Musings about the news.

I have some observations about some of the stories in the news over the past few days.

First, if republicans ever want to make inroads with black folks in this country, they are going to have to start by doing the little things to make us know that they care about our history. 

I was watching the march in Selma, Alabama this past weekend, and not ONE single republican politician participated in that march. What are black folks supposed to think of that? Tim Scott, you better pay attention.

I am not sure how many people tuned in to the former guy's speech at CPAC gathering a few days ago, but if you did, you saw a guy who was clearly delusional and out of touch with reality. The scary thing is that even though the room was half empty, it was still half full, and those people who still believe in this guy scare me even more than he does.  His speech was dark dark and loaded with things that would make any fascist leader proud. 

Honestly, if you want the American experiment to continue, you better pray that this guy doesn't get close to the White House ever again. 

I saw some of Chris Rock's special on Netflix last night, and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. He picked on being woke, which is such a lazy and easy fall back for comedians these days. As if woke is a bad thing. New flash, it's not. Then he went in on Jada Pinkett-Smith.  Again. He actually called her a bitch this time, and in her hometown of Baltimore no less. Lord! The level of disrespect.  I get it, celebrities are fair game, and Will Smith was wrong for physically assaulting him at the Oscars. But Rock, to me, is one of these Negroes that's always cooning for the approval of a certain segment of the population. He is always so proud to tell black folks business. That bothers me. Those people love him, though. I suspect it's because he says out loud what they want to say but can't.  

Rock ended his show by declaring that he didn't fight Smith because white folks were watching. Yes, he really said that.  I rest my case when it comes to this fellow.

Finally, there is the F****r Carlson's edited version of what happened on January 6th. You really have to wonder how a guy like this is allowed to spew his lies and hate on a nightly basis to millions of gullible people. Ask yourself this: If January 6th was all a hoax, and those treasonous lunatics were just a bunch of sightseers, just what the hell was Josh Hawley running from? 

Caption Friday.

 

What is the name of this singing group? 

I read the Pointless Sisters on twitter.

That will be hard to beat. :) 

When diversity and "wokeness" goes wrong.

The link below is a very thought provoking article from Salon. I don't agree with all of it, because I happen to believe that  being "woke" is a good thing. And if we put the right people in place, so is diversity. 

This following paragraph from the article is an example of the author's mindset: 

"Diversity is important. But diversity, when devoid of a political agenda that fights the oppressor on behalf of the oppressed is window dressing. It is about incorporating a tiny segment of those marginalized by society into unjust structures to perpetuate them."

Nice lines. But wouldn't it better if we just made sure that the segment of  the marginalized people we put in those spaces were "woke" enough to understand their assignment? If those officers in Memphis were "woke" they would have never beaten poor Tyre Nichols to death.    

Sadly, woke has become a four letter word that the right has brilliantly manipulated to be a bad thing. It triggers their base in unspeakable ways. Which I guess is kind of the point. 

Their latest hope for a presidential throne, the fascist in chief from Florida, is banking on it, and he is hoping to ride that wave all the way to the White House. 

Anyway, read the article and give me your thoughts. 

[Article here]

Memphis Blues, and the slave-catcher mentality.

If you have been paying attention over the past few days, you know by now that the most popular news story coming out of Memphis, Tennessee, is not the success of their basketball team, but the horrific beating and killing of one of the city's citizens at the hands of those who are sworn to serve and protect. 

I must confess, I still have not had the stomach or the emotional discipline to watch the video.  I have seen enough graphic videos and horrific scenes in my life as a criminal lawyer in Philadelphia over the past twenty years to be able to withstand seeing one more such acts of horror. But honestly, I am just exhausted at this point.   

What makes this story particularly unique and nuanced,  is the fact that the five perpetrators, like Tyre Nichols, were black men. This, to me, is not surprising. I have been telling you about house Negroes and the danger they present to our community my entire blogging career, but unfortunately folks have not been paying attention. It's that slave-catching house Negro mentality that made it so easy for these Memphis police officers to savagely beat Tyre Nichols to death. We devalue the lives of our own, which makes it easier for others in the majority population to devalue us. One thing we are learning about this specialized unit formed by the Memphis police, is that it was staffed with mostly black officers because they did not want the scrutiny when it comes to civil rights violations that white officers would bring. The fact that these officers would sign up for this should make us all realize that the slave-catcher mentality is still alive and well. 

And let's look at the majority population for a minute.  Please note how quiet all the usual conservative suspects (who are always quick to support the police and demonize victims) are being when it comes to this particular case. Not surprising given the fact that the police officers doing the beatings were black. These officers were quickly fired and charged with second degree murder, and that's a good thing. But think what usually happens when a white officer, or officers, are guilty of doing similar things. They are put on administrative leave WITH pay. It takes weeks (and in some cases months) to release the video tape, and the right-wing media machine falls in lockstep to defend them and tell us what a dangerous job policing is. That is not the case here, and these clueless house Negroes who thought they were protected by the blue wall, will now realize that the wall does not extend to them. 

There is something the mother of Tyre Nichols said that really moved me. She talked about his love for Vans, and not Air Jordan sneakers to highlight his individuality. She also said that he liked art, and he loved skateboarding, and that he cried out her name while he was being savagely beaten to death.  

Stay peaceful.  

*Image from yahoo news.

 

 

Caption Sunday.

I need a caption for this pic.

I have one: POS in boots.  

The chaos Congress is here.

 

The 15th time was a charm for Kevin Mc-Qanon-rthy. If you are a republican and you are not embarrassed by the actions of the folks who represent your party over the past week, you have not been paying attention. How are they going conduct the people's business if they can't even get their own s*** together? 

While the GOP reps were auditioning to join the MMA, Hakeem Jefferies and the democrats were just enjoying the moment and savoring in the obvious difference between the two parties. No one is surprised. This is tfg's party, and we all know that chaos follows everything that he is associated with like a paparazzi follows the Kardashians. 

You have to wonder what's in store for this Congress over the next two years. My prediction is that it will be one big mess, and the group in power will get nothing done. They have a feckless and weak leader who seemed to have wanted the speaker's gavel at all cost.  A leader without a spine is not a leader, as we have seen from Kevin McQanon-arthy, he is simply a person who will go with the wind to suit his own purpose. This is who the new GOP Speaker is, and as we live out the next two years Americans will get to watch the train wreck that's coming play itself out before our eyes. 

Congresswoman, Katherine Clark, said it best: 

“Years of blindly pursuing power, currying the favor of special interests and bowing to election deniers has left the GOP in shambles,”....Kevin McCarthy is now being held hostage to his own ambitions by the dangerous members that he’s enabled.”

Popcorn anyone? 

 

The naughty and the nice.

 Tis the season of holiday cheer,  and your friendly neighborhood field negro is checking his list to find out who has been naughty and who has been nice. 

Let's start with the nice.  I have a few candidates who should be on Santa's good side. 

1. Anthony Fauci: This poor guy has been branded as a pariah by the anti-science right-wingnuts from day one of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, to his credit, he did not let it deter him from fighting the good fight against the misinformation and ignorance that came from the right during what was a terrible time in our country.  Thousands of dead Americans and the poor man still had to defend himself against the onslaught of negativity and disinformation on a daily basis. 

2. Wes Moore: Becoming the first black governor of the state of Maryland was a historic achievement. Having yawdie roots and showing that he has the political chops to take his political career even further puts him in Santa's nice bag.   

3. Bennie Thompson: His job was to oversee the January 6th Commission, and he and his committee delivered the goods. Some folks will  cry that it (the committee) was too partisan, but the right had their chance to have folks added to the committee and they played games. Thompson's committee was thorough and effective. Their criminal referrals to the DOJ now puts the ball in Merrick Garland's court.  

4. The voters of Georgia: I know it was too close for comfort, but stopping Herschel Walker from becoming a United States Senator was nice.  

5. Jalen Hurts: Showing the NFL world that hard work pays off, and doing it while you are the quarterback of my birds, gets you on Santa's good side for sure. 

6. Volodymyr Zelenski: The American right hates this guy more than they do Putin. Why? Because he is everything that their de facto leader, donald trump, is not. Brave, courageous, and willing to fight side by side with his fellow countrymen.  One of their biggest beefs with him is that he wore a military sweater to address congress.  Does this faux outrage seem familiar? Think Obama's tan suit. 

7. LeBron James: Glad you didn't just "shut up and dribble" bro. 

8. The ten CNN heroes of 2022: No explanation needed. Just go to the link.   

9. Cassidy Hutchinson: Having the courage to stare down evil and corruption is nice. Being brave enough to speak to the country about it puts you in Santa's good graces.  

10. The Capitol police: These men and women defended the Capitol against that marauding group of insurrectionist on January 6th. The MAGA lunatics literally tried to seize power from the government after a legitimate and fair election. The scary thing is that they almost succeeded.   

And now the naughty. No toys for you.

1. Tucker Carlson: Night after night he spews nothing but hateful and vile rhetoric meant to divide and drive up the ratings on his popular television show. The fact that he is on a major television network tells you all you need to know about where we are as a country. 

2. Marjorie Taylor Greene: This racist and anti- Semite has been sent back to Washington by her constituents. She is now more powerful than ever, due to the right's slim majority in congress. That should scare every American with a brain. The phrase you are a product of your environment certainly holds true when it comes to Marjorie.    

3. Kari Lake:  She just lost a free and fair election, and yet she continues to push the lie that it was stolen from her. Sound familiar ?    

4. Jerry Jones: Maybe he was only fifteen when he was seen in a photo that put him on the wrong side of an ugly chapter in America's history, but he has done nothing over the years to show us that he did not co-sign with the behavior of his peers back then.   

5. Candace Owens/Kanye West: These two go together like eggnog and Christmas for their coonery and ignorance. 

6.  Matt Gaetz: This Florida man has managed to stay one step ahead of being charged as a pedophile, and yet he still maintains a high profile while doing one obnoxious and borderline treasonous thing after another.  He has definitely been naughty.  

7.  Van Jones: Van has to realize by now that the bothsideism game is getting old.     

8. Urban Terrorists: These clueless wannabe gangsters who contribute to the destruction of their communities have all been naughty this year.  Five hundred murders in my city of Philadelphia this year is not cool.  

9. Elon Musk: Long ago, before I realized what kind of man Musk is, I considered purchasing a Tesla. I wouldn't take one now if you gave it to me.  

10. Kyrsten Sinema: She went to Washington for one purpose: To make money. Sadly, it has been working for her. She switched parties not long ago because she knew she would not make it out of a democratic primary. Hopefully the people of Arizona will wise up and end her craven selfish reign as a politician.   

11. The Supreme Court majority: No explanation needed. 

That's it folks. Enjoy the rest of your holiday. Oh, and your gifts as well, because all of you FN readers have been nice. :) 

Name this movie

 

 

Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times/Pool/Getty Images)

 

Jerry's ugly world.

 

My wife, bless her Cajun heart, is from Louisiana. Unfortunately, though,  she doesn't like Mardi Gras. This is because as a young child she had a horrible experience while visiting New Orleans to witness a Mardi Grass parade. People are shaped by their life experiences, and it doesn't matter how old you are. If you are old enough to remember, it can effect on how you view the world and things around you. 

If you have been following the Jerry Jones story, you know where I am going with this.

I am going to put my cards on the table and state up front that it's easy for me to dislike Jerry Jones. He is, after all, the owner of the team that I hate most of all the professional sports teams in the world: the Dallas calfboys. But this isn't about his ownership and his handling of the team. It's about who he is as a human being, and what he has done with his life since being a fourteen year old teenager with a front row seat to one of the most ugly chapters in America's history. An event that was certainly part of the zeitgeist of the time.  

I have heard all the excuses. He was only a young teenager. It was over sixty five five years ago. Look how many black people he employees. His team has a black quarterback, and on and on. People (black and white) will continue to make excuses for Jerry Jones, because he is a billionaire with influence.  But take the time to read the Washington Post article that featured the picture, and you will see that Jerry is a man who was shaped by his upbringing, and not in a good way. 

LeBron James called out the American press yesterday for ignoring the story, and I am glad that he did. Maybe it will get us talking about it again. And maybe someone will try to ask Jerry Jones, once again, what he was thinking when he was witnessing that ugly scene in Arkansas. His canned answer about just being "curios" isn't going to cut it. He had a chance to speak about how horrible of a time that was and how ugly and and abhorrent racism is, but he chose not to. This is the guy who told his players that they better not kneel with Colin Kaepernick. And he is the same guy who has never, in his thirty three years as owner, hired a black head coach, and who has had only two (count em, two) offensive or defensive coordinators who were black. since he owned the team. 

I would like to thank LeBron for putting this story back into the limelight. It will die down again soon, but at least, for now, we can take another look at Jerry's World and see the ugliness that's lurking right below the surface. 

Go Eagles!! 

   

   

No "red wave", and MAGA is to blame.

 You voted, and the "red wave"  that all the pundits saw coming, turned out to be a little more than a puddle.  

Maybe some of you really do care about democracy.  And maybe, just maybe, you realize that paying a little more for gas --and the food you buy-- is not quite as serious as having your  freedom taken away. 

Now comes the fun part. The right-wingnuts will start to turn on each other, as we all know that the malevolent narcissist living in South Florida had his ego seriously bruised. He has started already. He is now threatening to take his cult and their red hats and totally abandon the republican party. 

I, for one, do not feel sorry for the republican establishment. This is what happens when you make a Faustian bargain; at some point you are sure to get burned. 

Anyway, I recently read an article by Mark Greene (an incredible writer whom I just discovered), and it summed up the age of MAGA, and the madness that surrounds it, perfectly. 

Here goes: 

"The MAGA movement, based on aging white boomer victimhood is a bell curve. That bell curve has peaked for the simple reason that boomers, of which I am one, are dying off. We are the MAGA movement. How we got here is a combination of our own disconnection and the vulnerability which that created to decades of carefully crafted manipulation.

Boomers were wholly unprepared for the blunt manipulations of Fox News, in bundled cable of the 90s. White boomers never faced the great depression, or a world war, yet we were particularly susceptible to the idea that we were victims of hardships. In part because of the restless disconnection of our gated community lives we bought fragile white victimhood hook, line and sinker.\

After lifetimes of leaning into consumerism and mass consumption we boomers woke up to find ourselves angry and reactive to our own disconnection. Maybe a bigger SUV would help? Maybe a third marriage? That sense of disconnection was a warning, an inflection point. Some of us self reflected. Took stock. But many more of us doubled down on our nagging sense of victimhood.

 “Whatever the fuck is wrong here, it must be someone else’s fault. Women. Immigrants. Black people.” And Fox News was there to lovingly encourage our blind entitlement. To sell us our own failed white fragility.

The MAGA bell curve peaked as we moved into retirement, staring blankly at our own mortality. Because we had bought into the decades long drumbeat of individualism sold to us by a GOP bent on eliminating social safety nets, we sought validation in class and status and so ended up without community.

Retirement is when a strange unnamed panic really set in for boomers. No longer able to rely on the stale connection of surface level workplace relationships, we were left sitting alone in our easy chairs staring at the Tucker Carlsons of the Fox News rabbit hole. Again, it was an inflection point for some of us.

Some boomers said, “Maybe this creeping anxiety is my fault. Maybe this disconnection from my kids, my community, from the world right outside my door is my fault.” Some of us went looking for basic human connection. We realized we had been tricked into choosing disconnection. But so many more of us just got angrier."  [More here] 

That sound you hear is a microphone dropping. 

Vote!

 Vote!!