2014 & 2015...
'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Activists -- and Historical Ignorance
2014 In Review / Larry Elder / Jan 01, 2015
What to say about "activists" pushing the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" "movement," even as police shootings of b****s are actually down 75 percent over the last 45 years? Some protesters, many old enough to know better, say ridiculous things about race relations, like "things have gone backward." Time for perspective.
Booker T. Washington was born a s***e. In his autobiography, "Up From S***ery," written in 1901 -- just a mere 36 years after the Civil War -- Washington wrote:
"As a rule, not only did the members of my race entertain no feelings of bitterness against the w****s before and during the war, but there are many instances of Negroes tenderly caring for their former masters and mistresses who for some reason have become poor and dependent since the war. I know of instances where the former masters of s***es have for years been supplied with money by their former s***es to keep them from suffering. ... One sends him a little coffee or sugar, another a little meat, and so on. Nothing that the colored people possess is too good for the son of 'old Mars' Tom,' who will perhaps never be permitted to suffer while any remain on the place who knew directly or indirectly of 'old Mars' Tom.'...
"From some things that I have said one may get the idea that some of the s***es did not want freedom. This is not true. I have never seen one who did not want to be free, or one who would return to s***ery.
"I pity from the bottom of my heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of s***ery. I have long since ceased to cherish any spirit of bitterness against the Southern white people on account of the ens***ement of my race. No one section of our country was wholly responsible for its introduction, and, besides, it was recognized and protected for years by the
General Government. Having once got its tentacles fastened on to the economic and social life of the Republic, it was no easy matter for the country to relieve itself of the institution. Then, when we rid ourselves of prejudice, or racial feeling, and look facts in the face, we must acknowledge that, notwithstanding the cruelty and moral wrong of s***ery, the ten million Negroes inhabiting this country, who themselves or whose ancestors went through the school of American s***ery, are in a stronger and more hopeful condition, materially, intellectually, morally, and religiously, than is true of an equal number of black people in any other portion of the globe. ...
"This I say, not to justify s***ery -- on the other hand, I condemn it as an institution, as we all know that in America it was established for selfish and financial reasons, and not from a missionary motive -- but to call attention to a fact, and to show how Providence so often uses men and institutions to accomplish a purpose."
As for the future, Washington said: "When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, to write a book, or a Negro boy learns to g***m horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than some one else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any difference in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants."
Nelson Mandela was beaten and imprisoned for almost three decades. When released at last, some supporters criticized him for showing too much grace and forgiveness toward his enemies. But Mandela's attitude toward forgiveness set the tone for the nation. After his death, a South African wrote:
"History now shows (Mandela) did lead South Africa back from the abyss. But he did more, and it was this that sealed his reputation forever. He showed the world and his countrymen -- black, white, rich, poor -- that revenge is not the answer to years of injustice (emphasis added). Who among us, in coming out of prison after 27 years, would have had the generosity to turn away from settling scores? Who among us would have refused to avenge ourselves on those who had treated us with such cruelty?
"But he did. Nelson Mandela sat down with his enemies and forgave them and moved on. And in doing so, he rescued his country, and he rescued each one of us, and gave us hope that there could be a future for our beautiful, fractured land. And for the greater earth that we all share."
Washington, born a s***e, and Mandela, held captive for nearly 28 years, demonstrate the power of forgiveness -- and of looking ahead. And these men forgave their actual oppressors.
My mother, born in the Jim Crow South, used to say, "The t***h will not set you free -- if delivered without hope." The "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" "movement" is neither t***hful nor hopeful.
2015: The Year In Preview
Derek H****r / Jan 01, 2015
What can be said about a year that hasnt happened yet? The optimist looks forward with hope, and the pessimist looks forward with realism, but most people are too busy looking at their phones to see anything at all.
I fall firmly in the pessimist camp. Theres nowhere to go but up when you expect the worst from a year. As such, let us take a look forward, into the future, and see what awful, annoying, and stupid things 2015 may have in store for us.
With Republicans in full control of Congress, President Barack Obama will spend more time with his magic pen and phone. While vetoing legislation passed by duly elected representatives of the people, Obama will spend hours holding his phone to his head and hearing the 2/3rd's of people who didnt v**e in November. He will then use his magic pen to order the Justice Department reopen the polls so those who were so inspired by, and in favor of, Barack Obamas policies that they didnt bother to v**e can exercise the right they forsook because of disillusionment. He will also play a lot of golf.
Panic will grip the White House once again as the Secret Service suffers yet another security breach when Vice President Joe Biden is feared kidnapped. Missing for days, the nation fears the worst. When no demands are forthcoming and no group claims responsibility, confusion rules. A collective sign of relief occurs when it is discovered Biden had locked himself in a closet off the Oval Office with a supply of Capri Sun juice bags and peanut butter Snickers in an attempt to get some publicity and raise his name ID. It worked, as his numbers among likely Democratic primary v**ers doubles to 4.
In an attempt to identify with average Americans, Hillary Clinton will drive a car for the first time in 20 years. While driving, her PTSD flashes her back to the days she was dirt poor and dead broke, and she drives the car into a telephone pole. She escapes unharmed as the car was wrapped in reporters desperate to get close to her and protect her from any potential harm. However, tragically, this accident wipes out the majority of MSNBCs daytime and prime time line-up. No one notices.
The political world is shaken to its core when new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is discovered to be, in fact, Morn, a character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This shocking revelation comes about when an intern at ABC News goes on a Red Bull and amphetamines bender and becomes the first human ever to stay awake during an entire McConnell press conference and discovers that ends it by saying, Im secretly Morn from DS9, yo. Research shows hed been ending every press conference and floor speech that way since he was first elected to Congress, only no one ever managed to stay awake for more than 3 minutes of him speaking. At his first out press conference, a shocked press corps immediately falls asleep during his opening statement and its never spoken of again.
Someone in cable news will accidentally book a series of interviews with actual live news makers. The green room full of pundits and paid contributors will be confused by this, as will the host. A bloodbath will ensue as people whod read the Associated Press account of an event in pr********n of a TV hit on a subject they were not involved in and were unfamiliar with just an hour ago, are bumped for people with first-hand knowledge of a news event. Radio hosts, columnists and people with the bogus title of contributing editor will suffer major losses. With all of their usual talking head guests hospitalized, cable news faces panic:
How to talk about the news without people completely disconnected from it giving their disconnected, uninformed opinion. They decide to take a risk, something that hasnt been tried for years only deliver news and information to their audience while interviewing people actually involved in the news. The words for reaction we turn to and joining us now are (some i***t on the right and some i***t on the left) to discuss what you just heard fade from the airwaves and people begin to get information again. Then a Kardashian has an audible fart caught on a video at LAX and everything goes back to how it was.
Speaker of the House John Boehner is embroiled in controversy when it is discovered that his office spends $3800 per month at Costco. The scandal is quickly put to rest when, at a hastily scheduled press conference, the Speaker shows a receipt for a recurring delivery of 2500 boxes of Kleenex every month. A reporter for Reuters drowns after asking how much his tissue budget was while growing up in Ohio.
A bad batch of Botox will have everyone in the Democratic primary hospitalized just before their first debate, with the exception of former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley who declined to go with Bidens guy because he always carries his own stash. Senator Elizabeth Warren files h**e crime charges against the doctor, claiming he should have used less tainted Botox because of her high native American cheekbones. That case is dismissed when, during a pretrial motion hearing, no one could stop laughing at her claim of being a minority. She wins the Iowa primary the following January by focusing her campaign efforts on shuttling those whove recently suffered closed head injuries to the polls.
The possibilities for 2015 are endless, and will probably be annoying (at a minimum). Republicans will sell-out or otherwise irritate people who make their living screaming about the Establishment, the President will continue to ignore the Constitution and get away with it, the media will suck and pollute televisions from coast to coast with people who make up for their lack of first-hand knowledge through a doubling-down on a lack of institutional knowledge, and the Cubs wont win the World Series. That last bit is just a swipe at my Chicago friends, but it stands a decent chance at being the least true of any of these predictions.
Happy New Year.
Don G. Dinsdale wrote:
'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Activists -- and Historical Ignorance
2014 In Review / Larry Elder / Jan 01, 2015
What to say about "activists" pushing the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" "movement," even as police shootings of b****s are actually down 75 percent over the last 45 years? Some protesters, many old enough to know better, say ridiculous things about race relations, like "things have gone backward." Time for perspective.
Booker T. Washington was born a s***e. In his autobiography, "Up From S***ery," written in 1901 -- just a mere 36 years after the Civil War -- Washington wrote:
"As a rule, not only did the members of my race entertain no feelings of bitterness against the w****s before and during the war, but there are many instances of Negroes tenderly caring for their former masters and mistresses who for some reason have become poor and dependent since the war. I know of instances where the former masters of s***es have for years been supplied with money by their former s***es to keep them from suffering. ... One sends him a little coffee or sugar, another a little meat, and so on. Nothing that the colored people possess is too good for the son of 'old Mars' Tom,' who will perhaps never be permitted to suffer while any remain on the place who knew directly or indirectly of 'old Mars' Tom.'...
"From some things that I have said one may get the idea that some of the s***es did not want freedom. This is not true. I have never seen one who did not want to be free, or one who would return to s***ery.
"I pity from the bottom of my heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of s***ery. I have long since ceased to cherish any spirit of bitterness against the Southern white people on account of the ens***ement of my race. No one section of our country was wholly responsible for its introduction, and, besides, it was recognized and protected for years by the
General Government. Having once got its tentacles fastened on to the economic and social life of the Republic, it was no easy matter for the country to relieve itself of the institution. Then, when we rid ourselves of prejudice, or racial feeling, and look facts in the face, we must acknowledge that, notwithstanding the cruelty and moral wrong of s***ery, the ten million Negroes inhabiting this country, who themselves or whose ancestors went through the school of American s***ery, are in a stronger and more hopeful condition, materially, intellectually, morally, and religiously, than is true of an equal number of black people in any other portion of the globe. ...
"This I say, not to justify s***ery -- on the other hand, I condemn it as an institution, as we all know that in America it was established for selfish and financial reasons, and not from a missionary motive -- but to call attention to a fact, and to show how Providence so often uses men and institutions to accomplish a purpose."
As for the future, Washington said: "When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, to write a book, or a Negro boy learns to g***m horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than some one else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any difference in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants."
Nelson Mandela was beaten and imprisoned for almost three decades. When released at last, some supporters criticized him for showing too much grace and forgiveness toward his enemies. But Mandela's attitude toward forgiveness set the tone for the nation. After his death, a South African wrote:
"History now shows (Mandela) did lead South Africa back from the abyss. But he did more, and it was this that sealed his reputation forever. He showed the world and his countrymen -- black, white, rich, poor -- that revenge is not the answer to years of injustice (emphasis added). Who among us, in coming out of prison after 27 years, would have had the generosity to turn away from settling scores? Who among us would have refused to avenge ourselves on those who had treated us with such cruelty?
"But he did. Nelson Mandela sat down with his enemies and forgave them and moved on. And in doing so, he rescued his country, and he rescued each one of us, and gave us hope that there could be a future for our beautiful, fractured land. And for the greater earth that we all share."
Washington, born a s***e, and Mandela, held captive for nearly 28 years, demonstrate the power of forgiveness -- and of looking ahead. And these men forgave their actual oppressors.
My mother, born in the Jim Crow South, used to say, "The t***h will not set you free -- if delivered without hope." The "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" "movement" is neither t***hful nor hopeful.
2015: The Year In Preview
Derek H****r / Jan 01, 2015
What can be said about a year that hasnt happened yet? The optimist looks forward with hope, and the pessimist looks forward with realism, but most people are too busy looking at their phones to see anything at all.
I fall firmly in the pessimist camp. Theres nowhere to go but up when you expect the worst from a year. As such, let us take a look forward, into the future, and see what awful, annoying, and stupid things 2015 may have in store for us.
With Republicans in full control of Congress, President Barack Obama will spend more time with his magic pen and phone. While vetoing legislation passed by duly elected representatives of the people, Obama will spend hours holding his phone to his head and hearing the 2/3rd's of people who didnt v**e in November. He will then use his magic pen to order the Justice Department reopen the polls so those who were so inspired by, and in favor of, Barack Obamas policies that they didnt bother to v**e can exercise the right they forsook because of disillusionment. He will also play a lot of golf.
Panic will grip the White House once again as the Secret Service suffers yet another security breach when Vice President Joe Biden is feared kidnapped. Missing for days, the nation fears the worst. When no demands are forthcoming and no group claims responsibility, confusion rules. A collective sign of relief occurs when it is discovered Biden had locked himself in a closet off the Oval Office with a supply of Capri Sun juice bags and peanut butter Snickers in an attempt to get some publicity and raise his name ID. It worked, as his numbers among likely Democratic primary v**ers doubles to 4.
In an attempt to identify with average Americans, Hillary Clinton will drive a car for the first time in 20 years. While driving, her PTSD flashes her back to the days she was dirt poor and dead broke, and she drives the car into a telephone pole. She escapes unharmed as the car was wrapped in reporters desperate to get close to her and protect her from any potential harm. However, tragically, this accident wipes out the majority of MSNBCs daytime and prime time line-up. No one notices.
The political world is shaken to its core when new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is discovered to be, in fact, Morn, a character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This shocking revelation comes about when an intern at ABC News goes on a Red Bull and amphetamines bender and becomes the first human ever to stay awake during an entire McConnell press conference and discovers that ends it by saying, Im secretly Morn from DS9, yo. Research shows hed been ending every press conference and floor speech that way since he was first elected to Congress, only no one ever managed to stay awake for more than 3 minutes of him speaking. At his first out press conference, a shocked press corps immediately falls asleep during his opening statement and its never spoken of again.
Someone in cable news will accidentally book a series of interviews with actual live news makers. The green room full of pundits and paid contributors will be confused by this, as will the host. A bloodbath will ensue as people whod read the Associated Press account of an event in pr********n of a TV hit on a subject they were not involved in and were unfamiliar with just an hour ago, are bumped for people with first-hand knowledge of a news event. Radio hosts, columnists and people with the bogus title of contributing editor will suffer major losses. With all of their usual talking head guests hospitalized, cable news faces panic:
How to talk about the news without people completely disconnected from it giving their disconnected, uninformed opinion. They decide to take a risk, something that hasnt been tried for years only deliver news and information to their audience while interviewing people actually involved in the news. The words for reaction we turn to and joining us now are (some i***t on the right and some i***t on the left) to discuss what you just heard fade from the airwaves and people begin to get information again. Then a Kardashian has an audible fart caught on a video at LAX and everything goes back to how it was.
Speaker of the House John Boehner is embroiled in controversy when it is discovered that his office spends $3800 per month at Costco. The scandal is quickly put to rest when, at a hastily scheduled press conference, the Speaker shows a receipt for a recurring delivery of 2500 boxes of Kleenex every month. A reporter for Reuters drowns after asking how much his tissue budget was while growing up in Ohio.
A bad batch of Botox will have everyone in the Democratic primary hospitalized just before their first debate, with the exception of former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley who declined to go with Bidens guy because he always carries his own stash. Senator Elizabeth Warren files h**e crime charges against the doctor, claiming he should have used less tainted Botox because of her high native American cheekbones. That case is dismissed when, during a pretrial motion hearing, no one could stop laughing at her claim of being a minority. She wins the Iowa primary the following January by focusing her campaign efforts on shuttling those whove recently suffered closed head injuries to the polls.
The possibilities for 2015 are endless, and will probably be annoying (at a minimum). Republicans will sell-out or otherwise irritate people who make their living screaming about the Establishment, the President will continue to ignore the Constitution and get away with it, the media will suck and pollute televisions from coast to coast with people who make up for their lack of first-hand knowledge through a doubling-down on a lack of institutional knowledge, and the Cubs wont win the World Series. That last bit is just a swipe at my Chicago friends, but it stands a decent chance at being the least true of any of these predictions.
Happy New Year.
'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Activists -- and Historica... (
show quote)
That was good , um or at least the beginning was
I fell asleep during the part about Mitch McConnell and missed the ending.
:thumbup: :thumbup:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Ike
Loc: Minnesota Iron Range
Don G. Dinsdale wrote:
2015: The Year In Preview
Derek H****r / Jan 01, 2015
What can be said about a year that hasnt happened yet? The optimist looks forward with hope, and the pessimist looks forward with realism, but most people are too busy looking at their phones to see anything at all.
I fall firmly in the pessimist camp. Theres nowhere to go but up when you expect the worst from a year. As such, let us take a look forward, into the future, and see what awful, annoying, and stupid things 2015 may have in store for us.
With Republicans in full control of Congress, President Barack Obama will spend more time with his magic pen and phone. While vetoing legislation passed by duly elected representatives of the people, Obama will spend hours holding his phone to his head and hearing the 2/3rd's of people who didnt v**e in November. He will then use his magic pen to order the Justice Department reopen the polls so those who were so inspired by, and in favor of, Barack Obamas policies that they didnt bother to v**e can exercise the right they forsook because of disillusionment. He will also play a lot of golf.
Panic will grip the White House once again as the Secret Service suffers yet another security breach when Vice President Joe Biden is feared kidnapped. Missing for days, the nation fears the worst. When no demands are forthcoming and no group claims responsibility, confusion rules. A collective sign of relief occurs when it is discovered Biden had locked himself in a closet off the Oval Office with a supply of Capri Sun juice bags and peanut butter Snickers in an attempt to get some publicity and raise his name ID. It worked, as his numbers among likely Democratic primary v**ers doubles to 4.
In an attempt to identify with average Americans, Hillary Clinton will drive a car for the first time in 20 years. While driving, her PTSD flashes her back to the days she was dirt poor and dead broke, and she drives the car into a telephone pole. She escapes unharmed as the car was wrapped in reporters desperate to get close to her and protect her from any potential harm. However, tragically, this accident wipes out the majority of MSNBCs daytime and prime time line-up. No one notices.
The political world is shaken to its core when new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is discovered to be, in fact, Morn, a character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This shocking revelation comes about when an intern at ABC News goes on a Red Bull and amphetamines bender and becomes the first human ever to stay awake during an entire McConnell press conference and discovers that ends it by saying, Im secretly Morn from DS9, yo. Research shows hed been ending every press conference and floor speech that way since he was first elected to Congress, only no one ever managed to stay awake for more than 3 minutes of him speaking. At his first out press conference, a shocked press corps immediately falls asleep during his opening statement and its never spoken of again.
Someone in cable news will accidentally book a series of interviews with actual live news makers. The green room full of pundits and paid contributors will be confused by this, as will the host. A bloodbath will ensue as people whod read the Associated Press account of an event in pr********n of a TV hit on a subject they were not involved in and were unfamiliar with just an hour ago, are bumped for people with first-hand knowledge of a news event. Radio hosts, columnists and people with the bogus title of contributing editor will suffer major losses. With all of their usual talking head guests hospitalized, cable news faces panic:
How to talk about the news without people completely disconnected from it giving their disconnected, uninformed opinion. They decide to take a risk, something that hasnt been tried for years only deliver news and information to their audience while interviewing people actually involved in the news. The words for reaction we turn to and joining us now are (some i***t on the right and some i***t on the left) to discuss what you just heard fade from the airwaves and people begin to get information again. Then a Kardashian has an audible fart caught on a video at LAX and everything goes back to how it was.
Speaker of the House John Boehner is embroiled in controversy when it is discovered that his office spends $3800 per month at Costco. The scandal is quickly put to rest when, at a hastily scheduled press conference, the Speaker shows a receipt for a recurring delivery of 2500 boxes of Kleenex every month. A reporter for Reuters drowns after asking how much his tissue budget was while growing up in Ohio.
A bad batch of Botox will have everyone in the Democratic primary hospitalized just before their first debate, with the exception of former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley who declined to go with Bidens guy because he always carries his own stash. Senator Elizabeth Warren files h**e crime charges against the doctor, claiming he should have used less tainted Botox because of her high native American cheekbones. That case is dismissed when, during a pretrial motion hearing, no one could stop laughing at her claim of being a minority. She wins the Iowa primary the following January by focusing her campaign efforts on shuttling those whove recently suffered closed head injuries to the polls.
The possibilities for 2015 are endless, and will probably be annoying (at a minimum). Republicans will sell-out or otherwise irritate people who make their living screaming about the Establishment, the President will continue to ignore the Constitution and get away with it, the media will suck and pollute televisions from coast to coast with people who make up for their lack of first-hand knowledge through a doubling-down on a lack of institutional knowledge, and the Cubs wont win the World Series. That last bit is just a swipe at my Chicago friends, but it stands a decent chance at being the least true of any of these predictions.
Happy New Year.
2015: The Year In Preview br br br Derek H****r ... (
show quote)
It's not Dave Barry, but I did chuckle a few times.
just care wrote:
That was good , um or at least the beginning was
I fell asleep during the part about Mitch McConnell and missed the ending.
:thumbup: :thumbup:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please remember I post mostly info I find interesting, I don't always agree with each line...
I hope you are as fired up about this Party idea Sicilian has come up with as I am, something positive rather than just b***hing... Don d.
Don G. Dinsdale wrote:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please remember I post mostly info I find interesting, I don't always agree with each line...
I hope you are as fired up about this Party idea Sicilian has come up with as I am, something positive rather than just b***hing... Don d.
I agree with it totally. Keep me in touch! Private message is fine too.
In my last post I was joking about the fact that no one could stay awake when listening to McConnell. .
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