As we were reading today's news, we came across a letter to The LA Times regarding The New Yorker's disgusting attempt at "satire". The writer Blair Hamilton Taylor, the president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Urban League, really does a nice job with this one as he lays out a very intelligent response to those, including some anonymous visitors to this blog, who are quick to attack anyone critical of The New Yorker's cover.
"The cover of the New Yorker magazine this week drove home a stark reality that both columnist Tim Rutten and The Times editorial board missed: Although many Americans appear to be ready for an African American president, the question remains as to whether America itself is ready. The recent cover is the latest example of the willingness of the American media and thought leaders to openly demean African American leaders and play into the worst fears of some American people.
Now, before I am labeled "thin-skinned," let me make some acknowledgments upfront. Yes, I know that the New Yorker is a purportedly "liberal" magazine with a history of satirical illustrations. And yes, I am aware that it has a constitutional right to publish a provocative cover image. But it also has an obligation to be wary of the line between provocative and scandalous. So, regardless of the magazine's political tilt or its intentions with respect to this or any other cover, in the end, the magazine and its staff must be held fully responsible for such reckless decisions.
If the New Yorker ever published a "satirical" cover photo of a leading German American candidate in front of a Nazi gas chamber with a swastika in the background, the editor responsible would be gone tomorrow, and rightly so. Yet somehow, when the most powerful African American leader in the land -- and his wife, no less -- are portrayed as flag-burning terrorists by this publication, we are all supposed to not be offended, to get over it and to see the satirical humor in it all, when for many, it is no less offensive.
With respect to my fellow African Americans, this season is no time for silence. No minority group can maintain any identity or dignity if they willingly forgo opportunities to vigorously defend themselves when mischaracterized and blatantly maligned.
With respect to Americans of every possible hue, this type of demagoguery should be repudiated by any and all who seek and aspire to a 21st century vision of America -- one that is, at long last, not afraid of itself.
And finally, to the staff of the New Yorker, who knew precisely what they were doing and signaling here, it's past time that you more carefully reflect on that which you advance under the banner of satire. This divisive attempt at satire is not clear, not funny and not acceptable."
Our only criticism to this letter is that Yes America is ready for change. It is ready for its first African-American or "minority" leader and one shouldn't let a situation like this place doubts in their mind of that. Instead, after seeing this cover and other newspaper and magazine covers use race and controversy to sell copies one should ask if our media is ready. Throughout the 1900s, and even before then, Americans have embraced change, however be it the "Red Scare", "McCarthyism", or Nativism media outlets along with many conservative leaders and organizations, such as The KKK, have made it a point to scare the daylight out of our fellow Americans.
The unfortunate reality is that sometimes even those magazines or newspapers that embrace change and progression have not been able to resist the opportunity to make more money by publishing a provacative cover or piece; even if that opportunity means that millions of people are offended and the character of a good leader is looked at negatively afterwards by the magazine or newspaper's readers.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
McCain Camp Tries To Bully St. Louis Reporter
The McCain Camp this week was caught in action trying to bully St. Louis reporters into allowing them to review the camera shots and the upcoming interview. Once the reporters clearly expressed their anger and frustration over the unethical tactic an argument began to occur with Brooke Buchannon, Press Secretary for John McCain 2008/former press communicatons official for the Bush 2004 and GOP as well as Nicolle Wallace, former White House Communicatons Director. Take a look:
As you can hear, the reporter clearly says "I think there was an attempt by somebody in your staff to take a look at the shot, and I have never, ever had anybody at any organization..." a very upset station staffer told Wallace before being interrupted.
"Really? You've never done anything at the White House?" she replied. "I was at the White House for seven years and we looked at every shot."
The TV station staffers pushed back, "Not at our shots," while a colleague asked Wallace, "Which White House?" Of course she refused to answer, saying it didn't matter to which He replied, "Oh yes it does!" Wallace told him he looked "agitated."
Also watch how later in the film Brooke Buchannon, McCain Press Secretary, knowing the situation they were in, at first refuses to give her name to another reporter who was clearly frustrated with the actions. When asked for her name Buchannon said, "Why does that matter?" and asked sharply, "Do we have a problem here, because if -- we may want to reschedule for another day..."
To which the reporter responded by saying "I don't have a problem I just want to know who I'm talking to. I'm ready to do the interview" and sits down. Buchannon responds by saying "OK."
While still trying to bully the reporter into getting upset and knowing that the reporter just said that he was ready for the interview , Buchannon confronts the reporter and aggressively says "Sir. Are we all set?" and naturally the reporter responds by saying "Yeah. I'm just waiting for the Senator."
It's ridiculous that the McCain camp feels the need to come into Missouri or any state for that matter and try bully around reporters and control their interviews. Anyone who has worked in Communications or Journalism and has been to the Bush White House has seen first hand what type of unethical policies are put into place and now McCain has hired the same crew to do the same dirty work.
Just another reason to vote for Change. Vote for Barack Obama.
We are calling on John McCain to publicly address the issue of his team bullying reporters as well as apologize for its bullying of these St. Louis reporters.
As you can hear, the reporter clearly says "I think there was an attempt by somebody in your staff to take a look at the shot, and I have never, ever had anybody at any organization..." a very upset station staffer told Wallace before being interrupted.
"Really? You've never done anything at the White House?" she replied. "I was at the White House for seven years and we looked at every shot."
The TV station staffers pushed back, "Not at our shots," while a colleague asked Wallace, "Which White House?" Of course she refused to answer, saying it didn't matter to which He replied, "Oh yes it does!" Wallace told him he looked "agitated."
Also watch how later in the film Brooke Buchannon, McCain Press Secretary, knowing the situation they were in, at first refuses to give her name to another reporter who was clearly frustrated with the actions. When asked for her name Buchannon said, "Why does that matter?" and asked sharply, "Do we have a problem here, because if -- we may want to reschedule for another day..."
To which the reporter responded by saying "I don't have a problem I just want to know who I'm talking to. I'm ready to do the interview" and sits down. Buchannon responds by saying "OK."
While still trying to bully the reporter into getting upset and knowing that the reporter just said that he was ready for the interview , Buchannon confronts the reporter and aggressively says "Sir. Are we all set?" and naturally the reporter responds by saying "Yeah. I'm just waiting for the Senator."
It's ridiculous that the McCain camp feels the need to come into Missouri or any state for that matter and try bully around reporters and control their interviews. Anyone who has worked in Communications or Journalism and has been to the Bush White House has seen first hand what type of unethical policies are put into place and now McCain has hired the same crew to do the same dirty work.
Just another reason to vote for Change. Vote for Barack Obama.
We are calling on John McCain to publicly address the issue of his team bullying reporters as well as apologize for its bullying of these St. Louis reporters.
Obama More Than Doubles McCain's Best Fundraising Month
Democratic Senator Barack Obama brought in an amazing $52 million dollars in the month of June more than doubling his opponent, Bush-Republican John McCain's $22 million in June. Blue Readers can consider this a sign of good news.
Although the media puts the focus on the $1.8 million dollar difference between the GOP's bank on hand and the Democratic Party's bank on hand reality is that Barack Obama has been continuoulsy smashing Republican John McCain in fundraising.
Barack Obama's May fundraising number of $22 million, his lowest of the year matched John McCain's June total, which was the Republcan's best month of the year.
As the election year turns begins to turn its final corner Americans can be sure that Obama numbers will only increase and in a very big way.
Although the media puts the focus on the $1.8 million dollar difference between the GOP's bank on hand and the Democratic Party's bank on hand reality is that Barack Obama has been continuoulsy smashing Republican John McCain in fundraising.
Barack Obama's May fundraising number of $22 million, his lowest of the year matched John McCain's June total, which was the Republcan's best month of the year.
As the election year turns begins to turn its final corner Americans can be sure that Obama numbers will only increase and in a very big way.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mike McGhee Hates Teachers and Schools
Another quarter is complete and yet again Republican Mike McGhee (R-Odessa) is showing his hate for teachers and Missouri schools.
According to his July report, Mike McGhee took another $2,6oo from pro-voucher front groups in their war on Missouri schools and teachers. One-third of all the contributions solicited by McGhee were from anti-school PACs.
The PACs were created by Rex Sinquefield, an out of town billionaire that has moved to Missouri to dump millions in an attack on schools as a test case for other states in the future. The PAC name "Missouri Needing Education Alternatives" is just one of over 100 PACs created by the billionaire to attack our schools and teachers.
This year alone McGhee has taken over $4,000 dollars--which makes up over 30 percent of his total contributions--from anti-school PACs.
In January, he received $1,500 from these PACs.
Our understanding is that his Democrat opponent Dr. Elizabeth Grubb, PhD. is from a strong public school family with long time roots in the district. She is the obvious choice for the district in November.
According to his July report, Mike McGhee took another $2,6oo from pro-voucher front groups in their war on Missouri schools and teachers. One-third of all the contributions solicited by McGhee were from anti-school PACs.
The PACs were created by Rex Sinquefield, an out of town billionaire that has moved to Missouri to dump millions in an attack on schools as a test case for other states in the future. The PAC name "Missouri Needing Education Alternatives" is just one of over 100 PACs created by the billionaire to attack our schools and teachers.
This year alone McGhee has taken over $4,000 dollars--which makes up over 30 percent of his total contributions--from anti-school PACs.
In January, he received $1,500 from these PACs.
Our understanding is that his Democrat opponent Dr. Elizabeth Grubb, PhD. is from a strong public school family with long time roots in the district. She is the obvious choice for the district in November.
Monday, July 14, 2008
How Magazines Sales And Oreos Somehow Magically Connect In The Minds of Those That Will Sell Their Credibility For A Few Bucks
You've been hearing it for months now. Perhaps you've been receiving the emails. Either way one thing is for sure hundreds of false, racist, un-American, and simply put disgusting falsehoods have been spread around the country attacking Barack and Michelle Obama; of course none of them true.
If we told you that a magazine printed its cover with a caricature of Senator Barack obama dressed as a Muslim and his wife Michelle as a terrorist holding hands in an oval office which hangs the portrait of Osama Bin Laden and holds a fireplace burning an American Flag, would you believe it? Click on the title of this post and see it for yourself as we for this moment are not publishing it.
If we were to tell you that one of Washington D.C.'s oldest journalists turned syndicated columnist John McLaughlin on national television said "Question: Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that someone like Obama, who fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo -- a black on the outside, a white on the inside -- that an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" would you believe it?
That's the world that we are in today. Magazines, Columnists, "Journalists", anyone and everyone coming onto TV in the name of stopping America's first "African-American" president.
We were glad to see Senator Barack Obama and America call out The New Yorker because regardless of their intentions it was simply put a very intentional and a very stupid idea. Those people are professionals, they have been doing what they do for years and knew exactly what was to come and they ran with it instead.
We were glad to see the fellow panelists on The McLaughlin Group call out Mr. McLaughlin in front of a national audience because simply put it was a very intentional, stupid idea. He is a professional, he has been doing what he does for years and knew exactly what was to come but he ran with what he thought was the money line instead.
Good news is, funny money ain't so funny to America when you sink that low to get it.
If we told you that a magazine printed its cover with a caricature of Senator Barack obama dressed as a Muslim and his wife Michelle as a terrorist holding hands in an oval office which hangs the portrait of Osama Bin Laden and holds a fireplace burning an American Flag, would you believe it? Click on the title of this post and see it for yourself as we for this moment are not publishing it.
If we were to tell you that one of Washington D.C.'s oldest journalists turned syndicated columnist John McLaughlin on national television said "Question: Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that someone like Obama, who fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo -- a black on the outside, a white on the inside -- that an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" would you believe it?
That's the world that we are in today. Magazines, Columnists, "Journalists", anyone and everyone coming onto TV in the name of stopping America's first "African-American" president.
We were glad to see Senator Barack Obama and America call out The New Yorker because regardless of their intentions it was simply put a very intentional and a very stupid idea. Those people are professionals, they have been doing what they do for years and knew exactly what was to come and they ran with it instead.
We were glad to see the fellow panelists on The McLaughlin Group call out Mr. McLaughlin in front of a national audience because simply put it was a very intentional, stupid idea. He is a professional, he has been doing what he does for years and knew exactly what was to come but he ran with what he thought was the money line instead.
Good news is, funny money ain't so funny to America when you sink that low to get it.
Blunt And MO GOP Tenure: Missouri Loses Bombardier To Canada and Budweiser To Belgium
The legacy of Republican Governor Matt Blunt and the Missouri Republican leadership has been tarnished with scandals, slumping economy and deep partisanship.
The biggest stain on their tenure by far happened this week, as Missouri's failed Republican leadership allowed for the massive $372 million dollar Bombardier deal to fall in the hands of Canada this weekend. Then today, AP announced that, "America's Beer" Anheuser-Bush, would be sold to InBev, a Belgium company, for $52 million.
With Missouri's unemployment numbers at 6% and the economy struggling, Matt Blunt and the Missouri Republican leadership allowed for our state to lose over $420 million dollars worth of business. To make matters worse, they allowed the business to not only leave Missouri, but the United States.
That Blue Readers is what we call the "nail in the coffin".
The biggest stain on their tenure by far happened this week, as Missouri's failed Republican leadership allowed for the massive $372 million dollar Bombardier deal to fall in the hands of Canada this weekend. Then today, AP announced that, "America's Beer" Anheuser-Bush, would be sold to InBev, a Belgium company, for $52 million.
With Missouri's unemployment numbers at 6% and the economy struggling, Matt Blunt and the Missouri Republican leadership allowed for our state to lose over $420 million dollars worth of business. To make matters worse, they allowed the business to not only leave Missouri, but the United States.
That Blue Readers is what we call the "nail in the coffin".
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