Dear America,

Happy Thursday x

And Happy Birthday to me, G.  It has been a full year of chiming in about America and all I have to add is WOW -- what a year it has been -- making overtures to a 1.4 trillion understatements indeed.

The irony that while catching up with Glenn Beck yesterday, he made reference to today being a big anniversary.  I thought to myself, as I began puffing out my chest only to be choked by my own arrogance, similar to the King I am I am in office, how could he know?  (i know, that really isn't funny, sounded better in my head)...ah yes, the anniversary of the first real blooper of our first black president, from which, little did he know came the first thought from G.

The opening line,

"where do we begin and how do we begin again, I ask myself."

Where I live, it is the Day After OPENING Day of the Races, in Del Mar. It is one of those local traditions that brings the seasonal influx of big hats and high balls, arriving as Bing Crosby sings by train or by car-- limo or beemer-- and away they go with a day of heavy drinking, gambling and the like. I really don't wanna sound cynical during these trying times, but it is a wonder when pondering the state of America and all of it's ills, worries and confusion how merriment still reigns a very high priority.



Of course, it is also the Day After the Presidential primetime address regarding the state of our healthcare system and his valiant push by our President Obama to "make it so", even if it rushes to harm us in the end. While just the idea of the Day After brings a sense of melancholy, as if to say that the party is over, time to heal the hangover, pop a pill and sleep it all off.

It is the day after something big, something planned, and that something is now over...it merely remains the Day After.

I have referenced the Day After scenario many times since then.  Today is going to be no exception; what with the mess created by this country's latest example of making a horrid rush to judgement -- individually, collectively, as grounds for removal from a job while the people watched in amazement; first and foremost, we entrust those in power to be mindful of the big picture, even if in tandem holding rather narrow pointed views, at all times. Having said that, this just in:

This little turnabout is fair play from www.mediamatters.org/strupp/201007210037

"When you look at their reporting, this is just another way of seeing that they are (racist)," Sherrod told me about Fox in a lengthy interview Tuesday night. "But I have seen that before now. I saw their reporting as biased during the Bush Administration and the Clinton Administration."

... "I am just a pawn. I was just here. They [Fox News] are after a bigger thing, they would love to take us back to where we were many years ago. Back to where black people were looking down, not looking white folks in the face, not being able to compete for a job out there and not be a whole person."

Thank you, Joe, as in  Joe Strupp, journalist; he used Shirley, like a pawn no less, via the constant liberal stream of media matters -- propaganda press has never been so good.

You know, if Shirley actually watched Fox yesterday, or the day before, not to be confused with the Day After, she would have heard Glenn Beck go to her rescue -- he was the only one it would appear to have done his homework, unlike the rush of judgement by other, otherwise considered, responsible organizations; oh like, the NAACP, who rushed in...after Vilsack rushed to the pink slip....after conversing with the White House who rushed to relay that he better get rid of the issue (Shirley, pawn in the hot seat) immediately... before Glenn Beck has his way with her later in the day.

Puuuuuuulease.  Who is pawning who and how many times over?

And now there goes good old Shirley, running away with the story -- even after G came to her rescue as well, like just yesterday (doink on the head to me) -- escalating the race card even more, bearing false witness against an organization like Fox News , and while doing so, twisting the whole darn mess into another black hole of media frenzy.  Are you kidding me, Shirley?

Have you listened to Glenn lately?  He's just some white media guy on Fox, who by the way, was considered black enough to be a good white pawn for second spot on the list of "the blackest white folks we know" -- this according to Professor Gates website,  www.theroot.com/ ...

Oh my, how funny -- somehow we have come full circle:

It was a year ago that Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times asked the best question of the night, following the Presidential primetime address on the state of our Health Care system -- as the president rushed in to make his final push (one of many final pushes, but who's counting) in order to get the health care legislation passed before summer break (little did we know then, of the flurry of town hall meetings yet to ensue). Everything was a rush back then.

But it was that question at the end, unscripted of course, you may recall, the President made it a point to get to her (for lord knows, right, he had no idea what she was gonna say...yeah right...and if you believe that...I have a peanut farm in Georgia that just became available). 

This is how it went down:

Okay? All right. I tried to make that short so that Lynn Sweet would get her -- the last question in.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Recently, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you? And what does it say about race relations in America?

Excerpt of his answer:

...So far, so good, right? I mean, if I was trying to jigger into -- well, I guess this is my house now, so -- (laughter) -- it probably wouldn't happen.
(Chuckling.) But let's say my old house in Chicago -- (laughter) -- here I'd get shot. (Laughter.) But so far, so good. They're -- they're -- they're reporting. The police are doing what they should. There's a call. They go investigate. What happens?
My understanding is, at that point, Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in. I'm sure there's some exchange of words. But my understanding is -- is that Professor Gates then shows his ID to show that this is his house, and at that point he gets arrested for disorderly conduct, charges which are later dropped.


Now, I've -- I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.

der it is.  A day that will live in infamy.

Now the entire transcript of the evening is worth another read; and funny thing, the one I found online is featured care of Lynn Sweet (ahh the synchronicity in that is simply beautiful).  Since we've come a long way baby since July 22, we all know that health care legistlation has passed, blah, blah, blah, but it is fascinating really, between what we know now, what he said then, and what lies ahead for us now, with regards to the days following Obama's latest addition to the team, mr. romantic of socialized medicine himself, Donald Berwick.  But I refuse to add misery to insult on this fine anniversary, so...
 
Let's see, let us try to regain a set of bearings here, maybe even, dare I say, come to a teachable moment or two --  Perhaps if the NAACP had not jumped to conclusions in the middle of the night, denouncing Shirley's speech as ferociously as the high speeding of it around the web (since, after all, THEY OWN the original taping of the Sherrod speech in question...perhaps taking a moment to review the full tape before jumping) might have been a wiser move;
 
and perhaps, if Tom Vilsack took a moment to review the entire situation, maybe even go so far as discuss the matter with Shirley, before making the call to call the White House;
 
and if perhaps, the White House, held back to allow for a full investigation (like they so often do, like at Fort Hood, perhaps, I don't know, just the first thing that came to mind) before conspiring to simply agree without more information;
 
then maybe, Fox News might have had half a chance to get it right, right from the start.  But, they reported the news that day -- and as it turns out -- Shirley Sherrod was asked to resign "before Glenn Beck" had a chance to say a word.  That is the truth.
 
To be fair and balanced, if Shirley watched Bill O'Reilly, he made a sincere apology to her out loud and often -- pending further review and more story to surface, of course...wonder what he will say about this tonight?
 
You know, Shirley, you were doing so well there for a moment; you had me at hello, with the sweetness of your voice, your retelling of the "pull over, pull over..." moment -- you had me. 
 
Then, overnight, you went there to the not so happy place and done der overreacted, using Fox News as a pawn, or would you rather call it your whipping boy?
 
Bravo, Shirley, Bravo; for by your own testimony, by holding to your roots so tightly, by being out of touch with what really goes on at Fox News -- and especially for commentary from people like Glenn Beck, who thoughtfully came to your rescue --  
 
for from this day forward, it will be your own words from JUST YESTERDAY that will stick with us, "they [Fox] would love to take us back...with black people looking down, not looking white folks in the face... and not be a whole person..." and to my dismay, the memory of an endearing black woman, who has witnessed atrocities of race relations that I could never imagine, who ultimately lived to tell a story about in front of the NAACP in March, and came out of it all,  how do you say, living in a new reality of "racial reconciliation" is lost from view. 
 
Did she overcome, really?  More than that, me thinks she owes Fox an apology.
 
This is a sad day.  Here we are -- a year into gthing -- an occasion that should be happy happy yeah me -- and all I can do is weep.  My heart is breaking for this land which we call home.  How in the world could I eat cake?
 
So let's try to bring this stupid day to a close.
 
Was Shirley thrown under the bus for a reason?  What means to an end is the result?  The memory of a book I once read, something about rules...radicals...riducule...the fundamental transformation of the three r's seems to be ringing in my ear.  Oh whatever. I'm sure it's just a mindless distraction, keeping me from the real truth.
 
Questions surround with regards to why Shirley didn't address the issue right away, given she was given a "heads up" days before it hit the mainstream. 
 
And just where is our leader in all of this?  If this doesn't call for a little presidential intervention -- perhaps a primetime address -- what will?  This is a time for cool heads to prevail -- and if we have learned anything in our teachable moments thus far, his is "cool as ever" (plugging Del Mar Race Track.  It's their slogan...kind of catchy isn't it... and what can I say, the occasion seemed to fit with the natural tie to my humble beginnings...)
 
But my guess, he won't be saying a word; I might even push the envelope and say he could very well be enjoying it (no, no, I got it, maybe he even helped orchestrate it, if only to drive the nail into Fox News at the tail end).

The White House has been on Fox News like white on rice since day one -- day after day after day.  And I just have to wonder, what do they care?  The umpteen other news organizations are in their corner, maybe even on their payroll, certainly are all round up nicely in a pretty little pack, called the  JOURNO-LIST. (that makes it easy for us, no?)
 
Why does Fox bother them so much?
 
Let's see, perhaps because it is the last bastion beholdened to the values of a fair and balanced press left (aside from a slew of conservative bloggers and news organizations on the world wide web, like me).
 
Media matters indeed. Good thing common sense still runs in the old blood stream.
 
Happy Thursday.
Did I mention it is my birthday? I am one.
I know, I know, just a babe in the woods,
 just a babe in the woods...crying again...just call me glenn.
 
Make it a Good Day, G
 
Dear America, above,  is a doozy of a song, don't miss it, click it!