DO SOMETHING: Rush Limbaugh... Again, NUFF SAID!

Okay the Subject is kinda like saying, "ATTENTION EVERYBODY... Stevie Wonder is BLIIIND!!!!!" But Robert Greenwald and the folks from Brave New Films are awesome, so I am hoping you will help):

SUBJECT: Rush Limbaugh is a racist

Professional sports has always stood as an institution that brings Americans together. Now Rush Limbaugh, who has built a career out of dividing people from one another through racist, sexist, and homophobic demagoguery, is trying to buy an NFL football team.



Watch this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV4eMNpW0oc



Limbaugh has poisoned American political discourse and he will bring his venom to professional athletics as well. Sign our petition asking the NFL to tell Rush his bigotry isn't welcome in American sports.

Yours,
Robert Greenwald

DOPE: Michael Eric Dyson vs. "Morning Joke" & the Crew....

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I know Michael Eric Dyson wanted to say, "Is you crazy?" (Or maybe that was just me!)...

"George Bush was called an idiot...." (Was he called a CRACKER idiot?). "Bill Clinton was called a murderer...." (Was he called a murdering HONKY?) What does the personality critique of our former Presidents have anything to do with this

or this

or this

and finally...

........need I go on?

Kanye, Kanye, Kanye....

Never have I felt so much like Joan Morgan. Joan, in case, you didn't know, is the author of the FANTASTIC book, "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost : My Life as A Hip Hop Feminist"

While I find Kanye's actions toward Taylor Swift despicable, I immediately find myself bristling when I see the violent and racist words spoken about him online. An amazing article from Media Assassin questions if Kanye's actions secured his position as the new "OJ".







I find myself so torn about this whole situation. On the one hand, I do not like the fact that Taylor Swift had a wonderful moment taken from her so disrespectfully. And I don't like the fact that Kanye thought picking on that young woman was acceptable. But I do think someone from Taylor Swift's camp should condemn the "lynching" speech, as Beyonce in her own way condemned Kanye's outburst.

All in all, I think we have a lot more important matters to be discussing (health care debate, anyone?) and focusing on.

DO SOMETHING: Glenn Beck.. nuff said!

Excuse me one sec, y'all.... (looks at cartoon) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA
Okay, now to the serious stuff -

As you may know, right-wing talk show hosts have been bringing race-based fear mongering into the mainstream, but FOX's Glenn Beck has taken it to another level.

I signed ColorOfChange.org's petition to stop Glenn Beck's lies and distortions, and so far, 62 major companies have stopped their ads from running on his show. These companies have decided they don't want to be associated with Beck's race-baiting.

But Beck is only stepping up his fear-mongering, so we can't stop now. We have to make sure advertisers keep leaving, and stay away from his show.

Will you take a stand and be counted, and invite your friends and family to do the same? It takes just a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/beck/hold/?id=2026-910062

This summer, Beck said:

This president has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people... this guy is, I believe, a racist.

That statement fits into a pattern of rhetoric from Beck designed to stoke racial paranoia and fear. He has claimed that President Obama has a "reparation appetite" and a desire to use his policies to settle old racial scores. Beck's overall plan is to create an atmosphere in which the White House can accomplish nothing, and he's carrying it out by preying on race-based fears and mobilizing hate. Beck relies on dishonesty, distortion and exaggeration, and he is embarking on character assassinations of Obama administration officials with whom he disagrees.

FOX has a horrible track record on pushing racist propaganda, but Glenn Beck appears to be taking the network to an even lower standard. He's trying to divide and distract America when we should be coming together and talking about issues that really matter--like health care and the economy.

The good news is that we have the power to stop this. Over 175,000 people have joined this campaign, and 62 advertisers have already stopped their ads from being run during Beck's show. Please help keep the momentum building.

http://www.colorofchange.org/beck/hold/?id=2026-910062

Thanks.

Here are some links to more info:

"Beck: Obama has 'exposed himself as a guy' with 'a deep seated hatred for white people'"
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907280008

"Glenn Beck: Obama agenda driven by 'reparations' and desire to 'settle old racial scores'"
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907230040

Champions of Crackheadedness - Cambridge PD

I had to wait a few days to process the situation surrounding the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for breaking into his own home. The situation was just so ripe with stupidity (and for lack of a better - or real word, crackheadedness) that I had to really compose myself. I know I call this blog my Rantings, Ramblings and Revelations... but sometimes it's better to voice your outrage coherently, you know?

I have been in the situation where I've been locked out of my home, as I am sure many people in the world has. I know for my personal experiences... the first thing I did was break out my old high school i.d., which works as good as a credit card. If it's a choice between waiting hours for someone to get home or jimmy the lock.. guess what? I'm jimmying the lock.

The Cambridge Police report says that Gates "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior.". How did they expect someone to respond in the same situation. Once it had been adequately established that he was the proper owner of the house, the police should have dropped the situation. And the police officers who refused to provide their identification show me that the scenario is bogus: if they didn't have anything to hide, why refuse to provide their badge numbers?

This whole situation reminds me of the Dave Chappelle joke from "Killin' them Softly"



"He's still here!"

Dear Mister or Miss Anonymous

So I received a comment to the blog I posted a few days ago, in response to Chris Parry's article about the hateful and blatantly racist Free Republic blog comments directed at Malia Obama:

" I guess you missed the update, it seems this trash journalist Chris Parry was outed as a KOS poster Hollywoodoz who had called for 'attacking "negros" and blaming Republicans" in his writing. He was outed for planting comments like this at Free Republic and several sites. He even went on that site to try to defend himself and instead ended up admitting to creating several accounts to do this. His comments on KOZ are far more vile and racist than anything he brought up in his column. "

I in turn, did to this comment what the moderators at Free Republic should have done to the comments calling a child "a typical street whore": rejected it. With a quickness.

I wanted to post this blog (and include his/hers comment) because I researched the claim that Chris Parry is a plant who stirs up controversy. After many links containing Chris Parry the jewelery designer and (of course) links to previous articles written by Parry I actually find a link that is relevant to the claims of Anonymous' comments.... a link from (surprise surprise) Free Republic.

Of course I found other blogs and websites that posted these claims, but they all source back to FR.

So thanks for posting your comments, Ole Anony-HITANDMISS, but unless this claim is being reported from CNN, MSNBC or any other credible news source, I am going to have to call your no-named reporting, simply... bullshit.

Peace from Brooklyn!

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." MLK

This has been a tough week for me, emotionally. The news has on two occasions, made me break down crying. First, news of the Philadelphia children being denied access to a club swimming pool, and the subsequent scrambling to justify their actions.

Now, I read this article from The Vancouver Sun. I was so heartsickened by this undercurrent of hatred becoming more and more apparent in this country.

Conservative Free Republic blog in free speech flap after racial slurs directed at Obama children

BY CHRIS PARRY, VANCOUVER SUN JULY 11, 2009


Photograph by: Remo Casilli , Reuters

This photo of U.S. President Barrack Obama's daughter Malia, wearing a peace-symbol t-shirt touched off a storm of epithet-laced comments on the conservative 'Free Republic' blog

"A typical street whore." "A bunch of ghetto thugs." "Ghetto street trash." "Wonder when she will get her first abortion."

These are a small selection of some of the racially-charged comments posted to the conservative 'Free Republic' blog Thursday, aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama's 11-year-old daughter Malia after she was photographed wearing a t-shirt with a peace sign on the front.

The thread was accompanied by a photo of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that featured the caption, "To entertain her daughter, Michelle Obama loves to make monkey sounds."

Though this may sound like the sort of thing one might read on an Aryan Nation or white power website, they actually appeared on what is commonly considered one of the prime online locations for U.S. Conservative grassroots political discussion and organizing - and for a short time, the comments seemed to have the okay of site administrators.

Moderators of the blog left the comments - and commenters - in place until a complaint was lodged by a writer doing research on the conservative movement, almost a full day later.

"Could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there?" wrote one commenter.

"They make me sick .... The whole family... mammy, pappy, the free loadin' mammy-in-law, the misguided chillin', and especially 'lil cuz... This is not the America I want representin' my peeps," wrote another.

Such was the onslaught of derision on the site that the person who originally complained about the slurs, a Kristin N., claims only one comment in the first hundred posted actually criticized the remarks as inappropriate.

A note on the front of the blog reads, "Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government," but one comment on the thread read, "This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution," while another read, "I never actually wnated [sic] to be a pistol before but..."

After attention from other blogs, the thread was suppressed and placed under review, but before long it was returned to the site intact, and attracted a new series of racial slurs when the original complaint email was posted publicly to the site, with the sender's email address intact.

"The writer has a point," wrote site owner Jim Thompson sarcastically. "We should steer clear of Obama's children. They can't help it if their old man is an American-hating Marxist pig."

"I agree Jim," wrote commenter, by the nickname NoobRep. "The kids didn't pick their commie pinko pansy of a father. Nor did they choose to be put into the spotlight. But Obama/Soetoro is fair game and so is his witch of a wife."

"Poor kids. I hope they're not 'punished with a baby'," wrote another. "Hopefully they won't deal cocaine like the Kenyan."

"DIRTBAGS! All of them. Our [White House] is now a joke to the rest of the world. We have no respect and this is not going to turn out well, mark my words. We will be hit, and much worse than last time. We are now seen as weak and vulnerable. Ghetto and Chicago thugs have taken over."

Only after significant negative attention from a host of left wing political blogs did the maintainers of the Free Republic site place the thread under review for a second time, before finally pulling it.

In the wake of the controversy, some Free Republic posters complained about the vitriol.

One poster by the name of "fullchroma" wrote, "To Jim Thompson: The recent uptick here in racist vitriol, aimed at Barrack, Michelle and their children has made me wonder if I belong. My objection to Obama has nothing to do with skin tone. Is the ugly stereotype of Conservative racism true?"

Another, going by the name of TChris, wrote, "Free Republic is a political discussion forum. It SHOULD be beneath us as a group to stoop to such juvenile tactics as I see increasing here lately. Do we REALLY have to insult Mrs. Obama's appearance like a clique of nasty 14-year-old girls?"

But such opinions were not shared by all. Said Roses of Sharon, "Poor libs .... Too late, the battle has been joined."

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

WTF? Philadelphia Private Swim Club Forces Black Children Out

From The Huffington Post/Allison Kilkenny:

Philadelphia Private Swim Club Forces Out Black Children

Update: The public email and phone number for The Valley Swim Club is 215-947-0700 and info@thevalleyclub.com. The President of the club is John Duesler.

NBC reports that more than 60 African-American campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club because -- according to John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club -- "there was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club."

It may surprise some Americans to learn that not only do certain private clubs still refuse to admit African-Americans, women, and gay people, but that this kind of enrollment discrimination is considered perfectly legal.

While the total number of private clubs is unknown, there are around at least 4,000 private golf clubs, according to Golf Digest. Of course, since these clubs are private, their exact enrollment standards aren't part of the public record, so there is no way to know for sure if they discriminate against ethnic minorities, women, or homosexuals. Furthermore, even if they do adopt official "white males only" policies, these practices are considered "legal" in some jurisdictions, though many clubs have been sued for discrimination.

Because of the shroud of secrecy surrounding enrollment at private clubs, these discriminatory practices usually only come to light when the media catches a prominent politician on the fairway. Katon Dawson, South Carolina GOP chairman and former candidate for the RNC chair, was forced to resign from the Forest Lake Club after members made public the fact that the club has a whites-only restriction and no black members. Then there was Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), who hosted a golf fundraiser at a whites-only club back in 2000 along with then-lawmakers Bob Ney and Tom DeLay.

Back in 1992, Bill Clinton was accused of attending an all-white private golf club, though Mark Grobmeyer, the Little Rock lawyer who played at the club with Clinton, denied there was a "no blacks" policy. Why were there no black players then? Mr. Grobmeyer replied, "None have applied."

President Kennedy was once challenged by future Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, over his membership at the Links Country Club because the club excluded Jews from membership. President Kennedy reportedly chuckled and replied, "Hell, Arthur, they don't even allow Catholics."

This recent case of discrimination at the Philadelphia club is merely a continuation of discriminatory admission standards. Such official bans on non-Anglo Saxon men may seem superfluous considering outrageous membership fees are usually enough deterrence to keep non-white people off the golf courses and out of the pools, but when The Creative Steps Day Camp managed to pay the $1900 for their young campers to enter The Valley Swim Club, the staff resorted to drastic measures.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

Remarks like that make it difficult to remember that it's 2009. According to attorney Benjamin Leedy, another shameful episode occurred a little over a decade ago when Hall Thompson, founder of the all-white Shoal Creek club in Birmingham, AL (site of the 1990 PGA Championship,) declared that his club would not be pressured into accepting African-American members. "This is our home, and we pick and choose who we want," he said.

Leedy cites another recent example in 2003 at the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, where Martha Burke, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, demanded that the club allow women to become members. Hootie Johnson chairman of Augusta National, responded "There may well come a day when women will be invited to join our membership, but that timetable will be ours and not at the point of a bayonet."

In 2001, Birgit Koebke and Kendall French, a lesbian couple registered as domestic partners under the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003, sued Bernardo Heights Country Club alleging that the club discriminated against them on the basis of sexual orientation. The club's membership privileges were only available to members' spouses and children, but not to members' domestic partners. In 2005, the California Supreme Court concluded "that since, under California law, registered domestic partners have rights equivalent to legal spouses, the question of whether the club's practice of granting playing privileges to members' spouses but not to members' registered domestic partners constituted unlawful discrimination under California's anti-discrimination law must be left to a jury decide."

This most recent case of discrimination in Philadelphia is particularly sinister because it involves banishing children. "I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.

What a terrible lesson to teach two children -- one white and one black. The white child learns to fear those who are different from them. The black child learns there is something "wrong" and "dirty" about their very existence. Hopefully, another more enlightened swim club will welcome the campers from The Creative Steps Day Camp, who are now looking for a place to keep cool during the summer.

Cross-posted from Allison Kilkenny's blog. Also available on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow Allison Kilkenny on Twitter: www.twitter.com/allisonkilkenny

"You're Worth It!"... Unless You're Not White. Then No....You're Not!

From The Guardian:

Part of the cosmetics giant L'Oréal was yesterday found guilty of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoo.
In a landmark case, the Garnier division of the beauty empire, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 (£20,300) each after they recruited women on the basis of race. The historic ruling - the first time a major company has been found guilty of systematic race discrimination in France - saw a senior figure at the agency given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

The French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics firm, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They sought young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers.

In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L'Oréal stipulated women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (UK size 10-14) and "BBR", the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag. Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.

Christine Cassan, a former employee at Districom, a communications firm acting for Garnier, told the court her clients demanded white hostesses. She said that when she had gone ahead and presented candidates "of colour" a superior in her own company had said she had "had enough of Christine and her Arabs".

One woman working in the recruitment firm involved said foreign-sounding names or photos showing a candidate was of Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian or other African origin would ensure candidates were eliminated. Another said: "I once had a good woman candidate but she was non-white. I had to ask someone to pretend that our list was full. It was hard."

One experienced candidate said she realised she was not eligible because she was of mixed race. In a normal sample of women recruited for similar sales work, around 40% would be non-white. For the Fructis project, less than 4% were of "non-European" origin.

SOS Racisme said hundreds of jobs had been subject to discrimination in the case. Garnier and the recruitment company were initially acquitted last year, but the appeal court yesterday overturned the ruling. A former Garnier head and a senior recruitment agency executive were acquitted.

Anti-racism campaigners in France hailed the ruling. Racial discrimination in employment is a huge problem in France with a recent survey finding three out of four firms preferred white workers.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's new justice minister, Rachida Dati, the first woman of north African origin to hold a ministerial post, has ruled that special departments in prosecutors' offices should be set up to deal with race discrimination.

Samuel Thomas of SOS Racisme told the Guardian: "This ruling is an enormous victory for everyone currently suffering race discrimination in France. It shows that economic interests cannot be put before the law and morality. Companies here clearly thought that racism was in their financial interest."

He said consumers of L'Oréal products in the UK and the US would be horrified to learn about the racial discrimination.

L'Oréal owns brands ranging from Lancôme to the Body Shop, which it bought last year. It said yesterday it would immediately appeal against the decision, which it found "incomprehensible".

"We believe that diversity and difference are a source of richness and we do not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination," the statement said.

The company was hoping for an altogether different type of publicity in France this weekend when it created a special lipstick for the Paris wedding of Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria to the French basketball player Tony Parker.

Century of beauty

L'Oréal was founded in 1907 by a French chemist who invented one of the first synthetic hair dyes.

It is the world's biggest beauty products company and owns brands from Maybelline to Helena Rubinstein and the Body Shop. In the 90s L'Oréal was hit by claims over past links to fascism, anti-semitism and the giving of jobs to Nazi collaborators after the second world war. It went some way to satisfy its critics with a boardroom change and other measures. Liliane Bettencourt, L'Oréal's major shareholder, is the wealthiest woman in France. Two years ago L'Oréal's slogan was softened from "Because I'm worth it" to "Because you're worth it" after concerns in France that the original appeared too money-oriented.






I remember seeing this Beyonce ad where she is lightened so much she looks like Reese Witherspoon or something, and I remember thinking "They don't value their customers if they don't value their spokespeople"

I am glad that the French Court of Cassation found them guilty and fined them. I am sure that fine is a mere drop in the bucket... but hopefully this will result in people boycotting the product which will be a bigger hit to their wallets. Hmmph! "Money-Oriented" is right... they want that non-blanc money, but they don't want to allow any people of color to make money off the brand.

I stopped using their cosmetics a long time ago (primarily because they're shitty) I did not know about Maybelline, though.. which means I will not be spending money on the clear Great Lash anymore! Does anyone know who else makes a good one?

Racism: Politician Insults First Lady Obama - Essence.com

Racism: Politician Insults First Lady Obama - Essence.com

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This is what is so wrong with racism today. Rusty DePass has the nerve to SWEAR that his comments had nothing whatsoever to do with Michelle Obama's race. He acted as if he was so shocked to hear why people who "misinterpret" him that way... like he didn't know African-Americans were compared and are still being compared to monkeys today.

Despite his backward beliefs, I would respect him so much more if he simply owned up to it. Instead he's proven himself to be not only a racist, but a coward as well.

Evolution, my ass!!!