MSNBC Host Fired For Criticizing Obama?

Cenk Uygur, who had been host of the MSNBC program The Young Turks up until Wednesday night, announced to his viewers that the show and his employment with the cable news network was coming to an end. That, in and of itself, isn't all that spectacular. After all, shows come and go all the time. Within the last month, in fact, Glenn Beck said goodbye at Fox News while Eliot Spitzer was dumped at CNNRead more

Cenk, of the online news program Young Turks, is very progressive and passionate about his views.

Cenk has often questioned President Obama's progressive street cred. He has accused Obama of caving in to the demands of the GOP and Wall Street.

Apparently, the suits at MSNBC asked him to tone it down and he refused, hence both parties agreed to go their separate way.

"I didn't want to work at a place that, you know, wouldn't let me do my kind of show, that wasn't interested in my kind of show, that didn't want to challenge power," Uygur said


I may be very critical about people that wantonly criticize Obama - Tavis Smiley, Cornel West and others - regarding his style while overlooking his huge and historical legislative victories.

But I will vigorously support their right to express any their views. Cenk had good ratings and MSNBC knew his style before they hired him.

This leaves the question, who pressured MSNBC to request Cenk to tone it down?

Republicans Love Angry Black Men

Contrary to popular belief, the GOP loves them some angry black men.

Boy, they do.

Republicans love angry black men to play the race-card and they encourage them to play it fast and furious.

Republicans will finance angry black men and promote them to the head of the class.

There's one hitch.

The target has to be President Obama and Progressive politics.

To receive fame, fortune and career these angry black men must shout at the top of their lungs, stomp their feet like there's no tomorrow and pound their fist in self-righteous indignation of all things Obama.

Yes, they will receive their rewards after telling the world, or anyone who would listen, their hatred of Obama.

Enter Forida Congressman Allen West:

When I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool.

I'm the threat because I'm the guy that got off their 21st-century plantation, and they cannot afford to have a strong voice such as mine out there, reverberating and resonating across this country.

President Barack Obama is in violation of the law -- plain and simple -- and he must be held accountable. ... The very foundation of our republic lies on the system of checks and balances, and as a member of the United States Congress, I have a constitutional obligation to ensure this system is upheld.

Enter Herman Cain:

“To all of those who say that the tea party is a racist organization ... eat your words!”

"Obamacare`s an atrocity around the necks of average Americans." He added: "The election wasn`t so much about what Obama brought to the table. People voted for him because they wanted to feel good about themselves, that they weren`t racist."

These angry men thrill white conservatives from sea to shining sea. As black men, they understand this symbiotic relationship and they leverage it to the nth degree. They validate Tea Party folks who can deny any racism by pointing to these angry black men:

See my birther movement isn't racist...good ole Herm supports us.

The strangest thing about GOP angry black men, even though they often (sometimes correctly) tell blacks stop playing the victim card, they are masters of the race game.

They offer themselves as examples of how racism perceived or real shouldn't hinder one from success (once again no argument here).

To cheering and adoring predominately white conservative crowds they use coded langauge to serve as red meat:

“I am an American. Black. Conservative,” he said, punctuating each aspect of his self-identity. “I don’t use African-American, because I’m American, I’m black and I’m conservative. I don’t like people trying to label me. African- American is socially acceptable for some people, but I am not some people.”

Here is the responses to Herman Cain's above statement by far right wing bloggers:

I am liking him more and more each day.

I am experiencing SUCH a mancrush right now.

Good for him, I like his style and honesty.!


They even go as far as criticizing President Obama and co. for playing the race card:

Every time somebody disagrees with the president, one of his surrogates want(s) to play the race card. Well, if the policies aren`t working, that`s not racial, that`s just simply a failed policy

So, after firmly establishing their conservative street cred - hating the race card even if one is responding to egregious and blatant racism - one would think yelling racism is not an option.

Wrong.

Almost every single time the mainstream media, political challengers or the progressive press challenges the speeches, policy or platform of black conservatives, the race card is the first card - and the white folks of FOX Nation cheer them on:

Allen West, when interviewed about his angry outburst and nasty insult ladden e-mail attack on fellow Florida representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, claimed he was a victim of a liberal smear because he is a black conservative.

One Last Note:

Yes gentlemen, I agree with you 100% that you did leave the plantation. You abandoned us (middle-class America of all colors) in the field to go cozy up with massa (Fox Nation and the ruling elite) in the Big House.

Enjoy your thirty pieces of silver.

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!!!

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Nelson Mandela

Statement From President Obama

As the people of the world celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday on July 18, Madiba continues to be a beacon for the global community, and for all who work for democracy, justice and reconciliation. On behalf of the people of the United States, we congratulate Nelson Mandela, and honor his vision for a better world.

Nelson Mandela said, ‘There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.’ A man who devoted 67 years of his life to public service, Madiba sets the standard for service worldwide, whether we are students, shopkeepers or farmers, cabinet ministers or presidents. He calls on us to serve our fellow human beings, and better our communities.

Michelle, and my daughters, Sasha and Malia, recently met Madiba during an official visit to South Africa that focused on service, youth leadership, education and healthy living. Their time with Madiba was the most moving part of their trip. Mandela’s legacy exemplifies wisdom, strength and grace, and on the anniversary of his birth we salute the example of his life.

In 2009, the United States was honored to join 192 other United Nations member states in the creation of Nelson Mandela International Day. As the global community honors Madiba on July 18 through individual and collective acts of service, we honor the man who showed his own people, and the world, the path to justice, reconciliation and democracy.

FOX News Responds: Stop Piling On

The phone hacking scandal surrounding News Corp is a huge, huge story—except to "Fox and Friends" co-host Steve Doocy.

Doocy and his guest, the colorfully-named Bob Dilenschneider dismissed the hubbub on Friday's show. Doocy said that the media was "piling on" and was ignoring more important issues.

"We've got some serious problems in this country ... and what do they do?" he said. "They talk about this."

Dilenschneider agreed, saying that there has been "too much" coverage of the scandal, and that people should "move on." Doocy said, "I think you're right."


Incredulous:

These are the folks that gave wall to wall coverage of Casey Anthony's trial, Jesse Jackson's live mic insult of then candidate Barack Obama, ACORN investigation, the fake Black Panther rise, Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair, and Barack Obama's Reverend Wright connection.

And now the biggest journalism scandal (hacking phone messages, bribing cops and spying on the Royal Family, celebrities, politicians and crime victims) in generations and they say folks are piling on- are they kidding?

Rupert Murdoch's news empire was built on sensationalism, yellow journalism, hack reporting, tabloid gossip, pandering to the lowest common denominator and right wing propaganda.

Fox News is a toxic cancer. It has infected and spread an ugly news reporting style to cable TV. It has poisoned and irreparably damaged American politics - creating a bombastic, emotionally high charged, hostile and in-your-face confrontational environment that has paralyzed effective governing.

Now, these same folks want to cry Foul!


This is eons beyond the pot calling the kettle black. This is a career criminal getting caught in the act of breaking the law, and complaining about being single out.

I'm enjoying this one from the bleachers and hoping for Over-time. I call it poetic justice.

Philly DJ: It's Time To Snitch

An 8-year-old's grisly murder would shock any community, but there's an added layer of astonishment in this neighborhood because the alleged killer appears to hail from the same close-knit religious community as the victim.

"You can't possibly describe how tragic this is and how upset people are this boy was murdered by a person living in the community, who shares his religion and his neighborhood," said Ezra Friedlander, who lives in Borough Park, the neighborhood where Kletzky went missing on Monday. CNN News

I read this story with great sorrow for the victim, his grieving family and community. I watched the community coalesce in shared tragedy - banding together to express outrage over this heinous crime.

Their sentiment (other than sadness) seemed to uniformly suggest this is not going to be an accepted norm! We do not prey on each other. His alleged killer was quickly apprehended by a tip from a community informant.

Juxtapose this sentiment with the mantra of urban terrorist living in black communities (thank you Fieldnegro):

Snitches get Stitches

Violent crime, brother on brother, black on black or neighbor against neighbor is an accepted urban norm. When we turn on the evening news, night after night, we see stories of Urban Terrorist - and we are rarely surprised by their heinous violence.

Prominent athletes and hip hop artist - via the Stop Snitching campaign - have associated and joined forces with the gansta forces that are killing their own people. In this convoluted arena, a kid gets his thug props for killing someone that looks just like him.

And I may add, understanding the socioeconomic forces, broken families and the role of media are all vital to relieving the crisis (and it is a crisis) - however the community (all of us) can still do much better. For this reason, I was elated to read the following story regarding a Philly DJ's campaign to encourage people to Start Snitching.


For years, one of the most common, if not infamous, expressions on the streets of urban America has been "stop snitching," which has evolved from a warning among those who mistrust the authorities to a mentality that threatens innocent people who witness violent crimes and major felonies, and establishes street cred just for avoiding cooperation with police under any circumstances.

But DJ Star (Troi Torain), who is one half of the morning crew on the long-controversial Star & Buc Wild show on WPHI-FM (100.3) in Philadelphia, is determined to change that regardless of what the streets say or what it does to his reputation in hip-hop. He's bringing out a "Start Snitchin'" campaign in response to an overt rash of violent homicides in his town over the past few years. He spoke with NewsFeed after his show to explain why he wants people to report crime and cooperate with police, despite threats that "snitches get stitches" permeating hip-hop culture. Time Magazine Story

Newt declares: This is the Obama Depression

Newt Gingrich labeled the economic situation in the U.S. as the “Obama depression,” just days after a dismal jobs report and signs negotiations on the debt deal are faltering.

“At 9.2 percent now for month after month after month, this is the Obama depression,” Gingrich said on Fox and Friends Sunday morning. “Housing prices have dropped deeper than in the great depression and it’s very clear that under Obama’s job killing policies, we’re not going to get out of this deep unemployment.”

Wow, where do I start with this one?

First of all Newt, the Great Recession - as most economist agree - began in 2007.

Second, the Great Collapse - stock market plunge, housing market meltdown, credit freeze and soaring unemployment rate - happened in the fall of 2008 after the fall of Lehman Brothers.

The late-2000s recession, more often called the Great Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world economy, with higher detriment in some countries than others. It is a global recession characterized by various systemic imbalances and was sparked by the outbreak of the late-2000s financial crisis.

These events transpired on the watch of George W Bush.

Third, upon the inauguration of President Obama the sentiment of the GOP - as expressed by Mount Rush Limbaugh - was for failure of the new president and our country's economy.

Instead of being constructive partners in a time of crisis, the GOP opted to be obstructionist. Thus, they sat on their fannies and just said No - even to legislation and ideas they supported before President Obama endorsed them.

But despite having no GOP partner, President Obama and the Democratic congress have somewhat righted the ship - even though high unemployment remains (something the GOP seems strangely aglow about).

By the economic-science definition of the word "recession", the Great Recession ended in the U.S. in June or July 2009. However, economic hardship remains in the U.S. and many other countries, prompting others to declare that the recession continues

Just think where we could be if the cynical GOP decided to roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

So Newt, please exit the stage and sit your a$$ down - even your fellow GOP voters stated you were an embarrassment.

You are the same Newt that lambasted Clinton for having an affair with an intern while you were having an affair with an intern.

BTW, on you way out pay your Tiffany bill.

I'm shocked, shocked to find that phone hacking is going on in here!

Rupert Murdock, the billionaire media mogul that has blessed us with FIX News, is in a bit of a pickle.

News Corp. (NWSA) Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch is heading to London to manage fallout from the phone-hacking scandal that forced the closure of the News of the World tabloid, said a person familiar with the situation.

Murdoch is being drawn into an ongoing scandal that the closure of the 168-year-old tabloid, announced earlier this week, has failed to put to rest. Journalists at News of the World, Britain’s best-selling Sunday newspaper, allegedly tapped the voice mails of crime victims and paid police officers for stories, leading to calls for the ouster of Rebekah Brooks, CEO of the News International publishing unit and an executive who is said to be close to Murdoch.

Now Murdoch, not known for journalistic integrity, is acting shocked and outraged that his newspaper/tabloid would stooped to this low.

Personally, I find that absurd - he owns supermarket tabloid The Star, New York Post - known for news sensationalism, and he gave Glen Beck a daily platform.

His behavior reminds me of the following famous scene in the classic movie Casablanca.

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!

Murdoch has made billions off of garbage and now he appears to be surprised by how his minions troll around for such smut.

I'm not buying.

South Sudan becomes an independent nation

South Sudan has become the world's newest nation, the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among international dignitaries attending celebrations in the capital, Juba.

Sudan earlier became the first state to officially recognise its new neighbour.

The south's independence follows decades of conflict with the north in which some 1.5 million people died. read more

Casey Anthony and American Injustice

Foreword: I have not been closely following the Casey Anthony case but, I was surprised the jury found her not guilty of murdering her infant daughter. With just my gut instinct, I believe Casey got away a crime and justice was not rendered.

And with that being said:

Where I work, a trusted and respected gentleman exclaimed in the aftermath of the Casey Anthony not guilty verdict:

This is the end of justice in our country and the end of our civilization; and it started with the OJ non-guilty verdict.

Familiar with my blog, he challenged me to blog about this issue - the miscarriage of justice in USA. The sub-topic of course would be how all this started with the OJ trial.

First, I quickly reminded him the tainted legacy of American justice was birthed long before OJ.

For example, there have been thousands (if not more) unpunished lynches from the word go, church bomb killing of four black girls that remain unsolved; the Rodney King verdict - that led to the LA riots; Abner Louima - the innocent Haitian who was forcible beaten and sodomized by NYPD; and Angel Alvarez, 24, an innocent man shot 23 times (and lived) by cops.

And you may recall the police sanctioned (ooops my bad we made a mistake) killing of innocent Amadou Diallo:

In February 1999, four New York City policemen searching for a rape suspect knocked on Amadou Diallo's door to question him. When he came to the door he reached inside his jacket, at which point the officers shot at him 41 times, hitting him with 19 bullets. The object Diallo was reaching for turned out to be his wallet.

My point:

To reiterate, outrage with justice has a long history. What is telling, is how Americans select certain cases to capture our national attention; and how certain other cases conveniently fly under the radar.

Dick Wald, professor of journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a former ABC News president comments:

"Pretty blond girl dies somewhere in a resort island in the Caribbean, and the whole world gets fascinated. You have to be blond and pretty and there have to be other interesting aspects. We are a society of people who look for novels in our general appreciation of life."

Need I say more?

Tom Joyner Calls Out Tavis Smiley

Seems as if Tom Joyner has drawn the line in the sand regarding Tavis Smiley and Cornel West - The Anti-Obama Duet.

And I think I know why.

Every since President Obama nixed Smiley's State Of Black Agenda conference in the 2008 (remember while campaigning in Texas, Obama offered to send wife Michelle), Smiley has held a very personal grudge that has clouded his politics.

I used to enjoy watching the Tavis Smiley show on PBS but, these last couple of years it has been painful to watch. At times, he tries to goad his guest into his anti-Obama rhetoric and banter - although, most (like Harold Ford) deftly sidetrack Smiley's comments.

No, of course we should not be blind Obama cheerleaders. He should be held accountable for his tenure as president.

What is difficult to understand about the rants of Smiley and West is that considering the political climate - hostile GOP and Tea Party majority in the House of Legislators and slim Dem majority in the Senate (with a significant presence of conservative Blue Dog Democratic Senators) - what, realistically speaking, legislation do they propose the president promote.

Any new big legislation will require a 2012 re-election campaign mandate. Hence, as Russell Simmons stated, Stop The Moanin' And Get To Work.

But enuff of my two cents...here's Tom Joyner:


My New D-Word for Tavis and Cornel

By Tom Joyner

Before I get to Mark Halperin, let me give you a little background.
They say that if you’re angry with someone, you should write a letter, get all the mean stuff out, and then tear it up or delete it. When you’re a little more calm, you write another letter or confront the person face to face.

About a month ago, I wrote a blog about Tavis Smiley and decided to table it because I said some things I didn’t want to publish. You’re probably thinking I went too hard him, but no. In reality, I hadn’t gone hard enough – and I knew it. I said I’d wait until something pissed me off so bad that I would have the words harsh enough to express what I was really feeling about him and his side piece – I mean side kick – Cornel West.

Well, yesterday, when Mark Halperin – a well-respected journalist, employed by a well-respected magazine and a contributor to a well-respected news network – had the audacity to call the president of the United States a dick, that was all I needed.

While I am appalled at Halperin’s statement, I have no expectations of him as a man and know nothing about his character. I am appalled, however, that as editor-at-large of Time magazine, he is responsible for among other things, deciding what stories will be covered in that publication. As the person in charge of political content, it is upsetting to know that he probably has not been objective in his dealings with material I and so many people look forward to (until now) reading each week. Needless to say, I’ve cancelled my subscription to Time magazine and hope you will too.

But I’m even more disgusted with Smiley and West, two brothers who I did have expectations of – and thought I knew. These two have done much worse than what Halperin has done because they set the tone for it, opened the door to it, and must take much of the blame for creating a climate that would make a white, professional journalist feel comfortable verbally and vulgarly attacking the first black president of the United States.

When you think you know a person, when you’ve given a person a forum to present his views, when you’ve had a hand in a person’s success, you want to believe that he is the same person he always was.
Remember THAT Tavis – the one who could take any complicated political story that had an impact on black America and “break it down” for us every Tuesday and Thursday in less than five minutes. The one who coined the phrase “radio advocacy” and alerted us any time anyone – from a private business owner to a politician to a corporate giant – even thought about doing black folks wrong. The Tavis that loved black people so much that he would sometimes, during his commentaries, be moved to tears. Where is that guy? You know, the guy that would have been telling me, “Fly Jock, Halperin has got to go.” For a while, I thought he was still with us, even though people around me (and many of you) tried to convince me otherwise. “Tavis is a hater.” “Tavis is only about himself.” “Tavis is jealous of the president.” I wouldn’t believe any of it. I had so much respect for him before his primary goal became selling books, and, later, selling out.

As we approach the Fourth of July weekend, one that celebrates our freedoms, including freedom of speech, I wish someone would use that as a defense of what Tavis, Cornel and Mark Halperin have said against our president. When dangerous words incite and brew up hatred and violence, there is a line. And these three crossed it.

In case you believe I think Tavis and Cornel called the president an offensive name, I don’t. I think they did something even worse. Any black people with any sense know that racists on the job, at school, at church or on the bus wait for opportunities to feel comfortable enough to spew their evil thoughts. If a black person tells a racist joke in front of a racist or laughs at one, it won’t be long before the racist begins to fire off a couple of his own. Mark Halperin and others are no different. They hate the president because he is black, and Tavis and Cornel, by not having the sense to not give them the opening they waited for, went all in. And this is what we get.

So, yes, MSNBC, fire Mark Halperin. I hope he never works again. I’ve already fired Tavis and Cornel. There’s nothing either can ever do for me or with me again.

I’ve got a new D-word for the two of them: Done.