I'm Back

I've decided to return to writing Best Seat in The House.

RIP Mr. Jefferson

One of my favorite childhood shows was "The Jeffersons" and Sherman Hemsley was the centerpiece of a great sitcom -- one that was groundbreaking in many ways dealing head-on with issues such as interracial marriage. Hemsley passed away at the age of 74 on Tuesday.

George Jefferson, Hemsley's signature character, was outrageous, at times, and yet so important. For all of his flaws, Mr. Jefferson generally did the right thing when it came down to it ... he just didn't always take the shortest distance from A to Z.

Mr. Jefferson was fantastic as was a later character, Deacon Ernest Frye, he played in a late 1980s hit, "Amen."

Sherman Hemsley was a good one and made a lot of people smile.

I will always remember him for the classic and crazy George Jefferson dance (it's about half a minute into the clip.

CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/24/showbiz/sherman-hemsley-obit/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I love this clip:

All Jeremy Does Is Lin, Lin, Lin

Jeremy Lin

The Jeremy Lin sensation is running strong ... almost as if a media handoff from everything the sports nation endured with Tim Tebow mania.

What Lin is doing is phenomenal because he is playing so well as an individual, he is clearly putting his teammates in a position to be successful and he is helping the previously-mediocre New York Knicks win ... after being cut twice and being an undrafted player out of that noted basketball factory, Harvard University.

Lin, a now popular Asian American who has the sports world buzzing, has been a sensation because he is a fine passer, he can penetrate and score, he can shoot from a stand-still position, he can shoot off the dribble and he hits BIG shots. This man is humble and unselfish. Combine those qualities with the fact that he is a heck of a player and you have a pretty special combination.

I hope he can keep it up as he gets injured teammates back and teams adjust to his style of play. He will get more attention from opponents and it will remain to be seen how he responds. He will use his teammates well and that is why he is likely to be successful.

All of the fools he think he is only popular because he is an Asian American are ignorant. He has persevered coming from non-traditional roots to find stardom in the NBA. This doesn't happen every day in the NBA. It might happen in baseball and hockey and here and there in football. It doesn't happen too much in basketball and people, as Spike Lee said, need to recognize.

Is Fox News Destroying Republicans? Media Matters Has An Interesting Take

Fox News is an interesting network in the sense that it is hard to figure out if some of its decision makers are pro-right wing or anti-left wing. It's not the same thing, either.

For example, it seems sometimes that Fox News is more interested in launching attack after attack on President Obama and other Democrats more so then it is in trying to make the case for Republican presidential candidates like (are you ready for this?) Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Don't get me wrong, Fox News will work to carry the mail for Romney and Gingrich (or other contenders) when necessary for rehabilitation purposes.

But, for the most part, it seems Fox News has a mission to attack those on the left and that has been no more evident than with President Obama.

Still, is this helping or hurting the right wing?

Check out what Media Matters has to say on the issue:
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201201260009

Brewer Finger Pointing At President Obama Is Deeply Disturbing And Offensive

Gov. Jan Brewer, of Arizona, confronts President Obama and points her
finger right in his face as a show of disrespect to the president of the
United States of America.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer took political disrespect to a new level (a level far beyond mere politics) with her finger-pointing confrontation with President Barack Obama.

If you can't see the racial angle here, then you're blind.

Anyway, the now infamous photo of Gov. Brewer pointing toward the president of the United States with her finger has created some deep and troubling feelings about how some people view Barack Obama (and how some people will always view him as Barack Obama and never accept him as President Obama ... to some degree for racial reasons).

Gov. Brewer's blatant disrespect of President Obama could (and should) bring together all who support the president and minorities who have been treated in a condescending manner or in a manner that is highly disrespectful by people who do not see them as on their level.

This is a lessons that no matter how much status you may have or think you have ... there are still some who will see you as beneath them because of what you are to them and not what you made of yourself.

The message is a relative of people like some on the far right referring to him as a food stamp president. The idea is to make Barack Obama seem more black than ever and not on the same level as others. The food stamp issue seems to be a way of reminding the lowest common denominator that President Obama is as black as he ever was ... and especially now that it is an election year.

This diss of President Obama will not be soon forgotten.

Fox News' Anchor Wallace Advises Romney On Strategy Against Obama

"Fair and balanced" Fox is the platform for anchor Chris "I'm Down With GOP" Wallace to offer leading GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on the strategy he could use to defeat President Obama in November.

Brit Hume's Idea Of Despicable Differs From That Of Normal Human Beings

Sad commentary, Brit Hume ... very sad on your part.

The Tim Tebow Issue Is Complicated ... Favoritism, Football, Race, Religion

Tim Tebow, of the Denver Broncos, is generally either loved or hated by people who are loyal followers of the National Football League.

First and foremost, Tim Tebow is not hated because he is a Christian. That assertion is the biggest bunch of garbage that I have maybe ever heard come out of the media. Turn on pro and college football, watch it for any number of hours, and you're bound to see numerous players (of all races) kneeling in prayer, thanking God and otherwise expressing their faith. It is absolute garbage to say or imply that Tebow is the victim of some anti-religious media bias.

Now, as we know, that doesn't stop the right-wing nuts at Fox News from advancing such an absurdity.

In the video clip the panel of the disgraceful and disgracefully-biased Fox News Watch program tried to turn it into a Christian-Muslim issue on a couple of occasions. Again, this is absolutely absurd. In this clip, the right-wing panelists, either through their ignorance of bias, never talked about the many prayer huddles that happen before and after games, prayers that other players have after touchdowns or how players thank God in post-game interviews.

They could not do that ... you see, it doesn't go with their agenda to portray Tebow as a victim of religious or Christian bias.

Twice in that clip they invoked Muslims and even evoked the black Muslims led by Elijah Muhammad, who was followed by boxing great Muhammad Ali. This was not an accident. It was a subtle injection of race.

Tebow is criticized or disliked for the following reasons:

1. People do not like having stars shoved down their throat before they feel like an individual has truly earned that praise.

2. Defenders of Tebow irrationally shove his modest early success down the throat of people who are either neutral or critical.

3. He is winning with a style that is unorthodox and some people think is unsustainable.

4. He is getting all (or the vast majority) of the credit for the Broncos' success in spite of a strong running game behind Tebow and a strong defense.

5. He is getting praised where black quarterbacks (Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick as examples), historically, have been criticized. For example, University of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is "winning" but is roundly criticized while Tebow is "winning" and gets national praised heaped on him. This has caused resentment.

6. Some people tend to want their sports free of religion.

Tebow is having success and I hope it continues for him. I just don't think his style is sustainable, but we will see. History will be the ultimate judge of Tim Tebow.

Mitt Romney vs. Mitt Romney ... Which Mitt Are You Running With In 2012?

Mitt Romney debating Mitt Romney would be the debate I think most people would love to see. Wait no longer as it is in the video clip above this text.

He takes flip flops (not the ones you buy in the store to wear on your feet) to a new level.

Limbaugh Did In Fact Purposely Make The NASCAR Booing Situation Worse With Race-Based Attack

Rush Limbaugh did make this situation worse by using the booing of Michelle Obama and Jill Biden (actually, it sounded like more of a mixed reaction ... granted you can hear the boos). When Limbaugh comes to save you that there is a chance that you did something pretty bad. Limbaugh made it worse.

Limbaugh used this as a race-based attack. He knew what he was doing and he knew it would work well with his audience.

Limbaugh's audience likes these kinds of comments and I find that about as disturbing as the comments themselves.

Limbaugh's Disguised Racial Attacks On Michelle Obama Continue

Rush Limbaugh is at again using race as his weapon of choice against one of the Obamas. And, as you can imagine, his loyal followers are probably in denial and making excuses for their idol.

GOP Presidential Debate ... Meets The Peanuts!

Love this...

Following Megyn Kelly's Pepper Spray 'Logic' Is Difficult

Fox "News" anchor Megyn Kelly referred to pepper spray as a "food product" ... a comment that has, obviously, made national headlines.

I suppose next she will say waterboarding is simply a "shower" or a "bath" for people.

Coulter: Our Blacks Are Better Than Their Blacks

Ann Coulter

Right-wing talking head Ann Coulter has been known to make some bizarre (putting it mildly) statements about a variety of topics.

I've always believed that she mostly made some of her insane comments for the shock value that helps her gain notoriety from outlets like Fox News. Still, one particular comment, with respect to Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain (one of her blacks),is one that makes me shake my head. Cain has gained an increasing level of popularity among Republicans ... mostly due to pressure that has been created by their treatment of President Obama and other black politicians during the last 30 or so years.

That makes it all the more interesting to see right wingers coming to the rescue of Herman Cain the way that they did(presumably another one of Coulter's blacks) Clarence Thomas, years ago.

I found this quoted on Your Black World:

"Our blacks are so much better than their blacks," Coulter went on to say, referring to the Democrats. "To become a black Republican, you don't just roll into it. You're not going with the flow...and that's why we have very impressive blacks in the Republican party."

It's a disturbing comment at best and a disgusting comment at worst. What in the world does she mean by this "our blacks" and "their blacks" comment?

Who is Coulter to make such an assessment about black people as if she is examining them like they are some kind of commodity?

She seems to rate black people like others would rate cats, cattle, lawns, houses, cars. Hidden in her apparent like for her blacks (people like Cain, Thomas, Allen West and others) is an inherent general lack of respect for black people.

Right-Wing Fox News Attacks Obama As 'Buying' American Youth

Eric Bolling is a complete moron, but he fits in so nicely at Fox News he's almost lost in a sea of far-right extremists.

It's no surprise his anti-Obama messages are embraced on Fox News. In this clip, it's another example of class warfare as the right wingers portray lazy and undeserving young people as trying to take from the government (a government Fox News viewers and most officials believe is pretty much solely funded by the rich).

Some Halloween Costumes Are Flat-Out Inappropriate

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

But, if a mere picture is worth a thousand words; then what is a costume worth?

Some college students have started a movement to speak out about what they see as costumes based on negative stereotypes. Some of these costumes, critics believe, are outright racist.

So, the message is clear this Halloween: Be thoughtful about your costumers and the message that they may send.

Check out the story, here:
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/10/in_the_immortal_words_of.html

Buchanan Goes On The Attack Against President Obama's Mother

Far-right bigot Pat Buchanan goes into the gutter for a pathetic attack of President Obama's mother.

Buchanan is disgraceful.

Are You On Facebook Too Much?

Fox News White House Correspondent Goes All In As GOP Mouthpiece

The Fox News public relations team was back at it working on behalf of the Republican Party as White House correspondent became a mouthpiece for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and earned his keep at the network conservatives trust.

This is from Huffington Post:

Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry experienced a tense moment with President Obama during a Thursday press conference. The President held a joint press conference with Lee Myung-Bak, President of South Korea. Ed Henry had the first question of the conference and asked Obama if he considered the alleged Iranian assassination plot to be "an act of war."

Henry decided to quote a Mitt Romney statement from last week when asking for the President's plans to address Iran's alleged terror plot. Henry asked the President "what specific steps will you take to hold Iran accountable? Especially when Mitt Romney charged last week, quote, 'If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your President. You have that president today.'"

Obama paused and answered, "Well I did not know you were the spokesman for Romney," and smiled down at Henry.

He may not be completely a spokesman for Romney, but it's clear that the network is speaking on behalf of the GOP and all who oppose Democrats.

Henry, who framed his question in a way that was disrespectful at best and unprofessional at worst, is beginning to buy into that philosophy.

Hank Williams Jr. Fiasco Is A Byproduct Of Fox News Bias

Hank Williams Jr.

You never invoke "Hitler" in an attack if (especially) you're on television and you're some kind of celebrity, and that includes you Hank Williams Jr.

Of course, I am sure that Williams more than realizes that now, even as he tries to make all of the usual excuses.

I can imagine the thinking in the Fox and Friends pre-production meeting (relative to the ill-fated decision to bring on Hank Williams Jr.) going a little something like this:

We can bring on Hank Williams Jr., we'll all have a few Republican laughs before Monday Night Football, we'll have him take a few right-wing shots at President Obama and live happily ever after on Fox and Friends and Fox News ... business as usual in the name of our leader, Rupert Murdoch.

Unfortunately, the goofballs at Fox and Friends were sorely misguided and, ironically, sort of threw Williams, who sort of behaved as if he might have struggled to pass a field sobriety test, under the bus in their effort to take shots at President Obama and other liberals.

Williams should be more mad at Fox News and the dummies in charge of Fox and Friends than at anyone else.

It was Fox and Friends that really threw him under the bus ... not ESPN (which cut his famous... or is it now infamous opening this week).

Williams has "apologized" as apologies go these days. I don't care for his politics, but I am willing to give this dope a second chance if he keeps his nose clean.

Frankly, Williams was a willing pawn in the blatant right-wing bias of Fox News. It almost cost him dearly (if it hasn't ... we'll see how ESPN handles it).