black…MYstory

Okay, I am not a big Saturday Night Live fan but this was funny!

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On Real Time last night, Bill Maher handily shoots down the Republican assertions that there is no role for government in the lives of Americans.

Video below:

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Rush Limbaugh is the GOP’s version of Suge Knight (before he started getting knocked out).  Most Republican politicians or leaders are scared to death to say anything negative about him.  Those that do soon regret it because he quickly ends up taking their manhood from them.

It’s kind of like the saying I used to hear from older cats talking tough, “if you even dream about kickin’ my a$$, you’d better wake up and apologize.”

Well, the latest GOP leader to be turned out and put on the stroll is Michael Steele.  Steele had the audacity to believe that being elected the chair of the Republican National Committee put him in a position where he could actually say that Rush Limbaugh does not speak for the Republican Party and that he (Michael Steel) is actually the party’s head.

Well, that was Saturday.

By Monday, he was kissing the ring, handing over his manhood, putting on the high heels and hitting the “track”.

Yes, Michael Steele joined the growing list of GOP leaders who have to bow down to their real leader, Rush Limbaugh.

Of course, he’s getting clowned for it.

I share with you two videos.  One is from the show, The Young Turks. This show leans more to the liberal side.  So, of course he’s clowned there, right?  However, the second is more telling.  It’s from Morning Joe, an MSNBC show that leans more to the right side of the political aisle.  This morning, they clowned Steele mercilessly.

Videos below:

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I usually don’t go too heavily into the celeb stuff.  We get “news” like this all the time.  Typically, most of what they do has very little relevance in the lives of everyday people.

However, the whole Chris Brown/Rihanna fisaco did bother me. As someone whose seen women in his own family go through abusive relationships, I saw that such relationships are of absolutely no good.

I didn’t speak on this because, I thought, Rihanna seemed to have enough sense to break away from Chris Brown before it got worse.  Today, I believe I was wrong.

It seems that they are a couple again.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  I saw the women in my own family let abusive men back in, too.  The men were so contrite, apologetic and loving after these beatings. The swore it wouldn’t happen again and admitted they needed help.  Then, in no time at all, there would be another argument and another beating, just as bad, if not worse, would happen.  I’ve seen the women in my family with cuts and bruises.  I’ve seen the sunglasses being worn to work to cover black eyes.  I’ve seen the so-called me calling or showing up at a place of work to publicly humiliate or intimidate the women. I’ve seen cases as severe as my own recently-deceased aunt who, over 20 years ago, was found after having being beaten and thrown through a glass table by her boyfriend.  She was in a coma and, after awakening, could barely walk so that, in her 40’s, should could do no more that shuffle along. However, even this was not enough to convince her and, out of “love” she refused to press charges.

I guess this situation bothers me not because Rihanna is a celebrity.  It bothers me for at least two other reasons:

1. because she is a young woman with her whole life ahead of her and doesn’t see what a volatile situation she may be a part of and
2. young women in similar situations may look to her example and not break with abusive mates, either.

Sadly, this isn’t a story of celebrity. This is something that is all too common and, I’m afraid, all too acceptable.

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The mayor of Lansing, Michigan let a Fox News Host have it with both barrels.  Fox, like much of the corporate media, seems to have a problem with common working people making a decent wage.  For some reason, it seems that they would be okay if they were paid pennies while their bosses made millions.

Well, Mayor Virg Bernero took it right to the Fox host and didn’t back down one bit (see video below).  Just one thing, though.  Next time, mayor, would you debunk this garbage $70/hour myth for UAW employees.  If I go by why the Republican talking heads tell you, the average union auto worker is bringing in nearly $150,000 in wages and benefits.  In reality, this number is derived from a convoluted formula.  It looks at the benefits and pensions made to all active AND retired employees, which, I guess, would be averaged to$42/hour.  They add to this the average wage of an hourly employee, which is $28/hour.  This is how they arrive at a number of $70.  However, active employees are not getting $42/hour in benefits.  In actuality, according to the UAW, it is more like $10/hour for active employees.

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They New York Post issued a sort of an apology over a recent cartoon showing police shooting a monkey who, in the cartoon, was supposed to be the author of the recent stimulus bill. Given that President Barack Obama was the key figure touting this bill, many interpreted it as the racial imagery that, too often, compared black people to primates.

In its “apology”, the Post stated the following:

“…to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.”

I, for one, felt an apology was due, if no more than the fact that the cartoon left itself open to this sort of interpretation.  I understand that the paper said it was tying this to a recent shooting of a crazed monkey but, really, is that sensible?  Also, if you really think about it, if you’re joking about shooting the author of a bill, aren’t you really joking about killing a public official?

Just food for thought.  Perhaps the post cartoonist is in need of it before he/she publishes subsequent caroons.

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…Run-DMC!

Today, it was announced that the group will be one of the 2009 inductees.

Also honored will be Metallica, Jeff Beck, Bobby Womack, Little Anthony and the Imperials and Wanda Jackson.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since their first album was released but, since then, they have given us hit-after-hit and raising the profile of hip-hop all the while.

Congratulations to the group that I believe was one of the best to ever rip a stage.

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Ronald Reagan used to speak of an 11th commandment: “Thou shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican”.

This election season, this commandment is being violated all over the place (the circular firing squad is in full effect).  But, even the last media bastion of Republican refuge, Fox News, is showing signs of disgust with McCain and crew.  On his show, Neil Cavuto blasts McCain for have no consistent or understandable position on the economy.  For a minute, this sounded like a “special comment” a la Keith Olbermann.

Cavuto argues that, while he does not like Obama, he can respect his consistency but, to McCain, he says “on economic matters, you have no convictions.”

Needless to say, I have my bowl of popcorn out as I watch the Republicans battle it out.

Video below:

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This is one of those moments where you just sit back with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of lemonade to watch two fools duke it out.

In this case, this comes in the form of Fox’s Bill O’Reilly and conservative talk radio host Mark Levin.

Obviously, the $700 billion bailout plan has been a hot topic but, you wouldn’t think anything would be enough to make conservatives abandon the talking points.

Well, I was wrong.

Here are the clips from the beef between right-wing radio hosts.

First up, Bill O’Reilly.  He rants about right-wing hosts for nearly the first minute-and-a-half of this clip.

Next up, Mark Levin responds to the diss with a track of his own.

My verdict — both are correct in calling each other idiots.

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I couldn’t let the weekend get away without expressing my profound sadness up hearing of the death of Bernie Mac. I remember first seeing him perform on Def Comedy Jam and have been a fan ever since.  Bernie Mac had an ability to blend the edgy with the down-home, common-sense way on which a lot of people of my and my parents’ generation were raised.

So, I want to pay my respects to Bernard Jeffrey McCullough.  In my eyes, he earned it.

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