I’ve decided to move my political blog exclusively to The Best Seat In The House. The Gholston Post is going to be changed into a blog that is going to explore issues of culture and race related to sports.
I am excited about this new change and I hope to get it started in the next few weeks.
Thanks for all who have supported this blog. The same content will still be available at The Best Seat In The House.
Growing up in Detroit, Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns was a boxing hero to a lot of us born and raised in the Motor City. 
Hearns, 51, had classic fights against Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and so many others. As is the nature of sports, Hearns had his highs and had his lows during a brilliant boxing career that saw him climb from the famous Kronk Gym in Detroit to the heights of boxing as one of the most devastating punchers of his era (mostly as a welterweight and as a middleweight). During the 1980s (one of the golden ages of boxing for middleweights and welterweights) and 1990s Hearns held numerous titles in different weight classes.
So many of remembered those famed gold Kronk Gym trunks her wore and loved his nickname: Hit Man.
That is part of the reason it was so sad to find out that he has been saddled with tax troubles so great it is virtually impossible not to think about the great but tax-troubled heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis.
Hearns, earlier this month, watched as an auction (of some of his prized possessions) was held to help him pay a $448,000 tax debt. Apparently, according to an Associated Press story, the auction went well (although there was no dollar figure as to how much was raised to help Hearns pay off his sizable government tax debt. The auction had Hearns items such as a 1957 Chevy, three boats, all kinds of boxing memorabilia and more. The event was dubbed, the “Battle of His Life.”
It’s a sad and all-too-familiar tale for so many rich athletes who in one way or another fall from the pinnacle of fame and fortune.
Hopefully, others will learn from the painful lesson of Tommy Hearns. And, let us hope, Hearns will recover from this situation and get himself back on track (without trying to step back in the ring again).
Detroit Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/article/20100404/SPORTS18/4040447/1066/Sports18/Thomas-Hearns-takes-his-lumps-at-auction
Detroit News:
http://detnews.com/article/20100304/ENT09/3040506/Boxing-legend-Thomas-Hearns-risks-losing-home
TV One:
http://tvoneblogs.com/thespin/tv/thomas-hearns-sucker-punched-by-the-irs-2931.htm
Yahoo Sports/AP:
http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ap-thomashearns-taxes
The Oakland Press:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/04/01/sports/doc4bb4ad2d3c108736201480.txt
This was bound to happen as Phil Mickelson claimed victory in the Masters on Sunday in Augusta, Ga. at Augusta National Golf Club – home of the legendary tournament. Mickelson clearly is a feel-good story with what his wife is going through with cancer and the stand-up way in which he has carried himself through these trying and challenging times. So, as Mickelson won, a lot of us could not help but think – at least a little bit – about the racial factor in his victory. Some, thought about it more so than others and some thought about it more viciously than others.
The Southern Poverty Law Center‘s “Hatewatch” picked up on one such individual who celebrated Mickelson’s victory by launching a vicious racist attack on Tiger Woods.
Here is how it begins:
Count James Edwards, host of the Memphis-based white nationalist, anti-Semitic radio show called “Political Cesspool”, is among those likely celebrating Phil Mickelson’s victory at the Masters golf tournament on Sunday. Not because Mickelson is a feel-good story, winning the green jacket as his cancer-stricken wife watched, but because Mickelson is not Tiger Woods. That is to say, Mickelson is not black.
Yeah, you can see where this is headed:
The Masters “is civilized. All civilization channels basic desires and instincts into something higher and nobler. Lincoln and the abolitionists did their best to put an end to it, and the Jews and liberals are trampling down what remnants are left.”
Edwards was still warming up.
Then along came Tiger Woods, a “mixed race Negro with the skills to break down the last sport of white refuge, golf, and its citadel, Augusta National,” Edwards lamented. “He was the black messiah of sports. The long awaited one who would tear down the last remnants of segregation.”
Most would see that as a good thing. Not Edwards, of course. He cited a litany of rancid racial stereotypes to explain why.
“He’s got the sexual mores of the most stereotypical ‘nigger’ that even the most hardened, bigoted cracker could imagine,” wrote Edwards, who opposes “primitivism,” homosexuality, loveless sex, feminism and abortion. “Oh, and he apparently only wants white women. From his Nordic model wife to the dumpiest diner waitress, all of his trysts are with white women.”
“Segregation in the old South was all about maintaining racial integrity and civilization,” Edwards continued. “About keeping our wives and daughters safe from sexual animals like Tiger. About building up and maintaining what is noble and good. If the ‘black messiahs’ like Tiger Woods and Martin Luther King Jr. are such animals, what about the mere mortals among them? Do we want to find out?”
Contained in that lengthy excerpt would be all of the racist stereotypes generally used against black men over the years. All tied up in the neat little package of your classic racist.
One of the reasons I enjoy reading The O’Reilly Sucks Blog is because of my admiration for the author. It takes a lot of time and effort to break down all of the garbage that Bill O’Reilly inflicts on the American people each night his program airs on Fox News. Now, O’Reilly is not always present on the show. He takes his multi-millionaire ass on vacation from time to time to allow for nuttier replacements like Laura Ingraham to take over (and still insanely trying to call the show a “No-Spin Zone” in the opening).
One of the interesting tidbits from The O’Reilly Sucks blog I recently saw was the hypocrisy about protests. When liberals protest, one nut who burns a flag represents all liberals. When far-right idiots spit on black congressmen and call them “nigger” that is not supposed to represent all people who are involved with tea parties.
Then the right-wing Bernie Goldberg was on to complain about the lack of media coverage of an anti-war protest. Which is a joke, because he never once complains about Fox News ignoring every protest there is, unless it’s a Tea Party protest. Ingraham called it a vile anti-war demonstration, because some nut burned an American flag. But when the nuts on the right do something offensive at a protest, they dismiss it as just a couple loons that do not represent the majority of the protesters.
Which is total hypocrisy from Ingraham and Goldberg. And btw, flag burning is not even close to being as offensive as spitting on someone, or calling a black person the n-word. I would even say if you are an American and you want to burn a flag, you should have the right to do it. I would never do it, but it’s not illegal. And btw, Goldberg denied a white man spit on a black Congressman, when there is a video that shows he did. Goldberg admits the spit hit the black Congressman, but that he did not spit on him. Ummmmmm, ok, how is that possible Bernie. Goldberg claims his saliva accidently flew onto the black Congressmans face, yeah and I have a bridge to sell you too.
Sure, it was an “accident” that the congressman’s face got in the way of some bigot’s spit.
On Fox News, the spin is constant and always spins to the right.
There is nothing wrong with being black and conservative and there is nothing wrong with being a black Tea Party person. It would be crazy not to think that there are blacks from all walks of life with political ideologies that run the full spectrum (from conservative to liberal). I used to be a conservative (not that most people would believe me), and not all that long ago. But, there is something wrong when you have far-right racism deniers like tea party “activist” Kevin Jackson trying to seemingly equate Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to a sort of slave master (reference the passage below as compiled by Media Matters for America):
O’Reilly hosts tea party activist who says it “would have been more symbolic had [Pelosi] had a whip.” On The O’Reilly Factor, tea party activist Kevin Jackson characterized the walk to the Capitol by Pelosi and other members of Congress on the day the House voted for health care reform as “this very wealthy white lady leading a group of black, you know, men up to the thing with her gavel in her hand. It would have been more symbolic had she had a whip.” [The O'Reilly Factor, 3/31/10]
Jackson, who ignores blatant racism associated with tea party activities, bends over backward to accuse Democrats of racism. His comment about the whip are a clear illustration that he has sold his soul and is willing to do and say whatever it takes to stay in good standing on the right … to retain most favored Negro status (right alongside Jesse Lee Peterson, who has a long and dubious history of making anti-black racist comments on Fox News, generally unchallenged, and on his own radio show).
Far-right commentator Michelle Malkin, who seemingly has spent a lifetime running away from her color, is back on the attack using race as a weapon to gain favor with a mostly white and conservative audience (better known as the viewers of Fox News). This time, Malkin has again targeted one of her favorite racial boogeymen, Fr. Michael Pfleger of Chicago (the other favorite racial boogeymen of far-right commentators will predictably follow as you will see later in this blog). Malkin begins her venomous attack against Fr. Pfleger right off the bat in this excerpt below from one of her blogs:
Look who is presiding over a special celebration honoring Catholic clown and race-baiting reverend Michael Pfleger (hat tip: Matt A.)
Yes, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Office of Racial Justice” is bestowing the demagogic Pfleger of the St. Sabina parish with a “lifetime achievement award” for his “service in pursuit of dismantling racism, injustice and inequalities on behalf of African Americans and all people of color” — and the Archbishop of Chicago himself, Cardinal George, is the official “presider.”
In June 2008, the racial cowards of the Chicago Archdiocese put Pfleger on a temporary leave to quell churchgoers’ outrage over Pfleger’s Hillary Clinton-mimicking, America-bashing, Vanilla Ice-prancing, Jeremiah Wright-impersonating, Louis Farrakhan-embracing cult leader. After laying low a measly few weeks to “reflect” on his outbursts, Pfleger returned triumphantly to the pulpit. And now, he’ll be feted by the Archbishop for his toxic tongue.
Michelle Malkin viciously attacks the Chicago Archdiocese by attaching the label “racial cowards” to them. There’s little question that Pfleger stepped over the line with his words about now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but Malkin can’t let that racial battle go. Instead, she uses it as another excuse to bring back the name the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. She continues her racial attack by invoking the names of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and former rap star Vanilla Ice.
Michelle Malkin is so quick to accuse others of playing the race card, but she seems to have no problem playing the ace of spades (over and over again) and dealing it from the bottom of the deck.
If anyone ever wanted additional evidence of how dirty the power people at Fox News can be then a good recent example is rapper and actor L.L. Cool J.
In its ongoing efforts to provide high-profile platform to potential candidates for president of the United States, Fox News has handed former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin a new show on its airwaves. Palin, who cut her teeth on a grueling half of one term as governor of Alaska, ditched that job to make money and chase the media spotlight. As part of her run to fame and riches, Palin has jumped into bed with the network that conservatives (but really no one else) trust: far right Fox News.
Anyone, I will get to the excerpt from TVNewser:
A Fox News spokesperson tells TVNewser, “Real American Stories features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe Mr. Smith’s interview fit that criteria. However, as it appears that Mr. Smith [LL Cool J] does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career.”
As you can see, Fox News takes a cheap shot at L.L. Cool J in typical Fox News fashion because he didn’t quietly play along with their misleading exploitation (a clip used in an effort to promote Sarah Palin’s new Fox show, Real American Stories) of an older interview he conducted. In its attack, Fox News seems to tip its hand at what its real motive for having him on as a guest might have been: having a black man on their show that they felt could appeal to minorities, a hip-hop segment of the population and younger generation.
From Media Matters for America:
But LL Cool J never said he did not “want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others,” he simply said that Fox has “lifted an old interview I gave in 2008 to someone else & are misrepresenting to the public in order to promote Sarah Palins Show.” In other words, he took issue with Fox building up Palin’s debut with a blatant falsehood.
And in fairness to Mr. Cool J, Fox does strongly suggest — in all of its promotional materials for Palin’s show — that LL Cool J, Toby Keith, and Jack Welch were interviewed by Palin, or had somehow purposefully attached themselves to her show (you can see the video on the Media Matters page).
Fox News wanted L.L. to be their token “diversity” guest and when he benignly said that he felt the Fox video promotion was not an accurate portrayal of him, the network declares all out media war on him.
Fox News right winger Bill O’Reilly found his black tea bagger who took great pleasure in attacking civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis. This far-right nut then went on the attack against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a ham-handed attempt to portray her as some kind of racist. It was stupid and illustrates a few things: ignorance is color blind, there is always some Jesse Lee Peterson-like black man who will say whatever is necessary to earn most favored Negro status and Bill O’Reilly once again showed that he remains a biased right winger.
Once again, leave it to “fair and balanced” Fox News to come to the defense of the tea parties through a one-sided Bill O’Reilly interview.
Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201003310050
Sandy Gholston