Oprah Winfrey may be allowed in the bedrooms and reading rooms of America but she has been halted at the ballot box. Her celebration for Barack Obama at her California home, as predicted, did little to boost his overall poll numbers, but he made gains with black voters. In fact, recent California polls show Barack Obama trailing Hillary Clinton in California.
Speaking of star gazing, while the number of eyes watching the Emmy Awards this year was down significantly, there were nearly 20,000 unwanted extras on the set of the “Jena Six” to offer aid and assistance to the families and black citizens who felt betrayed by the justice system in the tiny town of Jena, Louisiana. Starring Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and a cast of thousands lending their political expertise and victim-savvy understanding to hordes of media trucks and voyeurs. The town was shut down, but not before the world apprised of attempted murder charges for a schoolyard fight involving six young black men and a white student.
Apparently some whites are misinformed for thinking that the black students were unaware of the meaning of nooses hung in a tree! In fact each knew something was wrong after gaining “permission” to sit under said tree and later finding that three nooses were hung there. It’s a little more drastic than draining the pool after a black swims in it. They got it, while a white coach, in a Democracy Now! intervew said they didn’t get it.
If combined activist powers Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson shut down Jena; Sally Field almost single-handedly shut down the Emmy Awards by being bleeped (on the West coast) while cameras shot to the ceiling in other markets. The last thing I knew she was about to say “goddamn” war…not fought if mothers had been in charge. But only later could I see the word merely bleeped. But a caller on Rush Limbaugh made a good point: what about the Islamic mothers who willingly want their sons to become suicide bombers. Aren’t they mothers too? The Sally Field rant made good grist for the Net mill all week.
“The War” the other war, by Ken Burns also burnt up the hot list of searches. It’s about as political hot potato as one can handle. Some flak has been created because he left out one little detail: Mexican-Americans who fought and died in the war. To be sure, Ken had a mea culpa moment, and after a little soul searching did a little editing of his PBS epic to post-haste include Hispanics and Native Americans. At this link you can watch video clips and see what “The War” by Ken Burns, is all about.
Article comments
1 - bliffle
The republicans are trying to use this "General Betray us" noise as a red herring to distract from their own failures, but they may have overplayed their hand since it could result in a discussion of the quality of the US Military General Officer staff. Most people would like to believe that the top officers are a noble bunch, but IMO we have had a pretty poor bunch of self-centered bumblers for a very long time. And the military system shows very few signs of being able to fix it's own problems.
Personally, I am no more willing to grant saint status to a General Officer than I am to any other politician.
2 - Clavos
"...but IMO we have had a pretty poor bunch of self-centered bumblers for a very long time."
Agreed.
Going all the way back to Macarthur, and continuing with Westmoreland.
3 - Andy Marsh
Where's MCH with his list of medals for Petreaus??? Figured as much! Apparently, only when it suits HIS argument.
4 - Clavos
He's out on a street corner challenging passers-by to a boxing match.
Or maybe studying for his GED.
5 - dee
What # general was this? Because Americans have the attention span of children they have forgot that Bush kept replacing generals until he found one who would push his plan to stay in Iraq until he is out of office. I for one believe the ten or so before General Betray us who said clearly that this was not a war that could be won militarily. We have "surged" before, so this is hardly a new strategy and the children should be mad at Bush not Moveon, Bush is the one who pushed this guy into the political realm. As usual the dumb Americans get it wrong and blame the wrong person.
6 - bliffle
"War Is A Racket" claimed Gen. Smedley Butler.
7 - bliffle
"...attempted murder charges for a schoolyard fight involving six young black men and a white student."
There's a bit more to it than that.
But the question I have is: does Jena usually handle schoolyard fights like this? Do they always file murder charges? Have they ever, in the past?
8 - bliffle
"“The War” the other war, by Ken Burns also burnt up the hot list of searches.... Some flak has been created because he left out one little detail: Mexican-Americans who fought and died in the war. "
Isn't this a little egregious? Are we now going to see a special addendum on the contributions of Norwegian-Americans, and then the contribution of Yugoslavian-Americans? Perhaps Canadian-Americans?
9 - JustOneMan
gee how come Jesse Jerk-off and Al "Tawana Brawley" Sharton werent marching to save those poor deprived Italian boys in Howard Beach???
JOM
10 - Michael J. West
To be sure, Ken had a mea culpa moment, and after a little soul searching did a little editing of his PBS epic to post-haste include Hispanics and Native Americans.
No he didn't. He allowed short documentary pieces on Native Americans and Mexican Americans to be broadcast on PBS immediately preceding his own documentary. He didn't edit his epic at all.
11 - JustOneMan
Why didnt PBS demand "short documentary pieces" aka "historical revisionism and special treatment" for other groups...
Italian Americans
Irish Americans
Polish Americans
German Americans
Gay Americans
Lesbian Americans
Transgendered Americans
Mixed Race Americans
White Male Americans
White Female Americans
More proof that political correctness is out of control...
JOM
12 - bliffle
I'm looking forward to that Canadian-american segment. I mean, after all, for a moment we can let canucks pretend that they're real americans, just like we did with blacks in WW2.
We can take it back afterwards. There's historical precedent.
13 - 5
Not only is there almost no coverage in the corporate media of black violent crimes against white people, but in high profile cases they proffer the black criminals as 'real victims'.
To illustrate the bias, imagine if the facts were reversed - if a gang of six white kids led by someone with four previous convictions for violent-crime had attacked a lone black student, kicking and stomping him into unconsciousness. As far as the corporate media are concerned, they would be interviewing the black victim on every TV talk show across the land, discussing his fear, his pain, his suffering. They would be interviewing his crying relatives and friends. They would not be voicing any fear that the white attackers would be treated too harshly, or even that they would be treated at all.
No one knows who hung up those nooses, but clearly 'white racists' lost out the most from it.
14 - Les Slater
"No one knows who hung up those nooses, but clearly 'white racists' lost out the most from it."
What a piece of racist shit!
15 - Heloise
Update from "The Statesman" Austin paper:
Ken Burns added some 30 minutes to his film. That's still editing, not merely an afterthought or an after ran. He added it, but Mexicans were not satisfied because it was not in the original and it was not very long to boot.
"Many carried signs that read "Racism by Omission" and "We Were There." Several speakers called the 28 minutes of footage of two Latino veterans added to the 16-hour movie after concerns were raised "unacceptable."
"My son should not have to stand in a rally to learn" about the contributions Hispanics made to the war, said Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez, whose grandfather fought in World War II. "He should be able to see it on TV like any other kid."
"More than 500,000 Hispanics fought in the war, and Hispanics have earned more Medals of Honor than any other ethnic group, said League of United Latin American Citizens national President Rosa Rosales." Statesman
16 - Zedd
Heloise,
You write like a gossip columnist.
On the Jena thing. I am offended by the use of the tag "Jena Six" as in the Little Rock Nine. Hardly!!! One of the biggest deterrents to African Americans getting their message out is the tendency to OVERSTATE. What should have happened is a loud and continuous admonition of those boys for their brutal conduct. We have all sorts of crime and disorder in the inner city. Making martyrs out of this lot is the wrong thing to do. What the focus should have been is the system around this entire situation. That should have been bull horned so that all Americans understand what racism is. What the theatrics do is fog the issue and water down the serious nature of our issues with race.
Just as many White Americans went nuts with Reagan or 911 and reacted ignorantly with a lot of unrelated hype, many Black people get distracted on the emotions and end up dummying down the real issues and end up looking like dummies (major flush). Thankfully, those actions don't end up with hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis.
17 - Heloise
Zedd, thanks, I think for the funny comment. Yes, JFK was known for his love of the journalist tendency to gossip. I got it bad what can I say? You are right in your observation. Is that why columnists and ad writers are imitating me? They are also imitating black people. Messy, and drama are words that black folks love to say and use, and now everyone is saying and writing it. Never saw that before.
We are dramatic and given to exaggeration and hyperbole. I agree.
More later
Heloise