King’s Dream, Beck’s Scheme

On August 28th it will be the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s landmark “I Have a Dream” speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in front of a throng of two hundred thousand supporters who participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

History tells us that this event was a turning point in the long climb to racial equality as it placed new pressures on the Kennedy Administration to take stronger action.

And in honor of this event, the Teabaggers have decided to usurp the day in order to allow Fox News Comedian Glen Beck to sell his wares.

From King’s “I Have a Dream,” we now have Beck’s “I Have a Scheme.”

Glen Beck would be a joke if it weren’t for the fact that he is a) listened to and viewed by a throng of ignorant white people who feel threatened, and b) is so blatantly in it for himself that selling God and selling Gold, to Beck, is one and the same thing, except for the addition of that bothersome little “l.”

Glen Beck dishes out fear, then cashes in by touting gold sales, something everyone wants to buy in these very uncertain times (thanks to that racist African-American Kenyan Muslim President, Barack Hussein Obama).

These days it is good to be Beck. It’s good because Beck can be a mediocre man yet pull down millions for himself. Beck can attract supporters despite the fact that his speeches are amateurish and insipid where King’s were polished and educated, where Beck's inspire fear while King’s inspired hope.

And yes, there will be a counter rally at the same time. I just heard that TrueMajority and USAction will be there with a 4 story tall sculpture to celebrate Dr. King’s triumphal speech. Learn about it here at Celebrate the Dream.

These People Who Beset Us

Priceless. Carlson has it exact.

Pardon me while I am otherwise engaged but these bigots need to be beaten back every day.

Agree?

Religious Bigotry in America is Alive and Well

It is disconcerting, although not surprising at all, that a very significant majority of Americans oppose the construction of an Islamic place of worship two blocks from where the World Trade Center (aka Ground Zero) stood.

That this attitude flies in the face of the revolutionary ideas that created this country, that attracted immigrants to this country, and that makes this country the best country on Earth is what is most disconcerting to me.

All of this is based on a poll released on August 11 by CNN.

The poll question was posed in this way:

“As you may know, a group of Muslims in the U.S. plan to build a mosque two blocks from the site in New York City where the World Trade Center used to stand. Do you favor or oppose this plan?”

The question was asked of 1,009 adult Americans, 935 of them being registered voters, between August 6th and August 10th.

Totals: 68% Opposed, 29% Favor

Among Conservatives: 87% Oppose 12% Favor

Among Liberals: 45% Oppose 51% Favor

Over 50 Years of age: 76% Oppose 21% Favor

Under 50 Years of age: 61% Oppose 35% Favor

President Obama, finding himself in a stark minority, said this at a White House dinner commemorating the beginning of Ramadan, Islam’s month-long fasting that makes Lent look like a piker:

“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country, That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.”

More to the point, and I think the president also made this observation, Americans have systematically exerted religious bias on one religious minority after another over the years, despite the fact that religious freedom is one of the main principles that underlies the basic freedoms that America offers. As each religious group attained “legitimacy” they in turn set themselves against the next unpopular religion to appear on our shores.

As a noncombatant in this field, I can say that I understand why this is such a hot button issue among Americans. The wounds are still not completely healed, apparently.

That is a reason, but it is not an excuse.

There is a reason for public hysteria, but there is never an excuse for it.

Is there anyone out there that still thinks that the forced internment of 110,000 American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II was good and proper? At the time it was deemed necessary and even deserved. People like them had, after all, launched a sneak attack that killed over two thousand soldiers and sailors. Exactly analogous to the 19 Muslim extremists and their sneak attack on 9-11.

Public hysteria allowed “Japanese Relocation” to happen. And that is something that Americans can and will continue to look back on in shame.

The 14th Amendment rights of thousands of American citizens of Japanese descent were trampled on because of some sort of ill-conceived guilt by association, and not just a little racism. Just so, the 1st Amendment rights of Muslims are being trampled on in the very same manner.

I guess the silver lining in this dark cloud that hangs over America is that the issue is opposition to construction of a mosque. At least we’re not restringing the barbed wire fences of Manzanar.

Pins for Pinheads

Seen at a vendor’s table at the Republican Party of Texas’ state convention this weekend is a pin pictured at right.

That is, all of this stuff about a post-racial America is just a little bit too premature, isn’t it? Especially here in The South where, while no former slaves or slave owners are alive anymore, apparently there are still fond memories of slavery being shared at the dinner table.

Still and all, it’s nice that bigoted Americans are still willing to show their true colors so we know who they are and what monochromatic political party with which they affiliate themselves.

Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Racist Bigot

A big, fat racist bigot who makes millions of dollars being a big, fat, racist bigot because he has millions of listeners who are themselves, big, fat, racist bigots.

He must be. They must be. How else can you explain the conversation that he had with a listener the other day over the listener’s claim (a false one) that embattled Governor David Paterson will get to pick someone to replace discredited former Congressman Eric Massa. Here is the exchange that is found here at Media Matters:

CALLER: Yeah. Hey, listen. Interesting sidebar to that Eric Massa mess for Democrats. You know, our besieged governor, David Paterson, will be charged with naming a replacement for Massa. And I'm wondering if there's any chance -- do you think that Paterson –

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Wait a minute.

CALLER: -- will exact some revenge on Obama, Emanuel, Cuomo, the whole Democratic gulag, by appointing a Republican or, at the very least, a DINO -- a Democrat in name only?

LIMBAUGH: Are you sure that Paterson appoints or is there a special election?

CALLER: I am reasonably sure that Paterson will be appointing the replacement, assuming that he, you know, doesn't resign in the next 60 or 90 days.

LIMBAUGH: Let's assume you're right. So, David Paterson will become the massa –

CALLER: Yes.

LIMBAUGH: -- who gets to appoint whoever gets to take Massa's place. So, for the first time in his life, Paterson's gonna be a massa. Interesting, interesting.

But really, you need to listen to it yourself. Listen to how he changes his voice ever so slightly in the last sentence. So to hear it, click here to hear it at Media Matters (their embed code doesn't work here for some reason)

Did you hear that? Did you hear how he tries to imitate the accent of a black slave when he intoned the word “massa?” And I think MediaMatters was being too kind in their transcription. I didn’t hear any “na” sound when he said the word, as they transcribed it, “gonna.” I heard the word “gohn.”

You know, for decades we had white people playing the roles of black people in radio and early motion pictures, shucking and jiving, making African-Americans look like fools when they weren’t making them out to be dishonest. Those are bygone days, now, and you don’t see that stuff around anymore, right?

Well I guess, now that we have a black President it’s OK to bring all of that dirty laundry of the past out of the closet and put it right back out there on the clothesline for everyone to see. America’s youth, who fortunately have probably never seen this spectacle will be amazed. These days when a white girl emulates an African-American singer it’s because she wants to look cool.

Here’s the crap that I was raised on.



And, apparently, it’s back.

Coulter Smear Attack on John Edwards: Let the Games Begin

According to Ann Coulter, who is a complete hypocrite by the way, if you are a Democrat running for president, then you are a "faggot". Caught in the act of being a gay-bashing bigot, at the 34th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Coulter suggested that John Edwards was gay by way of saying that she couldn't mention the word "faggot" in public or she would have to enter rehab. It's on You Tube.



UPI explains that the rehab remark "may have been a reference to Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington's decision to go into rehab during a public relations firestorm after he called one of his co-stars a 'faggot.' "

Democrats who run for president are either "faggots" or "total fags". However congressmen who are outted for their unusual interest in teenage congressional pages are . . . what? . . . gay?



David Bonior, the Edwards campaign manager asks how do they respond to this slime attack?

"Do we sit back, or do we fight back?"

"I say we fight. Help us raise $100,000 in "Coulter Cash" this week to show every would-be Republican mouthpiece that their bigoted attacks will not intimidate this campaign. I just threw in 100 bucks. Will you join me? Just click here."

Well, I clicked there and they now have fifty more bucks to go to "Coulter Cash".

Let the games begin. Expect more of the same. Republicans are going to learn that when they misbehave, Democrats have a payday.

Hanukkah Menorahs Vandalized

I like to think that we live in enlightened times. I like to compare the previous generation’s notion of the American “Melting Pot” where people of vastly different cultures coalesce and combine into a new and unique American culture to the new notion. The new notion being that America is a place of vast cultural diversity and that that diversity is celebrated. This is especially true in Southeast Texas, where a grand mixture of cultures exists.

But then all I have to do is open up a newspaper, or in this case, an online news website, and see that religious intolerance is still a problem here. FortBendNow reports that a Menorah placed at the entrance to New Territory Lakewood neighborhood was vandalized on Christmas Eve. As reported in FortBendNow:

"The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint Sunday at about 10:45 a.m. that someone has destroyed a menorah, made from plastic pipe and illuminated with lights."

"The menorah, a symbol of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, was on display at Kendall Creek and Homeward Way at the entrance to New Territory’s Lakewind neighborhood, according to a sheriff’s dispatch"

"Close by, a nativity display was left untouched."

Now I know that most Christians don’t hate Jews, just as I know that most Christians do not go out of their way to vandalize and deface symbols of the Jewish faith. But I also know this: this is not an isolated incident.

As a matter of fact, an incident in Harris County occurred where a man drove up to a Jewish household in Meyerland, punctured an inflatable menorah and drove off. And just to prove that this was no accident, the man returned and destroyed an inflatable bear next to it.

Take that you Jewish Bear!

Harris County and Fort Bend County police are trying to figure out if the cases are related. Well I tell you what, guys, while you are investigating whether these two hate crimes are related, maybe you ought to contact the police in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California where two menorahs were vandalized. And while you are at it, give the police in Manatee County, Florida a call and see if you can find any similarity to the hate crime that involves the Star of David that was hanging on the door of Alan and Rachel Zion’s home, said star has gone missing, as well as the smearing of pork products on their son’s car. Oh, and by the way, make sure you talk to the police in St. James, New York. They actually have the vandal and his crime on tape. The image is blurry and in black and white, but apparently his MO is a “flying kick”.

Or maybe the only relationship between these hate crimes is that there are some Christians out there who want to celebrate their Lord’s birth by committing heinous acts of religious hate.

You know, I am not optimistic. I think that no matter how much we as a nation and as a society advance, no matter how much we become enlightened and begin to admire our multicultural society, there will remain amongst us those who cannot separate religious faith from religious bigotry. Just like sometimes a horse will be born with vestigal bones calling back to the Oligocene days when equines ran around on three toes, human avatars of bigotry and hate spring up from time to time.

Throwbacks.

You know, I’m not an expert here by any stretch of the imagination, but I think Jesus would take a dim view of the actions of these Neanderthals.

As a matter of fact, I am fairly certain, from what I’ve read about Him, that He would be mightily pissed off at them.