Powerful Words From Keith Olbermann

This is strong stuff in an increasingly toxic environment in our country.

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).

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/

Losing Their Heads: Fearmongering Republicans Damage Arizona On Their Own

Conservatives have been whining about the protests taking place in Arizona as a result of the ill-conceived SB-1070 (in essence a license to racially profile people of Latin American descent disguised as a method for combating "illegal immigration" in the state).

But, for as much as those on the right complain about the protests, some right wingers within the state of Arizona are doing more damage to hurt their state.

This is a small piece of what Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer had to say as she was quoted in the Arizona Guardian.

Appearing on a local television show Sunday morning, Gov. Jan Brewer described how bad Arizona's illegal immigration problem has gotten.

"Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded," she said.

Doesn't that make you want to visit Arizona (as a note: Gov. Brewer's assertions have been strongly disputed by law enforcement officials)?

People who defend Jan Brewer generally will condemn liberals (who oppose this law) for demonizing Arizona. It seems Gov. Brewer is doing more to demonize Arizona than anyone else ever could if it was their sole objective in life.

The governor is talking about dead bodies buried or lying out and bodies that have been beheaded. With friends like this Arizona hardly needs protesters.

This is from Republican Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl as quoted by Think Progress:

Today, when pressed by guest anchor Harry Smith on CBS’ Face the Nation, SB-1070 supporter Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) called the reports a “gross generalization”:

SMITH: One of the things that’s come to light over the past last couple weeks is that in some of these border towns that were thought to be susceptible to lawbreaking of illegal immigrants. Crime is actually down. Crime in Phoenix for instance is down significantly over the past couple of years.

KYL: Well, that’s a gross generalization. Property crimes are up, certain violent crimes on certain parts of the citizenry are up. Phoenix is a very large source of kidnapping. It’s called the kidnapping capital of the United States…So there’s a great deal of violence and crime associated with illegal immigrants.

Sen . Kyl seems a little overly excited to talk about crime being up and hailing Phoenix as the "kidnapping capital of the United States." Is this going to be a promotional tactic of a convention and visitor bureau in Phoenix ... Come to Phoenix and you too can be kidnapped? (Note: Sen. Kyl's assertions are strongly disputed).

Gov. Brewer and Sen. Kyl are going out of their way to make Arizona look like a frightening place with beheadings, dead bodies lying around, drugs, property crimes going up and violent crimes going up, Phoenix being the kidnapping capital of the United States, etc.

Who Dealt Gretchen Carlson A Race Card?

Apparently, when white women lose beauty pageants to women of color something has to be wrong according to Fox News morning show commentator Gretchen Carlson, one of the hosts of the dreadful and right-wing Fox and Friends program.

This whole controversy started when Miss Michigan Rima Fakih was named Miss America. By now, her name alone probably tells you how a lot of conservative white people in the media are bound to react.

I found this little clip from Gretchen:

"A lot of people are going to parse this today and ask did she (Miss Oklahoma) Morgan Elizabeth Woolardlose - was she first runner-up - because she supported the Arizona immigration law, and did the Muslim-American win because of the whole PC society that we find ourselves in," said Carlson, who was Miss America in 1989.

Apparently, in Carlson's world, when white women win beauty pageants it's because they're pretty, well spoken and talented. But, when women of color win ...

Check out Steve Pendlebury's article and see all of the hatred coming out from the right toward this young woman from Michigan (from the likes of Michelle Malkin and Debbie Schlussel, a pair of right-wing media extremists).

Also, on Planet Gretchen, when women of color win it's because of the "whole PC society" thing.

By the way, here is what Pendlebury has about Schlussel's hateful attack:

The harshest attack on Fakih so far has come from conservative blogger and talk show host Debbie Schlussel. She claimed that Miss USA has "many relatives" who are terrorists and that a Hezbollah supporter helped bankroll her pageant run. In contrast, Schlussel described Woolard as "classy" and said she gave a "good and somewhat educated answer" about the Arizona law.

That is despicable (read the full version of what she said). It shows how disgusting a bigot like Debbie Schlussel truly is most of the time she opens her mouth or starts typing.

Selig Shows His Weakness In Arizona Controversy

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has shown his weakness in refusing to deal with the growing problem with Arizona's draconian immigration laws.

Here is an excerpt from a CBS News (Sports)-published story from Associated Press:

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is ignoring calls to move next year's All-Star game from Phoenix because of Arizona's new immigration law.

Asked about such demands at a news conference Thursday following an owners meeting, he responded with a defense of baseball's record on minority hiring.

"Apparently all the people around and in minority communities think we're doing OK. That's the issue, and that's the answer," he said. "I told the clubs today: 'Be proud of what we've done.' They are. We should. And that's our answer. We control our own fate, and we've done very well."

What is Selig talking about?

Selig's response is gutless and weak. He needs to step up and at least be man enough to discuss the issue head on. Instead, he starts going off on a strange track about minority hiring.

What the hell does minority hiring have to do with the issues of Arizona's outrageous law that dangerously targets Latinos?

The Phoenix Suns Will Make A Bold Statement Against Unjust Arizona Immigration Law

It is not an official NBA move, necessarily, but the Phoenix Suns are doing their part to combat an unjust (some say racist) law designed to target illegal immigration in Arizona.

The Suns, the professional basketball team based in Phoenix, will be wearing “Los Suns” jerseys (with the name in Spanish) on Wednesday when they host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals round of the playoffs on Cinco de Mayo. From a protest standpoint, this is a good start and the Suns are to be commended for their willingness to step forward and make this gesture. Although, it will be interesting to see how it is received when the team takes the court. Generally, in sports, when the home team wins - all is forgiven. Still, what is perhaps most interesting about this move is that the owner of the Suns, Robert Sarver, is apparently a Republican.

Here is what Sarver said in a statement released by the franchise:

"The frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them."

Sarver has stated that this move is indeed a political statement. It's fantastic to see individuals involved in professional sports taking a stand against issues of great importance. This issue is too important for those involved in professional sports to sit on the bench or rest in the dugout.

The Arizona Republic: The bill, SB 1070, makes it a crime for a person to not have immigration documents and empowers law enforcement

agencies to question about the status of people based on "reasonable suspicion."

Fox News Doesn't See The Racism In Arizona Legislation

Here is the ignorance on Fox News.

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.

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

Lou Dobbs’ Negative History With Respect To Hispanics Comes Back To Haunt Him Again

Lou Dobbs made a dubious name for himself during his late days at CNN for endlessly whining about illegal immigration and for displaying hostility toward Hispanics. After Dobbs and CNN parted company, it was rumored that he was being considered for a job at CNBC. That possibility caused those who have been most negatively impacted by Dobbs’ bigotry to step forward and make sure their voices were heard by CNBC and will be heard by any other major media organization that considers hiring Dobbs to sit in an anchor chair and give him a platform to potentially spit out more divisive rhetoric.

This is from a Think Progress story:

This past Wednesday, CNBC dispelled rumors that were circulating throughout the week that former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs would be joining the business network. Meanwhile, Dobbs affirmatively told Fox Business News shock jock Don Imus that he didn’t even talk with CNBC and that he had “no idea where they even got that.” However, National Hispanic Media President Alex Nogales told ThinkProgress today that CNBC was in fact talking with Dobbs and that his hiring was, at least in part, thwarted by the same coalition of Latino, civil rights, and media-watchdog groups that successfully campaigned to get Dobbs off CNN airwaves.

Who knows whether these groups had an impact on Dobbs’ not being hired by CNBC. One thing is for certain, however, the demons of Lou Dobbs’ past (in spite of the fact he has weakly attempted to soften his image among with Latinos since his departure from CNN) will continue to haunt him in the future.

He may find a position (even Don Imus did), but he will be watched and he will be challenged by those he has attacked throughout his career.

Tea Baggers Want to Send Home European Immigrants?

The speaker is Robert Erickson, and he had some interesting things to say about illegal immigration, but I don’t think people got what he was saying until it was too late and by then they had already been apparently suckered.

How Much Of A Nose Dive Can Lou Dobbs’ Ratings At CNN Take?

CNN’s conservative host Lou Dobbs, who is severely damaging the credibility of CNN as a true and honest-to-goodness news organization, may be taking a hit in the ratings according to The New York Observer. This is no surprise. Dobbs has been so one-side and so pig-headed in pushing this birther non-story, that he is behaving more like a Fox News operative placed at CNN to destroy it from within. In many ways, Dobbs’ obsession with the birther story fits his conservative xenophobic pattern (his other obsession is barking endlessly about illegal immigration).

From The New York Observer:

To wit: According to The Observer’s analysis of Nielsen data, in recent weeks, as criticism of Mr. Dobbs has continued to go up, his ratings at CNN have continued to go down.

Mr. Dobbs’ first began reporting on Obama birth certificate conspiracy theories on the night of Wednesday, July 15. In the roughly two weeks since then, from July 15 through July 28, Mr. Dobbs’ 7 p.m. show on CNN has averaged 653,000 total viewers and 157,000 in the 25-54 demo.

By contrast, during the first two weeks of the month (July 1 to July 14) Mr. Dobbs averaged 771,000 total viewers and 218,000 in the 25-54 demo. In other words, Mr. Dobbs’ audience has decreased 15 percent in total viewers and 27 percent in the demo since the start of the controversy.

Arguably, interest in cable news has slumped across the board since early July when attention over Michael Jackson’s death was still at a fever pitch.

But, that said, Mr. Dobbs’ ratings over the past two weeks, during the height of the “birthers” controversy, are also down significantly compared to his overall numbers during the second quarter of 2009 when he averaged 769,000 total viewers and 222,000 in the 25-54 demo.

In summary, if Mr. Dobbs’ affinity for “birthers” is a ratings ploy, it’s a pretty ineffective one.

But, how far can a man’s ratings truly nose dive if he already is at the bottom of the barrel?

It’s a relatively short fall for Lou Dobbs.