Behar Was Wrong In Her Language, But Right To Slam Sharron Angle

Joy Behar

Oh goodness has Joy Behar, an outspoken and quite liberal (not that there's anything wrong with that ... obviously) co-host for the popular ABC program, The View, gotten herself in a whole pool of hot water.

Here is one person's description of Behar's comments:

Joy Behar condemned a political ad by Nevada Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle as fomenting racial divisiveness. The View aired Angle’s latest TV ad on the talk show on Tuesday morning. Looking at the camera, Behar addressed Angle, calling her a “bitch” and concluding that Angle is “going to hell, this bitch.”

Wow, that is way over the top for Behar. While I don't think it is appropriate for that kind of language on television to attack someone (even Sharron Angle), I do see where her anger is coming from - not that it justifies what she said.

Angle's recent add was one that I ripped apart in an earlier blog with this comment:

By watching her ad (showing wholesome white families and dangerous Latinos), you'd think she is running as a segregationist (pre-Civil Rights movement) candidate.

I still think that is an apt description of her racially-poisoned ad.



Still, Behar was wrong for those her language in attacking Sharron Angle. In all honesty, she nearly lowered herself to Angle's lowly level (and that is hard to do).

Bill O'Reilly Goes On The Attack Against Detroit Free Press Cartoonist

Here is Mike Thompson's Detroit Free Press cartoon that apparently caused Bill O'Reilly to blow a nut.

Fox News far-right (I know ... kind of redundant) commentator Bill O'Reilly has been working overtime to take revenge on numerous people who have dared to in any way be what he perceives as negative toward Juan Williams, who made bigoted comments about his fear of Muslims on airplanes.

One of the targets of O'Reilly has been Detroit Free Press cartoonist and blogger Mike Thompson, who apparently drew a cartoon that drew the ire of Big Daddy Bill.

I found the response of Thompson, and a portion of it is published here:

For the past week, Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly and his colleagues at Fox News have been bending over backwards to defend former National Public Radio news analyst and current Fox commentator Juan Wiliams, who was fired from his NPR gig for making disparaging remarks about Muslims. A journalist should not be fired for speaking his mind, according to O’Reilly. No, apparently a journalist who speaks his mind should have his e-mail inbox crammed with threatening, disparaging e-mails, according to O’Reilly.

Last Sunday I drew a cartoon about Fox News and the Juan Wiliams affair. O’Reilly apparently took offense to my cartoon and showed it on the air Monday evening. He then gave out my work e-mail address and instructed his viewers to “let him know what you think.” O’Reilly stressed that his viewers should take the high road in their e-mails to me, which is a little like placing a bowl of Halloween candy in front of kids and telling them not to gorge themselves. O’Reilly’s smart enough to know what would happen.

And e-mail me they did, more than 2,500 e-mails, many of them unsuitable to publish here, clogged my inbox.

O'Reilly is not above name calling (does the word "pinhead" ring a bell?), badmouthing people (ask Boyce Watkins, the family of the murdered Dr. George Tiller and others), using blatant acts of intimidation (not unlike what gangs do), dispatching his hired thugs (disguised as "producers") to harass and badger his enemies and more. He has not resorted (yet) to the methods of U.S. senate candidate Rand Paul supporters through which he would have people beat down and stomp on critics.

Ah yes, tough guy Bill O'Reilly now is going after cartoonists.

A Letter From Media Matters For America: Drop Fox

Dear Sandy,

We've watched as Fox News has gone from a conservative-leaning news source to an active political player -- but over the last two years, Fox has taken an even darker turn, aggressively pushing outright lies, over-the-top attacks, conspiracy theories, and heated, violent rhetoric. This sharp turn for the worse is epitomized by Glenn Beck, the self-described "progressive hunter" who paints the network's political adversaries as poisonous threats to freedom, faith and the Constitution.

Beck's falsehoods and dark prophecies of the nation's destruction have already had dangerous consequences. Beck's message inspired Byron Williams to embark on a mission of violence -- an attempt to "start a revolution" by killing staff at progressive organizations, including frequent Beck target the Tides Foundation.

Advertisers who sponsor Fox programming aren't just putting ads on a television network. They're actively paying to support a toxic force in our political climate, enabling the worst kind of incitement and deliberate misinformation.

Thousands of you have signed up to join our campaign to get advertisers to drop Fox. Companies who sponsor Fox need to make a choice. And they need to hear that from you.

You can join our campaign to tell advertisers to Drop Fox today.

Beck hasn't backed down. He's only stepped up his vilification of the Tides Foundation and other progressives in increasingly apocalyptic language. And rather than recognizing the danger and reining in Beck, Fox is standing by him. Though hundreds of companies refuse to advertise on Beck's show, their ongoing support for Fox helps keep Beck on the air.

As People For the American Way President Michael B. Keegan said:

Americans deserve a wide range of viewpoints in their media, but Glenn Beck's violent rhetoric has crossed the line ... we cannot stand mute as his hate-filled broadcasts incite listeners to violence against those he has targeted.

Corporations that advertise on Fox should do so with their eyes wide open to what their money is supporting and what the consequences could be.

You can join our campaign to tell advertisers to Drop Fox today.

Thank you for your support.

David Brock
Founder
Media Matters for America

P.S. - This weekend, as thousands come to D.C. for the Rally to Restore Sanity and the Rally to Keep Fear Alive, Media Matters for America is helping them get involved in this important campaign. Visit FoxKeepsFearAlive.com to learn more.

Race, The Tea Party, Barack Obama And Modern American Politics

Sharron Angle Is A Chilling Reminder Of The Pull Of Tea Baggers

Sharron Angle, who actually is in a position to possibly become a U.S. senator, should scare more people than she apparently does as she seeks to unseat incumbent U.S. Senator Harry Reid.

That Angle is as popular as she is in Nevada should send shockwaves up the backs of all people in the U.S.

This extremist, using this racially polarizing advertisement to her political advantage, is just too extreme.

Sadly, there is a chance she could win. If she does, the U.S. needs to pause and take a look in the mirror at the ugliness (Sharron Angle) it could send to such a prestigious body.

By watching her ad (showing wholesome white families and dangerous Latinos), you'd think she is running as a segregationist (pre-Civil Rights movement) candidate.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/25/angle-immigration-latinos/

Firing Of Juan Williams Illustrates The Bias Of Fox News

Let the Fox News hypocrisy and trend of double standards continue in the wake of the firing of Juan Williams by National Public Radio for his comments about fearing Muslims or people in Muslim garb when he is in airports or on airlines.

Conservatives now are bringing the heat to NPR with threats. Ah, the far-right hypocrisy continues. Many of these are the same people who attack the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton for using boycotts to fight what they see as injustices.

From Think Progress:

THE DOUBLE STANDARD: ThinkProgress first reported Williams' comments to highlight the bigoted nature of his remarks. ThinkProgress never called for any specific action to be taken, and NPR's firing of Williams came as a surprise. Many media figures, including NPR's own ombudsman, questioned NPR's decision to fire Williams before providing him with a chance to clarify his statements. As Serwer notes, "firing people for things like this tends to chill the public discourse. Misconceptions should be discussed publicly rather than driven underground." While arguably premature, the network is within its rights to terminate an employee whose public statements undermine its reputation as a credible news source. According to the announcement, NPR decided to terminate Williams' contract because his remarks "were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR." As stated in NPR CEO Vivian Schiller's email to member stations, his comments violated NPR's long-standing ethics code in which all journalists and contracted analysts like Williams cannot "express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist" nor "participate in shows...that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis." Nor was this the first time NPR admonished Williams on this issue. Last year, after Williams compared Michelle Obama to "Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress," NPR requested he no longer be identified as affiliated with NPR when appearing on Fox. The radio network's decision does advance the idea that there shouldn't be a double standard in what is and is not appropriate rhetoric on the airwaves. CNN host Rick Sanchez and White House correspondent Helen Thomas were fired for insensitive and irresponsible remarks about non-Muslims. CNN also fired Octavia Nasr for comments about a popular Muslim Lebanese leader which were deemed impolitic. If media figures can be fired for anti-Jewish or pro-Muslim comments, then the principle should be applied for anti-Muslim comments as well. But as Fox News proves time and again, anti-Muslim remarks are generally appreciated -- if not promoted -- on the network.

You see, it's OK for Fox News to use this kind of tactic or a similar kind of tactic when they want to protect one of their own or to protect an opinion for which they agree.

I don't feel the least bit sorry for Williams, who has willingly been used as a pawn by people at Fox News to attack black people and to stand in as a fake liberal.

As the excerpt illustrates, where was Fox News when Helen Thomas and Rick Sanchez were fired in high-profile dismissals?

Where were they when Octavia Nasr was let go?

They were silent because they're hypocrites.

Now, Fox News and others on the far right are calling for NPR funding to be revoked because it stood out against Williams' bigoted comments:

SELF-RIGHTEOUS: As if to prove the point, conservative pundits and politicians whipped into an apoplectic rage yesterday over NPR's announcement, with many decrying the termination as a quintessential attack method of the "super-liberal, politically correct goon squad ." An irate Fox News host Megyn Kelly blamed Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper-- who had called for "swift action" against Williams -- for the firing, repeatedly asking "are you happy now?" Right-wing blogger Andrew Breitbart launched a boycott of NPR, declaring, "I refuse to be guest on NPR until Juan Williams is reinstated. I suggest all BIG editors, contributors follow same course." Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee not only joined in boycotting NPR's "censorship," but called on the government to "start making cuts to federal spending" by defunding NPR. Despite the fact that NPR gets less than six percent of its revenue from government grants and "receives no direct federal funding for operations," several more Republicans jumped on the defund bandwagon. "At a time when our country is dangerously in debt and looking for areas of federal spending to cut, I think we've found a good candidate for defunding" in NPR, wrote Tea Party maven Sarah Palin. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called on Congress to "investigate NPR" and "consider cutting off their money," while House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said, "I think it's reasonable to ask why Congress is spending taxpayers' money to support a left-wing radio network -- and in the wake of Juan Williams' firing, it's clearer than ever that's what NPR is." O'Reilly said he "wanted to take it further than that. I want it suspended today while the investigation takes place." GOP operative Karl Rove enthusiastically concurred, quipping "our country needs to save money." Last night, O'Reilly even announced to a distraught Williams that Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) will introduce legislation to defund NPR. "Congress is going to defund NPR," O'Reilly assured Williams, "and you did it."

Republican hypocrisy at its dubious worst.

Virginia Thomas Brings Up Ancient History In Asking Anita Hill For An Apology

I can still remember it, and it's stunning to think that it was like 19 years ago the nation experienced the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill drama as it played out on national television during Thomas's U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings.

Fast forward to present-day U.S.

This is from Media Matters for America:

A few days ago, Brandeis University professor Anita Hill received a message on her voice mail at work.

"Good morning, Anita Hill, it's Ginny Thomas," said the voice. "I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day."

Are you serious? Is she still so troubled by that episode that she wants to bring it back into the national spotlight - nearly two decades after it all went down?

Well, the answer seems to be, "YES."

Now, as a full confession, this all happened during the days when I was more of a conservative (prior to my personal enlightenment). At the time, my feelings were that Thomas had the right to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice (even though I had no reason and have no reason to doubt Anita Hill's story).

Still, it is interesting that Ginny Thomas is back on this story.

Here's more from the article originally posted by ABC:

Mark Matthews of our affiliate KGO learned about this and reached out to Virginia Thomas.

Thomas e-mailed him, saying: "I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get past what happened so long ago. That offer still stands, I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certainly no offense was ever intended."

No offense was intended, huh? What in the world is Virginia Thomas thinking? She makes a call essentially demanding an apology and then calls it an "olive branch" in a follow-up conversation via e-mail. I imagine Anita Hill is doing a better job of getting past the issue than is Ginny Thomas, who seems to still be quite troubled.

Virginia Thomas should have exorcised her own demons before stepping to Anita Hill. Her voicemail sounds/reads like the message of a person with major issues to confront.

Color Of Change Letter Regarding Turning Off Fox News

Here is a letter I received in my e-mail inbox from Color of Change:

Dear Sandy,

More than 200,000 people have joined the Turn Off Fox campaign, and there are more than 6,000 reports of public places playing Fox News. The next step in our campaign is to call those businesses on behalf of our membership and ask them to stop.

Can you take a moment to call a business in or near Big Rapids? It’s easy. When you click below you’ll get the name of the business and the phone number, along with a script you can read. Just click below to get started:
http://www.turnofffox.org/tools/call

Most of the places that we now know are playing Fox News haven’t yet been asked to stop playing it. And of those who have been approached, many haven’t been asked by multiple people and potential customers from their town.

Your phone call can help to change that, delivering the message — along with others near you — that everyday folks from your community have had enough of Fox News’ dangerous and divisive rhetoric.

Please take a moment to call on businesses near you to turn off Fox News. It’ll won't take much time, and it could help make a big difference.
http://www.turnofffox.org/tools/call

Thanks and Peace,

James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
Oct. 21, 2010

Morris Admits He Is Working For The GOP Through Fox News

Here is Dick Morris, a Fox News analyst, admitting what we already knew: He is working for the GOP and doing it for the love of the party and probably for the hatred of President Obama.

From the October 20 edition of Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor:

With So-Called 'Anchor Babies,' Fox News Again Uses Race And Fear To Divide

I read this entry on News Hounds (describing what is, in essence, a typical day of race baiting, fear and xenophobia on Fox News):

Today’s Fox “anchor baby” shower spilled over from Fox “opinion” news to actual Fox “News” when Martha MacCallum talked about how “anchor babies” are an abuse of the 14th Amendment. But it turns out that the party began with American’s favorite “Aryan” morning show a.ka. “Fox & Friends” where blonde, Teutonic former Miss America Gretchen Carlson spoke of how the fight against “so called anchor babies” is brewing in a bunch of states. Gretch defined “anchor babies” as those born to illegal immigrants. (As opposed to those on student or other visas who are just so much better than those who work for deplorable wages, in deplorable conditions so that “real” Americans can make real profits.) If Fox really wants to extend the theme aspect of their party against undocumented (read, bad brown Spanish speaking people who pick our vegetables) then they should really have a Pinata.

Fox News ignores the offensive nature of the term "anchor baby" or "anchor babies" as it hits the airwaves.

I wanted to laugh at some of the descriptions but this hits pretty close to home when you take a look at what Fox News does 24/7 as a public relations firm for the GOP.

A Letter From NAACP President Benjamin Jealous Regarding Tea Party Extremism

Here is a letter sent out by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People:

Just moments ago, the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR) released a report documenting specific examples of Tea Party leaders and Tea Party-associated organizations providing platforms for anti-Semites, racists and other bigots.

The report serves as a reminder: There is a very active presence of racists in America's public political discourse, and there is a very real threat of moving backward if we do not stand up and speak out.

Please take a moment to read more from the report:

http://action.naacp.org/TeaPartyReport

To be clear: Whether we agree with their policy positions or not, we at the NAACP believe the majority of Tea Party supporters are sincere, principled people of basic good will. We have no problem with their expression of political views in our great democracy.

We do, however, have a problem when prominent Tea Party members have direct ties to organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, and are allowed to use Tea Party events to spread their hateful messages. Moreover, we have a problem when Tea Party members call civil rights heroes vicious slurs or repeatedly and publicly deny the President's place of birth and his status as an American citizen.

Most importantly, we have a problem when regular Tea Party members stand silent as those who share the Tea Party name push a racist agenda. A great man once warned, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

We in the NAACP refuse to tolerate silence.

Last summer, after months of waiting for accountability, we publicly called on Tea Party leaders to repudiate those who would use the Tea Party platform to espouse racism or call for violence against any group in our society.

We are pleased that in response, Tea Party leaders took a few steps in the right direction. They expelled a leader who repeatedly made racist comments. They fired another who suggested gay people should be killed. Still, as this report shows, much remains to be done.

For more than one hundred years, the NAACP has stood sentinel against racism and hate violence in the United States. We know that we have a moral obligation, summarized succinctly in our nation's pledge of allegiance, to oppose those who would seek to tear the United States apart by espousing hatred or calling for violence against any group in our country.

We are One Nation. That is why we came together on October 2nd for a truly diverse March on Washington that spoke to this nation's greatest values. That is why we will continue to fight for hope, not hate.

I commend the research done by the IREHR. Their report proves why our work is more important than ever. I encourage you to read this comprehensive effort. It delves deeper into the specific evidence that prompted the NAACP's call on the Tea Party to act responsibly than any prior study:

http://action.naacp.org/TeaPartyReport

Today, America stands at a choice point in its historic march towards making our nation's pledge real. In one direction, there is the possibility of a real debate between people of good will about the options for moving our nation forward. In the other, there is a place filled with vicious hate, threats, and lies that can only take us backward.

Thank you for standing up for civil rights for all. Thank you for calling for the most basic civility in America's great town square. Thank you for insisting that America moves ever forward, never backward.

Yours in the struggle,

Ben Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

Fox News Moron-In-Residence Brian Kilmeade Driven To Make Absurdly False Statement About Muslims

What drives some of these right-wing morons on Fox News to make such outrageous anti-Muslim comments?

Are they trying to inflame their white and conservative followers?

Are they trying to create an anti-Muslim climate (even more than the one that already exists in the U.S.)?

This is from Media Matters for America:

Kilmeade: "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims." On the October 15 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Kilmeade defended O'Reilly's comments on the October 14 edition of ABC's The View by claiming the show's hosts "were outraged that somebody was saying there's a reason -- there was a certain group of people that attacked us on 9-11. It wasn't just one person. It was one religion. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims."

Later during his radio show, Kilmeade asserted that it's a "fact" that "every terrorist is a Muslim." On the October 15 edition of Fox News Radio's Kilmeade & Friends, Kilmeade stated: "Not every Muslim is an extremist, a terrorist, but every terrorist is a Muslim. You can't avoid that fact." From Kilmeade & Friends:

KILMEADE: Muslim extremists, Al Qaeda, blew up those buildings -- blew up the Khobar Towers, blew up the Cole, blew up the embassies, tried to blow up Times Square, tried to blow up the plane. The shoe bomber, the Times Square bomber, the underwear bomber -- they have one thing in common. They are all extremists, and they are all Muslims.

Not every Muslim is an extremist, a terrorist, but every terrorist is a Muslim. You can't avoid that fact. And that is ridiculous that we got to keep defining this - the people that equate Timothy McVeigh with the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, which is growing and a threat that exists.

Kilmeade seems to have (pun intended) whitewashed what it means to be a terrorist. He has minimized the cowardly and devastating terrorist act of Timothy McVeigh and his cohorts. Perhaps Kilmeade would have been tougher on McVeigh were he a little more Muslim.

He has minimized the wanton acts of terrorism committed by anti-abortion extremists. Because they are not Muslim (and because conservatives agree with the core principles of these anti-abortion idiots), this kind of terrorism is minimized.

I eagerly await Kilmeade's clarification of his idiotic stance. It's interesting that it will take him a whole weekend to think of the damage control he needs kick into gear.

If Kilmeade worked at a television station with ethics he probably would have gotten a pink slip. But, because he works at Fox News, he can say the most idiotic of things (as long as it is in line with far-right bigotry) and can survive.

Brian Kilmeade Of Fox News Proves To Be An Idiot Of Epic Proportions

Keith Olbermann has it right with this moron Brian Kilmeade of Fox News.

Waiting For Fox News Bias

Another good job by the Liberal Viewer.

Carl Paladino Is A Chilling Reminder Of Far-Right Extremism Gone Mainstream

We've seen an increase in extremism coming from the far right since the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States.

Those on the far right have just gone nuts in an obsession to attack President Obama and anyone even remotely leaning to the left.

Honestly, the extremism from the right is so extreme that we have seen an emergence of fringe politicians who even a few years ago would have been laughed out of races. Not anymore, these extreme candidates are finding a home in the GOP.

One prime example is Carl Paladino, a Republican candidate for governor of New York.

Here is an excerpt from a report from Media Matters for America. I would advise you to go to MMA's Web site and check out all of the craziness coming from this man.

Here is a tease:

New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino recently said he didn't want children "brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option" as "getting married and raising a family." Right-wing pundits have since defended his remarks, calling his comments "dead on the money," "defensible," and "[not] bad at all."

How does a man like this get even remotely close to being governor of New York? It's crazy.

Reactions Of Beck And Producer Wreak Of Classism, Callousness And Bigotry

Here's a perfect example of what is increasingly wrong with so many conservatives in our country.

A family home burns down in Tennessee over this $75 fee that the couple did not pay. Instead of putting the fire out and charging the family for services rendered, the fire department essentially allows the house to burn to the ground.

Enter Fox News far, FAR right commentator Glenn Beck and one of his cronies (Pat Gray, a producer for his radio show).

Check out how these two sensitive Americans gently discuss the issue:

GRAY: (mocking Cranick’s accent) Even tho’ I hadn’t paid mah seventy five dollahs I thought dey’d put it out. [...] I wanted ‘em to put it out, but dey didn’t put it out.

BECK: Here’s the thing. Those that are just on raw feeling are not going to understand. [...]

GRAY: But I thought they was gonna put the fire out anyway, but it burned down. Dat ain’t right! [...] What’s the Fire Department for if you don’t put out the fire?! [...] I thought they’d put out mah fire even if I didn’t pay seventy five dollars.

BECK: This is the sort of argument that Americans are going to have.

GRAY: It is.

BECK: And it goes nowhere if you go onto “compassion, compassion, compassion, compassion” or well, “they should’ve put it out, what is the fire department for?” [...] If you don’t pay the 75 dollars then that hurts the fire department. They can’t use those resources, and you’d be sponging off your neighbor’s resources. [...] It’s important for America to have this debate. This is the kind of stuff that’s going to have to happen, we are going to have to have these kinds of things.

One can quickly see the bigotry and classism rearing its ugly head at the hands of these two right-wing knuckleheads who who have no problem joking about this man after his home burned to the ground.

What's next, the police charging a $75 and not stopping thugs from mugging an old lady because she did not pay up?

Lets hope not, but this is s sad commentary on where it seems our society is headed. It's one thing to repossess a car because of nonpayment, but to let a house burn down is disgraceful.

Cantor's Admissions About Jews And Underdogs Fast Becoming Par For The Course For Right Wing

Some things are stunning, even for our friends on the far right (Rep. Eric Cantor included).

This was published on Think Progress:

But during the interview, which was conducted by the paper’s conservative columnist Steve Moore, Cantor made a startling admission:

Mr. Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the House and Senate (there are more than 40 Jewish Democrats), and we discuss why. “First of all,” he laughs, “I’m looking for some company in Randy Altschuler,” who is running in the first congressional district of New York. “Randy’s looking good in his race, so we are hoping to double the Jewish Republican caucus.”

Mr. Cantor believes the American-Jewish community is overwhelmingly Democratic because Jews “are prone to want to help the underdog.”

Jed Lewison at Daily Kos remarks, “As one of those American Jews, I’d like to thank Mr. Cantor for pointing out why so many of us vote Democratic.”

That is just a stunning set of remarks supposedly made by Cantor. It's disturbing that something like that would come out of his mouth. It's not stunning so much because it's offensive, but rather because of the remarkable insensitivity on the part of Cantor and so many others on the right.

Is helping the underdog really such a bad thing?

To Eric Cantor, apparently so.

Tennessee Fire Allowed To Burn Shows An Erosion Of American Values

The callousness of some people never cease to amaze me.

We have this story from Tennessee of a fire department essentially watching a family home burn to the ground because the owners did not pay a $75 fee to a nearby fire department.

I agree, it's cheap and to some extent it is gambling with your house and property. But, come on now. If a person is dying in the hospital emergency room ... do you not help the person because they may not have insurance or did not pay their last premium?

Seriously, put the fire out and bill the family for services rendered. For this town and these firefighters to allow that house to burn down runs counter to the American spirit.

It's an example of how far our society has plummeted since the days and weeks after 9/11 when we were all Americans pulling together to help one another.

To allow this home to burn down over $75 is pathetic and disgraceful.

Here are some opinions from the blog Booker Rising, which tends to feature the opinions of black conservatives:

The FOX Business analyst and conservative writes: "Much is being made over the home being allowed to burn to the ground because the owner didn't pay his $75.00 fee to the neighboring town's fire department. The owners of the home in Obion County in Tennessee offered to pay the fee when firefighters arrived, but that offer was turned down. The mayor explained that it's like trying to pay auto insurance after an accident. The family lost three dogs and a cat, along with their doublewide. This is a cautionary tale in so many ways. I think the firefighters should have put out the fire and charged an extra fee after."

More: "Beyond that is the economic reality that speaks to accountability. There are services we all willingly pay for, including police and fire protection. Big government advocates like to leverage those commonsense needs that are met by taxing for massive government spending that flies all over the board, and extends from protecting citizens from foreign and domestic invasion to protecting citizens from harming themselves or exercising creative thought. What is really interesting is why the county doesn't provide firefighters. Obion County has 33,000 residents whose incomes are well above the 2,500 of South Fulton."

Booker Rising response: No sympathy. The owners had enough money to care for three dogs and a cat, then they had enough money to pay the $75 fire department fee and protect their assets. They gambled with their home by choosing not the pay the fee beforehand....and lost big. And by the way, this ain't an example of libertarianism run amok. For one, the fire department is the only game in town. Two, they had no option for folks who want fires put out after not paying the fee. In a free market, such an option would emerge.

This is precisely the kind of libertarian mindset that is ruining this country and putting each person and each family on an island. I take care of my island and you take care of your island. it's like working in an office and everyone is in their silo. It's like walking through a building and seeing trash on the floor and saying "I am not picking that up ... it's the custodian's job and he gets paid to do it." Where's the mindset of helping your fellow person ... even if you need to invoice for services rendered?

Well, like the togetherness following 9/11 ... it apparently has become a passing fad.

No Surprise Angle Continues To Play Racial Politcs As Republicans Use Scorched-Earth Plan

It never ceases to amaze me how some people can make it so far in politics with so little of substance to stand on.

When not using Fox News as her personal public relations firm, Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle is left to her own devices (beginning with the usual race baiting).

From Think Progress:

Last month, Nevada senatorial candidate Sharron Angle (R) released an ad that portrayed opponent Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) as being the “best friend an illegal alien ever had.” This month, Angle’s latest racially-tinged ad goes after Reid and his support of undocumented students.

This is no surprise with Angle and Republicans in this 2012 mid-term election. Since Barack Obama was elected president, right wingers have become unhinged.

The right and the far right are in the midst of a scorched earth plan to win back the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly the U.S. Senate.

Their win, with these tactics, comes at the expense of this country. But, that is our country and it has survived worse.

Republicans spend so much time worrying about the government intruding in their lives, but then turn around and obsess about what people they think are "illegal" are getting.

But, if they don't think "illegal" immigrants are real people then I guess what is happening to them doesn't count in the eyes of the far right.

Sharron Angle did approve this message and that is the saddest part.