Class Dismissed: Barack Obama on Patriotism
June 30, 2008
It seems like whenever Barack Obama is being unfairly attacked by his political opponents, the American people get treated to his qualities of leadership, discernment, and wisdom. Endless looped soundbites of Jeremiah Wright prompted his historic speech on “race in America”. Today the ridiculous commentary on lapel pins, the Star-Spangled Banner, and made-up rumors have led him to turn America into his personal classroom once again – this time on “patriotism”. The national discussion is long overdue. Yes, there is something wrong with the double-standard that forces Obama to make clarifying speeches on hot-button topics while John Mccain will never have to address “homosexuality” or “Islam in America” in any nuanced fashion. Even so, instead of tripping and falling, Obama’s leadership shines.
Unfortunately, in recent times, the issue and definition of patriotism has been hijacked by a group of conservative evangelicals, while many of the real patriots go unnoticed. That perverted definition prevented many politicians from speaking out against the war when it wasn’t popular to do so (not Obama). And “patriotic correctness” has 100 times the stifling power in speech than any so-called “political correctness” that people often complain about. Obama clears some of this up. Some of the following passages have been selected from today’s 28 minute speech.
– “most Americans understood that dissent does not make one unpatriotic…”
– “surely we can agree that no party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism.”
– “patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader, or government, or policy.
– “As Mark Twain…once wrote, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.’ That’s what patriotism is.”
– “when our laws, when our leaders or our government are out of alignment with those ideals, then the dissent of ordinary Americans may prove to be one of the truest expressions of patriotism.”
– “The young preacher from Georgia, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who led a movement to help America confront our tragic history of racial injustice and live up to the meaning of our creed, he was a patriot.”
– “The young soldier who first spoke about the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, he is a patriot.”
– “Recognizing a wrong being committed in this country’s name, insisting that we deliver on the promise of our Constitution, these are the acts of patriots”
– “Patriotism must, if it is to mean anything, involve the willingness to sacrifice, to give up something we value on behalf of a larger cause.”
– “Patriotism involves not only defending this country against external threat, but also working constantly to make America a better place for future generations.”
– “Just as patriotism involves each of us making a commitment to this nation that extends beyond our own individual immediate self- interest, so must that commitment extend beyond our own time here on Earth.”
“That’s what patriotism means to me. Thank you, Independence. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.”
See Full Video (from Jack and Jill Politics)
Sports & Hitler Pt. 1: Media Hit-Job on Jemele Hill
June 30, 2008
She was suspended by ESPN for a week, and rational thought was suspended even longer. On talk radio she was called “hypocritical bitch!” and “dumb broad!”… by email she was called the “n-word” many times over… and by telephone she was harassed at her home. These were some of the responses Jemele Hill received after recently stating that rooting “for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim.” Was the Hill backlash in response to anti-Semitism? Or anti-Celticism? Or more than that?…
Hall-of-Fame Hypocrisy: Jackie Robinson and Kenesaw Mountain Landis
June 28, 2008
The documentation of baseball history was revised this past Wednesday as Jackie Robinson received a brand new Baseball Hall-of-Fame plaque. And while the Baseball Hall-of-Fame did the right thing, the job is only half complete. It is time that the historical record be set straight on major league baseball’s first commissioner and ardent segregationist Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Read more
Justin Gimelstob’s Sexist Remarks Provide Peek Into Pro Tennis’ Problems
June 28, 2008
Anna Kournikova never won a tennis tournament in singles and her off-court legacy has far out-paced her on-court exploits. But recently-retired ATP journeyman Justin Gimelstob, now a television announcer and tennis writer who is on the board of the ATP (men’s) Tour, went all misogynist in his remarks about the Russian as well as other female tennis players.
What’d he say? On a Washington, D.C. show called, appropriately, The Junkies, Gimelstob went off. In reference to Kournikova he said:
“She’s a bitch.”
“Hate’s a very strong word. I just despise her to the maximum level, right below hate.
“I think she falls into the Marcelo Rios scumbag category. And this whole bluff about her retiring because of her back? She had the yips on her serve, she can’t get her serve on the court.”
“I’ll mock her and make fun of her. I’ll just make her know that she’s stupid.
Asked if he had ever been attracted to Kournikova, Gimelstob raged: “Definitely not. I have no attraction to her, because she’s such a douche.
“I really have no interest in her. I wouldn’t mind having my younger brother, who’s kind of a stud, nail her and then reap the benefits of that.”
Wow.
A Good-Bye Letter to Deadspin’s Will Leitch
June 27, 2008
Dear Will:
We are ecstatic that this is our last day having to read you at Deadfin, ummm Headgive, no…. Deadspin. There. Got it. We have watched you marginalize us and anyone like us since, well the “Orange Roundie” flap perpetrated by that pedaso de miedra at Yay-Yo Sports: or at least he writes as if his addiction to yay-yo had usurped his capacity to reason beyond thinking of various ill-mannered and ill-conceived plots to elevate his position - as or to what, I do not know - at the expense of one Robert, “Scoop” Jackson.
We are positive you remember how you, in your inimitable passive-aggressive fashion as is your wont, sent people scurrying to blogs that attempted to destroy Jackson, not as a writer, but as a human being. But as you told Buzz Bissinger and continue to tell the world at every turn, you cannot and should not be held responsible for the comments of others.
Apparently, it is also true you also cannot and should not be held responsible for the side of you (as you say, “Us”) that links to others’ blogposts about a given subject.
But we digress.
You have been the leader in what has turned out to be a quintessentially American game of marginalization and alienation, in this case of sports Internet spaces that do not fit into your mold of being. It is you who set the table for these actions by mimicking the very mainstream mediums you so allegedly deplore. Each and everyday that we read you, you engaged in hyperbole, rumor-mongering, and exploring and taking advantage of every avenue possible to portray athletes in as poor a light - we think you would say, ‘a “black light”‘ - as possible.
To put it bluntly, your blogposts have been the dangerous work of an idle mind with nothing of worth to say.
The NBA: Now With 30% Less Euros
June 26, 2008
With the NBA Draft occuring tonight, here are some last minute thoughts and questions on what’s going on:
What are the Blazers going to do with all them picks?
Really, the Blazers just went out and brought the 27th pick yesterday from the Hornets?
Sidenote: What the hell is with the Hornets being so cheap? They now have no picks this draft, and selling a late first round pick (hello Suns) is generally an iffy proposition. Yes, you save money, and it is fiscally smart, plus it keeps your roster flexible. I would, if I was an NBA GM, prefer a second-round pick to a late first rounder. Less of a commitment in terms of length of contract and money (in fact, second-rounders aren’t even guaranteed, right?). But selling picks for nothing, as opposed to getting a future pick or at least two of those Blazer second-rounders (again, nothing to lose)?!? That seems cheap more than smart. End sidenote. Read more
Kim Couture vs. Kim Rose, MMA and American Bloodlust
June 26, 2008
And we go sinking, unblinking, into madness….
“They” bet their lives on this and “They” do not want you to read this; “They” do not want this to see the light of day. Not the head honchos and producers at CBS or FOX. And certainly not the executives in the same positions at ESPN/ABC. And the minions who write for those establishments of some disrepute will dutifully follow orders and find “It” an event and issue to disregard when thinking of what to write next.
But It” is here.
Again.
“It” is another potential moment. “it” is another opportunity for us to shake ourselves from our collective daze and become fully awake, and begin the climb to right ourselves.
In preparation for tonight’s NBA draft Miami Heat president Pat Riley allegedly questioned the “attitude” and “character” of Michael Beasley, the best player in NCAA basketball last season. We hear these charges repeatedly when it comes to athletes, as if those who employ them are somehow above reproach and those they employ are somehow lesser as human beings. The min
Now, though, the tables are turned.
Steve Nash, Baron Davis, and Jason Kidd in “The Showdown In Chinatown”.
June 26, 2008
Alternative title: Baron Davis has surpassed Gilbert Arenas as the most likeable, light-hearted (goofy) NBA player.
You may have read about this charity, free to the public, soccer event Steve Nash held today at Stanton Field in Sara Roosevelt Park in Manhattan. Labeled “The Showdown in Chinatown” (though Stanton and Forsyth is borderline Chinatown, and more LES nowadays than Chinatown, but we’ll save that discussion for Friday), Steve Nash brought together a nice crew of NBA and MLS All-stars to the game. I decided to head down there, and take some pics of the event. And, man, did I have a great location to see the players, if not the game itself. Read more
Jesus Plays Sports: Analyzing the Redemption of Josh Hamilton
June 26, 2008
Note: When I publish articles on topics where I have a discernable bias due to who I am, I like to let readers know upfront what my bias is. It’s more fair to readers that way, instead of pretending that I have a neutral background. That’s why I put the “Jesus Plays Sports” label on this and other posts. It means that my Christian faith and the world of sports are colliding. I’m saying this now because it’s the first “Jesus Plays Sports” entry I’ve done on here.
The Josh Hamilton story is well-known to most of us. Ballplayer grows up in a loving, religious family, ballplayer is the #1 overall pick in MLB, ballplayer gets hooked on drugs, and ballplayer somehow kicks the habit to fulfull his #1 overall pick status.
The Big Lead Is Now The Big Boss?
June 25, 2008
Note to Shanoff: The Big Lead is now the Boss.
… so feel free to leave the blogging world, if you really mean what you wrote.
Now to the more adult conversation: Let’s start of with a link to Dave Lozo’s excellent breakdown of Will Leitch’s weird post the other day in which he took a few shots at Deadspin’s primary rival, The Big Lead. Lozo’s post goes methodically through Leitch’s words, line by line, and credits Leitch wherever he made a valid point, while properly taking Will to task whenever he was BS-ing. Simply: Young William got schooled by Lozo. No more Big Willy! Read more
