Red State's Erick Erickson, now identified as one of Thursday's "Worst Person's in The World" by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Countdown, was given a chance to walk back what this blogger identified as his really misguided and historically racist application of the word "cocky" to describe how President Obama delivered his State of The Union Address Wednesday night.
Indeed, since his blog post compares to that from a forum member of the White Supremacist Group, Stormfront, you'd think he would be eager to reconsider what I had hoped would have been an off-handed, beer-fueled, post television party blog statement.
Erick Erickson not only failed to do that, he actually slammed his head right into what for me is an even bigger problem: his total lack of understanding of The Star Wars Saga.
In his latest RedState post, Erickson brings up the scene in Star Wars - Episode Four: A New Hope, where Han Solo says to a young Luke Skywalker "Don't get cocky" as an example, of how Erick was using the term "cocky".
And that's exactly my point. Erick, I know George Lucas (we met at Aqua four years ago and for the second time, and only San Francisco locals or well traveled people reading this will know that establishment) and thus by extension I know Han Solo.
Erick Erickson, you're no Han Solo.
Han Solo was trying to tell Luke Skywalker to know his place in the scheme of things. Han Solo was trying to tell Luke Skywalker not to get too big for his pants. Thus, the word "cocky".
Han Solo is not a racist because he never told Lando Calrissian to not "get cocky", and Lando's black. Indeed, Han Solo was smart enough to know that he would need Lando's help, and got it in Star Wars - Episode Five: The Empire Strikes Back and in Star Wars - Episode Six: Return of The Jedi, shown here:
Han Solo and Lando Calrissian were good friends in life and in business. They were equals with complementary skills. Han Solo would never tell Lando Calrissian to know his place, because to douse Lando's fire, to try and "box in" his personality would have threatened Han Solo's life.
This never occurred to Erick Erickson because he apparently only sees African Americans as "less than" and can't stand that America has a black man as president. I make this assertion because Erickson called President Obama's Nobel Prize win an "Affirmative Action Quota Pick" and he thought it was funny.
I'm not laughing; it's disgusting. And it's why I stand by my assertion that Erick Erickson's "cocky" statement to insult President Obama was used in the same way that members of the White Supremacist Group Stormfront would do, and have done as I demonstrated in my original blog post. Indeed, Erickson's unfortunately allowed himself to be painted by others as a racist, let's hope and pray he's not proud of the charge.
Racism is a mental illness to be treated, not fostered or celebrated.
If Erick Erickson wants lessons in how to have friends of different colors without putting them down, there are two people he should consult: Han Solo and me.
Stay tuned.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
John Edwards and Elizabeth split after 30 years -Cat
John Edwards and Elizabeth, his wife of over 30 years, have separated. Elizabeth faithfully supported her husband in 2006 when he divulged to her that he had strayed from the marriage. It would later come out to the public. And to add insult to injury, a few years ago rumblings started to surface that John Edwards was in fact the father of Rielle’s daughter. Edwards vehemently denied this. Well, three weeks ago the truth came out and Edwards admitted that he is indeed the father of Rielle’s daughter.
That was the final breaking point for Elizabeth Edwards. Unfortunately, this story cannot be reported without acknowledging a certain circulating rumor. One in which there is a sex tape involving John Edwards and a visibly very pregnant Rielle Hunter.
Stay tuned.
*posted by Cat of someredcat.tumblr.com
Obama SOTU: Red State's "cocky" word used by White Supremacists
President Barack Obama's State of The Union (SOTU) Address has been hailed as a success, with long-time political observer Howard Feinman saying on MSNBC the speech was so good they should get ready to "carve another space in Mount Rushmore."
Indeed, President Obama's speech was a successful game of "take away": in one night Obama took the staples of Republican election success - tax credits, pro-business policies, and nuclear power - away from them, and the GOP cheered in the process. But when the hangover from the SOTU cleared, and the GOP realized what happened, some conservatives went for the racial-code-word jugular and sounded like White Supremacists in the process.
One such example is Red State's Erick Erickson.
In his Red State blog post, Erick Erickson used a word that's has a totally racist connection to describe President Obama's delivery: "cocky."
Erick Erickson, forgetting that Barack Obama is President of The United States, or perhaps upset about it, echoed the same views expressed over at the White Supremacist website Stormfront.
In a rather wild thread called "Politically Correct Racism", Valhalladream
let loose with the "C" word on Valentines Day, 2009 (there must be something wrong because Valhalladream should have been out with his girlfriend, right?) Valhalladream writes:
What Red State's Erick Erickson wrote is the same. In other words, Erick Erickson and Red State apparently think that this African American President needs to be "slammed back" because he's too "cocky" and presumably like other black men should know his place.
Really? Really?
I do hope that's one blog post Erick Erickson wants to have back.
Stay tuned.
Indeed, President Obama's speech was a successful game of "take away": in one night Obama took the staples of Republican election success - tax credits, pro-business policies, and nuclear power - away from them, and the GOP cheered in the process. But when the hangover from the SOTU cleared, and the GOP realized what happened, some conservatives went for the racial-code-word jugular and sounded like White Supremacists in the process.
One such example is Red State's Erick Erickson.
In his Red State blog post, Erick Erickson used a word that's has a totally racist connection to describe President Obama's delivery: "cocky."
What you did not know at home listening to Barack Obama’s speech tonight is that he inserted a few quips that were not in the prepared text. They were cocky and snide.
Erick Erickson, forgetting that Barack Obama is President of The United States, or perhaps upset about it, echoed the same views expressed over at the White Supremacist website Stormfront.
In a rather wild thread called "Politically Correct Racism", Valhalladream
let loose with the "C" word on Valentines Day, 2009 (there must be something wrong because Valhalladream should have been out with his girlfriend, right?) Valhalladream writes:
And the problem is - is that we are just so used to it. We laugh about it - shrug it off. Time has come to get just as "touchy" as them. Oh, and you know the election which was supposed to bring the country together in one big kum-by-ya love in and it will be like mixing coffee and cream and we will all "get along" and live happily ever after? NOT! I have been so much more openly antagonistic towards blacks - especially the ones who think they own the freakin' world now because of that black sob in MY white house. They are getting really cocky. One crackhead in his pimp-mobile blocked an intersection and I opened my window and said "You better move that car you black ba_ _ _ _ _d!" He looked at me I think in shock and didn't know how to react. I would have never done that a year ago. I don't care. They need to be slammed back
What Red State's Erick Erickson wrote is the same. In other words, Erick Erickson and Red State apparently think that this African American President needs to be "slammed back" because he's too "cocky" and presumably like other black men should know his place.
Really? Really?
I do hope that's one blog post Erick Erickson wants to have back.
Stay tuned.
Tiger Woods sex rehab work trashed by Loredana Jolie
Tiger Woods sex rehab work is being trashed by former mistress Loredana Jolie. In New York Post's Page 6, Loredana Jolie let loose with another set of bombshell comments targeted directly at The World's Greatest Golfer. Just a month ago, Loredana Jolie claimed Tiger Woods was bisexual in the same Page Six section, and by the same representative Teisha Dynell (who's increased her online visibility of late).
As part of her upcoming "tell-all" book, Loredana Jolie through Teisha Dynell claims that Tiger Woods sex rehab in Mississippi will not work. In Page Six she says:
Tiger Woods Management had no response for the NY Post.
Loredana Jolie
As part of her upcoming "tell-all" book, Loredana Jolie through Teisha Dynell claims that Tiger Woods sex rehab in Mississippi will not work. In Page Six she says:
"He would engage in sex from 9 p.m. until the sun came up the next morning. But he wasn't a healthy guy. He couldn't sleep and would stay up all night. I am not really sure rehab for sex addiction will help him...Tiger's sexual fantasies were not normal. He likes role-playing, he likes to be the guy in control and wearing a suit while there are girls performing girl-on-girl and guys entertaining guys. By that, I mean they would dance for each other like girls would do for a man," the would-be author claimed.
Tiger Woods Management had no response for the NY Post.
Jessica Simpson farted is news? Simpson giving to Haiti is better
The webpage does not lie, even when it's changed. US Magazine writes "EXCLUSIVE: Oops! Jessica Simpson Farts During Business Meeting". Unbelievable.
Not that Jessica Simpson farted during a business meeting, but that it wound up on the front of US Magazine. (One wonders if she gave to Haiti?) There's certainly a connection between her body concerns and what she's putting in it...
But is this going too far?
The metric test here is of interest. Will this post get click? Yes. How many? A lot. Why? Who knows. Forget the really important question, which is "what did she eat?" this news is all over the place. Still, US Magazine reports:
Yes, people are voyeurs, and they will certainly be interested in a lot of what celebs do, but farting? And what about the US Magazine claim that It wasn't Simpson's first brush with public flatulence
OK. I just can't help but wonder where this is going to go. One certainty is whatever squeaky-clean image Jessica Simpson had is gone.
Jessica Simpson giving to Haiti is better news; if she did. Stay tuned.
Not that Jessica Simpson farted during a business meeting, but that it wound up on the front of US Magazine. (One wonders if she gave to Haiti?) There's certainly a connection between her body concerns and what she's putting in it...
But is this going too far?
The metric test here is of interest. Will this post get click? Yes. How many? A lot. Why? Who knows. Forget the really important question, which is "what did she eat?" this news is all over the place. Still, US Magazine reports:
A source tells Us Weekly that Jessica Simpson had a, ahem, windy moment during a business meeting for her denim line in late January. "While one of the executives was speaking in a room full of five people, Jessica let out a very loud fart," says the insider.
Oh, Jess! Recap her most outrageous moments
"Her mother [Tina Simpson] was there, and it prompted her to turn around and yell, 'Jessica!' The tension was extreme. No one knew what to say."
Yes, people are voyeurs, and they will certainly be interested in a lot of what celebs do, but farting? And what about the US Magazine claim that It wasn't Simpson's first brush with public flatulence
OK. I just can't help but wonder where this is going to go. One certainty is whatever squeaky-clean image Jessica Simpson had is gone.
Jessica Simpson giving to Haiti is better news; if she did. Stay tuned.
Technorati blog directory update screw up, upsets bloggers
Technorati.com is the popular and widely used blog directory. It has hundreds of thousands of blogs representing millions of pages in its system. At one point in the past, before Google News and Google Trends, Technorati's "most popular tag" system was the go-to app to learn what topics bloggers were writing about the most at a particular time of a given day.
But today, Technorati, once the darling of the blogosphere, has gotten lazy. Technorati's more like a news website now, and less like the blog directory it was loved as. The greatest example of this is the blog update system.
It simply takes forever for Technorati to update blogs. Take this profile for Zennie62.com here. It has the old name of "Zennie's Zeitgeist" in the description. This blogger updated that description two weeks ago, and yet the old one still remains.
So the problem resulted in a trip over to Get Satisfaction, the customer service website that represents Technorati, and where a number of bloggers - 46 in all - were issuing the same "what the hell is going on" complaint. For example:
And so on.
Technorati needs to get its service act together if it wants to continue to be considered as an authority on blogs and blogging. It's information on The State of The Blogosphere is valuable, and its blog ranking of the Top 100 blogs and the authority ratings are useful, but not updating blogs in its directory in a timely fashion is hurting its credibility.
But today, Technorati, once the darling of the blogosphere, has gotten lazy. Technorati's more like a news website now, and less like the blog directory it was loved as. The greatest example of this is the blog update system.
It simply takes forever for Technorati to update blogs. Take this profile for Zennie62.com here. It has the old name of "Zennie's Zeitgeist" in the description. This blogger updated that description two weeks ago, and yet the old one still remains.
So the problem resulted in a trip over to Get Satisfaction, the customer service website that represents Technorati, and where a number of bloggers - 46 in all - were issuing the same "what the hell is going on" complaint. For example:
vjack replied 3 months ago
Wow! 17 days and no responses! I submitted claims but never received the email with additional information that was supposed to be coming. Should it take more than 2-3 weeks for these claims to go through?
kalamarie replied 3 months ago
My blog is being indexed by Google and Bing and it only took a week. Come on guys!
http://amatterofhowyouseeit.com/
And so on.
Technorati needs to get its service act together if it wants to continue to be considered as an authority on blogs and blogging. It's information on The State of The Blogosphere is valuable, and its blog ranking of the Top 100 blogs and the authority ratings are useful, but not updating blogs in its directory in a timely fashion is hurting its credibility.
Draeger Construction rebuilds the Bay Area, is Haiti next?
Who makes the buildings of the San Francisco Bay Area? That's something this blogger's wondered about as, with a background in City Planning and a masters from Cal and undergrad degree from Texas-Arlington, the "who" behind buildings is as important as the building itself. Some times emals jog one's brain, and one I got on a Haiti-related building issue I can't go into now start me on to this path of interest.
So in going to cities like Burlingame and Emeryville, where apartment complexes are in abundance, the one question I've had is "who is building them."
In the case of some interesting venues, that answer is Draeger Construction company. According to its website..
In the wake of the Haiti 7.0 Earthquake, finding firms with experience in making quake-safe buildings like Draeger Construction become very important. The problem is most people don't know how to find companies that have such expertise; this blog post, and others to come, should help.
A Drager-built building in Burlingame
So in going to cities like Burlingame and Emeryville, where apartment complexes are in abundance, the one question I've had is "who is building them."
In the case of some interesting venues, that answer is Draeger Construction company. According to its website..
Draeger Construction is a full service contractor based in Northern California. For over 30 years this family owned and operated business has successfully performed thousands of reconstruction projects. Draeger Construction specializes in all aspects of multi-family and commercial reconstruction and in solving complex structural problems for it's clients. We have differentiated ourselves by obtaining licenses in the specialty trades, to offer our clients a cost saving advantage.
In the wake of the Haiti 7.0 Earthquake, finding firms with experience in making quake-safe buildings like Draeger Construction become very important. The problem is most people don't know how to find companies that have such expertise; this blog post, and others to come, should help.
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