Mike And Mike … With Guest Star Mike Turn Into Turkeys With Thanksgiving Day Tradition, Detroit Lions

Like it or not, the Detroit Lions and the Thanksgiving Day game are tradition … they go hand in hand and it’s a relationship that is and should continue to be rock solid. I know there are a bunch of boneheads out there who think that the game should be snatched away from the Lions who played in it for years before it became fashionable. Obviously, the Lions stink this year. No one is going to argue with that line of thinking. But, in this case, the caliber of the Lions as a football team is irrelevant. The National Football League has been wise to keep this game with Detroit and Dallas … two cities synonymous with the game and the tradition. It would be the height of disgrace and like spitting in the face of tradition for the league to even consider taking the contest away from Detroit or Dallas. Normally, I am a big Mike Ditka fan, but in this case he was dead wrong with his comments, Hall of Famer or not. Said Ditka, on the ESPN Show “Mike and Mike,” recently, “The league is missing the point. We need to put two teams on every Thanksgiving who are competitive. We all stuff a turkey on Thanksgiving. That doesn’t mean you have to stuff that turkey down our throats.” First of all, there is no guarantee when the schedule comes out that you will have two teams that are competitive. Things change in the NFL too much from year to year and a team that is competitive and good in 2007 is not going to be competitive and good in 2008. Besides, tradition is something you don’t want mess with in this short-attention-span era where tradition is thrown out like garbage. Golic and Greenberg, the two Mikes who host the show, fell in line with Ditka’s talking points. “It just shouldn’t happen anymore, tradition be damned,” said Golic, a former NFL defensive lineman who played in two Thanksgiving games during his career, both in Dallas. Great point Mike. Let me repeat your words, “tradition be damned.” That is part of what is wrong with this country. No one has respect for tradition – time honored or otherwise. People are so into what is happening here and now that they want to throw out things that a lot of people hold sacred. Throw out tradition for what may or may not be a better game. Here’s Greenberg, another country to be heard from, “Let’s think about the logic of this. The fans in Detroit want so desperately not to see the Lions, they don’t buy tickets and don’t care if the game is on television. But all of us have to watch them on Thanksgiving. Common sense says having the Lions play every year in that 1 o’clock (actually 12:30 p.m.) slot on Thanksgiving is a terrible idea and it should be changed.” Wow, apparently the value of common sense must have plummeted with the stock market. It is not a terrible idea. The Lions have played in some of the best Thanksgiving Day games ever. With America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Downtown Detroit, Thanksgiving Day is a tradition. Not that it should matter for people like Greenberg and Golic who would rather see tradition changed as often as some of us change toothbrushes.

Detroit Free Press:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081125/SPORTS0101/811250360/1004

I Also Found This On Michelle Malkin’s Web Site

Right-wing commentator/columnist Michelle Malkin headline read: “Five most laughable words Obama has spoken as president-elect.” Here are those words, in a quote: “A government that spends wisely.” I have to agree, that is funny. Hey, maybe Malkin is correct. Think about it, since the end of the Bill Clinton/Al Gore administration, our executive branch of the government has not done a whole lot wisely … beyond even spending. Let us pause for a moment of silence as we think about the state of the United States of America that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney will leave us and remember what it was before this duo assumed power back in 2000 (through what some people call a bloodless coup) ……………………………………….. thank you.

Michelle Malkin:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/24/five-most-laughable-words-obama-has-spoken-as-president-elect/

Haters Like Michelle Malkin Show Their Jealousy For President-elect Barack Obama

I knew it would not be long before the conservative haters would be out in full force to mock the New York elementary school that has chosen to be renamed for the historic figure, President-elect Barack Obama. Leave it to one of the queens of hate, conservative writer/commentator Michelle Malkin. For so many of us, it has been nothing short of amazing to watch the jealousy of our little conservative buddies who are working hard to manufacture ways of mocking the school district for the name change and trying to rehabilitate the tired angles of Jeremiah Wright and others. It’s sad … so sad. This from the party represented so prominently by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who most recently was dumb enough and seemingly oblivious enough to stand in front of a turkey being slaughtered on television. What goes on in that woman’s head? Here’s a better question: How did she become a leader of the Republican Party? Sorry, I digress. You can be sure of one thing: This is not the last school that will be renamed in honor of President-elect Obama (much to the disappointment of our right-wing friends). In the United States of America, we have a long history of naming schools and other buildings in honor of historic figures in America. By virtue of being elected as the first black president in the history of the United States of America, Obama has become a historic figure. So, in that sense, this is hardly unprecedented. But, for the small-minded people out there, this is another reason to attack the uppity black they probably fear will rename the White House the Black House or, as was joked about briefly on “Saturday Night Live,” have the White House somehow converted intoa pyramid (for the crazy lady at the one McCain rally who referred to Obama as an “Arab” before even McCain snatched the microphone from her). So, conservatives can make all the jokes they want about a school being renamed in honor of Obama. But, it will do nothing to change eight years of futility … better known as the Bush/Cheney years.

Michelle Malkin’s Web site:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-times-coming-to-an-obama-school-near-you/

‘First Lady Got Back’ Column Proves Controversial

I held off writing about this subject because I was curious to see where public opinion might be headed after a column was written about Michelle Obama entitled, “First Lady Got Back.” The piece was written by Los Angeles Times and Salon.com columnist Erin Aubry Kaplan. For those of you who are familiar with the famous rap from Sir Mix A Lot, “Baby Got Back,” you know what this is all about. Here is the sub headline under Kaplan’s title: “I’m a black woman who never thought I’d see a powerful, beautiful female with a body like mine in the White House. Then I saw Michelle Obama — and her booty!” Of course, just as was the case when that timeless “classic” came out, the controversy boils over. Here is a comment that columnist Richard Prince used in his column that Kaplan wrote as the controversy grew, “‘Well, it wasn’t really about her butt (though that was a lively starting point, for sure), it was about the psychological impact of having a First Lady who is black and, for the first time in history, who looks like me,’ Kaplan wrote after receiving 400 responses on salon.com before, she suspects, salon cut them off. ‘Ultimately, my piece was about removing the lens of white scrutiny and approval from the black gaze and seeing what lies underneath.’” I can understand where Kaplan is coming from with her original column and subsequent comments. But, headline writing is huge in journalism and in blogging. Either she or someone else picked a headline that was bound to attract some attention – positively and negatively. I suspect Kaplan is tough enough to take the heat and will triumph over this controversy by the time everything is said, done and written.

Richard Prince column:
http://www.mije.org/richardprince/economy-still-sidelines

Erin Aubry Kaplan column:
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/11/18/michelles_booty/?source=newsletter

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Shows There May Be Hope Yet For Republicans

I must admit, I am a fan of Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. He is a fresh face on top of an old and tired brand (the Republican Party). Jindal is young, at 37, but more importantly he is intelligent enough to both understand and adapt to the changing political culture. The people of the United States of America are looking for a leader who is much more of a uniter. We’ve been down this road of divisive leaders and no one liked the taste of it. Our world standing was severely damaged during the administration of our lame-duck president, George W. Bush. We need to built coalitions – the kind of coalitions President Bush had back in 2001 … particularly after 9/11. Jindal offers hope, but I wonder if 2012 is the right time for him. If Obama is popular, Jindal has no shot. I’d hate to see a potentially great political career thrown down the tubes by going into a political contest that can’t be won. Only time will tell how the Obama administration will play out. Jindal, currently, is testing out the political circuit as he made a stop in Iowa for a speech. To show his intelligence, contrasted by the ineptness of so many in his party, here are some of his comments, “Whether you voted for him or not,” he said of President-elect Obama. “Whether you supported the new leaders of Congress or not, they’re our president. They’re our Congress. They need our prayers. They need our support.” A Republican who perhaps gets it. Maybe there is hope for the GOP.

Los Angeles Times blog:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/jindal-iowa-gop.html

Impeachment Talk Against President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney Is Misguided

Is it really worth it to try to reignite impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the twilight of this current administration? One of my favorite columnists, Rochelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press thinks so as she was critical of Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi and many others in the Democratic Party. Riley writes: “Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s ineffectiveness became clear the day she became Speaker of the House and immediately announced that there would be no impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney.” I can understand the growing sentiment (growing over the better part of the last four to six years) to find some way of making Bush and Cheney and their administration pay for the pain this nation is suffering today economically, the loss of some basic freedoms, torture, being involved in two wars, a housing crisis, massive corporate welfare and more. But, the effort is misguided now. Instead, we should be gleefully preparing to send President Bush and Vice President Cheney on their way. A new administration, led by President-elect Barack Obama will take office in less than two months. This is what our nation needs to focus on. We know that Bush and Cheney will be issuing pardons to some of their cronies as a last act of solidarity. But, how many presidents have not done this to protect some? In this sense, George W. Bush is no different from so many of the presidents who preceded him. Impeaching him now, assuming it would even be successful, would almost be akin to firing someone who has already given notice and is 12 days into their 14-day (two-week) notice. The Bush Administration is just about a wrap. It’s time to look to the future. I can understand the anger of men like Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rep. John Conyers, but it does this nation no good. It’s time to move on. Although, I must admit one thing: It is tempting to want to make some people, particularly those in the Bush Administration, pay dearly for the agony our nation suffers. There is plenty that Bush and Cheney can do in the the final month or so of their administration that might give many of us pause for concern. But, anything we do now will be too little too late and stall us from focusing on what we should all hope is a bright future.

Detroit Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/article/20081125/COL10/81125018

Alan Colmes Leaving Hannity And Colmes Show On Fox News Channel

It was announced on Monday that “liberal” Alan Colmes is leaving his post on the “Hannity and Colmes” show on Fox News. For years, the misused and underappreciated Colmes has been used mostly as a second-class citizen to the true star of the show, extremist right winger Sean Hannity, who is the darling of the conservative-leaning network. Colmes deserves much better than a partnership with someone like Hannity. I know that Colmes will say all of the right things about Hannity, but in reality the show was molded around Hannity with Colmes on there mostly as decoration. That was a sad use of someone of Colmes’ considerable abilities and intellect. Colmes many times had shorter segments and was always in the minority on unbalanced panels that were often clouded by right wingers like Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Oliver North, Dick Morris and others (you get the picture). Colmes deserves better and here is to hoping he will get better if he stays with Fox News. Don’t expect it, however. He will probably be exiled to the weekend with another great “liberal” talent, Geraldo Rivera. Fox News wants to marginalize liberal opinion to promote its conservative agenda.