| 0 9678 777 000 5675 245 0 |
SIMS : ROCKS ARE FREE, AND SLINGSHOTS EASILY STOLEN.
ABOUT ME:
I'm so hungry, I could
eat a baby deer.
ARCHIVES
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
INTERESTING
sims is on Twitter
She Genius
Atom feed, yo
Free Website Counter
I'm so hungry, I could
eat a baby deer.
ARCHIVES
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
INTERESTING
sims is on Twitter
She Genius
Atom feed, yo
Free Website Counter
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
And, we're back
A double dose of Imus-olicious news today, as it was announced that he had settled his breach of contract lawsuit against CBS for firing him earlier this year. Right before he was canned, he had just signed a new $40 million dollar deal to continue his radio show. No details were released, but I'd guess he's going to get a lump-sum check for about half of that amount, and as with settlements, it's tax-free, babycakes.
The other bit you need to know is that one of the Rutgers players that Imus made fun of is now suing him. Right, no one saw that coming.
Kia Vaughn, who has not felt the need to sue her mother for naming her after a crappy car is, however, suing Don Imus, his producer, Bernard McGuirk, and CBS for "damage done to her character and reputation." Despite the fact that no one knew for sure that she was a money-grubbing opportunist until today, this is not the allegation that led her to file suit.
Imus, you probably recall, in a now iconic bit of semi-alliterative flourish, called the Rutgers women "nappy-headed hos." The upshot?
"Vaughn was humiliated, embarrassed and publicly mocked for the comments." Additionally, her attorney, Richard Ancowitz, said, "The full effect of the damage remains to be seen. This is about Kia Vaughn's good name," Ancowitz said. "She would do anything to return to her life as a student and respected basketball player - a more simple life before Imus opened his mouth on April 4."
Ahh, the simple life...
The sort of life where you go to class a few hours a week, practice hoops a couple hours a day, and the world unfolds neatly in front of you.
But since Imus made his stupid remarks, now she has do these things with the added burden of worrying about a frivolous lawsuit which she can't win. The pressure, anguish and disappointments will be substantial. Someone has to pay. From the article:
'Ho' is a slang term for a prostitute. After the comments were made, Vaughn said at a news conference: "Unless they've given 'ho' a whole new definition, that's not what I am."
Great, you're not a prostitute. I'm assuming you knew that before the incident, and probably weren't shocked to find out that you actually were a prostitute, because, you know, you aren't. And I support that.
I would not even go so far as to mention the inconvenient fact that you trade on your physical abilities and are well compensated for your efforts. That's beside the point.
If a fan in the stands had yelled at you and your teammates the exact thing that Imus had said, would you sue the fan? Of course you wouldn't, because first, and most importantly to you, he's not some rich asshole. The other inconvenient problem for your litigious streak is that this is the United States of America, and your hurt feelings don't amount to a jack squat.
Miss Vaughn, you are going to be a junior (not a term to diminish you, please don't sue me) at a fine university this year. In all likelihood, given your career thus far, you will probably be asked to play basketball professionally when you leave school, and after that, should enjoy a fine post-basketball life. Your whole life is ahead of you, and you want to be known for this? Being Don Imus' punch line is the legacy you desire? Get over it, Kia. I didn't even know your name before today, and now it is spit from my mouth like an epithet. Just get on with your life, and make a name for yourself in your own way. You're not a ho. Stop acting like one.
The other bit you need to know is that one of the Rutgers players that Imus made fun of is now suing him. Right, no one saw that coming.
Kia Vaughn, who has not felt the need to sue her mother for naming her after a crappy car is, however, suing Don Imus, his producer, Bernard McGuirk, and CBS for "damage done to her character and reputation." Despite the fact that no one knew for sure that she was a money-grubbing opportunist until today, this is not the allegation that led her to file suit.
Imus, you probably recall, in a now iconic bit of semi-alliterative flourish, called the Rutgers women "nappy-headed hos." The upshot?
"Vaughn was humiliated, embarrassed and publicly mocked for the comments." Additionally, her attorney, Richard Ancowitz, said, "The full effect of the damage remains to be seen. This is about Kia Vaughn's good name," Ancowitz said. "She would do anything to return to her life as a student and respected basketball player - a more simple life before Imus opened his mouth on April 4."
Ahh, the simple life...
The sort of life where you go to class a few hours a week, practice hoops a couple hours a day, and the world unfolds neatly in front of you.
But since Imus made his stupid remarks, now she has do these things with the added burden of worrying about a frivolous lawsuit which she can't win. The pressure, anguish and disappointments will be substantial. Someone has to pay. From the article:
'Ho' is a slang term for a prostitute. After the comments were made, Vaughn said at a news conference: "Unless they've given 'ho' a whole new definition, that's not what I am."
Great, you're not a prostitute. I'm assuming you knew that before the incident, and probably weren't shocked to find out that you actually were a prostitute, because, you know, you aren't. And I support that.
I would not even go so far as to mention the inconvenient fact that you trade on your physical abilities and are well compensated for your efforts. That's beside the point.
If a fan in the stands had yelled at you and your teammates the exact thing that Imus had said, would you sue the fan? Of course you wouldn't, because first, and most importantly to you, he's not some rich asshole. The other inconvenient problem for your litigious streak is that this is the United States of America, and your hurt feelings don't amount to a jack squat.
Miss Vaughn, you are going to be a junior (not a term to diminish you, please don't sue me) at a fine university this year. In all likelihood, given your career thus far, you will probably be asked to play basketball professionally when you leave school, and after that, should enjoy a fine post-basketball life. Your whole life is ahead of you, and you want to be known for this? Being Don Imus' punch line is the legacy you desire? Get over it, Kia. I didn't even know your name before today, and now it is spit from my mouth like an epithet. Just get on with your life, and make a name for yourself in your own way. You're not a ho. Stop acting like one.
Labels: Don Imus, free speech
posted at 8:29 PM
0 comments
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Right again, jackass
CBS fired Don Imus this afternoon.
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!"
Great days are ahead, my friends, now that racism is over. Frankly, I'd be surprised if the Shiites and Sunnis didn't throw down their arms, get together, and sign a peace treaty with Israel.
Yes, anything is possible, now that Don Imus has been fired.
I have set my alarm for 5am tomorrow morning, in eager anticipation of seeing the sun rise in the west. If racism can be so easily overcome, then the other laws of nature should be toppling as well.
Perhaps GM and Toyota, in a burst of good feeling, will finally unveil the vehicle which will end our dependence on fossil fuels. Why shouldn't they? There is nothing holding any of us back from being the best we can be, now that Don Imus has been fired.
This is what it's all about. This is the Utopian future we have dreamed of.
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!"
Great days are ahead, my friends, now that racism is over. Frankly, I'd be surprised if the Shiites and Sunnis didn't throw down their arms, get together, and sign a peace treaty with Israel.
Yes, anything is possible, now that Don Imus has been fired.
I have set my alarm for 5am tomorrow morning, in eager anticipation of seeing the sun rise in the west. If racism can be so easily overcome, then the other laws of nature should be toppling as well.
Perhaps GM and Toyota, in a burst of good feeling, will finally unveil the vehicle which will end our dependence on fossil fuels. Why shouldn't they? There is nothing holding any of us back from being the best we can be, now that Don Imus has been fired.
This is what it's all about. This is the Utopian future we have dreamed of.
Labels: censorship, civil liberties, Don Imus, hypocrisy, irony, the media
posted at 2:35 PM
2 comments
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Imus
The most recent development in the story is that MSNBC, which televises Imus' morning show live weekday mornings, has gone beyond its initial two-week suspension, and has decided to dump the show from its lineup.
All of this is due to the reaction after Imus' comments last week about the Rutgers women's basketball team. By now, we've all been blasted again and again with someone or other recounting the phrase "nappy-headed hos." I think that this phrase is going to become a cultural touchstone for years to come, sort of like "You are the weakest link," "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" and "You forgot Poland."
When I first heard the clip, my reaction was that Imus had said something stupid and offensive, and it came off as a lame attempt at humor. Imus has certainly been in these waters before, although in his career, he has a had a lot more good moments than bad, and I don't say this as a fan of the show. I like some of his interviews with politicians and others, but by and large, I find it a bit dry. Imus is very good at what he does, it's just not for everybody.
I wasn't really offended by what he said, although I'll admit I was actually shocked to hear his producer, Bernard McGuirk, use the word "jigaboos." That's some old-school racist verbiage, there. Interestingly, in the non-stop feeding frenzy since then, I've heard no one on television repeat this part of the conversation. Now, they may be sparing our delicate sensibilities, but if "nappy-headed hos" is so awful, then I suppose it shouldn't be repeated ad nauseum, either.
Jigaboos. Christ.
I thought about that word, and was fairly sure I hadn't heard it since college, and that was in a history class.
African-American studies, if you must know.
Again, I was surprised when I heard it last week, and it started me thinking about the word. I suppose the be-all end-all of racist slurs is "nigger." That is just one of those things you say when you're pretty sure that you're ready to be punched in the face. It's not a word that I use, or even think of to use, to be honest. I understand the weight of it, and the baggage it carries. It's a shocking thing, and it ought to be. Unfortunately, it isn't anymore. I know I can turn on the radio in any city in America, and maybe anywhere in the world, and if I have the right station on, I will hear that word and many others like it in no time at all. And to be honest, it doesn't shock me in the least when I hear it.
Have I become desensitized to it? Has it lost its power through the constant use in certain musical circles? And is that a good thing somehow?
That's a separate topic, and besides, Imus didn't say "nigger." He didn't say "jigaboo" either. He called the women "nappy-headed hos."
And in a medium where Rush Limbaugh can refer to Barack Obama as a "Halfrican-American" and Neal Boortz can opine that a black US Congresswoman from Georgia looks like a "ghetto slut," it's hard to understand why Imus is in so much hot water.
It was a stupid attempt to make fun at their expense. Did they deserve it? No. Do most people who get skewered by deejays, pundits, talk show hosts and late-night comedians deserve it? All of them? Probably not.
But like the Bat signal from the Batman TV show (I suppose it could have been any brown mammal, in retrospect), the usual suspects have raced to the front of the fray, and they have been there often enough to remember to bring their own microphones.
The Revs, Jesse and Al.
I have spoken about Jesse Jackson before. This man was in the shit during the civil rights movement in the US in the 60s. This guy marched, protested, and put his life at risk time and time again to further the cause. He was standing with MLK on that damned balcony in Memphis when the doctor was assassinated. He was a legitimate candidate for president in 1988, and has a lot of good to his credit, more than me, and more than most.
Since '88? Not a hell of a lot. He tends to show up at places where racism or the old-boy network may be impacting maybe eight people. Wasting time protesting Major League Baseball for not having enough black employees in the front offices is a misuse of effort. Defending Michael Jackson as he faces child molestation charges destroys your credibility. You may have noticed that black males are dying at one another's hands in obscene numbers, and too many of the ones that live end up in prison.
And frankly, after you refer to New York City as "Hymie Town," you don't get to call anyone a bigot anymore. Sorry, that's just how it goes.
Sharpton, on the other hand, started badly, coming on the national scene as the point man in the Tawana Brawley fraud, but since then has gotten his hair together, dumped the velvet warm-up suits and gold medallions, become respectable, and a man of consequence in political circles by speaking the truth. In the 2004 campaign, he was the only candidate who seemed to be speaking English at the debates. I like Al.
But he cannot resist the lure of the big takedown, be it Michael Richards, or Don Imus. I don't recall seeing him or Jesse hovering around the Mel Gibson circus, but I suppose they may have been busy that week.
This gets into what Bill Maher has aptly referred to as "fake outrage." I couldn't possibly put it any better than that.
You know who doesn't get to be outraged by what Imus said? Anyone who owns a 2Pac or 50 Cent CD. You've heard black women degraded, and danced along to it. You need to shut the fuck up.
It's not absolutely relevant to the issue, but I would like to know if any of the women on the Rutgers team had even heard of Don Imus before last week. I would also like to know if any of them had anything on their individual iPods that could be considered offensive in the same way as Imus' remarks.
And if so, do you hear it differently now? I hope so, I really do.
I feel bad for these women. They didn't deserve this. They play a game at a world-class level, they are students at a good school, and not one of them probably ever dreamed she'd be famous for something like this. If they have injured feelings, I am sorry for that.
But hurting your feelings is not a criminal offense.
This is nothing less than a free speech issue. Don Imus can say anything he wants, this is America. If the Klan gets permits to have a rally in the park because they meet all the conditions in order to obtain them, then the Klan gets to march. I can choose to not listen to Imus, or not attend the rally if I desire. I can call the President of the United States a sonofabitch, and there's not one thing anyone can do about it. My friends might shun me, and I may get kicked out of the NRA, but that's part of the equation. Free speech has consequences.
Imus may lose his audience, his sponsors may pull their ad budgets, and CBS Radio may decide after those things happen that he's no longer a commodity worth keeping. If they can him then, it's a business decision, and that's how it ought to be.
Firing Imus because he went over the line and hurt someone's feelings is cowardice.
If I was a betting man, I'd wager that CBS will cave, just as NBC did, and send Donny off to his ranch. No one has any balls anymore, and it's better to put out a mediocre product than to occasionally stir up controversy. They fired Dan Rather over those memos about Bush's AWOL time during Vietnam, even though everything that was in these faked memos was 100% true.
CBS. The Tiffany Network. What a joke.
Tiffany. That sounds like a nappy-headed ho's name, but that's just my opinion.
All of this is due to the reaction after Imus' comments last week about the Rutgers women's basketball team. By now, we've all been blasted again and again with someone or other recounting the phrase "nappy-headed hos." I think that this phrase is going to become a cultural touchstone for years to come, sort of like "You are the weakest link," "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" and "You forgot Poland."
When I first heard the clip, my reaction was that Imus had said something stupid and offensive, and it came off as a lame attempt at humor. Imus has certainly been in these waters before, although in his career, he has a had a lot more good moments than bad, and I don't say this as a fan of the show. I like some of his interviews with politicians and others, but by and large, I find it a bit dry. Imus is very good at what he does, it's just not for everybody.
I wasn't really offended by what he said, although I'll admit I was actually shocked to hear his producer, Bernard McGuirk, use the word "jigaboos." That's some old-school racist verbiage, there. Interestingly, in the non-stop feeding frenzy since then, I've heard no one on television repeat this part of the conversation. Now, they may be sparing our delicate sensibilities, but if "nappy-headed hos" is so awful, then I suppose it shouldn't be repeated ad nauseum, either.
Jigaboos. Christ.
I thought about that word, and was fairly sure I hadn't heard it since college, and that was in a history class.
African-American studies, if you must know.
Again, I was surprised when I heard it last week, and it started me thinking about the word. I suppose the be-all end-all of racist slurs is "nigger." That is just one of those things you say when you're pretty sure that you're ready to be punched in the face. It's not a word that I use, or even think of to use, to be honest. I understand the weight of it, and the baggage it carries. It's a shocking thing, and it ought to be. Unfortunately, it isn't anymore. I know I can turn on the radio in any city in America, and maybe anywhere in the world, and if I have the right station on, I will hear that word and many others like it in no time at all. And to be honest, it doesn't shock me in the least when I hear it.
Have I become desensitized to it? Has it lost its power through the constant use in certain musical circles? And is that a good thing somehow?
That's a separate topic, and besides, Imus didn't say "nigger." He didn't say "jigaboo" either. He called the women "nappy-headed hos."
And in a medium where Rush Limbaugh can refer to Barack Obama as a "Halfrican-American" and Neal Boortz can opine that a black US Congresswoman from Georgia looks like a "ghetto slut," it's hard to understand why Imus is in so much hot water.
It was a stupid attempt to make fun at their expense. Did they deserve it? No. Do most people who get skewered by deejays, pundits, talk show hosts and late-night comedians deserve it? All of them? Probably not.
But like the Bat signal from the Batman TV show (I suppose it could have been any brown mammal, in retrospect), the usual suspects have raced to the front of the fray, and they have been there often enough to remember to bring their own microphones.
The Revs, Jesse and Al.
I have spoken about Jesse Jackson before. This man was in the shit during the civil rights movement in the US in the 60s. This guy marched, protested, and put his life at risk time and time again to further the cause. He was standing with MLK on that damned balcony in Memphis when the doctor was assassinated. He was a legitimate candidate for president in 1988, and has a lot of good to his credit, more than me, and more than most.
Since '88? Not a hell of a lot. He tends to show up at places where racism or the old-boy network may be impacting maybe eight people. Wasting time protesting Major League Baseball for not having enough black employees in the front offices is a misuse of effort. Defending Michael Jackson as he faces child molestation charges destroys your credibility. You may have noticed that black males are dying at one another's hands in obscene numbers, and too many of the ones that live end up in prison.
And frankly, after you refer to New York City as "Hymie Town," you don't get to call anyone a bigot anymore. Sorry, that's just how it goes.
Sharpton, on the other hand, started badly, coming on the national scene as the point man in the Tawana Brawley fraud, but since then has gotten his hair together, dumped the velvet warm-up suits and gold medallions, become respectable, and a man of consequence in political circles by speaking the truth. In the 2004 campaign, he was the only candidate who seemed to be speaking English at the debates. I like Al.
But he cannot resist the lure of the big takedown, be it Michael Richards, or Don Imus. I don't recall seeing him or Jesse hovering around the Mel Gibson circus, but I suppose they may have been busy that week.
This gets into what Bill Maher has aptly referred to as "fake outrage." I couldn't possibly put it any better than that.
You know who doesn't get to be outraged by what Imus said? Anyone who owns a 2Pac or 50 Cent CD. You've heard black women degraded, and danced along to it. You need to shut the fuck up.
It's not absolutely relevant to the issue, but I would like to know if any of the women on the Rutgers team had even heard of Don Imus before last week. I would also like to know if any of them had anything on their individual iPods that could be considered offensive in the same way as Imus' remarks.
And if so, do you hear it differently now? I hope so, I really do.
I feel bad for these women. They didn't deserve this. They play a game at a world-class level, they are students at a good school, and not one of them probably ever dreamed she'd be famous for something like this. If they have injured feelings, I am sorry for that.
But hurting your feelings is not a criminal offense.
This is nothing less than a free speech issue. Don Imus can say anything he wants, this is America. If the Klan gets permits to have a rally in the park because they meet all the conditions in order to obtain them, then the Klan gets to march. I can choose to not listen to Imus, or not attend the rally if I desire. I can call the President of the United States a sonofabitch, and there's not one thing anyone can do about it. My friends might shun me, and I may get kicked out of the NRA, but that's part of the equation. Free speech has consequences.
Imus may lose his audience, his sponsors may pull their ad budgets, and CBS Radio may decide after those things happen that he's no longer a commodity worth keeping. If they can him then, it's a business decision, and that's how it ought to be.
Firing Imus because he went over the line and hurt someone's feelings is cowardice.
If I was a betting man, I'd wager that CBS will cave, just as NBC did, and send Donny off to his ranch. No one has any balls anymore, and it's better to put out a mediocre product than to occasionally stir up controversy. They fired Dan Rather over those memos about Bush's AWOL time during Vietnam, even though everything that was in these faked memos was 100% true.
CBS. The Tiffany Network. What a joke.
Tiffany. That sounds like a nappy-headed ho's name, but that's just my opinion.
Labels: America, censorship, civil liberties, Don Imus, free speech, hypocrisy, Jesse Jackson, the media, victim
posted at 11:42 PM