…This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns–but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.
The second story comes from Gateway Pundit. A CBS 2 news report from July 2008 concerning some of the earlier TSA security procedures. This is why I don’t refer to these intrusive screenings and “new” since they really aren’t.
Suffice to say, this kind of nonsense will continue until those in charge surrender political correctness for common sense. We know who we are looking for and it is clear by these stories that the TSA will treat everyone but Muslim fundamentalists like terrorists. The upsetting thing about all this is that it is most likely just the “tip of the iceberg”… Pathetic…
Hot Air’s Allahpundit is also reporting on this, noting that while Clinton does have a chuckle about these pat-downs, she does defend the use of such intrusive searches. This does raise a question though; If it isn’t something she would submit to, why should anyone else? Mind-boggling…
It broke last night and it is still the biggest story on the blogosphere today; Green jobs ‘czar’ Van Jones has resigned. Allahpundit has put up a post on what happened, but instead of picking one quote from it, I would like to refer back to it later. Michelle Malkin has also written a must-read piece on Jones’ resignation, but once again, I would like to refer to it later. They both make a few really good points that I will touch on in the second half of this post, as well as add in my own commentary on what this whole fiasco means and what it says about this administration.
While I also covered this ongoing farce, maybe I didn’t do such a good job in really outlining what all this meant. It isn’t enough to simply say that this man was a communist, a “9/11 Truther”, and an anti-establishment radical, one must explain to the those easily swayed by media bias why these are terrible and why this man shouldn’t have been allowed near the White House to begin with…
To begin with, Van Jones considers himself an avowed communist, something which he admits he turned to following the Rodney King riots in 1992. As David Horowitz discusses with Glenn Beck last friday, for this man to choose this political ideology three years after having watched the Berlin Wall being torn down shows just how radical he is. With the Soviet Union gone and the People’s Republic of China turning towards capitalism, how can anyone still support communism? No matter the facts, Jones had decided that he would be a communist, even idolizing Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong. Who on this side of the Pacific would idolize that man? As I discovered during my time in China, that while “Chairman Mao” himself is seen as this great historical figure (UPDATE: I would like to point out that Mao Zedong is also one of, if not the most brutal dictator in modern history, responsible for the deaths of millions of Chinese), his political beliefs and policies are considered to have been disastrous. Why do you think China has the One-child policy? Though radical, it was the only thing the Chinese could do to stifle the population boom Mao encouraged. China’s recent success wasn’t because of communism or “Maoism”, but in spite of it (ex: “Red Capitalism”), and those like Van Jones and Illinois Representative Danny Davis, who recently called for Congress to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Civil War, should have known this. The ideology had proven itself a failure, and only political radicals could have believed otherwise.
Next, Jones was a supporter “9/11 Truther” movement, one of the most radical social/political movements in America today. While many on the left would try to compare the “Birthers” to the “Truthers”, there are no reasonable similarities between the two. Those who question the citizenship of Barack Obama do so because they question president’s honesty. There is very little known about him, and seeing that he has proven himself dishonest on numerous occasions, it is more than understandable that “Birthers” wouldn’t take him at his word on such an important issue. Do I believe Obama was born outside of the United States? Of course not, and I will not support a conspiracy theory which distracts too many people from what is happening in Washington. I will not, however, simply group these people with radicals like “9/11 Truthers” out of some desire to find an equivalent political comparison. It isn’t about questioning the honesty of the official report on the September 11th attacks, it is about believing that there is this ongoing cover-up about how the United States government, with the assistance of New York state and New York city officials and the cooperation of news media, killed three thousand of its own citizens to start wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These lunatics not only ignore the actual footage of the events, but the scientific evidence and FBI intelligence which disproves all this nonsense. It is only out of a deep-seeded hatred of America that anyone would believe this, and it comes as no surprise that people like Janeane Garofalo, who openly express this “anti-patriotism”, are part of this movement. Whether or not Van Jones actually believes in this conspiracy is debatable, but what isn’t is that he has supported this movement in the past. How can someone who supports this movement even be allowed near Capitol Hill? This is borderline treason, and this reason alone should have kept him from being appointed in the first place. Downright disturbing…
Finally, Jones is an outspoken anti-establishment radical. It isn’t just that he is supporter of the “9/11 Truther” movement, it is that he has shown on numerous occasions that he stands in opposition to his country and its institutions. Most recently, as Gateway Pundit wrote about recently, Jones not only sat on the board at The War Times, but he was instrumental in the publication’s creation. The journal is a pro-jihadi/anti-American publication which pushes propaganda to undermine the war against terrorism. This is simply a continuation of the work he did with Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), a radical anti-war group, which according to the Anti-Defamation League, has ties to Hamas and Hezbollah. Even before his participation in the anti-war movement, he helped found the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, as well as spearheading the Bay Area Police Watch, which targeted San Francisco police. As DiscoverTheNetworks.org reported, the Center’s goals were to fight against the racism in the criminal justice system and promote alternatives to incarceration. Alternatives to incarceration? There are some people who don’t belong in society, but that kind of common sense is out of reach for Jones and his supporters. If anyone needed more proof of his anti-establishment beliefs, how about his desire to use the green movement to push “complete revolution” and the destroy the “gray capitalism”? Once again we see that environmentalism is being used to push radicalism. There is no room in government for this kind of extremism, no matter how “progressive” it may be.
There is nothing vicious about confronting the Obama administration with the truth about their radical pick for Green jobs ‘czar’. This wasn’t a malicious campaign against Jones, it was simply his critics pointing out his past transgressions.
*****
What happens now that this news is out? As Allahpundit pointed out, there can longer be a blackout by the media on what’s happening. This is far too significant to cover up, and no matter how they spin this, it will still be damaging to the Obama administration. If they can’t block it, than they will distort the news, which is what Ed Morrissey is reporting. Michelle Malkin pointed out in her post today that the first step is to make Van Jones a “martyr” to their cause. Let’s not forget that even before this new development, Howard Kurtz of CNN was attacking Glenn Beck’s segments on the now former Green jobs ‘czar’, saying that they were simply in response to Color of Changes’ call for boycotting his show. As Newbusters.org pointed out, Beck’s segments on Jones started on July 23rd, while the boycott began July 28th. Continuing with what Malkin has stated, as she herself wrote about earlier today, we already see The New York Times reporting on this story, but not getting into any serious detail as to why Jones resigned. Once again, this isn’t about “allegations”, but sold facts that tie him directly to radicalism. The NBC story on the resignation gave Jones a platform to push his depiction of these events as “smear campaign”, only vaguely pointing to his transgressions by stating that he made “a series of inflammatory statements”. While the media blackout is over, it does seem that many reporters will hide as many of the facts as possible to protect Barack Obama’s presidency.
Another point raised by Allahpundit was that Van Jones was a radical much like Reverend Jeremiah Wright. It is hard to forget the former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, especially with all the information still coming out about what went on there. The Truth About Trinity United Church of Christ blog is still reporting on the racial extremism which is still preached at Obama’s former place of worship, but it isn’t simply that. Even with the president distancing himself from this church, events like the Gates/Crowley controversy continue to remind Americans about his shady past. The Jones fiasco has become the latest in this series revealing mistakes, and it is getting harder and harder for even independents to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. Returning to Malkin’s post, there are far more of these radicals within this administration, Energy ‘czar’ Carol Browner for example shares many of Jones’ political beliefs. I am having trouble keeping track of all these radicals in the White House right now, and it doesn’t help that Culture of Corruption isn’t available at my local bookstores. The problem is that these “czars” are simply appointed, they don’t have to go through the Senate confirmation process, and without those willing to do serious investigations into their backgrounds, their actions go unchallenged. It is scary to think that the news media, for the most part, is sitting by and refusing to report on how this president is centralizing power and bringing in radicals like Jones to further his political agenda. Mind-boggling…
In conclusion, Let me answer the two questions I raised at the start. What does this fiasco mean, is it of any significance? Firstly, while many would declare this a victory, there is very little to celebrate. Uncovering one radical who has now been distanced from Obama himself by Robert Gibbs’ comments this morning will not help change the minds of those who aren’t willing to see this truth. As long as the media continues to support this administration, such small victories will mean very little. The facts have to get out to the public at large, not simply those who watch Fox News. For those willing to listen, what does this say about the Barack Obama’s presidency? As myself and many others have pointed out, this shows the true nature of this administration. Does this mean everyone in the Obama White House is as radical as Van Jones? No, but it does suggest that either their judgment is seriously flawed or that their political views aren’t that different from the former Green jobs ‘czar’. As Michelle Malkin has pointed out, those like Valerie Jarett, the political minds behind the scenes, seem to fit into the latter category. It is hard to believe that advisers like her and Rahm Emanuel had no idea who Van Jones was when they appointed him. The consequence of such a fiasco is to highlight these people for those who weren’t paying close enough attention…
But more and more people are beginning to pay attention, and sooner or later, everyone will see that this wasn’t an isolated incident. If a radical like Van Jones can get a position in this administration, what other extremists have found their way into the White House? Even with his resignation, there are a lot more of these individuals who need to be exposed…
UPDATE: It took me a long time to compile sources and write this post, and yet the story doesn’t seem to be over. Once again, Allahpundit puts out another good post on this ongoing fiasco. How pathetic are they to ignore their own bias and simply paint this as a lesson in how awful the internet is. Yes, it can be very awful if you have something serious to hide, but contrary to what the White House is saying, this wasn’t a smear campaign and nothing that I said at least was fictitious slander. If the news media bothered to ACTUALLY do their job, they would have stumbled upon these very same facts and more… Pathetic…
“The bombs the government drops in Iraq are the bombs that blew up in New York City. The US cannot bomb its way out of this one. Safety at home requires justice abroad.”
These were Van Jones’ words on September 13th 2001, only two days after the attack that killed nearly three thousand Americans in New York City. I have only one word to describe anyone who believes this; DERANGED! Jones has shown himself to be not only a political deviant, but an anti-American sociopath. For those who would like to paint moderates and conservatives as hateful, what do you say about this? How can you forgive this kind of vile statement? Of course for you radicals “the ends justifies the means” eh? Don’t want to take responsibility for the damage you are doing right? Pathetic…
It is a good thing that he was forced to resign before he could do any serious damage, Lord knows he wanted too… Disgusting…
Glenn Beck’s segment on him is definitely a starting point at understanding who this joke of a man is. DiscoverTheNetworks.org also has a great article about Jones’ political upbringing, which outlined his time with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (LCCR), a legal group which “championed” the fight for the rights of coloured people, preferably African-Americans, something Beck’s segment does not. What both sources do note is that following the 1992 Rodney King riots, Jones turns towards Communism. From here he moves to San Francisco and forms Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM), a group which grew out of the racist Roots Against War (RAW). STORM was different from RAW in that it allowed white members, though the overwhelming majority was still people of colour. Jones’ group worked with other communists in the Bay Area like Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez who mentored his Ella Baker Human Rights Center. I could go on but many others, including New Zeal, have wrote well researched posts exposing Jones’ disgraceful past. It is clear that after five minutes on Google, that the new Green jobs ‘czar’ has a long history of radicalism, mostly notably communism, contrary to what The Young Turks (TYT) and other Obama supporters have been saying. No serious politician would ever wanted to be associated which such a fringe radical, but a clown like Obama isn’t going to stop providing material for comedians willing to take pokes at him. But that’s not all…
Let’s return to what got me laughing this morning, Ed Morrissey’s post and the video from Naked Emperor News. I don’t believe that Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were pushing for reparations and wealth redistribution, but as the interview with Uprising Radio in April of last year showed, Jones certainly does. Having studied the Civil Rights Movement since high school, I can safely say that neither Parks nor King advocated for these radical measures, and while King did push for economic aid for America’s poorest communities, this is a far cry from the race-based “economic equality” pushed by radicals like Jones. Matter of fact, much of this talk of reparations comes from National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a group which clashed regularly with Martin Luther King Jr. because of ideological differences. Does it surprise me that such a radical would hijack history to push his politics? Not at all, but I think this speaks more about his stupidity than his desire to push his political agenda. What’s funny is that people like Van Jones actually believe what they are doing is for the benefit of others, no matter how illogical or dangerous their agenda is. Hilarious right?
I am sure that in the next election these jokers, including Jones himself, will be laughed out of office by American voters. Having witnessed the Soviet Union collapse and the People’s Republic of China turn towards capitalism, I think it is funny that the new Green jobs ‘czar’ would believe in a failed political philosophy… Hilarious…
In a statement issued Thursday evening Jones said of “the petition that was circulated today, I do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views now or ever.”
He did not explain how his name came to be on the petition.
“My work at the Council on Environmental Quality is entirely focused on one goal: building clean energy incentives which create 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and use renewable resources,” Jones said in his statement tonight.
Jones also said in his statement that “In recent days some in the news media have reported on past statements I made before I joined the administration – some of which were made years ago. If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize.”
This apology sounds very insincere, and as Allahpundit pointed out, this is the second apology in the last few days. We aren’t forgetful and we aren’t that stupid. To add to the hilarity, 911Truth.org responded to questions earlier today regarding Van Jones’ signature on the now notorious petition…
9/11Truth.org spokesman Mike Berger told the Washington Times over the phone that all of the signers had been verified by their group. He said 9/11Truth.org board members “spoke with each person on the list by phone or through email or individually confirm they have added their name to that list.”
“I think in most cases they spoke to them personally,” he added. “No one’s name was put on that list without them knowing it.”
Whether or not he is gone by Monday, as Charles Krauthammer, Mara Liasson and Steve Hayes believe, I think this is whole ordeal is downright funny. Wait till Barack Obama “throws him under the bus”, I promise you everyone will be laughing…
If terrorism is a form of warfare, and war terrorizes, then what exactly is a war on terror? got freedom? A God ‘Less America
I think Jones might just have to explain what this event was, and why he there with the anti-war radical fringe. Let me guess, he didn’t understand what was going on? Hilarious…
As for Meg Whitman’s comments to the Weekly Standard, I do agree with Michelle that this is a lesson for those looking to get into politics; BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW! As this fiasco continues, it is best that those with ties to Van Jones start breaking them, especially those on the other side of the aisle…
While watching a “political train wreck” usually isn’t funny, one can’t help but laugh that such a radical got such an important government position… Hilarious…
UPDATE: Aside from laughing at this mess Obama got himself into, I have been keeping my eye for updates on this ongoing fiasco. To be serious, I had heard previously that Van Jones was a supporter of Mumia Abu Jamal, the man who was tried and convicted of the police officer Daniel Faulkner, but I will link to the post by Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey for those who wish to learn more. Does this surprise me? No, especially coming from someone who has spent so much time trying to undermine the San Francisco police, as well as the American government itself (what do you think the purpose of the “9/11 Truther” movement is?). What is troubling is that, as Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin discussed last night, that the appointment of Jones isn’t simply a mistake by the Obama administration, but a well research decision made to put a like-minded individual in a position of power…
As Mark Levin said last night, the problem isn’t Van Jones, it is Barack Obama. Jones isn’t the only person with these beliefs in the government, there are quite a bit of the radical roaming the halls of the White House. Who could forget Carol Browner, the avowed socialist and now Energy ‘czar’? There are many more of these fringe left ideologues in this administration, and while it is important to point them out, let’s try not to get obsessed with a single one…
I know, I know, I have spent a lot of time outlining this radical, but what else can I do? It’s the big issue right now, and I can’t help but laugh at this whole thing blowing up in Obama’s face… Hilarious…
UPDATE:Another update on this continuing fiasco, this time from Allahpundit. It seems the White House is starting to backtrack and distance itself from Jones. Even with Robert Gibbs trying to defuse this sitaution, this is looking very bad for President Obama, and while he might or might not agree with the Jones’ politics, he is the one who appointed the radical to the position of Green job ‘czar’. No matter how Brad Johnson at Think Progress spins this, this latest scandal has done a fair bit of damage to The One… Pathetically funny…
UPDATE:Curt at Flopping Aces is discussing how soon it will be before Van Jones is told to leave. I have to agree with him that such a radical has no place being near the White House, but let’s not forget who put him there. Only a radical like Barack Obama could have appointed an avowed communist to the position of Green jobs ‘czar’. I also have to disagree with John McCormack at the Weekly Standard that this was Rahm Emanuel’s pick, especially with the way Jones’ himself has bragged about his friendship with the President (there are pictures supporting this). Could Emanuel have played a part in getting the avowed communist his job? Sure, but I don’t think he alone could have gotten Jones past the FBI screening process. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
In the meantime, sit back and relax, this is getting funnier by the minute…
Kathryn Winkfein was stopped for speeding on Texas Highway 71, going 60 in a 45 mile per hour (mph) zone (for the Canadians, that is nearly 25 kilometers per hour over the speed limit). The police officer, Deputy Chris Bieze, after completing the paper work, asked Mrs. Winkfein to sign the speeding ticket, something which the great grandmother refused to do. Upon refusing, Deputy Bieze then told Winkfein to get out of her vehicle, opening the driver side door, and follow him to the back of the pickup truck where she would be arrested. Instead of following the officer’s instructions, she stops at the side of the road, and demands the Deputy Bieze give her the ticket to sign. It was at this point that the officer raised his voice and shoved Winkfein. The great grandmother then becomes aggressive, threatening Deputy Bieze and begins taunting him. After numerous warnings, the officer then tasers the 72-year-old, turning the routine traffic stop into headline news.
The actions taken by Deputy Bieze do sound extreme, but according to Sergeant Major Gary Griffin, the officer was following police procedure. The Deputy’s decided to use the taser over throwing Winkfein to the ground, and holding her there with his knee while putting the handcuffs on her. If you ask me, that would have been far worse then what we have seen in the dashboard camera footage. Even knowing that, knowing that such action is police procedure, how does this make me feel? Well, I can’t simply say I am outraged by incident, especially since Winkfein is not the sweet old lady many would like to portray her as. If that was my grandmother, you bet I would be infuriated, but I know she wouldn’t become aggressive with a police officer who was simply trying to do his job. The shove by Deputy Bieze, though it appears damning, was for his safety, as well as the safety of Winkfein, as they were both standing far too close to oncoming traffic (accident can happen even on the side of the road). That is what this story boils down to, someone trying to portray themselves as the victim of abuse, while the police reports and dashboard camera footage shows otherwise. In this instance, because of a strong bias which does exist in society against law enforcement, Winkfein’s supporters are willing to ignore the facts, even argue that what was written in the police report was false, even with such strong evidence proving otherwise. Pathetic…
It isn’t that I haven’t dealt with law enforcement before, so do not point the finger at me and say I wouldn’t understand. I have had my own experiences with police officers, and some better were than others. For example, one day a few years ago, my brother and I were driving down Highway 174 heading to Orleans when an officer pulled us over for speeding. He approached the window, asked us to roll it down, and then asked my brother for his driver’s license and vehicle registration, as well as asking us about who owned the vehicle we were driving. Seeing how our mother was the registered owner of the vehicle and not my brother (we are listed as secondary drivers), the officer walked back to his vehicle to do a quick check. He later returned, giving my brother back his license and the vehicle registration, and telling us to drive more carefully. At first I was a little puzzled by his questions about vehicle ownership, especially since I didn’t feel that the two of us fit the description of the stereotypical “Joyriders” or car thieves. Seeing how the news at the time was filled with stories of such incidents, teenagers stealing vehicles, and seeing how young my brother and I could look (we still get carded at casinos and night clubs), it was more than understandable that the police officer would ask such a question. It wasn’t an abuse of power, and because we had been so cooperative, he let us off with a warning. A calm and polite, as well as taser-free, five minute exchange between a driver and a traffic cop, nothing more.
Everyday the men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line to serve and protect their communities. Sure there are a few “bad apples”, just as with all professions, whether police, firefighters, ambulance drivers, etc but they are the exception, not the norm.
*****
What does this story have to do with anything in the news recently? Examining this incident I believe helps put the recent news into a far more understandable context. Kathryn Winkfein could have been someone else entirely, someone of a different background, whether racial or otherwise, but no matter who that person could be, there is a right and a wrong way to deal with a police officer…
Now I promised someone that I wouldn’t discuss the incident between Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr and Sergeant James Crowley, so I won’t go into this in any serious depth. I will say though that according to the police reports, Crowley was simply following procedure. I will also say, that while I will not get into serious discussion about this, I will point out a few facts that are being ignored purposely by those who wish to pass this off as a case of racial profiling…
One, Sergeant Crowley was well within his rights to enter Gates’ house. Following police procedure, Crowley was investigating a report of a break-in at that address. According to Lucia Wallen, the women who had called 911, two black men carrying backpacks had forced they way into Gates’ house. While Crowley was at first trying to get the professor to step outside the house so that he could assess the situation, because Gates was being uncooperative, he felt it necessary to enter the residence to understand what was going on. As explained by Crowley, it could have been that Gates was being forced by the men Ms. Wallen saw breaking into the house to try and deter the officer from entering the house. This point is backed up by Crowley message to dispatch about having most-likely identified the owner of the house as Gates (though he was only presented with a Harvard identification card), but being confused about how he was behaving. It is more than understandable for Crowley to act this way, especially seeing that a few houses in the area including Gates’, had been broken into recently.
Two, Professor Gates wasn’t arrested for being “black in America”, wasn’t arrested for breaking into his own house, nor was he arrested in his house being verbally abusive to an officer. As was stated in not only Crowley’s report, but also Officer Carlos Figueroa’s report, that Gates followed the officer out onto the porch and continued to accuse him of racism, along with a shouting slew of other offensive remarks, which drew a large crowd on onlookers. After repeated warnings, Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct. This incident was witnessed by a slew of pedestrians and other officers, including Sergeant Leon Lashley, who is himself African-American. If this was racist in anyway, I would assume that Lashley would have said something about it in his interview with CNN’s Don Lemon. He, along with the rest of the Cambridge Police have stated that not only was the arrest of Gates done while following police procedure, but that they support Crowley in this continuing fiasco.
Three, the charges being dropped doesn’t mean that the police themselves are admitting that they were in the wrong. Charges are dropped everyday on a number of incidents, for a number of reasons. Could it be because of political connections? I would believe so. Both the Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick have both made statements supporting Gates in this matter, stating that they believed the arrest was because of racial profiling. Along with having their support, the professor is also backed up by President Obama, who’s statements during last week’s press conference created controversy. Instead of ignoring the most logical reason for the dropped charges, many people have turned this “red herring” into false-proof of police negligence. Upsetting…
This is for you to judge, and you can leave your comments about what I have said below. Much like with Mrs. Winkfein, I do believe that this incident wouldn’t have occurred if someone had simply been more respectful of a police officer simply trying to do his job… Pathetic..
UPDATE:The New York Times has the audio police audio tapes from the Henry Louis Gates Jr arrest, including the 911 call made by Lucia Wallen. While it was stated that the two men were carrying suitcases (not backpacks as a few reports stated), the dispatcher made no reference to skin colour other than the fact that they might be Hispanic. When Sergeant James Crowley approached the house and was greeted by the Harvard professor, who happens to be African-American, this may of led to any confusion on the part of the officer in reference to Gates’ behaviour. Once again, with the audio proof backing up Sergeant Crowley’s statements, and hearing that these recordings made no reference to police racially profiling African-Americans, I will repeat my earlier conclusion, that the officer was simply following police procedure.
I don’t see how anyone could think differently with the facts out in the open… Mind-boggling…
Once again, I will say that Sergeant Crowley was doing his job, following police procedure, not targeting Professor Gates because he was black. If there racial profiling in this case, as Patterico stated, it wasn’t the Cambridge Police doing it.
UPDATE: I have to admit, since this story broke, reading all these articles about how the Gates arrest was racial profiling, I have been feeling like this guy…
My mother hated white people… (All her life?) Probably. I didn’t know until — in 1959 we were watching Mike Wallace’s documentary called “The Hate that Hate Produced.” It was about the Nation of Islam and I couldn’t believe — I mean, Malcolm X was talking about the white man was the devil and standing up in white people’s faces and telling them off. It was great. I mean, it’s what black people did behind closed doors, but they would never do it in — I mean, they were too vulnerable to do it, say, where they worked, at the paper mill or downtown, as we would call it. And here was a guy who had the nerve to do that, and I think if I had been a character in a cartoon, my eyes would have gone Doing! — like this. I couldn’t believe it. As I sat cowering in a corner of our living room, I glanced over at Mama and her face was radiant. I mean, this smile — beatific smile started to transform her face. And she said quite quietly, “Amen.” And then she said, “All right now,” and she sat up and she said, “Yes”… And she loved Malcolm X and she loved what the Muslims were doing.
That sounds to me like more proof of Sergeant Crowley’s statements. If, as I stated with reference to Kathryn Winkfein incident, Gates had simply been more cooperative, this wouldn’t have happened. Neither him, nor the great grandmother was willing to allow either police officer to simply do their job. Police have to follow a given procedure, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you are a older white woman or a black man, you mustn’t be uncooperative. Pathetic…
For anyone still not listening to what I have to say, I recommend they watch this segment from the Chris Rock Show, since even he knows what you should and shouldn’t do when approached by the police…
Whatever happened to the patriotic and intelligent film and rock stars? Sure we have a handful now which still stand up for America, stars on both sides of the isle with the intelligence and love for their country, like James Woods, Gary Sinise, Jon Voight, Ben Stein, etc but those who get the spotlight, those who are interviewed and praised, are the worst of the worst. These people have, for years and even decades, stood against the American way of life… All the while, they have benefited from the same society they have railed against all this time…
Take for example Bruce Springsteen, one of these “parasites” who recently got into trouble when he committed the “sin” of signing a deal with Wal-Mart. To the liberal “nutroots”, Wal-Mart is Satan, the Lucifer of the “Socialist faith”, a symbol which is blamed for everything wrong in America. Most of the criticism is of the company’s treatment of its workers, mainly because it doesn’t allow for the formation of labour unions. As I have mentioned before, in my opinion, labour unions are “the monkey wrench thrown into the machine”, as we have seen with the auto industry in North America. Sure they have done great work in protecting worker’s rights, helping to provide a variety of benefits, like health care coverage, but now that the “fight has been won”, they abuse their power for their desires…
They are monopolies which threaten the very foundations of the free market, and Wal-Mart realizes this, closing up shop at the earliest sign of unionization. Wal-Mart is passing the benefit of their unique business practices (most notably, their ability to substantially cut costs) down to the consumer. This idea of affordability is at the very core of this company, as Sam Walton, Wal-Mart’s founder, once said,
We’re all working together; that’s the secret. And we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America, but we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better lifestyle, a better life for all. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished; we’ve just begun.
By controlling the price of labour, they increase the cost of operation, increasing the costs of goods, which goes against the principles which Walton founded Wal-Mart on. I will not discount claims of worker mistreatment, but there has to be a limit to the criticisms lodged against the this company. Because of social and political pressures on the retail giant, we do see this company now working on improving the treatment of their workers by providing even the most basic health care benefits for more than 1 million of its American employees, but this isn’t enough for the radicals. Anyone caught dealing with this company that provides more than 1.8 million jobs worldwide (1.3 to 1.4 million in the USA alone), is demonized. While seeking “forgiveness”, “The Boss” took a shot at the very company he partnered with to make himself millions. Pathetic and classless, but when do these people need morality? This isn’t the end of Springsteen’s hypocrisy however…
NewsBusters.org just posted a story about the New York Times urging Springsteen to attack Wall Street “Fat Cats” during his Superbowl halftime. By railing against the rich, who like him, have made their money because of the system in place in America (hard work, participating in the market by selling goods and services, etc), he continues to display his hypocrisy. Why is it that Springsteen has become one of these platforms for radical ideology? He lines up, does what he is told, and gets patted on the back for it by his “masters”. He is, in the most precise definition of the word, a tool, “anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose”… You hear that Springsteen, you pathetic tool?
It isn’t just Zellweger and Stroumboulopoulos, but many other celebrities are going out and endorsing this verbal garbage. Jon Stewart of the Daily Show gave Carter an interview, allowing the disgraced ex-President a chance to tell the show’s seriously left-leaning audience about his new book, “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land”, continuing to paint Israel as this oppressive nation. No matter what The Daily Banter says, you can’t call this man sane when he is continuing to voice lunacy which even the Egyptian government will not accept (Dershowitz “hit the nail on the head”, you smacked your thumb). Proving this point, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit went on to place the blame of this latest conflict solely on Hamas…
It’s no surprise though, Jon Stewart, as many have stated, including Mark Levin on numerous occasions, doesn’t express any sense of community with his own people. Matter of fact, some would say many Jews like Stewart actually hate the traditional Jewish community and Israel. To them, removing Lebowitz from his name isn’t simply a “career move”, but a display of his own self-loathing. A Jew hating Jew? Can anything be more hypocritical? As Melanie Phillips explains, this does appear to be a growing trend…
One of the most agonising and tragic aspects of the current global wave of Jew-hatred is the prominent part played in this by Jews. This is not a new phenomenon. Throughout the centuries of Jewish persecution, from the medieval ‘conversos’ to Karl Marx and beyond, there have always been Jews who, for a variety of reasons, have been ready and willing to advance the agenda of the persecutors of the Jewish people… Nothing could be more inappropriate than their common soubriquet of ‘self-hating Jews’; on the contrary, they usually love themselves inordinately. What they hate is the Jewish bit of themselves – or to be more precise, everything but that bit of the Jewish bit which enables them falsely to represent Jewish powerlessness as the key characteristic of Jewish peoplehood, about which they generally know next to nothing and which they generally disdain altogether until the chance arrives to dump on it with maximum venom.
Just pathetic if you ask me. What continues to boggle the mind is that these celebrities still think they are doing good in some perverted way. Where does this new brand of “patriotism” come from after attacking America for the last eight years? Who can forget Richard Gere’s “performance” following the 9/11 attacks?
The horrendous energy that we’re all feeling, and the possibility of turning it into more violence, and revenge, we can stop that. We can take that energy and turn it into something else. We can turn it into compassion, and to love, and to understanding… That’s apparently unpopular right now, but that’s alright.
Classless, tasteless, and pure garbage. That speech was given to a crowd of 20,000 New Yorkers, many of whom lost friends and family in the carnage of that day, and I can imagine the outrage they felt as they booed him off the stage. That tool could never understand what they were going through, not when he is sitting atop his “high horse”. To out do himself, Gere gave another shameless speech at the Critic’s Choice Awards…
I grew up in a time like a lot of people here. It was Vietnam, and we instinctively, innately, felt we could change the world. There was no doubt about it, and we did. We changed he world, and then something happened. It all became selfish… and rancid…and silly… and stupid, and we ended up with the last eight years that we’ve had in this country, which is almost over(applause). We have a few days left, but with this new administration, I think we can recapture that innate instinctive feeling that we really can genuinely care for and love each other…everywhere on the planet. Everywhere, and no one is outside of that embrace. Nobody. Everyone gets it. We don’t hold it back from the bad guys…the guys with the wrong color. The guys that live in the wrong places. Everybody gets that.
Even in “victory”, this disgrace refused to show even an ounce of decency. It would be tolerable if it was just this small handful, but more and more celebrities are marching lockstep with these radicals. While they preach love and hate, others, like many of those seen in the “pledge” video, join Gere in this blatant hypocrisy. How can you spread a message of “patriotism” when you were spouting anti-Americanism for so long? Not just that, but as NewBusters.org reported, just ten days after that sycophantic display, Ashton Kutcher did another video where he tore into his “Dickweed” neighbour. Where are the smiles and happiness you promised? What a pathetic hypocrite…
What I can say is that there are still some good “apples” among the bad. While Kutcher made a pathetic pledge he couldn’t keep to usher in the “Era of Obama”, at least one star on that video, Lucy Liu, has been doing humanitarian work for years, working with the United States Fund for UNICEF, not only donating money, but working as an ambassador for the organization by visting place like Pakistan. Unlike many of those who appeared in that travesty, she didn’t wait for Obama’s election to be a good American.
Aside from her, Hollywood “Bad Girl” Angelina Jolie has also done more than her share of humanitarian work. While she has been doing it for years, I was most impressed with her work for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees following the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While many fellow actors were complaining about the humanitarian crisis, she was actually working with the US Military to provide food and shelter for the thousand of refugees who had lost their homes due to the fighting. While we can be critical of her various relationships and the way she chooses to live, I will say I have nothing but respect for a woman who, with all she has to deal with in her life, takes serious times out to help others…
While I rail against many in Hollywood, I will make mention of those stars that continue to shine, those who will not abuse the status they hold in society, but use it to help those who need it. There still are those who want to make a difference, those who still look up to celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, a woman well known for her kindness and generosity, but they have been drowned out by these disgraces who use their own position in society to push their pervert political beliefs on us “lesser beings”. Where have the respectable celebrities gone? The time where those in the spotlight were idolized is almost at an end, replaced by the “Bruce Springsteens”, “Ashton Kutchers” and “Renee Zellwegers” who believe that simply being popular means they are beyond reproach.
Even in the “Era of Obama”, their hypocrisy can’t be forgiven… Matter of fact it must be dragged into the light for all to see…
UPDATE: The “ultimate” celebrity decided to take a shot at Jessica Simpson’s weight yesterday. In an interview with Matt Lauer, NBC’s “softball” pitcher, Barack Obama laughed at Simpson, discussing how she is “losing a weight battle”. Gateway Pundit and NewsBusters.org have this story…
Talk about classless, tasteless, etc Obama really has to watch what he says or the rest of America might wake up to find this man is a real “reptile”. I will say I approve of her new “full figured” look, among with many others, including a growing list of Hollywood celebrities. Besides, I don’t think this disgrace has anything to talk about…
