Real Journalists Get Canned While Glenn Beck Just Gets Rich(er)

Real journalists continue to lose their jobs as newspapers cut staff in record numbers. And while this is happening hucksters like Glenn Beck continue to make millions playing on ignorance and fear

About a week ago I was on a Rutgers football message board where I read the sad news of the laying off of Home News Tribune sports reporter/columnist Paul Franklin and reporter/ columnist Rick Malwitz due to cutbacks and consolidation by parent company Gannett Co, Inc. Combined, these two journalists must have had 60 years of experience between them, but were let go, as have thousands of other newspaper reporters and columnists as that industry struggles to transition itself into the information age.

I'm a self admitted dinosaur who still gets two newspapers a day, the HNT and the Star-Ledger. I find newspapers a guilty pleasure instead of a necessity- most news I get is from the internet, or TV, or radio. But I love the tactile sensation of reading a newspaper while having my morning coffee- nothing beats it. The local newspaper will give me information about local stories that most other sources will not, and because of that newspapers will probably never become totally obsolete. Newspapers had to reinvent themselves in the 1960's when satellites were launched that could beam down to the world news as it happened.....the newspaper, until then the primary source of news for most people, had to become more opinion based and targeted to certain readership in order to survive. And the big fish ate the little ones; the number of newspapers in the United States began to shrink. In New York the decade of the 1960's saw the demise of the century old The Daily Mirror, The Journal-American, The World-Telegram &Sun, and The Herald-Tribune. In New Jersey we lost The Newark Evening News and The Elizabeth Journal. The Perth Amboy Evening News morphed into The News Tribune and moved to Woodbridge, and it finally merged with The Daily Home News of New Brunswick to become The Home News Tribune in the 1990's.

And in the new century America's newspapers continue to consolidate and reorganize, merge or fold, and send hundreds of respected professional journalists to the ranks of the unemployed. Advertising revenues for the print industry continues to shrink, so payroll is slashed.

Paul Franklin reported and commented on local scholastic and collegiate sports for as as long as I could remember. Most recently he was a beat writer for Rutgers Women's Basketball, and previously reported and wrote commentary about RU football. He's a big, gray bearded gregarious guy who could be seen in press row for most of the last two decades at The RAC, and though he was always objective and professional, the reader knew that this man was a fan of the games he reported on. He did his homework, never wrote "rip pieces" in order to sell papers, and always seemed to get an angle to a story from locker room interviews from student athletes.

Paul was one of the best....I miss reading his reports and commentary already.

Rick Malwitz is a real Central Jersey guy, and wrote about the issues that affect us locally in civil, rational tones and never ventured into sloganeering and character assassination. I mentioned Rick in this blog last summer when he broke down the root cause of high property taxes in New Jersey in a way few politicians would dare; Rick used the late New Jersey legislator Alan Karcher's premise of the insane number of municipalities in the state the bottom line cause of New Jersey's property tax woes. No one ever spelled out and defined the "whys" of the situation like Rick Malwitz, no progressive or conservative, and no governor of this state.....including the current one.

With these two gentleman, it was about integrity and journalism, not demagoguery.

The Gannett Blog does a great job at detailing the ongoing saga of Gannett's downsizing and the reaction of those affected by the cuts. I highly recommend the blog, it's great reading, and please take time to read the dozens of comments.

Which brings me to FOX News, and the Websters definition of demagoguery......Glenn Beck.

And in the spirit of full disclosure I'll have to admit....I never watch the guy. But I do watch the clips of his crazy rantings, of "Islamic- socialist" alliances out to conquer the world, all at the behest of President Barack Obama. The man is making a fortune appealing to fear and prejudice, and playing on the almost total ignorance of world and national affairs of his audience. Beck has become a multi-millionaire though spewing misinformation to his viewers, and throwing a nightly pile of horsecrap at his audience to see what sticks.

I'm debating in my mind on a daily basis....is this man demented or evil, or a little of both. More on Beck can be found at blogger pal Leslie's Parsley's Pics.

And you wonder...where is the justice?

Beck makes millions spreading hate and fear....and Rick Malwitz and Paul Franklin are looking for jobs after decades of good, solid journalism.

On Super Sunday I'd Like Barack Obama To Ask Bill O'Reilly The Following Question

As most of you must know by now, Sunday is "The Big Game".....it's not clear whether I can type the word that rhymes with "Duper Dole" without being busted for some kind of copyright infringement, and being required to write a check to the National Football League for more money than I have.

At any rate, prior to the game President Obama will be interviewed by FOX NEWS contributor and "#1 New York Times Bestselling Author"....(I thought the guys on FOx hated The Times).... Bill O'Reilly.

I won't speculate on the nature or outcome of  the interview itself, but there is one thing I'd really like to see on Sunday. Hopefully the President of the United States will have a copy of O'Reillly's latest book. With any luck, the conversation will go like this.

Obama; "Bill, before you go on to your next question there is one thing I'd like to ask you."

O'Reilly;" What's that, Mr. President?".

Obama;" Well, your last book has a picture of me on the left on it's cover, and you on the right (he holds up a copy). The name of your book is Pinheads and Patriots. We're the only two people pictured on the cover. My question to you is....which one of us is 'the pinhead', and which is 'the patriot' ?".

And wouldn't 50 million people love to hear the answer to that one?

Sigh.....oh, to live in a perfect world.

Sarah Palin, Sputnik and a REAL "WTF" Moment

On MORNING JOE (on MSNBC) Joe, Mika, Willie and guests watched a clip of Greta Van Susteren's interview of Sarah Palin critiquing President Obama's State of the Union Address, complete with her use of the acronym "WTF" to describe areas of his speech. I'm pretty sure she knows what it means- and it's not "Winning The Future". Surely Palin probably got some yucks from the knuckleheads who think she should run for president in 2012. But what was really interesting was Palin's response to the term "Sputnik Moment", meaning that event that challenges America to get up, be more competitive, excel, and win, just like the US did after the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957 and America entered and eventually won the space race.



Hmmmm. That answer kind of reminded me of something I saw years ago. From another former pageant contestant.



Anyway....back to the original subject.

Wouldn't it have been merciful to all who still care about Sarah Palin to have Greta Van Susteren just stop Palin in the middle of her gibberish and say....."Governor Palin, you really have no idea what a 'Sputnik Moment' refers to, do you?".

But I guess the Fox News audience would have turned on Van Susteren, called her a "RINO", and demand her firing.

I guess Uncle Pat Buchanan deserves some high marks, however. At least he had the good sense as not to try to spin her words.....and the reaction from the MORNING JOE regulars was priceless.

One more time......this woman knows NOTHING.

Ignorance Is U.S.(A.)

Bill Maher has taken heat from some people by calling the United States a stupid nation. On Friday Bill took it one step further, likening Americans to dogs, with short attention spans and only wanting immediate rewards from their masters.

I think that's kind of extreme. Americans are basically good people, and most aren't idiots.....but being a nation of 300 million plus it's clear that we do have a large segment of the nation who will never be confused with MENSA members. I do think there is more ignorance in America than we'd like to admit. Ignorance is not stupidity; the word implies "a state of being uninformed (lack of knowledge)". Stupidity means a person is "lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; (they are) dull".

Many pundits, social critics, and bloggers have pointed to the results of the 2012 midterm elections and asked "Is America that stupid?". They voted into office more of the same people who who advocate the same polices that drove the economy off a cliff in 2008, either believing in the song they are singing, or blissfully unaware of who and what they are voting for.

Yesterday Sue posted a entry called Europeans Are Flabbergasted, a look at what our friends across the pond are saying about the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives, and the "quality" of some of those swept into office. I'm sure every person looking at the results has a different take on why the Republicans made such great gains.....of course there are true GOP believers and those who have lost faith in Democrats to get the economy turned around (after less than two years of control of the Legislative and Executive branches of government).

But I think the underlying truth behind much of the GOP resurgence is that many Americans are gullible, and sadly ignorant about their country, their government, and their world. The Republican message machine exploited that fact.....and they seized a big chunk of power back from the Democrats last week.

Newsweek had a very revealing article recently called America the Ignorant; Dumb Things Americans Believe. These beliefs have little to do with political dogma, just facts that everyone should know.....and too many Americans don't. And you have to wonder "why?".

Consider some of the following.....about one fifth of the population and as many as 46% of Republicans believe President Obama is a Muslim. The first number came from a PEW poll, the second from TIME magazine.

A Gallup Poll said that only 39% of all Americans believe in evolution. The poll was taken February 11, 2009, the 100th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. It also said 25% don't believe in evolution and 36% had no opinion, or weren't sure.

About three out of four of all Americans believe in some form of the paranormal. Forty-one percent believe in ESP, 32% believe in ghosts...and 21% of all Americans believe that witches exist. See, Christine O'Donnell should have never made that commercial to "refudiate" being a witch. The poll was conducted by Gallup.

A Harris Poll found that 4 in 10 Americans believed what Sarah Palin and others said about "Death Panels" to be formed by this year's heathcare legislation. The results appeared in an article in USA Today last August.

As late as 2007 four out of ten Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks in a Newsweek poll. More poll respondents knew Jordin Sparks won American Idol (18%) than who the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was (John Roberts, 11%).

In a Gallup Poll from 1999, almost 20% of the respondents believed the sun revolved around the earth.

Only 53% of Americans are aware that Judaism is an older religion than Christianity or Islam, this according to a Newsweek poll in September, 2007. That same poll told us that 36% of Americans didn't know the Amazon River is in South America.

A Zogby poll from 2006 showed that three quarters of those polled could name two of The Seven Dwarfs and only 25% could name two Supreme Court Justices.

And the youth shall come forth to lead us.....a Roper Poll conducted by National Geographic among young people (ages 18-24) and released in 2006 told us the following..... six in ten could not locate Iraq on a map. Other findings- following Hurricane Katrina almost one-third couldn't locate Louisiana, and half couldn't find Mississippi. About half couldn't find New York State on a map, and almost 75% couldn't locate Israel. The same poll showed that 90% young people couldn't couldn't find Afghanistan on a map that was of Asia only.

Almost 75% of those asked in an August 2006 Zogby Poll could name Moe, Larry, and Curly as the Three Stooges but about 42% could name the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial as the three branches of the US Government.

I guess you can bottomline these poll results by saying too many people know too little about things they should know, and know too much about marginal stuff. And these people are among the electorate of the United States.

When new arrivals become naturalized citizens they first have to take a citizenship test. When they pass they take an oath of allegiance, and are they receive the same rights as native born citizens....and that's great.

But our native born citizens' education about their world, their nation, and their government seems to have fallen through the cracks. I'm not proposing a test for voting- that's what we had in the Jim Crow South to prevent African Americans from voting by making the test impossible to pass. We do need to start educating our citizens in the things we need to know before we give them a high school diploma and send them out into the world. We should make courses in civics, US History, and World History mandatory in every state, and in every school system.

But that won't happen, because if such a requirement were implemented the Right would call it just more of the boogieman called Big Government stepping on the rights of school systems, and private and charter schools, to educate children as they see fit. And so we'll probably have an alternate history where cavemen rode dinosaurs 5,000 years ago and of a universe created in seven days competing with science and natural history.

The Americans who can't find Louisiana or Israel on a map or name one Supreme Court Justice didn't get dumb by watching Fox News, however Murdoch's gang is a primary source of the "disinforming of America"- but they're not alone.

One of the most telling (and sad) things I have ever witnessed on a news channel was an episode of The Situation Room on CNN a few years ago. Wolf Blitzer had Bill Cosby on as a guest, and the topic was educating America's youth, and quelling the rising rate of high school dropouts in America's inner cities. Halfway through the discussion Blitzer cut Cosby off to go to breaking news from Los Angeles.....

Paris Hilton was surrendering to authorities in LA to begin serving her jail sentence.

The late Walter Cronkite said the purpose of news was to tell people what they need to know. What we see all to often are news organizations telling people what they want to know, even if it is not really news at all, only more heaping helpings of pop culture morsels.

More than twenty years ago in Joseph Campbell; The Power of Myth, Campbell, the great mythologist and teacher, lamented to host Bill Moyers that education of our young people had become more utilitarian and concerned with only making a living in the future. He looked at the classical eduction of the past- what was once called Liberal Arts- as being of intrinsic value because of the broadness and range it covered. Maybe we just educated our young more completely in those days, making them better, informed citizens.

And smarter voters.

Maybe This Is What Keith Olbermann Planned- Do You Think?

I'm going to just go and ask my progressive brethren- and all others who might of had the same thought- the question I'm sure all of asked sometime in the past 24 hours.

"Do you really think Keith Olbermann was so dumb he didn't think he would be caught for contributing to the campaigns of three Democrats, violating MSNBC's ethics policy?".

My answer is.....no, he is not that stupid, or arrogant enough to think he would not be discovered, and not dealt with by management.

Yesterday POLITICO reported that Olbermann made the contributions of $2,400 each for three Democratic candidates. Keith Olbermann has said on air many times that he doesn't vote in elections, implying that by voting he might compromise his credibility as an on air commentator.

That being the case.....why did he contribute to three campaigns, in states where he didn't live and had no obvious connection other than political sympathy, and leave a trail that could very easily be traced?

I can think of no other reason other than he wanted the contributions traced back to him. He's a smart guy; he knows that what he did violated MSNBC's ethical standards. He knew that management would have to come down on him. But Keith Olbermann is also well aware that he is the biggest star of the left leaning cable network, and is the person who might be most responsible from rescuing what was in the early part of the decade the perennial bottom feeder of the cable news networks. Olbermann is the first person to give MSNBC an identity, a presence, and a voice.

Keith knew he would be disciplined, but not shown the door. Hence, he was suspended indefinitely.

I believe he was setting himself up for this confrontation, and he did so knowing the outcome. By doing this Keith Olbermann made his statement not about his actions, but about the role FOX NEWS and right wing media has as a money making machine for Republicans and right leaning candidates and causes.

Below, Keith's colleague and friend Rachel Maddow talks about Keith's suspension.



Here's a quick rundown about some of the contributions made by FOX NEWS hosts and contributors to various candidates and contributors, taken from MEDIAMATTERS.

Sean Hannity- gave $5,000 to Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) PAC. He also gave $4,800 to Republican candidate John Gomez, a childhood friend. Hannity has hosted GOP fundraisers, and was to tape a show at a Tea Party event in Cincinnati where admission was to be charged. FOX pulled the show.

Mike Huckabee- the former governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate is a weekend host at FOX. He's contributed to the campaigns of Daniel Webster (FL), Doug Matayo (AK), and Beth Ann Rankin (AK). More information here.

Sarah Palin-regularly gives money to the GOP through her Sarah PAC.

A more detailed accounting of contributions and possible conflict of interest at FOX can be found here, with the names Dick Morris, Oliver North, Andrew Napolitano, and Neil Cavuto being prominent.

And this from POLITICO.....The following have offered support to Republican candidates during the 2010 election cycle.

* Fred Barnes, Fox News contributor
* Glenn Beck, host of Fox News' Glenn Beck
* Eric Bolling, host of Fox Business' Follow the Money
* John Bolton, Fox News contributor
* Tammy Bruce, Fox News contributor
* Elaine Chao, Fox News contributor
* Monica Crowley, Fox News contributor
* Mike Gallagher, Fox News contributor
* Newt Gingrich, Fox News contributor
* Sean Hannity, host of Fox News' Hannity
* Mike Huckabee, host of Fox News' Huckabee and Twentieth Television's The Huckabee Show
* David Hunt, Fox News contributor
* Laura Ingraham, Fox News contributor
* John Kasich, former host and contributor
* Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox News' Fox & Friends and host of Fox News Radio's Kilmeade & Friends
* William Kristol, Fox News contributor
* Michelle Malkin, Fox News contributor
* KT McFarland, Fox News national security analyst and host of FoxNews.com's DEFCON 3
* Angela McGlowan, Fox News contributor
* Dennis Miller, Fox News contributor
* Dick Morris, Fox News contributor
* Rupert Murdoch, CEO and chairman of News Corp., parent company of Fox News
* Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst and host of Fox Business' Freedom Watch
* Sarah Palin, Fox News contributor and host of Fox News' Real American Stories
* Dana Perino, Fox News contributor
* Dave Ramsey, listed Fox Business personality and former host of Fox Business' The Dave Ramsey Show (through June)
* Sandy Rios, Fox News contributor
* Karl Rove, Fox News contributor
* Rick Santorum, Fox News contributor
* Doug Schoen, Fox News contributor
* Andrea Tantaros, Fox News contributor
* Stuart Varney, Fox News contributor and host of Fox Business' Varney & Co.

In his way, Keith Olbermann is now putting the spotlight on FOX and contrasting how MSNBC conducts business, and how FOX is the business of Republican fund raising. The GOP has their own "news" organization that shapes its message and raises cash at the same time.

As of this writing 183,314 people have signed a petition to have Olbermann reinstated.

Just maybe, in his own mad genius kind of way, this whole situation was set into motion willingly by Keith.

If this was the case, it might be a brilliant and galvanizing move.

Juan Williams; No Mulligan Given For His Words

"Thinking aloud is the source of most of the world's problems". Benjamin Franklin to John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in the HBO series John Adams

Most of the world has heard the statement former NPR commentator and FOX News contributor Juan Williams made on The O'Reilly Factor this past Wednesday.....but if you didn't, here's what was said;

"When I get on a 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."

This was in response to O'Reilly's appearance on The View in which Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar walked out after being offended to O'Reilly's comments about Muslims and terrorism.

And in the aftermath of those words, Williams was fired by NPR CEO Vivian Schiller- who later made a wisecrack (since apologized for) about Williams' sharing private thoughts with a publicist or psychiatrist, and stood her ground on Williams' firing.

Then the Right chimed in....O'Reilly, Palin, Gingrich, Huckabee, Cantor, Boehner, some of whom called NPR a left wing organization that should have it's whooping 2% of it's federal funding pulled for silencing Juan Williams. In a word, this was more out of control political correctness. And the Left, through voices such Eugene Robinson and EJ Dionne, defended Williams and spoke out against his firing as an overreaction, and felt that Williams should have been allowed to explain himself publicly.

Now, anyone who follows this blog knows, I am a slightly left of center Democrat, a liberal, a progressive if you will. But what was "liberal" (ie, "tolerant") in the way Williams was fired....for remembering an honest reaction he had, but not having the good judgment to keep those thoughts- which could be misinterpreted- to himself?

Let's bottomline this.

Is there anyone reading this who has never had a reaction to being in a situation where there are people who look different from you, or who speak another language, or are of another ethnic or religious background, and you don't feel entirely comfortable in their company, either consciously or unconsciously? It's usually something totally irrational, a fear of someone or something perceived as strange or unknown. And once rationality kicks in, openness will follow.

Progressives may not like Juan Williams for his appearances on Fox News, where he has signed a multi-million dollar a year contract post firing from NPR, and has now become the Righties on Fox latest cause celibre. Juan Williams is now Exhibit A for the Right in it's cultural war against "the intolerance of the Left". They may have a point in this case.....but for conservatives to wag fingers in the faces of progressives, well not so fast, ladies and gents.

Just this past week Meghan McCain took heat from Republicans and Tea Partiers for her criticism of Republican candidate for the US Senate from Delaware Christine O'Donnell for being unqualified for the job. And has any current Republican office holder ever shown the guts to call out Limbaugh or Beck when they make outrageous and divisive comments about those they see being threats (read "Democrats, liberals, progressives, et al")?


Yes, the Left does have a form of orthodoxy, and sometimes it does manifest itself in situations like the Williams/NPR affair....and it isn't right.

But the opposite side of the aisle is loaded with people who adhere to a written script and agenda.....and their 11th Commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Diss A Fellow Republican, No Matter How Crazy, Stupid, Or Unqualified For Office They May Be".

There's enough hypocrisy on both sides to go around.

Follow the Money (Part I); Beck Gives $10K to Chamber of Commerce

On October 14, Glenn Beck contributed $10,000 to the US Chamber of Commerce and urged his radio listeners to contribute to the Chamber as well.

Beck did this in response to charges that the Chamber may have funneled as much as $75 million to support candidates, all Republican, who support the Chamber's agenda, and that money has been contributed by foreign multi- national corporations in attempt to tip the balance in our November mid-term elections.

So here's how it goes.....Beck sends a $10,000 to the US Chamber of Commerce. His boss, Rupert Murdoch of NewsCorp FOX News parent company, gave $1 million each to the Republican Governor's Association and the US Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber puts the money in it's general fund. Then they pay for attack ads against candidates who the Chamber feels must be defeated in order to elect someone they believe is more friendly to business.....and to the agenda of the Chamber. All are Republicans, coincidentally.

Glenn Beck works at that "Fair and Balanced" news organization. Rupert Murdoch is NewsCorps' head honcho. It stands to reason that both are contributing to attack ads on Democratic candidates, but not doing so directly.

Rather, they're using the US Chamber of Commerce as a legal money launderer....it's that simple.

So much for Glenn Beck, and his hypocritical campaign "To Restore Honor" to America.

And so much for "fair and balanced".

No $75 ? Let It Burn; A Preview of "Tea Party America"?

As most readers know by now, Gene Cranick lost all his possessions, including three dogs and a cat, because his mobile home is Western Tennessee was allowed to burn to the ground because he failed to pay a $75 municipal fee that would have given him fire protection. Cranick called to report the fire last week and offered to pay the $75 to the South Fulton fire department, who refused to respond because doing so would only encourage others not to pay the fee.

South Fulton Mayor David Crocker said the following (from The Huffington Post)....

""Anybody that's not in the city of South Fulton, it's a service we offer, either they accept it or they don't."

This is a story that has resonated through America, and well it should. And it should be a cautionary tale to all of those who may have been seduced by the call of "government should be run like a business", that "government is always the problem, never the solution", and "smaller government now!". What is on display in this case is a possible preview of what life in Tea Party America could look like.....lower taxes, but "user fees" for governmental services.

User fees- remember that term. Because Republicans and their Tea Party buddies always talk about lowering taxes. But one of the ways they get money into the public coffers is increase user fees for government run entities. When Christine Todd Whitman became was elected governor of New Jersey in 1993 she ran on a platform to lower the state income tax by 10% each year for three years. The state income tax was lowered....but tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway rose, and new toll booths were constructed in areas where previously there were none. New and higher user fees.

Call it a GOP shell game.

So let's examine some possible scenarios in "Ala Carte Tea Party America".

Do you want to send your kids to a public school? Pay a fee. But remember, since not everyone is paying property or income taxes to support the school system, the citizen could be shelling out a lot more money in fees than in property taxes.

What about law enforcement, garbage pickup, libraries, snow removal, senior services, unemployment compensation....and fire protection? Do we offer it "ala carte"? And when the next flood hits in Wayne, NJ or Alton, IL or Nashville, TN does the 911 operator have to punch in your ID and check the computer program to see which government services you've paid for?

Boat and watercraft sales should be healthy in this not so brave new world.

Here in New Jersey families are starting to pay fees if their kids want to play interscholastic sports, and other school systems are imposing fees for students to take field trips. We already have teachers who routinely shell hundreds of dollars of their own money for school supplies because state aid has been cut to a trickle thanks to the New Jersey Mouth That Roared, Governor Chris Christie, now with his road show at a GOP event near you.

This tragedy to Gene Cranick is something that never, ever should have happened in the United States of America. Period and end of story. The lack of response to the burning of Cranick's home, where firefighters did show up to protect his neighbor's home, was a scenario similar to America of the 19th century, where fire protection was done by subscription, and often fires went out of control because the occupiers of the burning buildings didn't pay for fire protection.

The Grand Poobah of The Tea Party, Mr. Glenn Beck, the man who invoked God from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August for a new nation under God, said the following about the incident (from Newser)....

The argument about Cranick’s case will go “nowhere if you go onto ‘compassion, compassion, compassion, compassion’ or well, ‘they should’ve put it out, what is the fire department for?’” Beck said. “No, what is the $75 for?”

After all, he points out, “if they did put the fire out and make an exception for your house and you didn’t pay,” then “would anyone pay their $75?” (His producer helped Beck along in his explanation by mimicking Cranick’s accent for nearly the entire segment.) The fee is “to pay for the fire department to have people employed to put the fire out,” Beck continued, and to use fire services without paying the fee “would be sponging off of your neighbor’s $75.”

My question to Glenn Beck regarding this matter is very simple. If told another person's home was on fire and helped was asked for......what would Jesus do?

If you don't think He'd call for a thunderstorm to douse the flames, He's at least find a way to help...for free.

And if it were too late and the home was lost, He'd comfort the person who lost his home instead of ridiculing and trashing him.

Below, Gene Cranick talks to Keith Olbermann on COUNTDOWN.



In closing, I just watched the interview Olbermann had with Gene Cranick a second time, and I'm torn between profound sadness and outright rage. How can this be allowed to occur in our country? Lincoln spoke of "our better angels"....and thank goodness there are those good people of compassion and justice who are willing and able to speak up for those who have been wronged.

And as for those who say Cranick got what he deserved....quite frankly, they make me sick. This should be beyond politics or ideology. These are individuals who say human evolution is only a theory, yet they adhere and practice social and economic Darwinism.....survival of the fittest.

As for Glenn Beck....I can only say that this self appointed God fearing Christian and savior of America might be the the biggest hypocrite walking the earth. A man who lacks the basic compassion of Christ, and is nothing more than a cheap carnival huckster playing the role of American Messiah.

But the truly delusional are those who believe his gibberish. And PT Barnum is sitting up in his grave, winking at the poor suckers....and there are a lot of them.

It's Stewart vs Colbert For The Hearts of America on October 30th!

Not to outdone by Glenn Beck and Al Sharpton, who in August ran competing rallies in Washington DC on the same day, the two biggest stars of Comedy Central will be leading their troops to the nation's capital on October 30.

Last night on The Daily Show Jon Stewart decided enough is enough, that the discourse has gotten too venomous and crazy, and it was time to do something. Stewart called for a "Million Moderate March" on Washington in a rally to be called the Rally To Restore Sanity. But as you can see in the video below, Stewart ruffled the feathers of fellow "pundit" Stephen Colbert, who also had somethin' cookin'.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Colbert, as you can see, had a major announcement of his own, and has his own agenda to "Restore Truthiness To America". Below, Stephen tells the world of his March To Keep Fear Alive, also in Washington on October 30 on The Colbert Report. Special cameos by Jon Stewart and our Sixteenth President.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
March to Keep Fear Alive
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

I don't know about you, but I've got nothing going for October 30th....it's only a three hour train ride from here. I wonder if FOX NEWS will cover the event?

Quick Hits For August 22, 2010; End of the Summer Clearance !!!!!

Summer heat, drought, mosques, yellow jacket attacks, troop withdrawals, and FOX-es....all kinds of stuff, big and small.

Time for some Quick Hits!!!

(1). I really enjoy blogging. I only wish there was less typing involved.

(2). Beautiful, damp, delicious, glorious RAIN! I love it. For some of you reading this from cooler climes in the United States (is there such a thing in August?) and in foreign countries, it's been an exceptionally hot and dry summer in the Mid Atlantic states. I'm guessing that we've had more than 40 days of 90 degrees plus days this year (as opposed to nine all of last year), and for this summer we're at minus six inches in rainfall for the past three months; front lawns crunch when you walk on them, and there has been some limited water rationing.

This morning we woke up to some much needed rain, and there's a 100% chance for more during the day, and 60% for tonight. I don't think I've ever experienced a summer when it's been such a struggle to keep plants, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, and flowers alive...we've lost some, as have many other people. And in trying to keep the greenery from dying off other projects get sent to a back burner for another year, not to mention the toll all of the heat takes on you physically and even psychologically by the end of August. By the time evening rolls around you're gassed.

As much as I love summer (in most years) it will be a relief to see September roll in; they'll be cooler temps, and tropical systems churning up the coast to break the drought.....unless the climate change we're told is "only a theory" proves to be anything but.

(3) Rallies were held today in support and in opposition to the building of as Islamic Center two blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan. The rallies were separated by police by several blocks, and as I type this no incidents of violence were reported.

One pro center supporter held a sign that said...."We don't care what bigots say, religious freedom is here to stay.".

And opponents sang patriotic songs and held banners as well... "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all the terrorists were Muslim."

Many of us have noted and asked the "why?" regarding Glenn Beck's Rally To Restore Honor on August 28, the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, mere blocks from where the first African American President and his family reside. Now I have a question as to the lack of judgment of BOTH sides of the "Ground Zero Mosque Issue" having opposing rallies on anniversary of the day of one of the worst Christian on Christian acts of religious genocide in history. Namely, today at St Bartholomew's Church we celebrated the The Feast of St. Bartholomew The Apostle. Technically the feat is Aug 24, but today it was celebrated because he's the church's patron saint.

In France, 1572, on St. Batholomew's Day a massacre of epic proportions was set off by Catholic King Charles IX's supporters on the French Protestant population. The Huguenots were not only a religious minority who were gaining in numbers, but were part of a political movement as well. Civil war had been waged for three years between Catholics and Huguenots, but peace had been agreed upon, and the sister of the Catholic king was engaged to be married to a Protestant prince.

The anti-Protestant factions in the strongly Catholic city of Paris objected to the peace and the marriage. Tensions boiled over on the St. Batholomew's Day....Catholic troops and mobs attacked unsuspecting French Protestants.....the carnage went on for weeks. Men, women, and children were killed, and estimates of the murdered range from a low of 8,000 to a likely 30,000 dead.

Two years before French Protestants were granted freedom to worship by their King; two years later he ordered the same people slaughtered.

And on this St. Bartholomew's Day, 2010, we see Muslims at one rally asking for the same freedom of worship with no restrictions as other religions.....and at another rally there is opposition that says they respect that right, but don't agree with their judgment and perceived lack of sensitivity.

I'm not making a case that these situations distanced by hundreds of years are the same. I only make note of the irony. We pride ourselves as being a republic that treasures freedom; but at a certain basic level just how different are we from those we left behind in Europe, or from any other land of our ancestry?

(4). A further comment on one sign that was against the construction of the Islamic center....

"Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all the terrorists were Muslim."

It reminds me of a quote from a classic American television show.

"(Serial killer) Joel Rifkin was adopted. The Son of Sam was adopted. If you're adopted you'll become a serial killer"..... Cosmo Kramer, Seinfeld, The Masseuse,
November 18, 1993.

(5). And while we're at it....St Bartholomew the Apostle. We Roman Catholics have a patron saint for everything. Tradition says Bartholomew served as an apostle to the east, into Parthia, Ethiopia, and even to India. He was said to have met martyrdom in Armenia....we are told that he was executed by being flayed alive.

And old St. Bart became the patron saint of a bunch of professions and conditions....remember, he died by being skinned alive!

He's the patron of butchers, tanners, cobblers, leather workers, trappers.....and plasterers, bookbinders, and Florentine cheese merchants. No, I didn't make that up.

Bartholomew is also the patron saint against twitching....so for all of you nervous people out there, he's the guy you pray to for intercession.

Maybe he should become the patron saint of offensive line coaches....you try anything to prevent false starts.

(5). Kathleen O'Brien of the Star-Ledger wrote a front page story about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his confrontational attitude towards New Jersey's teachers and the New Jersey Education Association. One of the main questions explored is...... does Christie have a vendetta against the state's teachers? And the answer is: it all depends on who you ask.

O'Brien interviewed some of Christie's high school and junior high teachers in Livingston, some for, some against, some angry, some hurt, some see a politician playing politics.

Here's a sample from two of them.

"We’re all puzzled by the attitude, more than by what he’s trying to do.....I agree with most of what he’s saying — I hope he has success, because we’re all going to benefit — but not how he’s saying it."..... Anthony Hope, a Christie supporter and his former baseball coach.

"It’s (Christie's barbs at New Jersey's teachers) over the top. It does nothing but create animosity. It’s going to hurt him......the people you diss and antagonize are the same people you’re going to have to deal with later."....Ed Hill, retired social studies teacher, a lifelong Democrat who voted for Christie.

And those, ladies and gents, are what a couple of friends and supporters say about New Jersey's governor.

This is a fascinating story, more of it here.

(6) According to The Huffington Post, Fox News spent less than ten minutes on the withdrawal of the last combat brigade from Iraq last week while MSNBC spent the entire night on the event, with Keith Olbermann in studio, Rachel Maddow with Richard Engel (embedded with the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division), and Chris Matthews commenting while on vacation.

While MSNBC, and to a similar extent CNN, gave the story a lot of coverage, FOX chose to ignore the story or marginalize it. Rather, it was given second tier status by both Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly. Their shows continued to present the story of the "Ground Zero Mosque" as the most significant story of the day.

Years before his death, Walter Cronkite was asked "What is the purpose of network news?"

Cronkite answered...."To inform the public of the things they need to know".

I wonder what Mr. Cronkite would have said of Fox's decision?

Are they a news organization, or a propaganda machine?

(7). Suppose there was a fictional cable company with a fictional on air host on it's relatively small news network; call him Cable Host. And pretend there was a fictional news organization, a giant in the industry, with a fictional host who might be the top dog at the News Giant; he's News Giant Host. And suppose Cable Host was critical of News Giant Host, and made that fact public. So News Giant Host leans on cable company, about what's in the best interest of cable company; he has the muscle and he uses it. And suppose cable company blinks....and Cable Host is first suspended, and then fired. He then sues cable company for wrongful "termination".

But this scenario may not be fictional.

Barry Nolan, former host of CN8's Backstage With Barry Nolan, was appalled that Bill O'Reilly was to receive the Governor's Award at local EMMY AWARD CHAPTER in Boston in May, 2008. Nolan protested in the lobby of the Boston Marriott Copley Place at the precise time O'Reilly was to receive his award. In less than two weeks, Barry Nolan was out of a job, first suspended by and then fired by COMCAST. And Nolan has suspicions who was behind his firing.

Terry Ann Knopf tells the story in her piece from Columbia Journalism Review, "The O'Reilly Factor". As you may or may not know, COMCAST is purchasing NBC-Universal, including NBC, MSNBC, BRAVO, Telemundo, and it's entire cable menu. Here's Nolan in the article's last paragraph.

"I don’t think they had the F-ing right to tell me what I’m allowed to say. In the end, I think they were trying to suck up to Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch and Bill O’Reilly in a way that’s spineless and appalling for a company [Comcast] that aspires to run a major network news operation [NBC]. What happens when Keith Olbermann goes after O’Reilly? I think that’s scary.”

Yes Barry, it is scary.

Click here for the complete article .

 (8). In closing.....as they say, at the end of the world, after the Apocalypse, only two things will survive; cockroaches and old pictures on the Internet.

Well....not really. I just made that up. But anyway.....look what I found!

The two ladies pictured above have logged thousands of hours on American TV in the past two decades, and both were contestants the same year (1992)  in the Miss America Pageant.....they didn't win. But they shoulda....coulda.....

One went on to make a name in news, and is currently the lead anchor on HLN's Morning Express. Yes ladies and gents, pictured above is Robin Meade from her days as Miss Ohio. and no, Robin does not lack for pictures (more than 40 pages) and attention in cyberspace.....so many choices, but somebody had to do it.



Also competing that year from Robin's neighboring state of West Virginia was Kim Parrish, who was a host on QVC for years, and later went on to become a clothing designer on HSN and ShopNBC.

She also serves as president of Miss America's Outstanding Teen, which holds it's scholarship competition in Orlando this week.

Truth be told.....I prefer the the 2010 editions of these two talented and quite beautiful women....but that's just the opinion of one Manly Man.

Don't laugh! I've still got it....but it just takes a lot longer to get it.

Got it?

That's all....time to get ready for MADMEN!

The Shirley Sherrod Scandal; Keith Olbermann's Special Comment

Keith Olbermann takes a break from his vacation to make a Special Comment on the role of the Right and the Left in the story of Shirley Sherrod.

In a word....BRAVO!

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The Shirley Sherrod Story; How A Little Knowledge.....Plus "The Sin of Omission" ....Is A Dangerous Thing

"And on the day after the day after".

You probably know the story well by now.

Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart posted a 38 second snippet of a speech by US Ag worker Shirley Sherrod gave to an NAACP on his website Big Government.com. The edited video came across as racist remarks that appeared to show Ms Sherrod's resentment in helping a poor white farmer in 1986 when Ms Sherrod worked for a non-profit rural farm aid group.

Then all hell broke loose. Because Shirley Sherrod, an African American woman from the Deep South who's father had been murdered by white racists in 1965, became the victim of an extreme right wing smear. And it got worse; Sherrod was condemned by the NAACP, and fired by the Department of Agriculture by order of Secretary Tom Vilsack, and then vilified by many in the mainstream media, none of whom knew the facts.

Breitbart and the lackeys at FOX NEWS ran with the story of Sherrod's alleged racism, showing the doctored speech as an example of the black racism that exists within the NAACP and in the Obama administration. The only problem was the accusation was false. As can be seen in the video below is the true context of Sherrod's speech, and remarks of the Georgia farm couple she helped in 1986 and who to this day regard as a friend.



As the truth began to unfold, there was backtracking by the NAACP, the Department of Agriculture and Secretary Vilsack, and by the White House, who today offered an apology.

But maybe it's too little too late.....Vilsack and the Department of Agriculture and the NAACP took a huge hit, as did the Administration; they threw Shirley Sherrod under the bus in an overreaction to the falsehood initiated by Breitbart, nurtured by the usual suspects at FOX NEWS, and sold to the rest of the news media as fact. Few did any followup, and Shirley Sherrod was sacrificed by Secretary Vilsack before he or anyone under him could or would investigate.

Did anyone in that department ever hear of due process?

Or to ask the question when did the incident of alleged racism take place?

But the Million Dollar Question is.....did anybody in the administration consider the source?

I'm a Democrat, and I voted for this President.....but right now, I'm more than a little ashamed of this administration. Shirley Sherrod, an anonymous public servant, had to resign from her job via Blackberry in order to protect the Obama Administration, even though she was being denied her day in court.

Welcome, Young Skywalker, to The Dark Side.

Shirley Sherrod was fired from her job because the Obama Administration was scared to death that Glenn Beck would be using her as his latest cause celebre, an example of what was wrong with America. And the NAACP, who wanted racist elements of the Tea Party movement ousted- and saw Mark Williams and the Tea Party Express- get the boot- was afraid of being hounded into extinction by Breitbart, FOX News, and the rest of the Right Wing Gasbags (please see ACORN, R.I.P.). The timing of the release of the Sherrod tape by Breitbart, just after the ouster of Williams, has a very, very, very foul odor about it.

Shirley Sherrod was lied about on Fox News, and by Andrew Breitbart, plain and simple.....and the people who should have been looking out for her- her bosses and the Administration- threw her to the wolves, and then were shamed into apologizing to her, and doing the right thing, even offering her another job in the Department.

If I were her, I'd take my time.

Shirley Sherrod is the only one to emerge as a winner in this sad affair....a great and loyal American, and a true role model, she maintained her dignity in this sad rush to judgment.

The villains? Fox and and Andrew Breitbart. They'll be back.....they're like athlete's foot, irritating and never quite curable.

And the fools....the main stream media, the NAACP, Tom Vilsack, Robert Gibbs.....and the buck has to stop at the top....sorry, Mr. President.

Progressive Eruptions: CONSERVATIVE DAVID FRUM TALKS ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE FIGHT AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE GOP

Conservative columnist and former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum blogs about President Obama and the Democrat's win on healthcare reform and how it has become the "Waterloo" of the Republicans and the Conservative movement. It is reproduced on the Progressive Eruptions blog, with my thanks.



Progressive Eruptions: CONSERVATIVE DAVID FRUM TALKS ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE FIGHT AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE GOP

Massa's March Madness- The Scandal Gets A Little Crazier

To borrow a title from the Richard Thompson song...."Did He Jump Or Was He Pushed?"

Or perhaps a reworking of this old proverb....."If Eric Massa is asked the same question by ten different people, he will give ten different answers. If Eric Massa is asked by one person the same question ten times he will still give ten different answers".

I have kept watching the bizarre saga of former New York Democratic Congressman Eric Massa unfold over the past few. depending on what version of the story being told Massa resigned his seat because of a reoccurrence of cancer, or because he was the subject of an ethics probe because of sexual harassment, or that he forced to leave his seat by the White House- strong armed because he would not go along with President Obama's health care reform agenda.

Massa's story takes a twist when he appears on Glenn Beck's show on FOX, where Massa's story falls apart, much to the chagrin of Beck.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This morning on The Today Show House Majority leader Steny Hoyer and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor appeared with Meredith Viera to discuss Massa's case....with predictable results.

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Glenn Beck Sponsorship Loss Now At 119

Controversial FOX NEWS commentator Glenn Beck may be the most popular voice on that network, but according to the website stopbeck.com the list of sponsors who have dropped advertising for his nightly show or have refused to advertise on it has risen to 119.

The latest sponsors to drop Glenn Beck in the United States are George Foreman Cooking, Sylvan Learning, and Weight Watchers.

Click here to read statements from these three companies.

Among the remaining sponsors of the Glenn Beck program are Dish Network, The American Petroleum Institute, and the State of Utah's Department of Tourism.

Beck, an ally of the Tea Party Movement, gave a keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference this past Saturday. In his speech he compared Republican spending addictions to his own problems of past alcohol abuse.

Quick Hits For February 2, 2010- Groundhog Day Edition; The Sequel

"Let's play ODDBALL".....Keith Olbermann takes us through the Wonderful World of Groundhog Day"....and goes "Down Undah" for a new potential anchor for Faux Noise.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Gratuitous collage of Fox Newsbabes. Probability of them being cloned-HIGH

Quick Hits For February 2, 2010- Groundhog Day Edition

Saturday I was going to catch up on some of the latest news, including Presidents Obama's amazing performance on Friday.....but my cable modem had other ideas.

So lets catch some "brain droppings" in this new edition of "Quick Hits".

(1). On Friday we were given some remarkable theater when President Obama went to a meeting of 140 Republican House members with cable news channels covering the event live- that is, until FOX News broke away when it became apparent that the GOP was getting an old fashioned ass kickin'. This reminded me of a classic western movie when the sheriff (played by Henry Fonda) stands in front of his jail, alone except for his trusty shotgun, and stares down the angry lynch mob and wins the day for truth and justice in America. Amen!

Some Republican leaders told media members off the record that allowing live cameras at the meeting was a huge tactical blunder on their part. The odds were 140 to one but Obama again showed why he is the President- with the camera's rolling and the nation watching he again demonstrated that he was the smartest guy in the room. President Obama confronted critics from the GOP who spend much time, energy, and campaign contributions attempting to demonize him....and laid his cards on the table.




(2). And about FOX NEWS breaking away from the President and the GOP's meeting on Friday. Sunday morning on ABC's This Week Fox News chief Roger Ailes was asked by roundtable panelist Ariana Huffington why Fox stopped their live coverage and switched over to studio commentary. Ailes asnwered "Because Fox is the most trusted name in news".

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Its not about news or trustworthiness.....its about ratings.

(3). And speaking of FOX...."the most trusted name in news" even found its way into the Miss America Pageant, where current FOX AND FRIENDS host and former Miss America Gretchen Carlson served as an on stage co-host. Sitting on the panel of judges was a man who has openly rooted on the President of the United States to fail, who has told his listeners not to contribute to Haitian relief, and has questioned climate change and global warming.

That's right. Rush Limbaugh was a Miss America judge.

One of the Miss America platforms is "going green". And there was a call during the broadcast for contributions for the relief of earthquake ravaged Haiti.

Does anybody else see just a little irony here?

When the Miss America Organization signed on Limbaugh, it might as well be for life. Could you imagine the verbal pounding they would get if they ever tried to dump him? He'd be calling them the biggest Bolsheviks since 1917, and a threat to truth, justice and his version of the American Way.

Oh yeah, I forgot....its about ratings.

Again.

(4) Rex Ryan.....the New York Jets head coach has apologized for flipping the bird to razzing Miami Dolphin fans when Ryan was in South Florida recently. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for doing a two handed flip-off of Buffalo Bills fans by Commissioner Roger Goodell.



Adams was guilty of multiple two handed flips while Ryan, to the best of our knowledge, only gave a single solitary flip. I counted six flips for Bud, only one for Rex. So if six flips costs 250K, I guess Ryan's Birdie is worth....rounding off....call it 50 grand.

(5). Finally....Punxsutawney Phil was awakened by those idiot humans with top hats, with cameras rolling , and saw his shadow.

The "Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators" has spoken.....well sort of.

Time to wash me long johns.

Poll: Fox Most Trusted Name in News, Beck Tops O’Reilly | Fancast News

Its official- The country really has gone to hell in a hand basket.

And this poll confirms it, as well as confirming this adage from the late George Carlin.....

"Think about how stupid the average person is....and half the people are even stupider than that!"

That whirling sound you just heard is Walter Cronkite spinning in his grave.


READ MORE......from Fancast News

The Sarah and Harry Follies; 2010 Edition, Chapter One

Opinion

She attended four different institutions of higher learning in a five year span, one of which twice, making it a perfect five for five. In between she managed to finish third in her state's Miss America pageant competition. Armed with her degree in communications (with an emphasis on journalism) she was a sportscaster on local TV, mainly working on weekends.

After marrying and working in her husband's business she was elected to her city council (four years), was later elected to be mayor of a relatively small town where she served for six years. Following that she served on an appointed board in her home state for two years, and was elected governor of her home state, where she served 30 months of her four year term before resigning for obscure reasons.

Oh, she was also selected to be the vice presidential candidate by the Republican Party in 2008, where she managed to become part of American pop culture, whether she wanted to or not.

All of the above, and being photogenic and conservative was more than enough to qualify Sarah Palin to become a commentator for FOX NEWS. Indeed, voices like hers debating the challenges of the 21st century.

I think Keith Olbermann went out and celebrated last night. The wealth of material he's going to gain from this marriage- PRICELESS!

Not to mention to hundreds-THOUSANDS- of bloggers here in cyberspace.

To all conservatives who just watched their blood pressure elevate, stick around for a few minutes....I'm going to talk about Harry Reid for a little while.

To those of you living under a rock, this week's- and the New Year's first- bit of political furor involves a gaffe concerning Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a passage of the book Game Change, written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.

Here's an excerpt from the passage in question....

"Years later, Reid would claim that he was steadfastly neutral in the 2008 race; that he never chose sides between Barack (Obama) and Hillary (Clinton); that all he did was tell Obama that "he could be president," that "the stars could align for him." But at the time, in truth, his encouragement of Obama was unequivocal. He was wowed by Obama's oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama -- a "light-skinned" African-American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one," as he later put it privately"

Now, I'm not going to make excuses for Senator Reid for what he said, or what he allegedly said. The words could be said to racially insensitive at the least, or just plain bigoted at the most extreme. But let's peel this back just a bit and ask this question to white America.....how many of you said or thought the same thing behind closed doors regarding Barack Obama, but never had your words or thoughts thrown out there for public scrutiny?

For the Republicans to ask for Reid's head on a silver platter because of this gaffe is probably a new high in their hypocrisy. The GOP who sat back and said nothing while birthers questioned Obama's citizenship. The GOP who sat on their hands while tea baggers had posters of Obama as a jungle primitive. The GOP, who had one of their own elected legislators call the President of the United States a liar during a joint session of Congress, and cried like a bunch of five year olds when the perpetrator was chastised for doing so.

Harry Reid should have kept his mouth shut, but he didn't. He repeated, in a not so subtle way, a belief that is older than the Republic, one that goes back to Western Europe in the Age of Discovery- in fact, this belief goes back to the Roman Empire, and was talked about by the historian Tacitus.

Thomas Jefferson believed in it, and so did Lincoln.....and Teddy Roosevelt most surely did.

It is a belief in the superiority of Western Europeans, of Teutonic ancestry....and of the doctrine of Aryan purity.

And no, this was not an invention of Hitler and his Nazi thugs, though he took this theory and twisted it even further to greenlight the Fascist genocide.

James Bradley, in his brilliant history of the 1905 diplomatic mission of the Theodore Roosevelt administration to the Far East The Imperial Cruise, devotes his second chapter "Civilization Follows The Sun" to telling the story of how Teutonic/Aryan beliefs permeated American society, from the Jim Crow South, to the frontier outposts of the American West, to the ivy covered halls of Columbia and Harvard. In a nutshell, the prevalent belief was of only one civilization that mattered, that of the Western Europe and of America, and all others were inferior or in decline, and needed to be eradicated or "civilized".



Bradley's fascinating story tells of an America, though great and a melting pot that offered hope to much of the world, had a dark side that divided the world into an "Us" and "The Others" situation. Once the Indians of the West had been dealt with and blacks had been "put in their place", America could go about its business....and try to civilize "The Others" of the Far East.

We are talking a mentality that existed 105 years ago, and its roots have moved into this century like unwanted crabgrass; Brit Hume telling the world that Tiger Woods needs to become a Christian in order to gain forgiveness; a justice of the peace will not marry a biracial couple in Louisiana because the justice has concerns for any children they might have; and now the Senate Majority leader is quoted that the first American President of color was acceptable because he didn't sound like...."The Others".

Race- and talking about race- is still the last big taboo in America. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and all in between is OK, but race is the one subject we still have to dance around the eggshells. To anyone who thinks "The Age of Obama" would change that, guess again. There may come a day when we can talk about race without repercussions or possible recriminations, but that day is not in the forseeable future.

Ironically, the Reid/Obama story broke on the cusp of the next national holiday- Martin Luther King Day.

And so it goes.