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Bozell Column: The NAACP Cries Racism

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Almost from the moment Barack Obama declared he would run for president in 2007, our enraptured media elite has been accusing anyone who would stand in Obama’s way with racism. The question was never whether Obama was ready to govern the country, but whether the country was ready for the historic awesomeness of Obama. Pity the NAACP. We now have a black president, and they must convince (racist) America that there still exists the need for a national association to advance “colored people” in our society. How to do it? Identify and condemn as “racists” anyone or any group opposed to Barack Obama. Apparently you cannot sincerely oppose a crushing tax burden, a useless “stimulus” bill, ObamaCare, or any other element of his socialist agenda without being tagged as a bigot. In case there was any doubt that the NAACP was carrying water for the White House political machine, Michelle Obama appeared before the NAACP convention and insisted there was still persistent racism in America, and the group’s founders would “urge us to increase our intensity” – to fight for President Obama. The merger is so obvious they could now be called the NAA-DNC. Now the NAACP has found its mojo. It is slandering the Tea Party as “racist.” In an article on CNN.com headlined “The Tea Party Must Police Itself,” NAACP chief Benjamin Jealous smeared the entire movement: “The avowed racist David Duke notes that thousands of Tea Party activists have urged him to run for president. When the Tea Party marches by, Duke thinks it’s his fiesta.” Since when did the NAACP – or anyone else, for that matter– give a hoot what David Duke thinks of anything? On its own website, the NAACP continues to rehash all those unproven allegations that “respected members of the Congressional Black Caucus reported that racial epithets were hurled at them as they passed by aWashington, DC health care protest.” But let’s stop calling them “unproven allegations.” Let’s call them what they are: lies. There is no video evidence that this ever occurred, but the NAACP doesn’t care about the evidence in its kangaroo court. They even repeated that “Representative Emanuel Cleaver was spat upon during the incident.” In the real world, Cleaver quickly walked away from his own story when video footage proved it wasn’t true. The NAACP’s video recounting the “racism” of the Tea Party had plenty of objectionable signs suggesting Obama was a fascist and “It’s 1939 Germany all over again.” Someone needs to research the meaning of the word “racism.” It gets better. The NAACP-endorsed video of purportedly racist signs even includes two shots of Confederate flags and “hateful” messages like “We Need a Christian President” and the sitcom catch phrase “What You Talking About, Willis?” A poster imposing Obama’s face with a Mr. T Mohawk hairdo next to the words “Gimme Yo Change” may be odd, but it’s not racist. It sure sounds like there weren’t many racist signs at Tea Party rallies if that’s all they could muster. But “Bush Lied, Thousands Died” – that’s okay. The bigger problem for the NAACP is that it has its very own racists. Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government website revealed video of a NAACP banquet where U.S. Department of Agriculture appointee Shirley Sherrod talked about how she didn’t want to help a white farmer because he should be helped by “his own kind.” The contempt in her voice, in her face, and in the audience’s laughter is unmistakable. So where are all those news outlets which dutifully covered the NAACP’s attacks on the Tea Party now? The network evening news and morning news shows avoided this racist video entirely on the first day. Nevertheless, the cable news networks picked it up, and within hours, Shirley Sherrod had resigned from the Agriculture Department. Sherrod was clearly furious that her racist remarks were exposed. CNN analyst Roland Martin asserted that Sherrod had to go, because with a political appointment, remarks like this ruin the perception that Sherrod would be fair in distributing government help. Sherrod screamed right back at him that he was “clearly from a different world” than the deeply racist world she lived in. The bottom line is not only that Sherrod needed to go – but that the TV elite must stop ignoring this, and stop pretending that black racism and discriminatory attitudes do not exist. If Obama’s election was supposed to heal our race relations, then the media should put this controversy back on his desk and press him to address it.

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Disgraced USDA Official Blames Fox News and Tea Party For Her Dismissal

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The USDA employee that was forced to resign Monday as a result of racist comments she made at an NAACP gathering in March has blamed Fox News and the Tea Party for her inability to convince her employers of her innocence. As NewsBusters reported Tuesday, Shirley Sherrod, the USDA’s Rural Development director for the state of Georgia, delivered a racism-laden address at the NAACP’s 20th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet back on March 27. On CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday, after Sherrod said that the video published by Big Government didn’t accurately depict what really happened, host John Roberts asked, “When the U.S. Department of Agriculture came to you and said you have to step down, why didn’t you just say, wait a minute, you don’t know the full story?” Sherrod amazingly answered, “I did say that, but they, for some reason, the stuff that Fox and the Tea Party does is scaring the administration” (video follows with transcript and commentary): JOHN ROBERTS: Just a little while ago, we’re telling you the story of Shirley Sherrod, the U.S. Department of Agriculture official from Georgia who resigned after charges that she made racist comments before the NAACP because she said she wouldn’t help a farmer because he was white. That was one side of the story. We got the other side of the story from Shirley Sherrod coming up right after the break. She says it’s nothing of what people are saying it was. So, let’s hear from her coming right up. Fifty minutes after the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: The U.S. Department of Agriculture accepts the resignation of an employee after a video surfaced showing her telling an audience that she withheld assistance to a white farmer because of his race. Let’s listen to what she told the NAACP. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHIRLEY SHERROD, FMR. USDA WORKER: I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farm land. And here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land. So, I didn’t give him the full force of what I could do. I did enough. (END VIDEO CLIP) KIRAN CHETRY: Does that video tell the whole story? Joining us now on the phone from Albany, Georgia is Shirley Sherrod, herself. Thanks for being with us this morning, Shirley. SHERROD: Thank you. CHETRY: You say that this was part of the story and that it was part that was spliced enough to show you in a bad light, that this isn’t the whole story. Will you finish for us how this ended? SHERROD: OK. I was speaking to that group like I’ve done many groups, and I tell them about a time when I thought the issue was race and race only. And I tell them the story of how I’ve worked with a white farmer back in 1986. I was not working for the Department of Agriculture. I was working with a non-profit organization assisting farmers throughout South Georgia and the Southeast. And this farmer came to me for help. I was telling the story about how working with him helped me to see that the issue is not about race, it’s about those who have versus those who do not have. And I tell how I took him to a lawyer who I thought would help him. In the end, that lawyer didn’t. In the end, I had to frantically look for a lawyer because when USDA lifted — I’m sorry. When the court lifted the injunction against USDA in May of 1987, this white farmer was one of 13 that was foreclosed on by the state of Georgia. I had to frantically find a lawyer who would file a chapter 11 to stop the foreclosure. He couldn’t — at that time, we had up to 12. CHETRY: Yes. But let me just get back really quickly, you said you didn’t give them the full force of what you could do. You said you did enough, and then you referred to the race (ph) of the lawyer as well saying that perhaps because the lawyer was white, that he would help him. So, what did you mean by that? SHERROD: What I meant was, I didn’t know anyone else, but it thought taking — I didn’t know another lawyer at that time who was local, who knew something about chapter 12. But I thought if I took him to a white lawyer, he would definitely do all that he could to help save his farm. ROBERTS: Miss Sherrod, let’s make it clear though, that this happened 24 years ago. You eventually worked with this white farmer. You eventually became friends, you say, with the farmer and his wife. SHERROD: Yes. ROBERTS: So, the question I have is, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture came to you and said you have to step down, why didn’t you just say, wait a minute, you don’t know the full story. Here’s the full story, why should I step down? SHERROD: I did say that, but they, for some reason, the stuff that Fox and the Tea Party does is scaring the administration. I told them get the whole tape and look at the whole tape and look at how I tell people we have to get beyond race and start working together. ROBERTS: Many people at home might be thinking if you’re recounting an old story, why did you succumb to pressure to step down, why didn’t you fight this? SHERROD: If I tried to fight it and didn’t have any support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, what would I do? CHETRY: Let me ask you this. Did you talk to the NAACP about it because I just want to read from our audience what Ben Jealous, the president said. He said referring to you and this surfacing of the tape, “her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story, she ultimately realized her mistake as well as the common predicament of working people of all races. She gave no indication she’d attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man. And the reaction from many in the audience is disturbing.” This is from Ben Jealous. Did you try to clarify with the NAACP your story? SHERROD: No, I haven’t had had a chance to talk to anyone. All of this was happening so fast. And it’s unfortunate that the NAACP would make a statement without even checking to see what happened. This was 24 years ago, and I’m telling a story to try to unite people with that now. ROBERTS: Certainly, you’re coming out and telling your story now takes it to a different level, and obviously, we’re going to keep following this. It’s good to get your side of it. Sherri Sherrod, former Agriculture Department official. Thanks for joining us this morning. And perhaps, we can get you back on again, get your face on TV as well and talk to you more about this as the story continues to develop. SHERROD: I don’t mind. ROBERTS: All right. Thanks so much. CHETRY: Thanks a lot. So let’s get this straight: her employers at the USDA don’t believe her story and NEITHER does the NAACP. But didn’t you get the sense Chetry and Roberts did and were quite sympathetic?  For the record, here’s Monday’s press release from the NAACP: (BALTIMORE, MD) NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous issued the following statement today after learning of the resignation of Shirley Sherrod of the United States Department of Agriculture: “Since our founding in 1909, the NAACP has been a multi-racial, multi-faith organization that– while generally rooted in African American communities– fights to end racial discrimination against all Americans. We concur with US Agriculture Secretary Vilsack in accepting the resignation of Shirley Sherrod for her remarks at a local NAACP Freedom Fund banquet. Racism is about the abuse of power. Sherrod had it in her position at USDA. According to her remarks, she mistreated a white farmer in need of assistance because of his race. We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers. Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man. The reaction from many in the audience is disturbing. We will be looking into the behavior of NAACP representatives at this local event and take any appropriate action. We thank those who brought this to our national office’s attention, as there are hundreds of local fundraising dinners each year. Sherrod’s behavior is even more intolerable in light of the US Department of Agriculture’s well documented history of denying opportunities to African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American farmers, as well as female farmers of all races. Currently, justice for many of these farmers is being held up by Congress. We would hope all who share our outrage at Sherrod’s statements would join us in pushing for these cases to be remedied. The NAACP will continue to advance the ideals of America and fight for freedom, justice and fairness for all Americans.” Regardless of the conclusions made by the USDA and the NAACP, is the media template going to be that Sherrod’s actions took place 24 years ago, and she was wrongfully forced to resign as a result of pressure from Fox News and the Tea Party? Will Sherrod be made out as the victim by a sympathetic press? Stay tuned. 

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ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Grills Michele Bachmann: Will Tea Party ‘Undermine’ GOP Chances?

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

One day after suggesting that terrorist attacks during Barack Obama’s watch be ” set aside ,” Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos grilled Michelle Bachmann, forcing her to respond for every supposed crime of the Tea Party movement. The former Democratic operative wondered if being “more formally aligned with the Tea Party” movement could ” undermine Republicans chances of taking the House back in November .” He then quizzed, “What did you think when you saw that billboard, comparing the President to Hitler and Lenin?” In contrast, during Iraq war protests, vulgar, sometimes violent signs held up by liberals were routinely ignored by journalists. Yet, Stephanopoulos berated the Minnesota representative, “You yourself had to distance yourself last fall from members of the Tea Party that were using Holocaust imagery.” Earlier in the piece, the GMA host hit Bachmann for suggesting that extension of unemployment benefits should be paid for. He asserted, “The tax cuts passed by President Bush are set to expire at the end of the year. I know you want to extend them. Do you support paying for those, as well?” Asking a politician to be consistent on how to pay for their programs and policy beliefs is fair. It’s just too bad that reporters rarely ask Democrats how they will pay for things or what programs should be cut. A transcript of the segment, which aired at 7:09am EDT, follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: For more on this, we are going to turn to the founder of the brand new Tea Party caucus in the House, Republican Congressman Michele Bachman of Minnesota. Thanks for joining us this morning, Congresswoman. And let’s get right to this unemployment debate. President Obama, you saw that offensive in the Rose Garden yesterday, very tough on your party. He took on those who, he said, have no problems on spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans. But are now saying we shouldn’t offer relief to the middle class Americans. How do you respond? MICHELE BACHMANN: Well, the best way to offer a relief to the middle class is to have a pro-job growth economy. And that’s not what the President has laid forth in his strategy. Republicans are not opposed to unemployment benefits, hardly. We’re looking at $34 billion in unemployment. But, remember, it was Democrats that made a big deal of the concept of pay-go. They said they would not spend money unless they made cuts in other places. Neither the President, nor Speaker Pelosi has made an attempt to cut spending in order to pay for the benefits. This is a basic function of government. And, so, it’s important that they find other cuts in other places. But instead, George, what we’ve seen, they’ve continued to expand the long line of benefits in other areas. We need to make first things first. STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s take a look at that principle. The tax cuts passed by President Bush are set to expire at the end of the year. I know you want to extend them. Do you support paying for those, as well? BACHMANN: I think we need to be paying for all of the spending that’s going out. But when people are able to keep more of their own money, that shouldn’t be considered a cost. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, that’s a no? BACHMANN: Well, I think what we need to do is have a pro-job growth formula. And, really, what that is, cut the dramatic government spending that has happened. This didn’t happen in a vacuum. President obama spent over $1 trillion on stimulus. We were all promised that about four million jobs would be created. Instead, about four million jobs were lost. Then, President Obama decided to take over, through either direct ownership or control, one private industry after another. What we’ve learned is that the federal government takeover of private business leads to unemployment, not employment. STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me be clear then- BACHMANN: Your story’s accurate. People want jobs. That’s true. They don’t want unemployment. But the government’s policies have brought about failure in private job creation. STEPHANOPOULOS: But, to be clear, you’re saying the tax cuts don’t have to be paid for. But this unemployment extension does. Let me turn to the new Tea Party caucus that was formed. You said it was designed to promote fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution and limited government. I’m wondering, why do you think it’s necessary? Are leaders in the House not living up to that responsibility? BACHMANN: Well, what we’ve been hearing from people all over the country, George, is that Congress is not listening to the American people. This is a forum for members of Congress to be able to listen to what people have been trying to tell us. And it is very simple. It’s a banner that comes under the idea of don’t spend more than what you’re taking in. People want the federal government to live just the way they do. And they want us to adhere to principles of the Constitution, because people believe they’re taxed enough already. This isn’t a political party, like the Republican Party or Democrat Party. It’s a set of ideas that, after all, members of Congress, swore that they would uphold under the Constitution. STEPHANOPOULOS: You also run the risk of taking in the controversy that comes with the Tea Party, as well. We all saw the billboard in northern Iowa last week, comparing President Obama to Hitler and Lenin. The broader movement had to expel the Chairman of the Tea Party Express this weekend for making racist comments. You yourself had to distance yourself last fall from members of the Tea Party that were using Holocaust imagery. Are you worried that being more formally aligned with the Tea Party, you might undermine Republicans chances of taking the House back in November? BACHMANN: Well, what I think what we’re trying to do more than anything, again, is to give a forum to the ideas that people have tried to talk to us about. Most of the people who came to Washington, to rallies, and to town hall meetings across the country, are just trying to get the attention of Congress to say, would you please stop spending money that you don’t have. Because, the money is our money. That’s what the people are saying. These are lawyers, doctors, small business owners, housewives, farmers. People from all walks of life, just saying, please, federal government, get your act together. And start acting in a way that will not leave us bankrupt and will create a pro-growth agenda here in America. STEPHANOPOULOS: We only have a few seconds. What did you think when you saw that billboard, comparing the President to Hitler and Lenin? BACHMANN: Well, you know, some things aren’t helpful going forward. And to focus on the ideas of a pro-growth economy, living within our means, that’s positive. That’s what we hope to do in this caucus.

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CBS Continues to Defend Obama Vacation Time With Bush Comparison

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Following a report on Saturday’s CBS Evening News , in which White House correspondent Chip Reid defended President Obama’s Maine vacation with a comparison to President Bush’s vacation time, Monday’s Early Show took the same approach as correspondent Michelle Miller reported: But it’s not just where and when presidents travel, it’s how often. Ronald Reagan took 349 vacation days at his California ranch during his eight years in office. In his first year and a half as President, George W. Bush vacationed 96 days. Over that same time period, President Obama has taken 36 days. On Saturday, Reid had similarly noted: “Whatever criticism there may be of the President’s vacation choices, he’s spent 33 days on vacation in his first 18 months. His predecessor, Bush W. Bush, spent 96 in the same period.” When Obama vacationed on Martha’ Vineyard in August of 2009 , Reid highlighted how it helped the local economy: “One thing that’s going to give a huge boost to the economy is all the Obama paraphernalia…t-shirts, it’s baseball caps and magnets and coffee mugs and glasses. And restaurants are selling the ‘Baracko Taco.’ Bars are selling ‘Ale to the Chief.’ And all of it is selling like crazy.” In the Monday Early Show report, Miller cited liberal presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who further defended Obama’s decision to vacation in Maine, rather along the tourist-starved Gulf coast: “Sure, people might wish that Obama had gone to the Gulf, but had he gone to the Gulf, now people would have said he was going there for politics.” Goodwin went on to declare: “I think presidential vacations are essential. It allows a President to relax, to replenish his energies, to think. Something they sometimes can’t do enough of in Washington.” At that point, Miller observed: “Despite any criticism, presidential vacations leave indelible images.” Goodwin chimed in: “JFK sailing is forever in our mind, that rugged JFK.” Miller concluded: “Only time will tell how President Obama’s hike in his dress shoes will compare with President Nixon’s similar walk on the beach.” Following Miller’s report, fill-in co-hosts Jeff Glor and Erica Hill shared their thoughts on the presidential vacation controversy. Glor sympathized: “I mean, the camera’s always on….I mean even when he’s there, they’re there following from spot to spot. So, you’re never really off that job.” Hill agreed: “No, no. And that kind of comes with the territory.” Glor then remarked on the First Family’s choice of getaways: “And not quite as hot there. Only high 80s, I think.” Hill added: “Oh, it’s so relaxing. Plus that nice breeze off of the Atlantic, it’s fine.”    Here is a full transcript of the Early Show’s July 19 report: 7:17AM TEASE ERICA HILL: Plus, why the first family is under fire for enjoying a little R&R. [FOOTAGE OF OBAMA EATING ICE CREAM] HILL: The ice cream gets you every time. 7:30AM TEASE HILL: Speaking of vacations, the first family spent a fun-filled weekend in Maine, a little mini vacation, but their time in the sun is stirring up plenty of controversy. So we’ll take a closer look at that as well. 7:46AM SEGMENT ERICA HILL: President Obama catching a little more flack from critics this morning. But not for his policies this time, it’s for taking a family vacation in Maine. CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports. MICHELLE MILLER: The First Family returned to the White House Sunday from a weekend vacation, a getaway that included hiking, boating, and eating ice cream in quaint Bar Harbor, Maine. [ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: First Family’s Maine Event; President’s Getaway Draws Criticism] UNDENTIFIED WOMAN [BAR HARBOR ICE CREAM SHOP]: I think everybody needs a weekend off to recharge and get some ice cream. MILLER: Given the ongoing crisis in the Gulf, the President’s weekend escape received a good share of criticism. DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN [PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN]: Sure, people might wish that Obama had gone to the Gulf, but had he gone to the Gulf, now people would have said, he was going there for politics. MILLER: Questioning presidential vacations is a time-honored tradition. The Clintons frequently sailed off of Martha’s Vineyard. But after polling the public, they switched to middle-America-friendly Wyoming. George Bush senior took heat for golfing in Kennebunkport, Maine as troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf for the Iraq war. But it’s not just where and when presidents travel, it’s how often. Ronald Reagan took 349 vacation days at his California ranch during his eight years in office. In his first year and a half as President, George W. Bush vacationed 96 days. Over that same time period, President Obama has taken 36 days. GOODWIN: I think presidential vacations are essential. It allows a President to relax, to replenish his energies, to think. Something they sometimes can’t do enough of in Washington. MILLER: Despite any criticism, presidential vacations leave indelible images. GOODWIN: JFK sailing is forever in our mind, that rugged JFK. MILLER: Only time will tell how President Obama’s hike in his dress shoes will compare with President Nixon’s similar walk on the beach. Michelle Miller, CBS News, New York. HILL: That may be the strangest thing, taking a hike in dress shoes. Out of all of this, all the criticism aside, it’s not very comfortable. You could slip very easily. JEFF GLOR: But there’s the thing, I mean, the camera’s always on. HILL: Always there. GLOR: I mean even when he’s there, they’re there following from spot to spot. So, you’re never really off that job. HILL: No, no. And that kind of comes with the territory, which- GLOR: Which he knew that. HILL: Which everybody – which everybody knows going in. GLOR: They all knew that. HILL: It’s true. GLOR: And not quite as hot there. Only high 80s, I think. HILL: Oh, it’s so relaxing. Plus that nice breeze off of the Atlantic, it’s fine. GLOR: Yes, with dress shoes.

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ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Spins for Obama: ‘Set Aside’ Last Two Terror Attacks

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Monday lobbied that if one were to “set aside” the Fort Hood terror attack and the botched Christmas bombing, there haven’t been successful attacks on America in the last few years. Stephanopoulos was talking to William Arkin, the co-author of a new Washington Post  investigation into the top secret agencies created in the wake of 9/11. The GMA host began by asserting, “I spoke with an administration official early this morning.” Putting a positive spin on Obama’s first 18 months, he trumpeted, ” And that if you set aside the Fort Hood bombing in Texas and the failed Christmas bomber, there has not been a major attack that’s been anything close to successful on American soil. ” Arkin dryly responded that it’s “always good to set aside the things that are most significant” in order to focus on good news. After the Washington Post journalist mentioned the problems that led up to the Fort Hood slaughter, Stephanopoulos again defended Obama: “That’s been conceded by the administration. But, the President came out, ordered a review and they’ve now have addressed those problems, haven’t they?” The ABC anchor did challenge Arkin on whether or not it’s right for the Post to reveal such secret information. However, Stephanopoulos seemed more interested in defending the Obama administration’s handling of terrorist incidents. As for the reference to his “administration official,” NewsBusters readers will remember the 2009 revelation that the journalist has daily chats with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. A transcript of the July 19 segment, which aired at 7:12am EDT, follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to turn now to a revealing new national security investigation into the government’s efforts to prevent another major terror attack o American soil. The Washington Post begins a three-part investigation today into the national security system set up in response to the 9/11 attacks. And what they discovered it startling. The series is called Top Secret America and its co-author William Arkin joins us now. And, Bill, thanks for joining us this morning. What I was most struck by in reading your piece in the Washington Post is how vast this apparatus has become, more than 850,000 people working across 1200 government agencies. 1,900 private companies in 10,000 locations. You know, that’s a lot for people at home to absorb. So, for everyone trying to get a handling on this, what the single most important thing they need to know about this top secret America? WILLIAM ARKIN (Washington Post): Well, George, thank you for having me on. I think that the reality for Americans is we’ve done exactly what America does best. But, now, ten years after 9/11, we ask to ask ourselves whether or not this gigantic system that we’ve created for counter-terrorism provides us both value in terms of money and also makes us safer. And one of the things we’ve learned in the two-year investigation is that the evidence shows that no one is really in a position of confidence to say that we are safer today than we were ten years ago. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you say that. Yet, I spoke with an administration official early this morning who pointed out that, number one, at least half of al Qaeda’s top 20 have been taken out since 9/11. And that if you set aside the Fort Hood bombing in Texas and the failed Christmas bomber there has not been a major attack that’s been anything close to successful on American soil. ARKIN: Well, I think it’s always good to set aside the things that are most significant in terms of countering what is that the government would like to put out as the good news. The evidence shows that, in fact, in the case of Major Hasan in Fort Hood last year, that the vast apparatus of counterintelligence and force protection on the part of the military completely and you utterly failed to detect someone who was right inside the ranks of the U.S. Army. And I think that’s a massive failure. So I’m not comforted at all by that. STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s been conceded by the administration. But, the President came out, ordered a review and they’ve now have addressed those problems, haven’t they? ARKIN: Well, I’m not sure I could say they’ve addressed those problems. One of the things that we’ve learned in this investigation, George, in getting on the record interviews with Secretary Gates, the Secretary of Defense, with Panetta, the head of the CIA, with the top two intelligence officials of the U.S. government. On the record they’ve all basically conceded this is a system which has grown so fast that no one really has a full handle on it, no one really is fully charge of it. And they basically agreed with our conclusions that they themselves, even within their agencies are not able to determine all of the redundant work that’s being done and whether or not it can be done in better ways. STEPHANOPOULOS: Although Dennis Blair, who’s head of intelligence, was head of intelligence, said that this is not redundancy, it’s actually tailored intelligence. But, I want to get to a separate point. You also reveal the existence of several secret sites in places like shopping malls. And one other problem the administration has with your report is that they say the very existence of this database that you’ve created is troubling, that it’s a road map, could be a road map, to our adversaries that could be very easily altered as well. ARKIN: Well, George, we’ve been working on this project for two years. We’ve been through months now of negotiations with the government. I don’t think that there’s anything in here that would do harm to U.S. national security. And, frankly, I’m an American as well. And I don’t want to do any harm to American national security. The reality is, that for people to really have an understanding of the system that’s been created since 9/11, they need to have the facts. And one of the things that we were able to do in this investigation is both write stories that explain to people this incredibly complex system. But, also, at the same time, show them so they can somehow be vested in the decision about either going to war or continuing the war or what their government is doing.

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N.Y. Times Columnist: Who Cares About a ‘Tiny Group’ Like the Black Panthers?

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

While MSNBC has spent a week or so playing the allegation of Tea Party racism in heavy rotation, on Monday’s Morning Joe on MSNBC, anchor Mika Brzezinski devoted a segment to the controversy over the New Black Panther Party’s voter intimidation. New York Times editorial writer Charles Blow denounced the group and agreed that the Justice Department needs to answer questions, but he predictably tried to argue conservatives are outrageous in suggesting the “strange logic” that Team Obama’s actions say something about Team Obama and racial justice: The political part of it is, I think, the most inflammatory part of this. It’s strange logic. The idea that the Obama administration – which is what’s happening here – people are trying to tie the Obama administration to black radicalism. And that has been happening since the campaign and it continues to happen. Not everybody, but it’s an electoral goal if you can tie him somehow to black radicalism. It’s strange logic to think that this tiny group, he somehow benefits politically from protecting them. They have a summit the year before this voter intimidation thing came up. There were a hundred people there. There’s nobody there. There’s nothing to gain. In fact, there’s everything to gain in prosecuting. The “tiny group” argument is especially fascinating. The liberal media have been consistently excited at following a tiny group of white racist organizations, accepting repeated tips from the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center. The liberal media made an enormous story in 2007 out of a “tiny group” of people who hung nooses from a tree in the schoolyard in Jena, Louisiana. Blow is also the columnist who caught a wave of condemnation after he called a diverse Tea Party rally in Dallas a “minstrel show,” because minorities aren’t supposed to say conservative things. Blow kept coming back to how it would be grossly unfair to try and make political hay out of the Black Panthers, on the same network that’s been trying to make political hay out of Tea Party racism allegations: MIKA BRZEZINSKI: The argument, isn’t it, and correct me if I’m wrong, that the guy holding the stick is being prosecuted while the other guy is not. Why not both of them? That’s one of the questions. But he lived there. BLOW: But also he was a registered poll watcher. They police showed up, they took the guy away with the billy club. They left the other guy there. I mean, there’s a certain point where, and I guess that’s what the investigation will tell us. It’s a complicated case. The political part of it, I mean. If it is being politicized it’s being politicized on the right. You have Erick Erickson of RedState.com saying that every Republican should make this Black Panther case the Willie Horton of this year. The other guest in the Morning Joe segment was Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who hammered away at how he not only can’t get any answers from Attorney General Eric “Nation of Cowards” Holder, and even the Justice Department’s Inspector General isn’t cooperating: WOLF: Why isn’t Attorney General Holder answering the questions and why won’t the IG look at it? BLOW: All good questions. WOLF: If two members of the KKK stood outside a polling place in Philadelphia or Mississippi and did that they would be in violation of the law. For two New Black Panthers to do this in Philadelphia is a violation of the law. No one should stand outside a polling booth whether it be in Virginia or in Pennsylvania and do that and the IG has an obligation to look at it, and Eric Holder has an obligation to look at it, and the Office of Professional Responsibility, and all three have sort of just said “we’re not going to deal with the issue,” and that’s wrong. PS: Sharp eyes at MRC’s TimesWatch added Blow didn’t seem to think “tiny” meant harmless in a April 18, 2009 column on the alleged epidemic of U.S. veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan and joining hate groups: “The only debate we should be having is about the best way to protect our newest veterans from falling prey to this handful of military apostates. If they only recruit a few, that is still too many. Terrorists have shown the world time and again that a few well-trained men is all it takes.” That piece came with a helpful visual aid showing the number of “Veterans in White Supremacist Groups.” The total confirmed or claimed over seven years? 203 out of a group numbering millions. (Hat tip to MRC’s Alex Fitzsimmons for the transcript.)

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N.Y. Times Columnist: Who Cares About a ‘Tiny Group’ Like the Black Panthers?

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The truth about The World Economy.

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

1 added by: onemalefla

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Proof That The TEA Party Is Not Racist And Doesn’t Tolerate Racists

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Proof That The TEA Party Is Not Racist And Doesn't Tolerate Racists added by: CarlosBobthe3rd

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Indignant Over List of Illegals in Utah, ABC Condemns ‘Campaign of Intimidation’ by ‘Vigilantes’

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

“Fear Factor,” Diane Sawyer teased at the top of Thursday’s World News in picking up a cause-celebre of the left, demanding: “Who leaked a list of people labeled illegal immigrants, naming children and pregnant women? Are these vigilantes at work?” She soon intoned that “an investigation is under way into what’s being called ‘The List’ – thirteen hundred names leaked in an apparent campaign of intimidation.” Reporter David Wright relayed how “we called at least fifty people on the list. Most of them declined to be interviewed,” but “one woman,” an apparent serial offender, “told us she’s pregnant with her second child. She’s scared she’ll be deported and separated from her two-year old, a U.S. citizen.” He proceeded to another supposed victim: “Alma is on the list, and afraid.” Wright reported “one common denominator — they all sought help from Utah’s Department of Workforce Services,” meaning they are illegals who sought pay-outs to which they are not entitled . “Plenty of Utah residents feel it’s high time authorities cracked down,” Wright acknowledged, but after a soundbite from an outraged leftist advocate the ABC correspondent ran stock footage of a man with a gun as he ominously concluded: The fear in Utah: the vigilantes may take action themselves, just as they did by circulating the list in the first place. ABC’s concern for liberal upset in Utah came two nights after the same newscast pushed the anti-conservative effort of another left-wing cause: “ ABC Hypes NAACP Indictment of Tea Party as Racist, a Smear the Network Stoked ” MRC study from early May: “ Elitist Networks Pile On Against Arizona Immigration Law : By 12 to 1, ABC, CBS, and NBC Stories Ripped State’s Move to Restrain Illegal Aliens.” From the Thursday, July 15 ABC World News: DIANE SAWYER: And the nation’s intense immigration debate took a new turn in two states today. The Arizona law, officially being debated in a federal courtroom. While in Utah, an investigation is under way into what’s being called “The List” – thirteen hundred names leaked in an apparent campaign of intimidation. Here’s David Wright. DAVID WRIGHT: In Utah’s Latino community, the list is causing a panic. The 29-page printout includes more than a thousand names and personal details. “Some of the women on the list are pregnant,” the cover letter warns, urging that “steps should be taken for immediate deportation.” WOMAN: My mother in law was almost in tears when she heard about it. WRIGHT: Guadalupe is here legally, but she has family members on the list. They’re terrified. WRIGHT, ON PHONE: Hello? Can I speak to Alphonso, please? WRIGHT: We called at least fifty people on the list. Most of them declined to be interviewed. One woman, named Nina, told us she’s pregnant with her second child. She’s scared she’ll be deported and separated from her two-year old, a U.S. citizen. Alma is on the list, and afraid. WOMAN: I’m afraid, even sometimes, even to go out. WRIGHT: One common denominator — they all sought help from Utah’s Department of Workforce Services. A disgruntled state employee there was recently caught on tape. AUDIO OF FEMALE VOICE: It’s not fair that this family gets food stamps, they get financials. WRIGHT: Venting her outrage about illegal immigrants. Indeed, plenty of Utah residents feel it’s high time authorities cracked down. ELI CAWLEY, UTAH MINUTEMEN: If I had my druthers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement would in fact going through line by line and picking these people up and sending them back where they came from. WRIGHT: But it is unlikely police will start rounding people up. But the concerned citizens of the United States are already vowing to come up with new lists on a continual basis. TONY YAPIAS, FOUNDER, UTAH LATINOS: The immigration debate has just reached a new level, and that new level is: We’re going to hunt you, we’re going to go after you, we know where you live. WRIGHT, OVER VIDEO OF MAN WITH GUN IN HOLSTER: The fear in Utah: the vigilantes may take action themselves, just as they did by circulating the list in the first place. David Wright, ABC News, Los Angeles.

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Indignant Over List of Illegals in Utah, ABC Condemns ‘Campaign of Intimidation’ by ‘Vigilantes’

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ABC’s Z. Byron Wolf Confused: Why Don’t Americans Support Awesome Dems?

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The folks at ABC News are confused. Democrats are passing all this awesome legislation, they posit, so why are Americans acting so hostile and looking to hand Congress to the GOP? The key problems, ABC’s Z. Byron Wolf deduces , are that Democrats simply have not embraced liberalism enough and Americans have failed to perceive just how great the Democratic agenda has been. “The imminent passage of a tough new Wall Street Reform bill,” wrote Wolf, pictured right, on ABC’s website, “will cap off a wildly productive two years for Democrats in Washington – they will have passed two pieces of sweeping legislation and an enormous $800 billion stimulus bill to deal with the ailing economy.” Wolf goes on to wonder why those three pieces of legislation haven’t benefited Democrats’ electoral prospects. Let’s see: 6% of Americans believe the stimulus bill created jobs, a strong majority favors repealing the health care bill, and almost 80% of Americans polled have little or no confidence that the financial reform bill will achieve its stated objectives. Is Wolf still confused? He goes on to write that Democrats’ problems stem from the fact that they just have not embraced liberalism to a great enough degree. “Rather than energize the electoral base that helped put Democrats in control of Congress in 2006 — and President Obama in the White House in 2008,” Wolf writes, “the accomplishments have often frustrated activists, who see compromised ideals and watered-down bills instead of legislative victories.” If this is supposed to be an explanation for Democrats’ poor prospects in November, it falls well short. First of all, the districts where Dems are vulnerable are by and large ones they picked up in 2006 and 2008 from sitting Republicans that couldn’t shake the tarnished Republican name. Now that Bush is a memory, red state Dems need to court moderate Republicans, not cater to the far left. Furthermore, the number of Americans who identify themelves as “conservative” is at its highest point since 1994 , when Republicans walloped Dems in the midterm elections. Forty-nine percent of the nation believes that Democrats are too liberal, up 10 points from 2008. Only 10 percent believe they are too conservative. A shift to the left is not going to be a winning strategy. Wolf continues: While Republicans  have, since President Bush left office, instituted an almost myopic, party-wide focus on spending and debt, Democrats  have struggled to rally behind their versions of health reform and Wall Street  reform. They could barely find enough votes to pass the bills. And despite millions of jobs Democrats say were created by the $862 billon stimulus bill, the unemployment rate remains high, and is not expected to come down any time soon. “I think the public doesn’t quite perceive (the accomplishments) because they don’t see much change in their everyday lives. They’re still having trouble finding work,” said Donald Wolfensberger, director of the Congress Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center. Got it? Obama and congressional Democrats have made fantastic accomplishments, but the American people are too dumb, distracted, or removed to perceive it. These three defenses of the Democratic Party in the face of intense public opposition — that they have been politically successful, that they have not embraced the far-left elements of the party, and that Americans are generally unable to perceive just how awesome they are — are tired leftist talking points. And with liberal pundits and politicos parroting them nonstop, is it any wonder Americans are ready for some house (and Senate) cleaning?

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ABC’s Z. Byron Wolf Confused: Why Don’t Americans Support Awesome Dems?

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