Tracy Morgan commenary on SNL

In response to Tina Fey's commentary that "bitch was the new black."

Pit bull culture

CNN.com examines the relationship between rural, white dogfighting and urban, hip-hop.

A woman from the United Kennel Club notes:

"It's important to understand that this isn't about race, but it is about culture."

Russell Simmons says, regarding the presence of pit bulls in hip-hop and rap culture:

"That's why we have poets, have always had poets and artists in society, to say things that sometimes people don't say otherwise."

In this case, I think it's a bit of the "poets" reflecting society and society trying to emulate said "poets"...at the same time.

Protecting borders

An Examiner editorial cites a study "by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse affiliated with Syracuse University":

"...of more than 800,000 immigration court cases between 2004 and 2006, however, found only 12 involving illegal aliens that the government charged with terrorism. A mere 114 illegals were brought up on “national security” charges during the same period, according to TRAC. Only 31 of these people were actually deported."

I think these statistics do the opposite of bolstering the editorial's pithy "31 down and how many millions to go."

There's not millions of terrorists in the country. Almost every single illegal immigrant is here to work, not terrorize. Just because white Americans think they're being terrorized by the help (that they need) doesn't mean that's actually happening.

True believers

The Rev. Al Sharpton has gotten himself into some hot water for saying:

"And as for the one Mormon running for office, those that really believe in God will defeat him anyway. So don't worry about that. That's a temporary, that's a temporary situation."

His statement came during a debate with Christopher Hitchens, the author of the recent book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

NewsBusters notes that:

"...Sharpton and [Paula] Zahn discussed the fact that until 1965 [according to CNN], or 1978, according to Sharpton, the Mormon church did not accord blacks full status. That engendered the following exchange:

SHARPTON: ...prior to '65, '78, whenever it was, they did not see blacks as equal, I do not believe that as real worshippers of God, because I do not believe that God distinguishes between people."

Considering that the founders of this country and several generations of its people afterwards put into place and accepted laws that "did not see blacks as equal" this is a curious statement. Sharpton is supposed to be clergy, hence the "Reverend" (licensed and ordained a minister at age 9, says Wikipedia).

Sharpton was ordained by someone who was ordained by someone who was ordained by someone who was ordained by someone who was white. And that person's religion (Christianity) had members who did not view blacks as equal.

I am so thrown, I cannot elucidate my point.

Freudian

"I don't have a lot of African-American friends, and I think part of it is because I'm afraid that I would be in an open conversation, and I would say something that somebody would take wrong, and then it would be a nightmare. Am I alone in feeling that?"
- Glenn Beck

I wonder if the reason Beck doesn't have African-American friends is because he doesn't want them to find out he's actually racist.

The Minimum Wage is Racist?

One of the priorities of Democrats in the 110th Congress is to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 over the course of two years. In 1995, the Joint Economic Committee in Congress (made up of a majority of Republicans) published talking points against a raise in the minimum wage. One point stated:

The minimum wage hurts blacks generally.

Other detractors said:

The economic case against minimum wage laws is simple. Employers pay a wage no higher than the value of an additional hour's work. Raising minimum wages forces employers to dismiss low productivity workers. This policy has the largest affect on those with the least education, job experience, and maturity. Consequently, we should expect minimum wage laws to affect teenagers and those with less education.

"Low productivity" workers are those with the "least education, job experience and maturity". It's easy to connect the dots that opponents are saying that those with less education, less job experience and "maturity" are blacks.

Their simple conclusion is that a raise in the minimum wage is racist because of this. Nevermind themselves.