[spitvenom]

Yeah I had it out with Comcast luckily for me when I did FIOS came to town and I went with them. If you want to watch the Phillies, Sixers (well no one watches the sixers) or Flyers you had to have comcast. Comcast will not let directv or dish carry them. But since FIOS is a cable and not satellite Comcast had to let FIOS carry the comcast sports network. So Ilucked out with that.

I was reading about all the money the bars lost. It is always the little guy getting screwed when Billionaires have a ping match.

[speechlesstx]

Go Rangers!

OK, speaking of networks dropping people, there's a nice battle brewing over NPR firing Juan Williams for speaking his mind on 'Reilly's show.

“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

NPR chief Vivian Schiller defended his firing by telling the Atlanta Press Club his feelings about Muslims are between him and “his psychiatrist or his publicist.”

She of course made this intolerant, controversial statement while saying controversial opinions shouldn't be stated by NPR reporters or news analysts. Apparently only executives can be bigots. She's mostly just sorry this all had to happen during fund raising week... which is probably why she did it now.

That's OK for Juan though, Fox just gave him a raise. Who knew Fox would be more tolerant than taxpayer supported NPR?

[excon]

Who knew Fox would be more tolerant than taxpayer supported NPR?

Hello again, Steve:

WHO knew that Fox would be more tolerant of a bigot?? Uhhhh, me.

Williams was telling O'Reilly that he was nervous around people who wear "Muslim garb", because they are "identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims". Fearing people because of the color of their skin or the way they dress is bigotry personified. I'm surprised that Williams, a man of color, didn't know that. Moreover, the very idea that those who wear "Muslim garb" are necessarily "identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims" is itself noxious. Does everyone who wears religious attire (a yarmulke or crucifix or Sikh turban) identify themselves "first and foremost" by their religion as opposed to, say, their nationality or individuality or any number of other attributes? The bottom line here is that equating Muslims with terrorism - which is exactly what Williams did - is definitively bigoted, not to mention demonstrably false.

So Fox gave him a raise. Who's surprised?? Not me.

excon

[tomder55]

If Williams had said he was nervous around white guys with shaved heads ;or around a group of white cops the NPR people would've been the ones giving him a raise.

I think it's time to defund all public money from NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting . It is well past the time where taxpayer subsidized broadcasting is needed or desirable.

[speechlesstx]

I'll bet there's not another liberal in the country that ever experienced a nervous thought at seeing a Muslim in an airport, huh? Wink, wink...

Fox allowed the guy to speak his mind, unlike his former employer which fired him for a thought crime. You did notice that he warned we need to be careful to distinguish between moderates and fanatics in the same discussion didn't you? Nah, probably not, you still haven't noticed that about me.

Tom, if he had said seeing a "teabagger" made him nervous he would've certainly been given a raise... maybe even a Pultizer.

[speechlesstx]

Ellen Weiss, NPR Executive, Resigns Over Handling Of Juan Williams Firing

CEO Vivian Schiller was stripped of her bonus for 2010 as well, but still no apparent outrage on the left over his being fired for a thought crime.

[tomder55]

Meanwhile Williams is doing quite well as a balanced voice at a network that allows debate.

[excon]

well not exactly .

Hello again, tom:

Yup, exactly... Now, I don't know if he quit, or was fired, or whether Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck finally got him thrown off the air... but he's gone. Now, the worst part of my day, is not knowing whose the worst.

Did right wing Comcast have anything to do with it?

excon

[tomder55]

He lost his cover when Immelt was named to the Obama economic team (talk about crony capitalism) .

Interesting week for GE .
GE 's Jeff Immelt was named to replace Paul Volcker on the President's Economic Advisory panel.
GE also got approval to sell off NBC to Comcast eariler this week .
GE and China announce $4 Billion in business deals . According the IBD ,GE will share with the Chinese it's most sophisticated airplane electronics, including technology from Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, with state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China, or Avic.

My guess is that is the final piece of the puzzle the Chinese need to perfect their J-20 5th generation stealth fighter . (but that's a subject for another thred . I'd love to hear Gates say again that the shutting down of the F-22 Raptor in favor of the non-stealth F-35 is justified because China isn't close to a 5th generation fighter . )


Do you think Olbermann will be Robert Gibbs replacement ala Tony Snow ?

By the way did you see the ratings ?

THURS. JAN. 20, 2011

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,918,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 2,079,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 1,940,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,786,000
FOXNEWS BECK 1,780,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 1,460,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,106,000
CNN PIERS 1,025,000
MSNBC MADDOW 976,000
MSNBC O'DONNELL 855,000
MSNBC SCHULTZ 760,000
CNN COOPER 740,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 700,000

I'd hate to see Matthews go . His is the only show on MSNBC I watch.

[excon]

Do you think Olbermann will be Robert Gibbs replacement ala Tony Snow ?

btw did you see the ratings ?

Hello again, tom:

Nahhh. He's not a mouthpiece...

Sure I've seen the ratings. Nobody suggested that there isn't an audience for right wing drivel...

excon

[tomder55]

Maybe Olbe can take Elliot Spitzer's place on CNN with pseudo-conservative Katheen Parker.

[excon]

Hello again, tom:

Could be. I hear Spitzer is running for president..

excon

[tomder55]

There's credibilty in Comcast being less lib than Immelt and the GE crowd . Phil Griffin is also a casualty of this switch .


This is an interesting story . I'm sure more will be revealed in the coming days. Replacing him with Lawrence O’Donnell is not a shift to the right in my book.

Drudge is reporting that Olby threatened to end his contract with MSNBC more than once over money issues.

[speechlesstx]

or whether Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck finally got him thrown off the air...

You have the wrong side of the aisle trying to silence people.

[excon]

Hello again, Steve:

I wondered whose right wing knee would jerk this time... It was yours...

I don't know WHY we can't get along... We speak the same language... Or at least I THINK we do... Here's what the left said in PLAIN ENGLISH. "Rush, tone it down". In his right wing brain, that means the left wants to SILENCE him. The left doesn't want to silence ANYBODY... I'M the left, and if you shut up, I'd have NUTHIN!!

However, I have no doubt that you'll find some obscure lefty who wants to do that, but it's not going to be convincing...

excon

[tomder55]

Rep. Louise Slaughter ,Rep. Ed Markey ,and Rep James Clyburn are not some obscue lefties . They are law makers who want to use Federal law to silence right wing talk radio.
Clyburn ,according to the article suggested that there needs to be a "rethink parameters on free speech."

That doesn't make you just a little nervous ?

[speechlesstx]

Funny, but you still have it wrong. Just like it wasn't Beck and O'Reilly trying to get Olbermann thrown off the air it wasn't my knee isn't jerking. I'm pointed out whose knees are jerking. Rep. Louise Slaughter, Rep. Ed Markey and Rep James Clyburn aren't obscure lefties, they're lawmakers.

I'm with you, let 'em all talk. The more Olby, Maddow Schultz the better.

[excon]

That doesn't make you just a little nervous ?

Hello again, tom:

ALL lawmakers make me nervous.

Irrespective, of those obscure lawmakers (ok, I won't call them obscure - I'll call them loony), who don't understand the Constitution, I submit that silencing right wing radio is NOT a mainstream left wing position, and it's not something you need fret about.

Yes, it pisses them off when the limp one says all the racist bull sh!t he says, and they get all government on us, but rest assured, he's going to be able to spew his swill for as long as he wants to. Racism ISN'T illegal. Hypocrisy isn't illegal. Lying isn't illegal. He's allowed to be a drug addict who got caught and pleaded for his OWN mercy, all the while calling for draconian sentences for his fellow drug addicts.. Nope. It's not illegal. It's just despicable, and he is allowed to be as despicable as he wants.

excon