America: love her when she’s right. Right her when she’s wrong.
In 2006, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder was killed in Iraq. The Westboro Baptist Church picketed his funeral because according to them ‘God Hates Gays’ more than he hates war. Albert Snyder, Matthew’s father, sued the “church” and it went through the courts. Snyder lost his case and was ordered to pay all court costs. When the ruling came down I was sitting in the radio studio and I was livid. “What the hell is wrong with this country? This isn’t justice!” My producer, Dave, just shook his head at me through the glass. We went to a break. He opened…
Palin & Olbermann on the R**Skins
It’s not often these days that we at The Mudflats get to write about Sarah Palin AND our old friend Keith Olbermann in the same story. It brings us back to that odd time when Palin went from being Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States, to ‘The Quitter.’ But by some magic they’ve both been talking about the same issue – the despicable name of the Washington DC football team. I’ll give you Sarah Palin’s word-salad first and then follow up with Olbermann’s fun take on the team owner Dan Snyder. Palin, ever the martyr, makes this about “the PC police” and…
The “R” Word: NFL Time to Change the Name
“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles of racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or to feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.” …
Cracking Skulls & Playing Fair
I’m thinking about becoming a football fan. American football. I’m already a soccer fan. Frankly, football has always seemed a bit scattered to me. I prefer to watch it on mute. The sounds of helmets crashing reminds me of that “and next time I’m cracking skulls” line from “The Breakfast Club.” Which explains why I had no idea this game had the power to bring Americans together during such difficult and divisive times. We saw pure magic this week: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama in a Kumbaya moment. Both went on record saying the NFL needed to bring back their…