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Fox News: If It’s Black, We Attack!

16 May

Common: threat or menace? Both, according to Fox News.

Last week The White House invited several rappers and hip-hop artists, including Common and Jill Scott to a poetry performance.

And Fox News went on the attack.  The target of their wrath?  Common, the so-called “conscious rapper.”

Bill O’Reilly:

First lady Michelle Obama invited a number of poets to read their works at the White House Wednesday night. Among them is a rapper named Common, who is controversial to say the least.

This guy has sympathized with convicted cop killers. He also does the usual rap stuff, touting guns and other anti-social behavior. In addition, he is a friend of Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

So why on earth would the president and first lady invite this man to the White House?

The answer, I believe, is that the Obamas do not understand the sensibilities of many Americans. We saw that during the campaign with the president’s comments on guns and religion.

The real issue that Jay Carney dodged is about appropriate behavior. Murdered police officers is not something you rap about lightly. Common has no idea what happened, yet he has taken an irresponsible position.

The president and first lady have made a major mistake in inviting this man to the White House. He surely does not deserve that honor.

Sarah Palin:

“You know, the White House’s judgment on inviting someone who would glorify cop killing during Police Memorial Week, of all times, you know, the judgment–it’s just so lacking of class and decency and all that’s good about America with an invite like this.”

Sean Hannity:

It seems this administration will never learn its lesson. Tomorrow, Michelle Obama is set to host an evening of poetry and will welcome a slew of poets, musicians, students from all across the country to the White House. Among them is a controversial rapper and poet, Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., better known as Common. Now, he’s a staunch supporter of the president and has a running list of controversial comments.

Two thousand and seven, during an HBO’s “Def Poetry” appearance, Common called for the burning of President George W. Bush. Now the poem reads — I’m not the best at this — “Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button, killing over oil and grease, no weapons of mass destruction, how can we follow a leader when this is a corrupt one?”

Common, not surprisingly, is also associated with Obama’s pastor more than 20 years, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Look at this video of Common performing at Trinity United Church of Christ on New Year’s Eve 2007.

Fox News: The most dishonest name in news

As far as rappers go, Common is about as dangerous as a Cosby kid and all these prissy, tight-ass White folks tut-tut-tutting President Obama and the First Lady is nothing more than Fox going back into attack mode against the successful capturing and killing of Osama bin Laden.  Now it’s time to knock the prez back down a few pegs and who better to do it than the lying liars of Fox News?\

Others also saw through Fox’s faked outrage directed at Common.

Common is about the least controversial rapper in the business. He’s roughly as edgy as LeVar Burton. He’s the rap version of Wayne Brady. He’s a friendly, easy-going, cross-cultural musician and actor who stars in easygoing rom-coms with Queen Latifah, only appears menacing to Tina Fey and Steve Carrell on celluloid, and is typically the first person mentioned whenever anybody brings up the concept of a “conscious” MC.

But don’t tell that to FOX News and Sarah Palin.

~ Entertainment Weekly

Conservatives on Fox News are spending this week attacking the White House for inviting the rapper-poet Common to the White House for a poetry reading last night. They are upset with Common for poetry he recited on the TV show Def Poetry Jam, targeting President Bush for taking us to war in Iraq and not finding weapons of mass destruction. Karl Rove called him a thug for standing onstage reciting poetry in a wig. Really? The congressional staffers the GOP sent to disrupt the vote counting outside of a government office in Miami during the 2000 presidential-election recount were more thuggish.

Artists tend to reflect most immediately on their surroundings and interpret them for the world to see and hear. Common is by far one of the most community-focused rappers, with lyrics that try to educate and stimulate thinking and positive behavior. In fact, he once wrote a song called “Retrospect for Life” about the struggle over whether or not to abort his unborn child. Many would consider the song “pro-life” because he and the mother decide to keep the baby, proclaiming, “$315 ain’t worth your soul.” The conservatives chose to ignore that in their critiques.

~ The Root.com

Anti-racism activist Tim Wise called out Fox for their race-baiting and Jon Stewart went off on a monumental blast to blister the network for their hysterical whipping on anti-rap resentments of their conservative audience.

What is UP with Fox News? Why do they lose their shit about rappers like Common stopping by the White House. Why do they think there’s so mileage in attacking rap when its White kids who are the primary purchasers of rap?

This is simply another Fox News manufactured “controversy.” There IS NO STORY here. Just another “scary Black folks” con-job “controversy” manufactured by the scare mongers of Fox to whip up White conservatives into a mouth-foaming fury.

The real hypocrisy is how Fox wags its finger in its own self-righteousness at Common, a rapper that’s about as hardcore as Stevie Wonder while not saying jack shit about Mike Huckabee announcing he’s not running for  president on his show with Terrible Ted Nugent, the Motor City Madman, by his side.

Fox is fine with Mr. “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang’ calling Hillary Clinton “a worthless bitch” or saying Barack Obama should suck on his shotgun because Nugent’s politics mirror their own.  Which is why they can raise hell over Common’s lyrics while ignoring these:

I´ve got no inhibitions
So keep your keys out of your ignition
I steal a car like I got the curse
I can´t resist the old lady’s purse

Jailbait you look so good to me
Jailbait won´t you set me free
Jailbait you look fine fine fine
I know I´ve got to have you in a matter of time

Well I don´t care if you´re just thirteen
You look too good to be true
I just know that you´re probably clean
There´s one lil’ thing I got do to you

Jailbait you look so good to me
Jailbait won´t you set me free
Jailbait you look fine fine fine
I know I´ve got to have you in a matter of time

So tell your mama that I´m back in town
She likes us boys when it´s time to get down
She´s got this craving for the underage
I just might be your mama’s brand new rage

Jailbait you look so good to me
Jailbait won´t you set me free
Jailbait you look fine fine fine
I know I got to have you in a matter of time

Honey you you you look so nice
She´s young she´s tender
Won´t you please surrender
She’s so fine she´s mine
All the time, all mine mine
It´s all right baby
It´s quite all right I asked your mama
Wait a minute officer
Don´t put those handcuffs on me
Put them on her and I´ll share her with you

Jailbait, jailbait

The Nuge and the Huck crooning for poon.

The message from Fox is Black rappers expressing doubts of a cop killer’s guilt is wrong, but old White rockers singing about fucking underage girls?  That’s cool because they don’t really mean it.

Got it. Hypocrites.

Fox’s right-wing, race-baiting bullshit is so obvious it’s not even mildly amusing to point it out anymore.

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2011 in News & Views

 

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Falling Upward with Juan Williams

21 Oct

"All eyez on me!"

Ever have one of those days when it seemed like  you were having the worst days of your life and it turned out instead to be one of your best?

Juan Williams knows exactly what that feels like.

NPR commentator Juan Williams was fired by the network for remarks he made about Muslims on The O’Reilly Factor.

During the show, O’Reilly asked Williams to comment on the idea that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” It followed a controversy over O’Reilly’s own appearance on the afternoon show, The View,’ where two hosts walked out after he said that “Muslims killed us on 9/11.”

His argument, which moderator Whoopi Goldberg declared to be “bull—-,” inspired both Goldberg and co-host Joy Behar to leave their own set.

On Monday, Williams said he concurred with O’Reilly about the threats faced by the United States.

He added, “Look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

He also said, amid a heated debate with O’Reilly, that people shouldn’t blame Muslims for “extremists,” same as Christians couldn’t be blamed for the Oklahoma City bombing. O’Reilly, for his part, said he refused to qualify everything he said about Muslims.

The full video is available here. It’s important to hear in context what Williams said before determining if he was being bigoted toward Muslims.  NPR apparently concluded he was.

Williams argued with O’Reilly he had painted Muslims with too broad a brush.   Of course, every Muslim is the enemy of America, but you don’t watch O’Reilly’s dog and pony show for reasoned and enlightened debate.   You watch it for the same reason you watch Arnold Schwarzenegger movies: stuff gets blown up real good.

NPR overreacted to Williams’ remarks. I’m no fan of the guy, but  truth be told, many Americans would be unnerved if they were sitting on a plane while several gentlemen in traditional Muslim garb started chatting in an animated style in Farsi.

However, Williams was correct by pointing out it is the fringe element of radicals who are giving all Muslims a bad name.

NPR firing Williams for what he said made him a sacrifice on the altar of liberal political correctness. The right-wing blogosphere, radio and Fox News are going to be short-stroking on this one. And probably with some justification.

This is probably a case of NPR looking for any excuse to can Williams as his political leanings don’t mesh up well with their own.

NPR had already requested Williams not be identified during his frequent appearances as a talking head on Fox as a “NPR commentator.” Truth be told, I couldn’t tell you the last time I even heard Williams on NPR.

Williams is supposed to be the “liberal” counterpart on The O’Reilly Factor, but he’s more likely to say , “You’re absolutely right, Bill” than he is “You’re absolutely full of shit.” Williams, like Alan Colmes, represents the kind of Left-wing voice Fox prefers: weak, timid liberals paired off against strong, fierce conservatives. It’s a mismatch from the get-go.

NPR president Vivian Schiller issued a statement explaining the firing, “In appearing on TV or other media . . . NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist. They should not participate in shows . . . that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.”

More fundamentally, “In appearing on TV or other media including electronic Web-based forums, NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist.”

Unfortunately, Juan’s comments on Fox violated our standards as well as our values and offended many in doing so.“

Can you spot the liberal in this picture? Hah! Fooled ya! There IS no liberal in this picture.

Nice attempt at butt-covering NPR, but you’re  still the one who  looks like intolerant liberal losers  for canning Williams because you didn’t dig  his remarks. Like it or not, there is a lot of suspicion directed at Muslims and while it is often unjustified, it’s difficult to go down the list of recent terrorist attacks and attempts and not find a link to Islamic extremism.

I’m not concerned about Juan’s future job prospects in the slightest.  Fox News Roger Ailes offered Williams a job, a column on the web page and a $2 million pay raise.  All these years of cultivating a nice rapprochement with the right-wing of the news media has finally paid off for Juan. Good for him.  All these years of kissing conservative ass has finally paid off nicely.  Maybe Fox will give him a show and finally put an African-American journalist in a high-profile position.

But I’ve known for a while that Juan Williams was a little soft when it came to his so-called “liberalism.”  Just because you pick up a paycheck from NPR doesn’t mean you’re driving a Prius and voting Democratic.   If Williams is supposed to represent the liberal perspective it’s only what passes for liberalism on Fox.  Williams is an assimilated, accommodating, mainstream colored guy and that’s why he landed at Fox.

If Williams is a liberal I’m a Republican and I’m not.

The word has been out on Williams for a while.  Author Jill Nelson dropped the 411 on how shaky Williams was when they were both working for the Washington Post.

Williams is the perfect Negro, at least in the eyes of white folks, because most of the time he writes–and apparently believes–what Caucasians think black folks should feel and think, which is as they do…Williams is a black Republican type, a neoconservative opportunist à la Clarence Thomas.  He is also of Panamanian parentage, which explains some of where he’s coming from.  He typifies the worst stereotype of people of African descent who come to America inadvertently or willfully ignorant of the history of black folks born here.

Denying the role of race, they mouth the prejudices of white immigrants in blackface.  Forget racism, history, the brutalization of the African-American psyche from the middle passage on down, they holler America is a nation of immigrants, and we are just like the Irish, Polish, Japanese, and Jews who have come here.  They conveniently forget that African-Americans, unlike them, unlike any other immigrants, did not come here voluntarily; we are, all of us, the children of slaves.

In short I assumed he was a brother.

~ Jill Nelson on meeting Juan Williams, Volunteer Slavery,  page 90-91 (1993)

Now Williams can be the token in-house “liberal” for Fox News on a full-time basis.   NPR gets ripped a new one for looking like narrow-minded and biased while  Bill O’ Reilly can chortle how he exposed them as politically correct  far-Left loons.

All n’ all, it’s not a bad day to be a conservative or Juan Williams.  Or am I being redundant?  But at least he found some job security.  Nobody ever gets fired from Fox News for saying something outlandish.

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Posted by on October 21, 2010 in News & Views, Rantology

 

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You Can Call Me (Senator) Al.

07 Jul
Somewhere Bill O Reilly is swearing loudly...

Somewhere Bill O' Reilly is banging his fat head against a wall.

Senator Al Franken.

If  I’m trying to wrap my brain around the concept of Al Franken as a U.S. Senator imagine how those douchebags at Faux News like Bill O’ Reilly are taking it.

Not well.  Not well at all.

O’Reilly whined it was “a sad day for America: Al Franken is now a U.S. Senator.   He is a blatantly dishonest individual, a far-left zealot who is not qualified to hold any office.”   Bill-O then plugged one of his crappy books, Culture Warrior, and referred viewers to page 96 to read more of his Franken bashing.

But O’Reilly had plenty of company at Rupert Murdoch’s toy shop drinking the haterade.

Glenn Beck:  “It shows how crazy our country has gone.  You don’t want me as a Senator.  You don’t want Al Franken as a Senator.”

Sean Hannity:  “Al Franken…he’s not all there, folks.”

Brian Kilmeade on Fox & Friends:   “But straight ahead, let’s talk about who’s safe now that Al Franken’s going to be in the Senate. He’s a senator from Minnesota — yes, I said it out loud, and it hurts, but I said it.”

I got three words for the fine folks at the “fair and balanced” network:  SUCK ON IT!

They can all spend the next six years living in denial and whining about Senator Franken, but they can’t change it.   Unlike  a Rush Limbaugh or O’Reilly, Franken has taken on the challenge of not just sitting behind a microphone or camera and pontificating about the problems of the nation; he’s actually going to try and do something about it.

I look forward to Franken being a lion of liberalism in the Senate and keeping both the Obama Administration and Republicans honest.  God knows there are enough timid Democrats already in the Senate.   Hopefully, Franken will follow in the footsteps of another great Minnesota liberal, the late Paul Wellstone who also looked kind of nerdy, but stood up for and wouldn’t back away from his liberal principles.

Franken has said he loved Senator Wellstone.   The best way for Franken to honor Wellstone would be to follow his observation,  “I dare to imagine a country where every child I hold in my hands, are all God’s children, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of whether they’re boy or girl, regardless of religion, regardless of rich or poor, that every child I hold in my hands, will have the same chance to reach her full potential or his full potential. That is the goodness of our country. That is the essence of the American dream.”

Go get ‘em, Al.  Kick ass.

Thanks for the 60th vote, Al. No problem, Harry.

"Thanks for the 60th vote, Al." "No problem, Harry."

 
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Posted by on July 7, 2009 in News & Views

 

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White Trash and Black Thugs With Money (and Bill O’Reilly too).

05 Aug
Mr. Keith would like his chicken-fried steak now...

Mr. Keith would like his chicken-fried steak now...

I knew sooner or later I was going to have to say something about rap on The Domino Theory, but country music???

Country singer Toby Keith had already come in for a “say what?” moment with the pro-lynching sentiments implied in his new song, “Beer for my Horses” with its pro-lynching sentiments:

Well a man come on the 6 o’clock news
said somebody’s been shot
somebody’s been abused
somebody blew up a building
somebody stole a car
somebody got away
somebody didn’t get to far yeah
they didn’t get too far

Grandpappy told my pappy back in my day, son
A man had to answer for the wicked that he’d done
Take all the rope in Texas
Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys
Hang them high in the street
For all the people to see

link

Apparently, advocacy of vigilante “justice” isn’t enough for the self-described “white trash with money” singer is now weighing in with his opinion that Barack Obama is successful largely because he “talks, acts and carries himself as a Caucasian.”

On Glenn Beck’s radio show, country star Toby Keith said, “Even though the the black society would pull for him, I still think that they think in the back of their mind that the only reason that he is in is because he talks, acts and carries himself as a Caucasian.”

You can hear the remarks from Beck’s radio program HERE.

Keith’s remarks follow hot on the heels of rapper Ludacris and his song “Politics” where he takes shots at both Hillary Clinton and John McCain,

Said I handled my biz and I’m one of his favorite rappers
Well give Luda a special pardon if I’m ever in the slammer
Better yet put me in office, make me your vice president
Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant

Jesse talking slick and apologizing for what?
If you said it then you meant it how you want it have a gut!
And all you other politicians trying to hate on my man,
watch us win a majority vote in every state on my man

You can’t stop what’s bout to happen, we bout to make history
The first black president is destined and it’s meant to be
The threats ain’t fazing us, the nooses or the jokes
So get off your ass, black people, it’s time to get out and vote!

Paint the White House black and I’m sure that’s got ‘em terrified
McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed
Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped
Ball up all of his speeches and I throw ‘em like candy wrap
’cause what you talking I hear nothing even relevant
and you the worst of all 43 presidents

Get out and vote or the end will be near
The world is ready for change because Obama is here!
’cause Obama is here

The world is ready for change because Obama is here! link

The Obama campaign has issued the now-standard condemnation of Ludacris and the lyrics.

White trash with money and Black thugs with money running off at the mouth about politics make my brain hurt.

Terrible Toby is now known for his pro-American, flag-waving songs like, “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)” and “American Soldier”  He’s also known for picking fights with Natalie Manes of the Dixie Chicks.  Toby has carefully cultivated his as a rough and tough redneck since he was rockin’ a slightly different image back in the day.

Mullet on a Mission

Mullet on a Mission

Homeboy was rockin’ that mullet.

I don’t know if Toby is as ignorant as he passes himself off.  Maybe it’s all an act and he spends nights at home sipping mojitos and reading the National Review, but I do know he’s in the same company as Ralph Nader and Rush Limbaugh with this “Obama talks like a White boy” bullshit and they really ought to stop.  Right now.

As for Chris Bridges, aka “Ludacris” I understand where the brother is coming from.  He wants to show he’s down for Obama and I’m all for that, but why can’t he just put a “Obama for President” sign on his lawn and be done with it?

Just your typical Obama supporter

Just your typical Obama supporter

Yeah, I’m tired of Hillary too and I confess that I’ve probably called her a rhymes-with-witch at least once or 1000 times during the primaries, but that was then and this is definitely now.  Can’t Ludacris see how he’s going to be used as club to beat on Obama?

Already his arch-enemy, Bill “The Bloviater” O’Reilly has said of Ludacris, “his audience is small and his mind is smaller.”

The three-time Grammy winner hardly needs me to defend him from a fool like O’Reilly,  but he really should know by now that the Right will use anyone and anything to muddy Obama.  Indeed, O’Reilly used Ludacris to suggest that along with Rev. Jeremiah Wright among others, Obama is surrounded by people of a “questionable” nature.

Which of course is a load of b.s.

But it doesn’t matter if its true or not and O’Reilly isn’t trying to spread doubts in my minds or even the mind of the typical reader of blogs like this one.  He’s going after the millions of people who don’t bother questioning the stupid shit that comes out of his big mouth

I’d like to think they won’t fall for O’Reilly’s distortions and distractions, but I wouldn’t be willing to bet my paycheck on it.

At the UNITY convention, radio host Tom Joyner said during a panel discussion, “From Jena to Jeremiah Wright: Who Got it Right” that Obama really needs some of his friends to shut up and stay out of sight until the election.

Though I don’t particulary care for country music, I kind of like Toby Keith for being stupidly honest if not necessarily particularly articulate.   If he thinks that Obama “talks, acts and carries himself” as a Caucasian, he needs to meet more Black folks.  A LOT of us are just as educated, articulate, and sophisticated as Obama, and some of us make even him look like he speaks Ebonics and drinks 40-ounce malt liquor.

But I have never understood why anyone cares what a celebrity has to say about matters outside of their area of expertise.   Who gives a damn what George Clooney thinks about Darfur or who Paris Hilton supports for president?

On the other hand, it’s a testament to the phenomenon that is Barack Obama that he can transform both White trash hicks like Toby Keith and wannabee Black thugs like Ludacris into promient political commentators.

 
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Posted by on August 5, 2008 in Rantology

 

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