele shouldn’t blame criticism of his actions on race, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. Gibbs called Steele’s remark that criticism of his leadership is motivated by race “silly” during a meeting with reporters. “I think Michael Steele’s problem isn’t the race card, it’s the credit card,” Gibbs added.

With Michelle Malkin, Every Minute Of The Day Is Hate O’Clock

Far-right commentator Michelle Malkin, who seemingly has spent a lifetime running away from her color, is back on the attack using race as a weapon to gain favor with a mostly white and conservative audience (better known as the viewers of Fox News). This time, Malkin has again targeted one of her favorite racial boogeymen, Fr. Michael Pfleger of Chicago (the other favorite racial boogeymen of far-right commentators will predictably follow as you will see later in this blog). Malkin begins her venomous attack against Fr. Pfleger right off the bat in this excerpt below from one of her blogs:

Look who is presiding over a special celebration honoring Catholic clown and race-baiting reverend Michael Pfleger (hat tip: Matt A.)

Yes, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Office of Racial Justice” is bestowing the demagogic Pfleger of the St. Sabina parish with a “lifetime achievement award” for his “service in pursuit of dismantling racism, injustice and inequalities on behalf of African Americans and all people of color” — and the Archbishop of Chicago himself, Cardinal George, is the official “presider.”

In June 2008, the racial cowards of the Chicago Archdiocese put Pfleger on a temporary leave to quell churchgoers’ outrage over Pfleger’s Hillary Clinton-mimicking, America-bashing, Vanilla Ice-prancing, Jeremiah Wright-impersonating, Louis Farrakhan-embracing cult leader. After laying low a measly few weeks to “reflect” on his outbursts, Pfleger returned triumphantly to the pulpit. And now, he’ll be feted by the Archbishop for his toxic tongue.

Michelle Malkin viciously attacks the Chicago Archdiocese by attaching the label "racial cowards" to them. There's little question that Pfleger stepped over the line with his words about now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but Malkin can't let that racial battle go. Instead, she uses it as another excuse to bring back the name the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. She continues her racial attack by invoking the names of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and former rap star Vanilla Ice.

Michelle Malkin is so quick to accuse others of playing the race card, but she seems to have no problem playing the ace of spades (over and over again) and dealing it from the bottom of the deck.

Sean Hannity Salutes "Tim McVeigh Wannabes" ... GOPers Cheer

Stunning ... I honestly was hoping it was an April Fools joke. But it sounds as if this is real.

Check out News Hounds for some follow up:
http://www.newshounds.us/2010/04/01/hannity_boasts_about_tea_parties_and_tim_mcveigh_wannabes_opposing_democrats.php