What If Tebow Was A Muslim?
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Observations, Religion, Sports
First off, let me preface this by stating that I’m not what you would call a hard-core football fan. I’m not one of those people who know every stat of every player that enters the field, the win-loss records of the various teams, and since the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t in the playoffs this year (thanks a lot, Andy) I really haven’t been keeping up with the standings. I should also add that I don’t consider myself the most religious person on God’s Earth. I mean, I’m no athiest, or even mildly agnostic. I believe in God. I accept Jesus Christ as our saviour. But as church goes, I’m what you may call a C.M.E. member (Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Easter). All that being said, I am having some real problems with this whole “Tebow” thing, and the shameless display of idol worshiping that has surrounded the Bronco’s QB. So much so that I find myself in the nauseating position of actually rooting for the New England Patriots to win this Sunday just so the madness would stop.
Tags: denver broncos, nfl, tebowing, tim tebow
It’s Pat
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Entertainment, Observations, Politics, Race
You know how sometimes recent events have you reflecting on stuff that happened in the past. Take this past year over at MSNBC. David Schuster was fired for doing some work on the side for CNN. Keith Olbermann left (or was fired, depending on who’s telling the story) for just being Keith Olbermann. Markos Moulitsas was fired because he ran afoul of their token conservative golden-boy, Joe Scarborough. Cenk Uygur was let go for actually having the unmitigated gall to think that he was of some value there. Ed Schultz was reduced to a nearly tear-filled mia-culpa because he called Laura Ingraham a radio-slut. (What?! Did he say something wrong?) With all this going on, one could come to the conclusion that it is very easy to get into trouble over at the the alegedly left-leaning cable-net. Easy, that is, unless your name happens to be Pat Buchannan.
Tags: msnbc, pat buchannan
Occupy’s Pivotal Moment
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Observations, Politics
On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, AL Rosa Parks refused to obey a bus driver order to give up her seat to make room for a White passenger. While her action was not the first of its kind to impact the civil rights issue, and it certainly was not her intention, that one act of civil disobedience had the effect of sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott which called for blacks to stay off Montgomery buses – which in some cases meant walking miles to get to work – lasted until December 20, 1956 when a federal ruling, Browder v. Gayle, led to a US Supreme Court decision that declared the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional. The boycott ultimately became larger than one woman’s defiance. It was the most pivotal moment in the modern Civil Rights movement, which would ultimately become bigger than one boycott in one city. The boycott and the Civil Rights movement are proven examples of how a movement becomes a success and achieves its goals. It has to become larger than its beginnings and become more than the sum of its parts. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: #ows, occupy philly, occupy wall street
Survey Says
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Entertainment, Life, Observations, Race
A friend sent me this clip and it is absolutely hilarious. Check it out. Commentary after the jump.
Tags: family feud, race
I Beg To Differ.
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Observations, Politics, World Events
In an interview with ABC News’ Jake Tapper, President Obama talks about his sympathies with the Occupy Wall Street movement now in its fifth week. In it he says that he understands the frustration the protesters feel with Washington, and then turns around and makes the same dismissive comparisons to the Tea-Party as the media has been making.
“I understand the frustrations that are being expressed in those protests. In some ways they’re not that different than some of the protests that we saw coming from the Tea-Party.”
Tags: abc news, obama, occupy philly, occupy wall street
Who The Hell Are These People?
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Observations, Politics
It’s been three weeks since “Occupy Wall Street” began its crusade against corporate greed and economic inequality in this country. Since then, the movement has spread to over 200 cities across the country, as well as to every continent on the planet except Antarctica. I’ve visited the Occupy movement here known as Occupy Philly as they’ve camped out on Dilworth Plaza outside of City Hall, mostly to show support in some small way, and take a few pictures. But I also wanted to find the answer to the question that has been breathlessly asking since this whole thing started. Who the hell are these people? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: #ows, occupy philly, occupy wall street
Big Picture
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Politics
Yesterday’s Wisconsin recall elections were seen as a referendum on Scott Walker’s efforts to strip unions of their right to collectively bargain for better conditions. Further, they were seen as a bellwether for just how much the public is willing to stand for GOP union busting efforts. Six GOP senate seats were up for recall, and Democrats in WI needed to win 3 of them. They got two. Needless to say that GOP and the mainstream media are all calling this a big victory for Scott Walker and other governors who would take away union rights. To hear the media tell it, Democrats in Wisconsin (and across the country, for that matter) have gone down in ignominious defeat. Powerless to stop the right-wing union busting juggernaut that is the Republican agenda. Of course, they’re all missing a much larger picture. A picture so large that the only way they could miss it is by purposely willing themselves to. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: wisconsin recall, wisconsin union
STFU
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Politics
Since announcing her candidacy for the GOP nomination for President in 2012, Michelle Bachmann has gotten the history of the founding fathers wrong, claimed that Obama released ALL of our oil reserves, said that the “gay lifestyle” is “sad” and is “part of Satan”. She has also – along with Rick “Frothy Mix” Santorum – signed a pledge where she vows to outlaw pornography, and which – before the authors hastily deleted it – made the claim that African Americans were better off during slavery times than they are now. Her husband has called Gays and Lesbians “barbarians” who should be “disciplined” and “educated”, and their clinic – which receives Medicaid funding – has been recently exposed for practicing “reparative therapy”, which in layman’s terms is called “praying the gay away”. In addition to Medicaid, her family has also received farm subsidies, both of these she claims to be against. However, throughout all of this, she has surged in most GOP polling, is running neck and neck with Mitt Romney – and even beating him in Iowa. All of this has garnered her intense media attention and scrutiny. So, of course, as predictable as her own menstrual cycle, it’s time for everyone’s favorite media skank, Sarah Palin, to show her ass to get some attention of her own.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012, campaign, election, GOP, michelle bachmann, nomination, sarah palin
Crazy Is Contagious
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Observations, Politics
Have you ever seen a movie called BUG? I remember renting it back in 2006 when it first came out on DVD. Much to my dismay, it wasn’t a horror movie about actual bugs. It turns out that the movie was based on an off-Broadway play by Tracy Letts. It’s the story of a lonely battered housewife (played in the movie by Ashley Judd) living a trailer-park existence. She encounters a disturbed Gulf War vet (played by Michael Shannon), and being a lonely battered housewife, very quickly falls in love with him. Now, to say that this guy is disturbed is an understatement, as he makes Glenn Beck seem actually sane. As it turns out this guy has become convinced that the government has implanted microscopic bugs under his skin as part of a military experiment. I’m not talking about tracking or listening devices. I’m talking about actual multi-legged insects, and he believes he’s infested with them. As the movie goes on, the war vet draws Judd’s character deeper and deeper into his psychosis to the point that not only does she believe his crazy story, but she eventually comes to believe that she has become infested as well. The moral of this movie, at least the one that I took from it, is a very simple one. Crazy is contagious.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: founding fathers, john quincy adams, john wayne, michelle bachmann
Time to Represent
Posted by jawillie | Filed under Observations, Politics
This past weekend saw yet another set of Weiner’s weiner-pics hit the airwaves, and more calls from Democrats for him to resign. Weiner himself is taking a leave of absence from congress to “seek treatment,” which makes him sound like so many of the Hollywood letches who immediately claim “sexual-addiction” whenever they get caught with their pants down. The worst thing about this is that, to our knowledge at least, there’s still no evidence that any actual SEX was involved. Again, I’ll go on record and say that I don’t believe he should step down. Unfortunately, it’s time to face the sad truth. At this point, it’s no longer a question of IF Weiner will step down, but WHEN. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: anthony weiner, pictures, weinergate
