A "Celebrity Muslim" drops some wisdom.

It is not one of his classic skyhooks; it's actually better.

"Former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stopped by Morning Joe on Monday, presumably to promote his new children’s book, Stealing the Game, but the hosts also asked him to discuss a recent column he wrote for Time about the role that Islam does or does not play in terror attacks like the one against Charlie Hebdo.

“Another horrendous act of terrorism has taken place and people like myself who are on media speed-dial under ‘Celebrity Muslims’ are thrust in the spotlight to angrily condemn, disavow, and explain—again—how these barbaric acts are in no way related to Islam,” Abdul-Jabbar, who converted to Islam in the late 1960s, wrote last month.

Asked by Mika Brzezinski to explain what he believes is behind the actions of a group like ISIS, he said, “It’s a play for money and power, and these people try to impose their will on people so people will listen to them, and they can be in charge. That’s all it’s about. They’ve taken on a fascist attitude and a fascist approach to everything. You do what we say or you die.”

“You can make parallels to things that have happened here in America. Like the Ku Klux Klan saying they are the Christian knights,” Abdul-Jabbar added later. “And they do not practice Christianity.”

Like President Barack Obama, who drew parallels between what we are seeing with Muslim extremism today and what the world saw during the Christian Crusades, Abdul-Jabbar went on to reference those centuries-old events to make the point that people have always used religion “as an excuse” to commit horrendous violence.

“It’s not an excuse, it’s no excuse and oppressing one group means that we have to look out, all groups have to get together to fight that type of oppression, because we all should be free,” he said." [Source]

Speaking of the Klan, it's nice to see that there might be some justice for some of the people who were lynched at the Moore's Ford Bridge in Georgia.

"US authorities are investigating whether some of those responsible for one of the American south’s most notorious mass lynchings are still alive, in an attempt to finally bring prosecutions over the brutal unsolved killings.

FBI agents have questioned a man in Georgia about the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching of 1946, the man told the Guardian. The man was among several in their 80s and 90s named in connection with the incident on a list given to the US Department of Justice by civil rights activists.

Speaking at his home in Monroe, 10 miles west of the lynching site, Charlie Peppers denied taking part in the killings of four African Americans who were tied up and shot 60 times by a white mob.
“Heck no,” said Peppers, 86, when asked if he was involved. “Back when all that happened, I didn’t even know where Moore’s Ford was.” Peppers, who was 18 at the time of the lynching, said: “The blacks are blaming people that didn’t even know what happened back then.” [Source]

You are right sir, but "The blacks" will not stop until there is justice.

"Peppers was accused of being involved by his nephew, Wayne Watson. Video of Watson, 57, claiming in 2013 that Peppers and several other men from the area had spoken of their involvement in the killings was given to the US Department of Justice by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

“All through my life, I heard them talk about the Moore’s Ford and the lynching,” said Watson, in an April 2013 interview. “I’m tired of it, when you go through life, and you’re living with lies.”

Watson alleged that several of the men he named were Klan members. When asked this week Peppers denied he is or ever was a member of the Ku Klux Klan."

Riiight.

Sorry, I am a little cynical when it comes to older Southern white males these days. Stories like this one  helped to make me this way.

Mr. Goodell please pay attention. This is how a Commissioner should act.

Kudos to Adam Silver for acting decisively and relatively quickly to punish Donald Sterling. The NBA averted what could have been a very ugly situation.



Silver did what the previous owner, the gutless David Stern failed to do, and he should be commended.




Speaking of gutless, Roger Goodell should now confront the owner of the Washington D.C. football team about changing the disgraceful name of that franchise. 




This entire episode has been quite interesting. The public condemnation of an old racist caught being a racist has been unanimous (except for the usual racist suspects led by their television network), but I read two articles today which I thought were quite thought provoking.




The first one was from my twitter fam, Professor Rambo, writing on his fine blog, Question Authority.




Here is a snippet:




"Unlike all these morons working for and glued to the lamestream media, I’m not shocked, enraged, or horrified by the remarks made by Donald Sterling, the owner of the LA Clippers. This is the basic rundown:

Sterling calls girlfriend. Sterling tells girlfriend not to take pictures with Black men or bring them to the games. Girlfriend gets mad. Phone call is leaked. End of story.

What? Am I supposed to bitch and moan because of his racist opinions? This shit aint new to me. I live in this place called “The South”. You know, it’s interesting how the lamestream media works. Take something big, like affirmative action being banned in ANOTHER state for example. You know, the program that helps minorities with jobs and college admissions? Yeah, that thing. The media gave it a 30-minute segment before talking about that lost plane and its connection to UFOs. Think I’m lying? Check out last week’s headlines. Now, a fat slob who OWNS BLACK athletes telling his Kim Kardashien lookalike girlfriend not to take instagram pictures with black guys and WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24-hour air play, in depth analysis, interviews, CNN specials, Black in America documentaries, rallies, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton speeches, lamb sacrifices made to the Gods…well not that last one but you get the point. Why is it that racism that holds Black people back is taken lightly while someone’s comments are taken as the word of god? There is REAL racism and LIGHT racism. One stings and one kills. Our society was built upon the backs of slaughtered Africans and Natives. The definition of racism could pretty much be America. Racism has not gone anywhere, it simply hides in plain sight." [More]



The second one was from Mr. Skyhook himself:




"It's time to look at ourselves — and our collective moral outrage — in the mirror, says former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Moral outrage is exhausting. And dangerous. The whole country has gotten a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome from the newest popular sport of Extreme Finger Wagging. Not to mention the neck strain from Olympic tryouts for Morally Superior Head Shaking. All over the latest in a long line of rich white celebrities to come out of the racist closet. (Was it only a couple days ago that Cliven Bundy said blacks would be better off picking cotton as slaves?

And only last June Paula Deen admitted using the “N” word?)

Yes, I’m angry, too, but not just about the sins of Donald Sterling. I’ve got a list. But let’s start with Sterling. I used to work for him, back in 2000 when I coached for the Clippers for three months. He was congenial, even inviting me to his daughter’s wedding. Nothing happened or was said to indicate he suffered from IPMS (Irritable Plantation Master Syndrome). Since then, a lot has been revealed about Sterling’s business practices:

• 2006: U.S. Dept. of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination. Allegedly, he said, “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
• 2009: He reportedly paid $2.73 million in a Justice Dept. suit alleging he discriminated against blacks, Hispanics, and families with children in his rentals. (He also had to pay an additional nearly $5 million in attorneys fees and costs due to his counsel’s “sometimes outrageous conduct.”)
• 2009: Clippers executive (and one of the greatest NBA players in history) sued for employment discrimination based on age and race.

And now the poor guy’s girlfriend (undoubtedly ex-girlfriend now) is on tape cajoling him into revealing his racism. Man, what a winding road she led him down to get all of that out. She was like a sexy nanny playing “pin the fried chicken on the Sambo.” She blindfolded him and spun him around until he was just blathering all sorts of incoherent racist sound bites that had the news media peeing themselves with glee.


They caught big game on a slow news day, so they put his head on a pike, dubbed him Lord of the Flies, and danced around him whooping.


I don’t blame them. I’m doing some whooping right now. Racists deserve to be paraded around the modern town square of the television screen so that the rest of us who believe in the American ideals of equality can be reminded that racism is still a disease that we haven’t yet licked.


What bothers me about this whole Donald Sterling affair isn’t just his racism. I’m bothered that everyone acts as if it’s a huge surprise. Now there’s all this dramatic and very public rending of clothing about whether they should keep their expensive Clippers season tickets. Really? All this other stuff I listed above has been going on for years and this ridiculous conversation with his girlfriend is what puts you over the edge? That’s the smoking gun?" [More]

Two articles from two men. One a talented blogger, and the other a Hall Of Fame basketball player. Both writing what we are all thinking: Why were we all surprised?