This is going to be a relatively short essay. In a state where only a few months ago, a popular, moderate, establishment-oriented Republican Governor (Charlie Crist) was not only expected to get his party's nomination for the U.S. Senate but, perhaps, coast to victory over any number of Democratic opponents, finds the governor's party in crisis mode.
Lately, the news out of Florida has not been good for the Republicans. The St. Petersburg Timesreports this morning
As a volatile election season gets under way, the Republican Party of Florida is facing its biggest crisis of confidence in decades.
Donors and party activists are livid over newly revealed records that suggest outgoing chairman Jim Greer used the party as a personal slush fund for lavish travel and entertainment. The records also show that executive director Delmar Johnson padded his $103,000 salary with a secret, $260,000 fundraising contract and another $42,000 for expenses - at the same time the once mighty Florida GOP was having to lay off employees amid anemic fundraising.
I thought I'd never be the next person to write about Tiger Woods. That is, until today, when the sensationalist aspects of this incredibly bizarre story gave way to more substantive critiques. In a different time, where concerns about the economy, the passage of health care reform, the uncertainty of a war in Afghanistan, and a variety of matters that collectively form the winter of our discontent, following glorious summer, this would have been endlessly digested and discussed. Woods is at least fortunate that his great fall happened when the rest of the country and the news media was too distracted with other things. If only in future we could give soft news its rightful place in a profoundly subordinate role behind serious matters, but this may be asking too much.
As for Tiger Woods, when a revealing racial dynamic begins to enter the picture after an interested public and tabloid media, desperately churn up wild rumor after wild rumor regarding the scandal, then I have something to work with after all. The New York Daily News, itself at times a scandal sheet, does at least outline something very interesting.
When three white women were said to be romantically involved with Woods in addition to his blonde, Swedish wife, blogs, airwaves and barbershops started humming, and Woods' already tenuous standing among many blacks took a beating.
On the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner radio show, Woods was the butt of jokes all week.
"Thankfully, Tiger, you didn't marry a black woman. Because if a sister caught you running around with a bunch of white hoochie-mamas," one parody suggests in song, she would have castrated him.
In addition to re-emphasizing a stereotypical portrayal of the sassy, no-nonsense Black woman, offensive in and of itself, the unveiled implication behind it as plain as the eye on one's face. Within the Black community, dating or marrying a white woman was seen as a form of social mobility. Or, if you prefer, moving on up to the East Side. Indeed, it still is. Though the comparison may be a bit of a stretch, do also contemplate that both of Michael Jackson's wives were white, as was the mother of his children. The early Twentieth Century boxer Jack Johnson, an undisputed heavyweight titan of his time, broached social mores with abandon, and in so doing surrounded himself with white women. That many of these women were considered of low moral standard, low social class, and often inclined to toil in the service of the world's oldest profession did nothing to decrease the ire of both Whites and Blacks during his career.
Another figure who was very much front and center in the public eye in his day and also had a particular fondness for white women was Richard Pryor, who addressed the matter in his classic 1974 comedy album, That Ni**er's Crazy.
Sisters look at you like you killed your mother when they see you with white women.
A sense of sticking to one's place and staying with one's own kind, though it has decreased with the passage of time, still lives within the minds of many. If it were merely a one-sided assumption, then it could be more easily fixed, but issues this large rarely are.
As one blogger, Robert Paul Reyes, wrote: "If Tiger Woods had cheated on his gorgeous white wife with black women, the golfing great's accident would have been barely a blip in the blogosphere."
The darts reflect blacks' resistance to interracial romance. They also are a reflection of discomfort with a man who has smashed barriers in one of America's whitest sports and assumed the mantle of the world's most famous athlete, once worn by Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.
Regarding the highlighted sentence above, I take some liberty with the author of this column. It's just not that simple, though the AP seems to always wish that it were. Blacks aren't so much resistant to interracial romance, but they are frequently disappointed and dismayed when African-Americans who attain some degree of fame make a concerted effort to exclusively date and then marry Caucasian women, particularly those who are the epitome and definition of what this society deems beautiful. Our culture still pushes the blonde-haired, thin-waisted, Barbie doll look in almost every conceivable fashion, which relegates attractiveness and desirability to a very specific and very discriminatory standard, leaving out a good 90% of the rest of womanhood in the process. This is particular true for women of color. For any minority group, assimilation with the majority has been the quickest way to achieve "respectability", though the resentment it creates in those left behind never subsides.
Regarding a desire for African-Americans to date and marry other African-Americans, the column deems it "loyalty", but this is an inexact qualifier at best. It is a sort of racial pride, but comedian Sheryl Underwood advances the notion a bit farther.
"Would we question when a Jewish person wants to marry other Jewish people?" she said in an interview. "It's not racist. It's not bigotry. It's cultural pride."
"The issue comes in when you choose something white because you think it's better," Underwood said. "And then you never date a black woman or a woman of color or you never sample the greatness of the international buffet of human beings. If you never do that, we got a problem."
Years after Loving v. Virginia, the shock of interracial relationships has subsided. The film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, deeply controversial in its time, produces smiles when viewed in our age because of how dated its subject matter appears to today's audience. Perceiving matters through a strictly racial prism, particularly one with only two settings can only take us so far towards understanding. The irony is that while everyone seems to find no fault in interracial relationships, many are still reluctant to push past their own discomfort or date outside of their own racial group. And I must admit, in all fairness, that I myself am guilty of that as much as anyone else.
So to conclude, we should not summarily assume that with Tiger Woods being proven to be utterly human and wholly flawed that some part of our trusting innocence needs to perish alongside his indiscretions. One of the deepest hypocrisies we continue to advance is holding our heroes to a moral and ethical standard that we feel incapable of achieving ourselves. In a way, it's a bit of a cop-out when we transpose this crusade for perfection felt deep within ourselves onto those whom we idolize. They end up having to do the heavy lifting for our sins and when they fail, pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Even so, shelving this instinctive impulse that assumes any being will reach some Nirvana-like state before our very eyes based on accomplishment alone might be the best thing we, as a body of people, can do for ourselves. This doesn't mean anything goes or that extramarital affairs should be permissible or that mistakes should always be rationalized away, but it does mean that we ought to consider keeping our indignation at a responsible volume and tempered by responsible expectations.
So it won't matter that Woods won't be getting that Congressional gold medal and we won't care that the future of his business empire remains steady.
Columnist Christine Brennan writes about it being a long road back but it is a road back.
Still, Woods was an athlete we trusted. We feel a bit foolish with all those claims that he was the one athlete whose only interest was winning. That while others were pursuing outside interests, Woods was beating golf balls and figuring out ways to win.
Former president Ronald Reagan used to say "trust but verify."
Sometimes we are more angry and the bitterness lingers when we didn't see it coming.
So, has Woods spoiled it for other guys?
Does the fact that we got fooled by this guy now make us less trusting of all athletes?
Ronald Reagan quote aside, I don't think trust is the matter at hand here. Or if it is, trust ought to be applied to ourselves first before we place it in the hands of some arbitrarily appointed industry, entity, or agency who has based its entire focus and revenue around a single person who happens to be notable based on a high degree of achievement. This is true in sports, it is true in politics, and it is true in life. Be the change. Above all, be the change. Don't lay the change on someone else's shoulders, no matter how broad you think them to be. That road leads to ruin.
You may have heard about the enormous, bigger-than-the-Vatican American Embassy that's been under construction in Iraq for, like, forever, a temple being erected to the Balls of Bush, the man who invaded Iraq and liberated its oil.
You may have even heard about how it was built with what amounted to slave labor. You may have heard about lots of problems with the construction, and how the contractor who built it, who wasn't even American, skimped and cheated and lied.
Well, you probably didn't realize what a huge scandal this actually is. Because the media doesn't report this stuff. But Jeremy Scahill does. He's one of the only real journalists out there. And it turns out that the cheating and corruption was so bad, from this Kuwaiti contractor, that he's gonna have to probably pay back $130 million dollars to the U.S. government for this boondoggle.
The Baghdad embassy-the largest of any nation on planet earth and ten times bigger than any other US embassy-is striking evidence indicating a continued US presence in the country for many years to come. The structure cost more than $700 million and is the size of 80 football fields. It is bigger than the Vatican, six times larger than the United Nations compound in New York and is about two thirds the size of the National Mall in Washington. It has space for 1,000 employees who are guarded by scores of paramilitary mercenary forces. In other words it is the perfect structure for a nation that claims to be leaving Iraq very soon.
The embassy is more like a fortress and hardly sends a message of warm diplomacy. "What kind of embassy is it when everybody lives inside and it's blast-proof, and people are running around with helmets and crouching behind sandbags?" said Edward Peck, the former US ambassador to Iraq when the embassy was first being constructed.
Yup, it's a grand monument to the stupidity that is George W. Bush. It's about as big as he is stupid.
And you may have a WTF moment when you think "wait a minute, why was the company hired to build this monstrosity not American, but Kuwait?" Well, Scahill answers that for you:
In 2006, David Phinney reported: "Several other contractors that competed for the embassy contracts... believe that a high-level decision at the State Department was made to favor a Kuwait-based firm in appreciation for Kuwait's support of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. 'It was political,' said one contractor."
And if you thought American slavery ended with the Civil War, you were wrong:
FKIT has been plagued by allegations from whistleblowers who worked on the embassy that say the company "brought workers, mostly South Asians and Filipinos, to Baghdad under false pretenses, then abused and threatened them while there." The company, predictably, denies those charges.
Rory Mayberry, who first worked with First Kuwaiti in March 200 as a medic on the embassy construction site, "alleges that when he showed up at the Kuwait airport for his flight into Baghdad, there were 51 Filipino employees of First Kuwaiti also waiting for the same flight - except the Filipinos believed they were going to Dubai," reported NBC News. "He says the Filipinos were told to proceed to "GATE 26" at the Kuwait airport - but no Gate 26 existed. There was only a door to a staircase that led to a white plane on the tarmac:"
Mayberry says even he was given a boarding pass that was marked for Dubai, though he knew he was going to Baghdad.
"The steward was having problems keeping guys in their seats because they were so upset, wanted to get off the airplane," says Mayberry. "They were upset they weren't headed to Dubai where they were promised they were working."
He says when he arrived in Baghdad he notified the State Department official in charge of the embassy project about what had happened on his flight and she replied "that's the way they do it."
Ah, yes, just like the good old days, when a fellow could pass out drunk on the streets of a European city and wake up in a ship bound for the New World!
Why, you might ask, were they shipping in laborers when the Iraqi workforce was completely out of work? Why didn't they hire Iraqis for this job? I mean, the unemployment rate was only in the 70 - 80% range. Oh, come on, that's a rhetorical question, right? Ha! I mean, how were the Kuwatis suposed to make any REAL money if they had to pay Baghdad workers Baghdad wages! Everybody knows what a bunch of spoiled Union goons those guys are!
You can get more details of the contractor's failings in the article, but what I really wanted to pass along to you was the most disheartening part of this entire sickening story.
Because you might think this was just an aberration, right? One more of countless Bush administration scandals, and thank god we got rid of him, right? And those days are over, right? And this kind of stuff isn't going to happen again, right?
Wrong.
Obama has decided that we're gonna do this all over again, this time in Pakistan! Yessir, it worked out so well in Baghdad that we need more of these Monster Embassies to carry out our friendly activities.
ISLAMABAD - The U.S. is embarking on a $1 billion crash program to expand its diplomatic presence in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, another sign that the Obama administration is making a costly, long-term commitment to war-torn South Asia, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
The White House has asked Congress for - and seems likely to receive - $736 million to build a new U.S. embassy in Islamabad, along with permanent housing for U.S. government civilians and new office space in the Pakistani capital.
The scale of the projects rivals the giant U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which was completed last year after construction delays at a cost of $740 million.
Hm, must be part of the economic stimulus program. Oh wait, this is in a foreign country? How the fuck are Americans supposed to benefit from this massive government spending? Oh wait, we're NOT. It's another FUCK YOU from Team Obama.
And here's the really telling part:
A senior Pakistani official said the expansion has been under discussion for three years.
Three years! Waiddaminute, three years ago ..... Bush was in power! This is Bush's idea, Bush's plan, Bush's boondoggle. Brought to you by .... Obama!
There really is no difference. Bush/Obama. Bushbama. ObamBush. Bush's third term is what it should really be called.
Ah, good thing the US quest for violent global domination was brought to a screeching halt with the November presidential election. Without Obama's election, we'd still have an occupation of Iraq, mercenaries on the US payroll, torture of prisoners, an unending and worsening war that kills civilians in Afghanistan, regular airstrikes in Pakistan, killing civilians and an embassy the size of Vatican city in Baghdad, which was built in part on slave labor. Not to mention those crazy "Bush/Cheney" neocons running around trying to become the "CEOs" of foreign nations. Wow, glad that's all over. Whew! And, it's a really good thing Bush is no longer in power or else the US would come up with some crazy idea like building a colonial fortress in Pakistan to defend "US interests" in the region.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, who heads the committee, told CNN that there is a preliminary investigation of Ensign's actions. "We will look at all aspects of this case, as we do whenever there is a case before us, and try to get to the bottom of it as quickly as we can in fairness to all," said Boxer, D-Calif.
John Ensign, of C Street and extramarital affair infamy, will get off scot free here, because the game is rigged. What a surprise, the Select Senate Committee on Ethics is Unethical.
Regarding C Street and The Family, Senator Mark Pryor is up to his eyeballs in this scandal.
Who sits on the Senate Ethics Committee?
Chairwoman
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Mark Pryor (C-Street) (D-AR)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Vice chair
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Jom Risch (R-ID)
My bet, Ensign walks away without a slap on his wrist, 2 -4 bipartisan vote in favor of corruption and sex scandals.
GAME OVER for Democracy if one of these fucks gets to be President. We already saw what it was like under Bush when a POTUS thinks he was appointed by God, and not the Supreme Court.
It's as if they remade Jesus into a free market capitalist!
Because the minority occupying the high places are stronger than a majority that are irrelevant.
~snip~
"How do we take back the gates of commerce which the enemy guards so closely?"
As I've been basking in the drama of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's epic Fail, my curiosity was peaked by some comments on the FDL post, How Stupid Does Erick Erickson Feel Today? As well as posts on TPM, DU, Kos and other sources, all of which make vague connections and toss flimsy innuendo, but none of which actually make the suggested connections overtly.
Having spent a little over 30 years in news/publishing (and having done a bit of investigative journalism in my prime), I found it all just so... fascinating! There are things here that need some firmly supported answers. Disjointed factoids garnered thus far:
Sanford, sans written statement or even notes, appears late to his own press conference, also sans wife (now said to be with kids at beach house) and personal assistant. Sanford began with a rambling extemporaneous exposition on the joys of hiking, as if he intended to defend that story, not realizing that the press corps already knew where he'd been (and who he was with). He didn't begin apologizing and whimpering until ~4 minutes in. When he asked for that female personal assistant, realized she wasn't there, knew he was busted. A pitiful performance.
MSNBC reported that an SC newspaper has been sitting on "the" story (the emails of love) for months. Because The State newspaper is a right-wing rag, it's not hard to figure why they sat on the info, though it also makes me wonder about who the anonymous person who forwarded them to the newspaper might be. Mrs. Sanford? She managed his campaigns, may have access to his emails. His personal assistant who abandoned him yesterday? These two might also have access to his personal email, at least via forwards he may have sent them and a basic knowledge of his range of rememberable passwords. Someone else in the office?
I wasn't going to write anything until after the election (Go Obama!) but this is important, IMHO. Yesterday melamine was found in several egg products in South Korea following last week's similar discovery in Japan, marking the first time the toxic chemical has been found in Chinese egg products.
Some of you have followed my pieces on the Chinese melamine scandal, here is the last one with a comprehensive list of the tainted products. Add egg products to this list now, and God knows what else! Egg products can be found in many items such as cake mixes, cookies and much more, see the list below. Having said that, don't be alarmed, just make sure you know the provenance of your food products and read the labels carefully.
No surprise. What would be the percentage in replacing one of the plethora of Jeremiah Wright questions with an inquiry about the megamedia's hiring of retired military officers who sexed up the case for the U.S. invasion of Iraq and then exaggerated, distorted and lied about what was happening when the war and subsequent occupation got underway? Would that help the bottom line? Nah. Hence, none of Wallace's pals at Foxaganda are talking about this. Indeed, mum's been the word on Barstow's bombshell throughout the megamedia. The talking point - or perhaps the memo from on high - seems to be: Don't talk.
Don't tell viewers that retired generals and colonels and majors engaged in a war-drumming, flag-waving perversion of patriotism. Or that those in the Pentagon who ordered special briefings for these analysts as part of a domestic propaganda campaign ought to get their mail deliveries slipped between the bars at Leavenworth for the next few years. Avoid the subject and maybe it will go away like so many other stories which have been disappeared as if they were dissidents in some backwater military dictatorship.
Yes, there is much corruption in the Democratic Party. Yes I would personally like to throw Nancy out on her ear. Yes I am disgusted by the shameless cowardice and/or self aggrandizement of too many Democrats in Congress.
However
I do not belive the Democratic Party is capable of what The Republican Party - lead by its criminal leaders have done to this country. Make no mistake. The Democratic Party must improve it's pathetic records of sheep like cowardice as represented by the current Congress. But stoop this low? No. Only Today's GOP leadership is capable of this
Reform Immigration -
March on Washington
