Just when you thought it was going to be a slow news day, up pops one of isitjustme's favorite pious pinatas, The Formerly Reverend Ted "I can't be gay, I'm an evangelical" Haggard. You may remember Rev. Ted from such popular gigs as pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado; head of the National Association of Evangelicals; spiritual confidant of former President George W. Bush and, most prominently, Exhibit A in a scandal involving gay sex and methamphetamines. Naturally, Haggard was anti-gay (in the pulpit anyway) and his little peccadillo brought great shame on him, his family and
There wasn't anything particularly new in this tale of the pompous brought low. After all, the Bible says, "It matterith not which side a man butters his bread" or words to that effect. The quote is from the Gospel according to Bruce but you'll have to look it up. Ted was ostracized from the holier than thou community and banished to New Orleans (where sin is always on the menu). Anyway, the interesting thing about Ted was that several weeks after he was exposed and agreed to counseling, his "spiritual advisers" Jack Hayford and Tommy Barnett declared that the demons had been exorcised. Ted was now completely straight. Glory Hallelujah!
Ted Haggard may be trying to put his gay lovers behind him but bodies keep turning up. We are now learning about another man, this one a church volunteer, who carried on a three year affair with the good reverend (and just when you thought it was safe to go back to the sacristy). All this nonsense because people are afraid to acknowledge who they are.
Our friends in the Catholic Church have an entire organization called "Courage". The goal is to "help with people with same sex attractions". Setting aside the jokes about physicians healing themselves, the Catholic Church has created a medication for which there is no disease. The only thing wrong with gay people is that, having to live half their lives in hiding, many develop a closet-full of neuroses by the time they're thirty. If Christian America stopped trying to "treat" homosexuality and left everyone alone, fewer people would ever think they needed a website like "Courage". Meanwhile the Catholic Church could devote more time to a concept called "Pedophilia is a transmitted disease. Don't pass it around".
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
...or did the Bush administration strike a blow for air quality just by leaving town?
Really! The air quality in Washington is noticeably improved. The sulfurous odor emanating from the area around the Navel Observatory (home to the Vice President) has cleared, if only to be replaced by a hint of methane. True, the stench at the Justice Department is considerably more pervasive (waterboarding has its downside, you know) but, once the smell of incense and beeswax clears, things will improve. Sadly, the toxic stew that brews continually in the Congress will forever render the air quality over the Capitol unbreathable. If only the new administration could discover a way to flush "the turd formerly known as Karl Rove", the cherry blossoms might bloom again. It may be January but spring is bustin' out all over.
However, for those of you waiting for the Hammer of Thor to descend on the recently departed and much reviled G. Bush, don't hold your breath. It would appear that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has more pressing matters to occupy his time. While "U.S. v Cheney, Rove, Gonzales, et al" has a lovely ring to it, the Obama White House (and, by extension, the Obama Justice Department) is having none of it.
One suspects that pragmatism is the primary motivation for wanting to bulldoze the outhouse that was Bush 43. While it's true that Americans would pay real money to watch Paul Wolfowitz explaining to a jury how he doctored the information (one could hardly call it intelligence) that prompted the invasion of Iraq, the new President knows better. The Republican party, although decimated by the elections of 2006 and 2008, could still muster a modicum of righteous indignation if the U.S. Marshalls start frog-marching former Bush officials into federal courts. At a time when President Obama needs Republican support (if only to create the appearance of inclusion), no one needs the distraction of a public tar and feathering (for as delicious as that sounds).
While politics is the motivation for everything in Washington, it's hard not to believe that Barak Obama has no heart for vendetta. After eight years of the most small-minded, mean-spirited, Nixonesque leadership since...well...Nixon, grasping the notion that our President might do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, is daunting. Having been fed a steady diet of lies, cynicism and, edited information, we are reluctant to believe that better angels might be at work. Amid the liberal rants for "justice" and "accountability" (liberals can really be a bunch of self-righteous pains in the ass) the new administration is spending its precious political capital to push forward. MSNBC notwithstanding, the President seems prepared to pardon the Bush cabal through inaction. Oh well! Maybe we'll get a second bite of the apple. If there's a God, Karl Rove will be arrested in Vegas with a gun trying to steal back some Bush memorabilia. It could happen!
However, for those of you waiting for the Hammer of Thor to descend on the recently departed and much reviled G. Bush, don't hold your breath. It would appear that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has more pressing matters to occupy his time. While "U.S. v Cheney, Rove, Gonzales, et al" has a lovely ring to it, the Obama White House (and, by extension, the Obama Justice Department) is having none of it.
One suspects that pragmatism is the primary motivation for wanting to bulldoze the outhouse that was Bush 43. While it's true that Americans would pay real money to watch Paul Wolfowitz explaining to a jury how he doctored the information (one could hardly call it intelligence) that prompted the invasion of Iraq, the new President knows better. The Republican party, although decimated by the elections of 2006 and 2008, could still muster a modicum of righteous indignation if the U.S. Marshalls start frog-marching former Bush officials into federal courts. At a time when President Obama needs Republican support (if only to create the appearance of inclusion), no one needs the distraction of a public tar and feathering (for as delicious as that sounds).
While politics is the motivation for everything in Washington, it's hard not to believe that Barak Obama has no heart for vendetta. After eight years of the most small-minded, mean-spirited, Nixonesque leadership since...well...Nixon, grasping the notion that our President might do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, is daunting. Having been fed a steady diet of lies, cynicism and, edited information, we are reluctant to believe that better angels might be at work. Amid the liberal rants for "justice" and "accountability" (liberals can really be a bunch of self-righteous pains in the ass) the new administration is spending its precious political capital to push forward. MSNBC notwithstanding, the President seems prepared to pardon the Bush cabal through inaction. Oh well! Maybe we'll get a second bite of the apple. If there's a God, Karl Rove will be arrested in Vegas with a gun trying to steal back some Bush memorabilia. It could happen!
Monday, January 19, 2009
...or does the State of Israel neve seem to be in a state of grace with anyone?
So ask yourself; exactly how many rockets, fired from Mexico, would the government of the United States tolerate before arranging a military exercise south of the Rio Grande? How many missiles, falling on the civilian population of France, would the French consider a sufficient provocation for retaliation? How about the Germans or, the Brits? It would seem that any country receiving nearly continuous incoming ordnance from a neighboring state would respond almost immediately, and forcefully. The firing of rockets across a border into civilians is a reasonably unambiguous act not to mention extremely rude. This is not mere saber-rattling. This is aggression. So can someone please explain why, after years of provocation by the Hamas government of Gaza, Israel's military response paints them as the bad guys?
Any attempt to definitively assign white and black hats to the players in this morass is futile. Both sides have back-stories and both have some reason for indignation. Trying to decide who holds the moral high ground is difficult. Using the history of the region to chose a champion will only make your hair hurt. Every entity from the Romans to the Ottomans to the Brits to the UN have had a hand in stirring this soup and everyone has only made things worse. There doesn't even seem to be a clear consensus as to what makes a person a Palestinian. Whoever they are, there appears to be about 5.5 million of them in Israel and the territories and they aren't going anywhere.
Despite the fact that the Palestinians have shown no willingness to accept the reality of the State of Israel, their cause has gained some support worldwide. (Using terror as a weapon never worked as well for the IRA. Apparently blowing up Jews is still more acceptable than blowing up Englishmen.) Playing the poor, stateless, oppressed victims, Palestinians have convinced the Western World that they have grievances. The logic is perverse but compelling. Having spent the last 50 odd years doing nothing more productive than throwing rocks and bombs at Israelis, the Palestinians demand a sovereign state from which they can, without consequence, throw rocks and bombs at Israelis. Israel, as you might imagine, sees things a little differently.
Israel already feels victimized by the court of world opinion. Against their better judgement, the Israelis established a kind-of, sort-of, semi autonomous state for the Palestinians in Gaza in 2005. (Giving up some really sweet seaside property.) Given the right to elect a government, these brite lights rejected the PLO ( who in this perverse universe were the moderates) in favor of Hamas, sworn enemies of Israel. Predictably, this worked out about as well as having the NY Yankees play all their home games in Fenway Park.
Oddly enough, Israel objects to being the target of Iranian missiles lobbed over the border from Gaza. (They also object to Iranian missiles being lobbed over the border from Lebanon by Hezbollah but that's another story.) They have asked nicely for the Palestinians to knock it off. The Palestinians have demurred. Israel, predictably cranky from 50 years of this stuff, has sent its army into Gaza to stop the madness. While no one applauds the killing of civilians, the civilians are the problem. They are the ones voting for a government that's getting them killed. They are the ones providing milk and cookies for the guys firing the missiles. How hard is this? Stop shooting at Israel and they'll go home. It's difficult to have much sympathy for people who are causing their own destruction.
As of today, Israel has agreed to a cease fire. The Palestinians have agreed. Sadly, the Palestinian idea of a cease fire is "let's stop so we can reload". This crap will never end as long as the Palestinians insist on being the surrogate aggressors for Iran. It hardly matters whether your cause is just if you have no chance of succeeding. Israel is a fact. Deal with it. Become something besides a victim. Part of the reason that the United Nations put Israel in the middle of the Eastern Mediterranean is that the property appeared vacant. You can fix this. You can decide whether yours is the culture of Omar Khayyam or Mullah Omar. Change! You can do it!
As for Western Europe, change out of your pink panties and stopped being shocked that a country, attacked without cause, would respond with force. Just ask yourself, what would you do in Israel's place...after you asked America for help?
Any attempt to definitively assign white and black hats to the players in this morass is futile. Both sides have back-stories and both have some reason for indignation. Trying to decide who holds the moral high ground is difficult. Using the history of the region to chose a champion will only make your hair hurt. Every entity from the Romans to the Ottomans to the Brits to the UN have had a hand in stirring this soup and everyone has only made things worse. There doesn't even seem to be a clear consensus as to what makes a person a Palestinian. Whoever they are, there appears to be about 5.5 million of them in Israel and the territories and they aren't going anywhere.
Despite the fact that the Palestinians have shown no willingness to accept the reality of the State of Israel, their cause has gained some support worldwide. (Using terror as a weapon never worked as well for the IRA. Apparently blowing up Jews is still more acceptable than blowing up Englishmen.) Playing the poor, stateless, oppressed victims, Palestinians have convinced the Western World that they have grievances. The logic is perverse but compelling. Having spent the last 50 odd years doing nothing more productive than throwing rocks and bombs at Israelis, the Palestinians demand a sovereign state from which they can, without consequence, throw rocks and bombs at Israelis. Israel, as you might imagine, sees things a little differently.
Israel already feels victimized by the court of world opinion. Against their better judgement, the Israelis established a kind-of, sort-of, semi autonomous state for the Palestinians in Gaza in 2005. (Giving up some really sweet seaside property.) Given the right to elect a government, these brite lights rejected the PLO ( who in this perverse universe were the moderates) in favor of Hamas, sworn enemies of Israel. Predictably, this worked out about as well as having the NY Yankees play all their home games in Fenway Park.
Oddly enough, Israel objects to being the target of Iranian missiles lobbed over the border from Gaza. (They also object to Iranian missiles being lobbed over the border from Lebanon by Hezbollah but that's another story.) They have asked nicely for the Palestinians to knock it off. The Palestinians have demurred. Israel, predictably cranky from 50 years of this stuff, has sent its army into Gaza to stop the madness. While no one applauds the killing of civilians, the civilians are the problem. They are the ones voting for a government that's getting them killed. They are the ones providing milk and cookies for the guys firing the missiles. How hard is this? Stop shooting at Israel and they'll go home. It's difficult to have much sympathy for people who are causing their own destruction.
As of today, Israel has agreed to a cease fire. The Palestinians have agreed. Sadly, the Palestinian idea of a cease fire is "let's stop so we can reload". This crap will never end as long as the Palestinians insist on being the surrogate aggressors for Iran. It hardly matters whether your cause is just if you have no chance of succeeding. Israel is a fact. Deal with it. Become something besides a victim. Part of the reason that the United Nations put Israel in the middle of the Eastern Mediterranean is that the property appeared vacant. You can fix this. You can decide whether yours is the culture of Omar Khayyam or Mullah Omar. Change! You can do it!
As for Western Europe, change out of your pink panties and stopped being shocked that a country, attacked without cause, would respond with force. Just ask yourself, what would you do in Israel's place...after you asked America for help?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
...or can you be a woman President and still have inaugural balls?
Things to contemplate during the commercials of Tuesday's coronation...
Item
George W. Bush acknowledged "some mistakes" during his eight year catastrophe tour as President. Well, if you count the fact that he didn't screw up the oath of office, that would make the second thing he got right. Mistakes? When a baseball manager leaves a pitcher in for one-too-many batters, that's a mistake. When you leave the keys in your car and someone steals it, that's a mistake. However, when you ignore the suffering of thousands of Americans in New Orleans after a hurricane, when you lie America into a war that kills thousands and displaces tens of thousands, when you allow a cabal of mean-spirited, neo-con bureaucrats to mismanage every department of government from Interior to Justice, these are not mistakes; that's reckless incompetence.
Bush 43 was over his head the day he took office. After 9/11 he abdicated his responsibility to a gang of sour, vengeful cronies of his father's who never much cared for the Constitution and saw the attack on New York as their opportunity to run it through a shredder.
Thanks God this national nightmare is over. George...go...and take that sulphur smell with you.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
On to the Senate. Yes, Harry Reid looks like a dumb-ass for pontificating about who will be allowed to sit in his chamber. He was out-maneuvered by a Governor who is too stupid not to know when he's being recorded. Harry didn't count on the introduction of a sympathetic, 71 year old black man who would have taken this job if it had been offered by Bernie Madoff. Race was never a factor in anyone's actions, but the sight of 99 white guys (actually 16 are women) slamming the door on one black man...in the rain, no less, made the Senate and Harry Reid look like the membership committee at Augusta National.
One can only speculate as to what Gov. Blago hoped to gain by choosing Roland Burris but maybe he was hoping for some really good Nats tickets.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Among the names you pray-to-God never to hear again, are Sarah Palin and Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher. Sadly, both of these cancers are still making the papers. Governor Snowshoes is now granting all the interviews she dodged during the campaign. Sarah is currently conducting the "Katie Curic Ate My Baby" tour with nothing good to say about the media. Apparently, it was that gaggle of liberal intellectuals at ABC, NBC, CBS, et al, that was solely responsible for making the Governor appear clueless, ill-informed, woefully under-qualified and a bad mother. Most Americans think that Sarah was giving that impression without much help.
Nevertheless, we must be charitable. After all, it's January, it's cold in Alaska. Most of Sarah's constituents are curled up with the livestock. If she doesn't talk to Sean Hannity or create some buzz on YouTube she might be forced to run the state that elected her. Boring!
Joe the Plumber, on the other hand, is squeezing every ounce of celebrity possible from his fifteen minutes. He was recently dispatched to Israel by the right-wing blog Pajamamedia that has some sort of broadcast arm called PajamaTV. What anyone in the news biz at any level thinks this bag-of-hammers could add to our knowledge of the Gaza War is anyone's guess. His novel take on the complex events in Gaza included a condemnation of all news coverage of wars. "I don't think journalists should be anywhere around war." He, not being a journalist by any definition, was apparently exempt.
Please, America, whatever God you pray to, pray that PajamaTV only gave this hamburger a one-way ticket.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Although this blog has never pretended to be fair and balanced, (You want fair, watch Canadian TV) there has been recent criticism that isitjustme has ignored certain issues that, had they involved conservatives or Bushies, would have drawn more attention. Answering that criticism, we submit the following:
Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner is getting some flak for non-payment of federal taxes. The details of this are murky but they have to do with self-employment taxes and Social Security withholdings. While there is delightful irony in the fact that Geithner will, if confirmed, control the IRS, there isn't much scandal here. Embarrassing, yes. Damaging, no. Even the Republicans aren't making much of this. As to his housekeeper and her immigration status; please!
Eric Holder Jr., Obama's choice to run the Justice Department, has also drawn some criticism. In his case the issue is his role, or lack of a role, in some of Bill Clinton's dubious pardons as he left office in 2000. Holder was, at that time, deputy Attorney General and decided not to oppose Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive financier. This may have been a bad choice but, it hardly rises to the level of criminal conduct. Besides, Obama could appoint Bernie Madoff and still not approximate the stench created by such legal brite-lights as John "cover up those tits" Ashcroft or Alberto "attach electrodes to their nuts and call it macaroni" Gonzales. Anyone crazy enough to attempt to clean up the Justice Dept. should be granted a free hand and as much industrial-strength Mr. Clean as the job requires.
As for Governor Richardson of New Mexico, this is a tough one. He must have known that he was under investigation (paging Gov. Blagojevich) and so must the Obama transition people. Why the incoming President, especially this incoming President, would appoint a tainted politician to his cabinet, I cannot say. Chalk it up to bad Karma.
Hopefully these comments will put to rest any further whining that isitjustme isn't eager to tackle the tough issues, regardless of which party is involved. As long as we can circle back to some good old-fashioned Bush/conservative bashing, no topic is off limits. Fear not soon-to-be-former President Bush. Your legacy is safe with me.
Item
George W. Bush acknowledged "some mistakes" during his eight year catastrophe tour as President. Well, if you count the fact that he didn't screw up the oath of office, that would make the second thing he got right. Mistakes? When a baseball manager leaves a pitcher in for one-too-many batters, that's a mistake. When you leave the keys in your car and someone steals it, that's a mistake. However, when you ignore the suffering of thousands of Americans in New Orleans after a hurricane, when you lie America into a war that kills thousands and displaces tens of thousands, when you allow a cabal of mean-spirited, neo-con bureaucrats to mismanage every department of government from Interior to Justice, these are not mistakes; that's reckless incompetence.
Bush 43 was over his head the day he took office. After 9/11 he abdicated his responsibility to a gang of sour, vengeful cronies of his father's who never much cared for the Constitution and saw the attack on New York as their opportunity to run it through a shredder.
Thanks God this national nightmare is over. George...go...and take that sulphur smell with you.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
On to the Senate. Yes, Harry Reid looks like a dumb-ass for pontificating about who will be allowed to sit in his chamber. He was out-maneuvered by a Governor who is too stupid not to know when he's being recorded. Harry didn't count on the introduction of a sympathetic, 71 year old black man who would have taken this job if it had been offered by Bernie Madoff. Race was never a factor in anyone's actions, but the sight of 99 white guys (actually 16 are women) slamming the door on one black man...in the rain, no less, made the Senate and Harry Reid look like the membership committee at Augusta National.
One can only speculate as to what Gov. Blago hoped to gain by choosing Roland Burris but maybe he was hoping for some really good Nats tickets.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Among the names you pray-to-God never to hear again, are Sarah Palin and Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher. Sadly, both of these cancers are still making the papers. Governor Snowshoes is now granting all the interviews she dodged during the campaign. Sarah is currently conducting the "Katie Curic Ate My Baby" tour with nothing good to say about the media. Apparently, it was that gaggle of liberal intellectuals at ABC, NBC, CBS, et al, that was solely responsible for making the Governor appear clueless, ill-informed, woefully under-qualified and a bad mother. Most Americans think that Sarah was giving that impression without much help.
Nevertheless, we must be charitable. After all, it's January, it's cold in Alaska. Most of Sarah's constituents are curled up with the livestock. If she doesn't talk to Sean Hannity or create some buzz on YouTube she might be forced to run the state that elected her. Boring!
Joe the Plumber, on the other hand, is squeezing every ounce of celebrity possible from his fifteen minutes. He was recently dispatched to Israel by the right-wing blog Pajamamedia that has some sort of broadcast arm called PajamaTV. What anyone in the news biz at any level thinks this bag-of-hammers could add to our knowledge of the Gaza War is anyone's guess. His novel take on the complex events in Gaza included a condemnation of all news coverage of wars. "I don't think journalists should be anywhere around war." He, not being a journalist by any definition, was apparently exempt.
Please, America, whatever God you pray to, pray that PajamaTV only gave this hamburger a one-way ticket.
___________________________________________________________________
Item
Although this blog has never pretended to be fair and balanced, (You want fair, watch Canadian TV) there has been recent criticism that isitjustme has ignored certain issues that, had they involved conservatives or Bushies, would have drawn more attention. Answering that criticism, we submit the following:
Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner is getting some flak for non-payment of federal taxes. The details of this are murky but they have to do with self-employment taxes and Social Security withholdings. While there is delightful irony in the fact that Geithner will, if confirmed, control the IRS, there isn't much scandal here. Embarrassing, yes. Damaging, no. Even the Republicans aren't making much of this. As to his housekeeper and her immigration status; please!
Eric Holder Jr., Obama's choice to run the Justice Department, has also drawn some criticism. In his case the issue is his role, or lack of a role, in some of Bill Clinton's dubious pardons as he left office in 2000. Holder was, at that time, deputy Attorney General and decided not to oppose Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive financier. This may have been a bad choice but, it hardly rises to the level of criminal conduct. Besides, Obama could appoint Bernie Madoff and still not approximate the stench created by such legal brite-lights as John "cover up those tits" Ashcroft or Alberto "attach electrodes to their nuts and call it macaroni" Gonzales. Anyone crazy enough to attempt to clean up the Justice Dept. should be granted a free hand and as much industrial-strength Mr. Clean as the job requires.
As for Governor Richardson of New Mexico, this is a tough one. He must have known that he was under investigation (paging Gov. Blagojevich) and so must the Obama transition people. Why the incoming President, especially this incoming President, would appoint a tainted politician to his cabinet, I cannot say. Chalk it up to bad Karma.
Hopefully these comments will put to rest any further whining that isitjustme isn't eager to tackle the tough issues, regardless of which party is involved. As long as we can circle back to some good old-fashioned Bush/conservative bashing, no topic is off limits. Fear not soon-to-be-former President Bush. Your legacy is safe with me.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
...or does political correctness mean always having to say you're sorry?
Things that happened while you were watching your 401(K) sink slowly in the west:
Item
AirTran Airlines has apologized to nine Muslim passengers who were unceremoniously removed from a flight out of Reagan National Airport. It seems that one of the Muslims was overheard by another passenger discussing the safest seat on a plane should there be an "accident". Possibly not the best conversation for two Middle Eastern types but, hey, the World Trade Center was seven years ago and people of Arab extraction forget who they are and where they are. The air marshalls on the flight removed not just the two people having the conversation but an entire party of nine. Fortunately Mohammad Ali wasn't on the flight or he might have gotten the heave- ho also.
This is a sad situation. Americans pride themselves on fairness. We tend to be welcoming, even curious about people and cultures different from ours. We understand that we are a country of immigrants and that, for as much as we fight it, diversity is part of who we are...just ask Barak Hussein Obama.
That said, we were attacked in 2001 by eighteen men who shared a discernible ethnic origin and religion.They all looked similar. Our enemies in Iraq and any potential terrorist from Saudi Arabia or Yemen will most likely be dark-complected, black haired, and bearded. Middle Eastern peoples evoke in us more fear than hate. To see them on a plane calls to mind the horror of September 11 and even the visage of Osama bin Ladin. Once the doors close on an airplane your safety is in the hands of everyone on the flight. Potential threats become magnified. Almost all of us have been on flights with "scary-looking" Middle Eastern types and we all secretly wished that someone would encourage them to take another plane. To think otherwise would be unnatural.
Allow me to add my apology to the apology of AirTrans. I'm sorry about this situation. I'm sorry that a group of harmless travelers has been singled out for harassment and humiliation. I'm sorry that one off-handed comment, made by an otherwise innocent woman could cause such a fear-filled and outsized reaction. I'm sorry that just being identified as a Muslim or Arab can subject a person to scrutiny and persecution. But most of all, I'm sorry because it's going to happen again and again and there's no cure for it. We need to protect ourselves and, while it's unfortunate that profiling is necessary, it is all we have. People expect air safety and if a person poses a threat, however remote, there must be a response. Nobody likes it but there it is. Until science and engineering can reliably purge air travel of every potential threat, Middle Eastern people can expect the harassment to continue. Sorry.
____________________________________________________________________
Item
The Republican National Committee, fresh from the most humiliating defeat since, well 2006, is in search of a new chairman. Recent history would suggest that this job would be only slightly more popular than hunting for land mines with a cricket bat. There are, however, several candidates vying for the job. One such leader-to-be is Chip Saltsman of Tennessee. Also in contention are J. Kenneth Blackwell of Ohio and and Michael Steele of Maryland. Both Blackwell and Steele are African-American. Coincidentally, they correspond to the exact number of votes that John McCain received in the black community.
Most Republicans understand that, among their myriad problems, is the perception that the GOP is just a giant country club with a big "whites only" sign on the front door. The only minorities of any kind welcome at Republican headquarters better be swinging a mop.
Not so, says Mr. Saltsmen and to drive home the point, he has provided several party members a CD including a song called, "Barak, the Magic Negro". Funny, eh? Played to the tune of "Puff The Magic Dragon" the song (which isn't particularly funny) is intended to... well, frankly I don't know what the point is, aside from making Chip Saltsman look like a bigot and a fool.
Setting aside the bad taste for a minute, did Mr. Saltsman miss the meeting where the party discussed Republican isolation? Did he skip the class on class? Today's Republican party isn't your father's party it's your grandfather's party. There were fewer black faces at the RNC in Minneapolis in Sept. than there are members of the Mills Brothers. The only young people supporting the GOP these days are cultural warriors who are mostly opposed to stuff: stem cell research, abortion, sex; nothing a few days in Vegas wouldn't cure. The faces of the Republican party in 2008 are Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich and Dick Chenney...sort of the No-Pep Boys.
The Republicans are on the wrong side of virtually every issue. They deny global warming, ridicule green technology, encourage domestic drilling and scoff at any form of environmental or animal protection. When your best hope for the future is Sarah Palin, you have no future. When you are so bereft of talent that you need help from Alaska, you got trouble right here in River City.
Anyway, as a member of the other team, I applaud Mr. Saltsman's approach to campaigning for the chairmanship. We can't have too many racially insensitive songs in circulation. As a follow-up the GOP could distribute "The Films of Stepin Fetchit" or "Amos n' Andy, Klan Favorites". As an encore, Mr. Saltsman can appear at the next GOP Convention in blackface.
Item
AirTran Airlines has apologized to nine Muslim passengers who were unceremoniously removed from a flight out of Reagan National Airport. It seems that one of the Muslims was overheard by another passenger discussing the safest seat on a plane should there be an "accident". Possibly not the best conversation for two Middle Eastern types but, hey, the World Trade Center was seven years ago and people of Arab extraction forget who they are and where they are. The air marshalls on the flight removed not just the two people having the conversation but an entire party of nine. Fortunately Mohammad Ali wasn't on the flight or he might have gotten the heave- ho also.
This is a sad situation. Americans pride themselves on fairness. We tend to be welcoming, even curious about people and cultures different from ours. We understand that we are a country of immigrants and that, for as much as we fight it, diversity is part of who we are...just ask Barak Hussein Obama.
That said, we were attacked in 2001 by eighteen men who shared a discernible ethnic origin and religion.They all looked similar. Our enemies in Iraq and any potential terrorist from Saudi Arabia or Yemen will most likely be dark-complected, black haired, and bearded. Middle Eastern peoples evoke in us more fear than hate. To see them on a plane calls to mind the horror of September 11 and even the visage of Osama bin Ladin. Once the doors close on an airplane your safety is in the hands of everyone on the flight. Potential threats become magnified. Almost all of us have been on flights with "scary-looking" Middle Eastern types and we all secretly wished that someone would encourage them to take another plane. To think otherwise would be unnatural.
Allow me to add my apology to the apology of AirTrans. I'm sorry about this situation. I'm sorry that a group of harmless travelers has been singled out for harassment and humiliation. I'm sorry that one off-handed comment, made by an otherwise innocent woman could cause such a fear-filled and outsized reaction. I'm sorry that just being identified as a Muslim or Arab can subject a person to scrutiny and persecution. But most of all, I'm sorry because it's going to happen again and again and there's no cure for it. We need to protect ourselves and, while it's unfortunate that profiling is necessary, it is all we have. People expect air safety and if a person poses a threat, however remote, there must be a response. Nobody likes it but there it is. Until science and engineering can reliably purge air travel of every potential threat, Middle Eastern people can expect the harassment to continue. Sorry.
____________________________________________________________________
Item
The Republican National Committee, fresh from the most humiliating defeat since, well 2006, is in search of a new chairman. Recent history would suggest that this job would be only slightly more popular than hunting for land mines with a cricket bat. There are, however, several candidates vying for the job. One such leader-to-be is Chip Saltsman of Tennessee. Also in contention are J. Kenneth Blackwell of Ohio and and Michael Steele of Maryland. Both Blackwell and Steele are African-American. Coincidentally, they correspond to the exact number of votes that John McCain received in the black community.
Most Republicans understand that, among their myriad problems, is the perception that the GOP is just a giant country club with a big "whites only" sign on the front door. The only minorities of any kind welcome at Republican headquarters better be swinging a mop.
Not so, says Mr. Saltsmen and to drive home the point, he has provided several party members a CD including a song called, "Barak, the Magic Negro". Funny, eh? Played to the tune of "Puff The Magic Dragon" the song (which isn't particularly funny) is intended to... well, frankly I don't know what the point is, aside from making Chip Saltsman look like a bigot and a fool.
Setting aside the bad taste for a minute, did Mr. Saltsman miss the meeting where the party discussed Republican isolation? Did he skip the class on class? Today's Republican party isn't your father's party it's your grandfather's party. There were fewer black faces at the RNC in Minneapolis in Sept. than there are members of the Mills Brothers. The only young people supporting the GOP these days are cultural warriors who are mostly opposed to stuff: stem cell research, abortion, sex; nothing a few days in Vegas wouldn't cure. The faces of the Republican party in 2008 are Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich and Dick Chenney...sort of the No-Pep Boys.
The Republicans are on the wrong side of virtually every issue. They deny global warming, ridicule green technology, encourage domestic drilling and scoff at any form of environmental or animal protection. When your best hope for the future is Sarah Palin, you have no future. When you are so bereft of talent that you need help from Alaska, you got trouble right here in River City.
Anyway, as a member of the other team, I applaud Mr. Saltsman's approach to campaigning for the chairmanship. We can't have too many racially insensitive songs in circulation. As a follow-up the GOP could distribute "The Films of Stepin Fetchit" or "Amos n' Andy, Klan Favorites". As an encore, Mr. Saltsman can appear at the next GOP Convention in blackface.
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