Friday, August 06, 2010

Tracking the "tracker".


Hang with me tonight people, I am still a little down because my homie, Usain Bolt, finally lost a race. Hey, all good things must come to an end. Here is hoping that Usain starts training again and stops living the good life off of the track.

And, speaking of track. Tonight I want to talk about some folks they call "trackers".
Seems that these kinds of folks go around calling out other folks who are doing wrong by tracking them down. It's usually done with a camera or a microphone present to embarrass the trackee (Is there such a word?) Andrew Breitbart and his crew made this type of gorilla media tactic famous when they used it to bring down the folks over at Acorn. The folks over at Radio Rwanda frequently use this tactic as well, to bring down their ideological enemies and black people. The O'Reilly folks tracked down Dr. Boyce Watkin's boss at Syracuse University, and my man could not survive the public scrutiny that followed. Radio Rwanda went after William Ayers as well, sticking a camera in the man's face while he tried to go about his daily life.

So now, the latest tracking tactic comes at the expense of the Media Matters folks. But, unfortunately for the tracker, it looks like he picked on the wrong people to go after.

"Wednesday afternoon as our building held an ice cream social in the lobby, a young man showed up at Media Matters office armed with a camera. Positioning himself outside our office, he proceeded to ask people leaving the building what is was like to work for George Soros.

I decided to go have a
conversation with him:

"I would like to note, no matter how many times Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly says it, George Soros has never made a contribution to Media Matters. However if he would like to make a contribution, he can do so at MediaMatters.org.

There is nothing wrong with tracking -- Media Matters regularly sends trackers to conservative events -- but if you are going to track, perhaps it would be a good idea to come prepared with more than a single question based on a false premise. And when you are confronted with your own questions, have a better answer than rubbing your nose and mumbling."

Let me also add to what the Media Matters folks say about tracking: it can be a dangerous thing. And you track people at your own risk. The very first time one of these clowns sticks a camera or a microphone in my face or in my space, I guarantee you that it will be on You Tube for all the wrong reasons. Trust me, it will have nothing to do with what I have to say.

If you want to score cheap political points by sticking a camera in someones face when he or she is unaware that you are coming, you might want to tell whoever it is that you are working for to give you a little extra something in your pocket for battle pay. Because the next person you go tracking might be your last.


*Pic from The Brad Blog.






54 comments:

brohammas said...

Hey Field, I was wondering if YOU could tell me what its like to work for George Soros?

Gotta say this tracker is about ten steps below the news reporter trying to stick a mike in the cracked open door of the victim of a crime asking "how do you feel?"

chicago dyke said...

you'll have to explain something to me, Field. i just never can grok it. why do you care? why do you care if Bolt takes his medals, tosses them in the trash, and spends the rest of his life eating cheeseburgers or not?

i guess what i'm saying is that once a celebrity becomes a celebrity, they've "made it." proven... something, whatever. in the case of athletes, they actually also likely work hard and compete and get lucky and lots of other stuff that's hard. but Bolt has "made it." whatever he does now, well, it's his life, right?

most of us don't care that three houses down the street, there's a guy busy drinking his life away between episodes of 'matlock' and trips to burger king. we may casually mock such a person, but we don't spend a lot of brain activity wondering if he'll ever find jeebus and live up to all that unused potential he's sitting onn or something like that. when a celebrity chooses to do something stupid, it just baffles me why anyone cares. but then again, i guess that's part of the definition of celebrity, that being a two way street. i just live on a different block, yo?

Race Traitoress said...

Is "Spencer" a common name outside of Utah? I hear it here all the time, since many Mormon boys get named after a former president of the LDS church, but I didn't think it was popular with the no-Mo crowd. Wonder if that kid's from Utah. There was something about him that seemed familiar. . .

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

Well, I am still trying to figure out why none of my people got up and tried to stand with ACORN when they were being slandered by Fox We Make Up Lies News. ACORN helped poor people and black people and was a good resource for them. I mean come on now, they might have had their little problems with accounting, but face it, but it wasn't nothing major like Enron.

That's why I am voting Republican the next time around because at least they do stand behind their own regardless if they stealing, bribing, embezzling, doing the trader thingee, or whatever. They have each others back and know how to stand in unity with one another.

That fake pimp and hoe should have been tarred and feathered and ran out of dodge for depriving blacks and poor people some needed resources. I'm just saying!

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

Oh BTW, Field, I would like to send you an email with something that is very personal to me. I wanted to know if that is okay with you and that you will sorta do one of those client-attorney privileges thingees even though I'm not looking for a lawyer, since I have no need of one. Just saying that I trust you because I believe that you are a man of integrity.

Anonymous said...

You can trust us too Granny, tell us what it is, we are all here like family. Let me see if I can help.

Anonymous said...

Granny, first it was Jody and you worked the shit out of her. Now you are going to start in on Field? Boy! you are high maintenance.

With all the 1000's of relatives that you claim to have throughout the South, Michigan and CA, don't you know of a few lawyers you can call? Leave Field alone.

agape2010 said...

@ FN:

"And you track people at your own risk. The very first time one of these clowns sticks a camera or a microphone in my face or in my space, I guarantee you that it will be on You Tube for all the wrong reasons."

Glad I peeked in just for that...

My laugh for the night!

Peace.
~agape2010~

Anonymous said...

Granny I'm anon 3:17 don't pay that other anon any mind. Go ahead Granny, tell me what it is, maybe I can help.

Anonymous said...

FN, when Granny emails you, can you forward it to me?

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

Anonymous 3:19:

How are you doing Jody? I didn't know that you had did that much work on sending for a document that I never got.

Never the less, it's good to see ya. Oh yeah, and about those 1000s of relatives that you think I claimed to have got, I do come from a big family. See, that's what people get for trying to be slick and investigate. I still love you. I guess that comes from working with people you can't trust all day. I understand.

And to think, I did you no harm and mean no one on here no harm. So, why do you want to do me? smh!

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

BTW, I do have lawyers in my family. Four as a matter of fact. I just asked a question about how to get a document because I thought it would be okay. And you volunteered. I guess it wasn't though. Smh!

BTW, my family that I claim to have is not fictitious. They really do exist. I can't help it if my family history is unique. I have no control over that.

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

I came here with a sincere heart and thought well of y'all. That's okay, you win some, you lose some. BTW, how is Whitney?

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

You know what I was sending Field would have squash and dispelled all the doubt in this room, but I don't like it when people play sneaky games with me. God bless you all! I still love ya, but that trust thingee well...you know how that goes. God bless you all!

Anonymous said...

granny wtf? r u alrite? eyeve

never seen u post that many posts

in a row heres to u kid!

as to tracking, er um field is

someone trying to call u out?

seems like the external pressures

u alluded to yesterday r

manifesting?


either way best wishes with that

after all ure the attorney!

Anonymous said...

and no granny eye wasnt joking eye

sincerely hope u r okay this anon from

the other nite god bless!

field negro said...

Hi Granny, shoot me an e-mail @ fnblg@yahoo.com

I will be glad to help you if I can.And don't mind the the Anons.
You just have that kind of effect on them :)

"Field. i just never can grok it. why do you care? why do you care if Bolt takes his medals, tosses them in the trash, and spends the rest of his life eating cheeseburgers or not? "

OMG! Where is ISEE..when I need her? Pray for Chicago Dyke, please. I AM JAMACIAN! Need I say more?

Bro, I wish I knew what it was like to work for uncle George. :)

maria said...

interesting post! i had no idea there was a name for what is happening--tracking. seems way too banal. if this kid was a journalist, it would be termed ambush journalism (first practiced by the likes of mike wallace but for GOOD reasons not personal attacks).

these days anyone thinks he or she is a journalist cuz they have a camera or a blog.

curious--that blog on your sidebar has only been updated once in two years--why you "feeling" it?

maria said...

also, seems there is indirect soros money at media matters and SO WHAT? there's nothing wrong with soros. is the guy a mass murdered? child molester? jesus. media matters does good work and i'm glad they have funding, regardless of the source.

i've met soros long ago in a very small setting, heard his life story.

and granny, nobody touched acorn of any race. only now SOME say it was a tragedy...not sure what happened.

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised Tyson Gay beat Usain Bolt. Prior to the 2008 Olympics, when Bolt did a 'Flojo' turning from a very good sprinter into superhuman, Gay beat him on the regular.

khia213 said...

Gotta disagree with you on this one, Field. Without "tracking", we would have never had all those great interviews on 60 Minutes. We would have never had the Macaca moment in the Virginia Race. If you're talking paparazzi, I could see how you would think it's annoying and invasive. But if you're running for office or are a public official, that's just life. And just because someone sticks a camera in your face, doesn't make you obligated to speak into it. Some of our politicians would do well to learn that.

maria said...

what 60 minutes did and this is TOTALLY different.
i said the roots were related.

the trackers aren't journalist by any stretch and often their subjects often aren't public figures. media matters does not qualify as public figures.

real reporters don't ask questions like that. that's not how we work. and certain not in such a petty way against an organization.

Anonymous said...

Granny you are a fucking needy as thing! Always wanting this and that from folks. Also, ask one of those 4 AHEM lawyers you got in your family.

Stop playing needy mammy,,,jesus weeps.

brohammas said...

@Traitoress; Ouch, that on ehit home. I grew up with about ten Spencers and am not sure I have met one since I left.
Hey, I love my home state and all but you should run before you have to deal with a bunch of little kids named "Glen"

Anonymous said...

well anon 10:00 that explains her lurking back around here, she wants somethin'

Anonymous said...

"The very first time one of these clowns sticks a camera or a microphone in my face or in my space, I guarantee you that it will be on You Tube for all the wrong reasons."

Good job reinforcing sterotypes of the Violent Black Man. Cool, Field.

And Media Matters IS a Sorus front group.

Anonymous said...

Field Annon 1:18 has great point, whether you admit it or not.

Anonymous said...

Granny, let me apologize for the anons called you "needy". It must have upset you because you said a long time ago that you don't respond to anons. Guess it must have been quite disturbing, huh? Trust me, I will personally have some words with them...trust me.

A SPECIAL NOTICE TO ALL ANONS:

As President of Anon Inc., I will be calling an "emergency" meeting sometime in the distant future. It will be about how you guys affected Granny's 'trust' in our company of anons. 'Some', but not all, of you anons are tarnishing our good reputation. It is against 'company policy' to eff with Granny, and I want you anons to know that this meeting won't be pretty!! So don't expect any cookies and donuts and coffee at this one. And we won't be singing "Kumbaya" either.

You guys have GOT to do better! I am not paying you guys for this kind of shit. Now you go apologize to Granny at your earliest convenience.

I am so angry that I am seriously thinking about handing out pink slips about this matter! On the other hand, I really "need" you guys because there is a serious shortage of anons on FN blog... Ah, forget about the meeting...luv ya.

chicago dyke said...

FN: oh, ok. i get it. :-) it's hard not to root for the tribe, whatever one's tribe may be.

did you see this? i'd love to read your blog post on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ns-kXeQCMk&feature=player_embedded

chicago dyke said...

oh, and i meant to add at the previous thread but gosh it's long: don't be surprised if that Flint serial killer turns out to be a closeted white man who has had one or more sexual experiences, possibly for pay, with a gay black man. i'm just sayin.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:14 I am in love with you.

Race Traitoress said...

@brohammas - seriously, I was wondering that, even before I saw your comment--but I knew you'd feel it when you read it...lol. Teaching school I can't tell you how many Spencers, Orsons, Ezras, and Nephis I've known over the years! But Glenn? I sure hope not! You know he's going to end up disgraced, and that would be a shame for all those kids!

@chicago dyke - you may be on to something, there.

alicia banks said...

ditto fn

cameras will be bashed and faces will be smashed!!!

The Purple Cow said...

Usain Bolt was on a BBC interview with Michael Johnson last week. He told Johnson that the sprint training was hard and tedious and he was getting bored with it all. He's thinking of switching to 400m or the long-jump.

I think he should have stuck with cricket, he was apparently a fine player. These days you get to earn serious money playing cricket AND you get to marry a Bollywood actress.

And that alone can be no bad thing.

Anonymous said...

Usain Bolt is Jamaican and also the fastest man in the world? Well, he must be taking something because no fast runners come out of Jamaica. But I hear they are pretty good at bobsledding.

Anonymous said...

The overturning of Prop8 won't make it in CA. That judge was waaay off.

The Supremes will vote unanimously to reinstate the will of the voters in CA. My apologies to all DL bruthas. That judge should not have jumped the gun. He went against the will of the majority of the voters of CA. Judges don't make law, they just follow it. This judge should never be elected again.

RT, save the liberal immoral bs.

Anonymous said...

anon 824 u r on the money

ab u r a stupid cow

Anonymous said...

"Judges don't make law, they just follow it. This judge should never be elected again."

Conservatives have long said that the day would come when liberal judges declare the Constitution unconstitutional. That happened this week when a gay federal judge in San Francisco, relying on the opinions of mostly-gay "expert" witnesses, ruled that an amendment to the California constitution, which was adopted in perfectly proper fashion by a substantial majority of voters, is "unconstitutional." In this context, unconstitutional means "unpopular with me and my friends."

This decision was based on the erroneous assumption that everything that plaintiffs' "experts" say is beyond dispute. E.g.: "[T]he evidence shows beyond any doubt that parents' genders are irrelevant to children's developmental outcomes." "The evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples." (I would have thought that it's equally clear that "moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief" that the laws against murder should protect all persons.)

Judge Walker makes little or no reference to the fact that nearly all of plaintiffs' "experts" are political activists for gay causes and that many or most are in same-sex relationships. They're just neutral experts. In the same way that Walker is just a neutral judge.

Judge Walker's decision is the fruit of a lengthy process through which an elite within the legal profession has worked tirelessly in an effort to blur, hopelessly, the distinction between the law and personal preferences of that elite. If the decision stands, its main impact will be a diminution, probably past the tipping point, of public confidence in the law and the courts.

As a legal matter, Judge Walker's decision is a bad joke. It will be appealed, of course, but the outcome of the appeal will be determined by politics, not law. I think it is safe to assume that anyone nominated to the Supreme Court by a Democratic President is explicitly or implicitly committed to the proposition that gay marriage is a constitutional right. If you think that is bizarre, stop voting for Democratic politicians.

field negro said...

Prior to the 2008 Olympics, when Bolt did a 'Flojo' turning from a very good sprinter into superhuman, Gay beat him on the regular."

Hater! Jamaicans who train on the rock never cheat. But now we know why those American sprinters and East Germans were cleaning up for all those years. Can you say me and Mrs. Jones? And, yes, Flo Jo and a host of others comes to mind as well. BTW,Bolt owns Tyson Gay. You know it, and so does Tyson.

Well, he must be taking something because no fast runners come out of Jamaica. But I hear they are pretty good at bobsledding.

Ahhh...ok no comment needed. Anon. 2:14 pm, you better have that meeting ASAP. :)

LOL@ PC and the cricket reference.

khia213, you make some good points, but, in my world, not all trackers are created equal.

Anonymous said...

anon10:01pm, "As a legal matter, Judge Walker's decision is a bad joke. It will be appealed, of course, but the outcome of the appeal will be determined by politics, not law. I think it is safe to assume that anyone nominated to the Supreme Court by a Democratic President is explicitly or implicitly committed to the proposition that gay marriage is a constitutional right. If you think that is bizarre, stop voting for Democratic politicians."

Beautifully said, anon. I won't be voting Democratic again. Those far left liberals are as bad and crazy as Fox right wingers and Glen Beck. In fact, I don't see a whole lot of difference except one is far left and the other is far right. Both are extreme. And 'extremism'-right or left-produces 'extremism'. Those San Francisco lefties are outrageous, and very scary.

The Purple Cow said...

According to Michael Johnson (who knows more about this sort of stuff than anyone else) Usain Bolt is clean. The reason he says that is that if you plot a graph of a sprinter's fastest times against his age over the course of his entire development you should see a long smooth curve of improvement.

Dopers however will show sudden spikes in the graph (usually starting around age 18) where they make sudden startling improvements.

Usain Bolt has no spikes in his graph, it's a long smooth curve that shows he has been braking world records for his age since he was 13 years old.

Anonymous said...

"Dopers however will show sudden spikes in the graph (usually starting around age 18) where they make sudden startling improvements."

Sudden spikes are a thing of the past. They have gotten smarter to show continued progress without detection. Again, Jamaicans don't run that fast without taking something. How could that tiny ass island produce the world's fastest man? It has never been done...it is illogical and not possible.

You must be Jamaican, or you are trying to suck up to Field.

field negro said...

Sudden spikes are a thing of the past. They have gotten smarter to show continued progress without detection. Again, Jamaicans don't run that fast without taking something. How could that tiny ass island produce the world's fastest man? It has never been done...it is illogical and not possible."

Learn your track hisory.Have you ever heard of Herb Mckinley, Arthur Wint, and Marlene Otttey?
We could get into all the British, Canadian and American sprinters with Jamaican roots as well, but I will save you the embarrassment.

The Purple Cow said...

And let us not forget Asafa Powell former 100m world record holder, or Don Quarrie former Olympic 200m champion, or Donovan Bailey former World Sprint champion, or five time Olympic medalist Veronica Campbell Brown. All Jamaicans, all fast.

But anyway who are we supposed to believe on this subject? Michael Johnson former multiple World sprint record holder, who now works as a sprint consultant? Or some anonymous racist slimeball on the internet?


Mmmmmmmmm, tough call.

Anonymous said...

PC, "But anyway who are we supposed to believe on this subject? Michael Johnson former multiple World sprint record holder, who now works as a sprint consultant? Or some anonymous racist slimeball on the internet?"

Name calling on FN blog is frowned on. Where are you from, Somalia? You also have a closed stubborn mind. Check your family tree. There is probably a Jamaican or two in you.

And who comes up with a name like Purple Cow- and an avatar with a person getting ready to blow out the brains of another human being? Only a very sick person would do that.

Anonymous said...

Purple Cow: Your avatar is all wrong. Capitalism should be portrayed by one figure handing the other money in exchange for something he has produced.

Your picture more accurately portrays Socialism, where the productive are compelled by threat of violence to "share" their wealth.

Just sayin'

The Purple Cow said...

Sorry Anony, I had previously over-estimated you. The sheer breadth and depth of your stupidity is only now evident to me. I thought you were just a narrow-minded little bigot. But in fact, you are much less even than that.

You have already demonstrated a total lack of knowledge of geography and human physiology, and now we can add hackneyed, cliched (and of course just plane wrong) opinions on politics and economics to the ever lengthening list. Do you have an original opinion anywhere in your entire sad little brain? I suspect not. Even your lame attempts at insults lack a spark of humor or originality

Rather than waste your time trolling on a blog you do not have the intellectual capacity to cope with, you should rather take the time to asses the failure that is your life.

Why do you spend your spare time insulting black men on the web when you don't have the guts to do it in real life? And more importantly what does that tell you about you and your sad little existence?

What are you compensating for Anony?

Why is your life such a disappointment to you?

Why does your wife hate you? After all she must have known of your sexual inadequacies before she married you, so that can't be the problem? Can it?

Does it make you feel like a BIG MAN (finally!!) when you insult black people on the web? Does make things stir down there in the old family jewels???

First time in a long time, huh?

Is it cheaper than viagra for you, Anony?

Mmmmmmm?

Anonymous said...

Now I get the "Purple Cow" moniker: You're gay!

Jesus, what a lame post.

The Purple Cow said...

Homophjobic as well - of course you are!

Now if you can demonstrate that you are anti-Semitic you'll have the complete set, and you will qualify for a special prize from Heinrich Himmler himself.

Go for it buddy...

Anonymous said...

pc what does homophjobic mean? muah muah muah muah muah

The Purple Cow said...

Wow naziboy, if a typo makes you so happy, things must be even worse for you than I thought.

How old are you, btw? 12? 13?

field negro said...

Damn PC, go easy on the anons. A history lesson (Loved the DQ reference) and a verbal beat down? Ouch!

Anonymous said...

pc eyem a little older than twelve eye just thought the typo was funny! btw eye wasnt the anon talking that shit to u either cuz eye think ure swell;)

ANON Inc Agent 456

The Purple Cow said...

Confucious, he say... "Man who hides behind Anonymous moniker in cowardly fashion deserves to be miss-interpreted."