May 27, 2012

Hot Topics

Krugman: Scientists Should Falsely Predict Alien Invasion So Government Will Spend More Money
Ashley Judd to NBC: Republicans Are 'Really Dumb,' Obama Has 'Flowered'
Bozell Column: Canada's 'Scientific' Museum of Smut
CBS: 'Troubling Signs' For Obama, Like Bush in '92, But President 'Cannot Control' Economy
On and On It Goes: Networks Cover 'Predator Priests' As They Stay Silent on Catholic Liberty Lawsuits
NBC's Williams Touts L.A. Banning Plastic Bags As Effort to Keep Them 'Out of the Natural World'
Bozell, Carlson Note Media's Silence on Obama Supporter's Bribe to Hush Rev. Wright
Very Annoyed Matthews Rips ‘Horse’s Ass Right-Wingers’ Who Cite ‘Thrill Up My Leg,’ Calls C-SPAN Host a ‘Jackass’

Ron Brown

ESPN Columnist Reilly Condemns Nebraska Asst. Coach Brown as Un-Christlike for Affirming Biblical Views on Homosexuality

By Ken Shepherd | May 04, 2012 | 16:25

Rick Reilly's wide world of sports, apparently, has little use for conservative evangelical Christians and their convictions. Last year he mocked a teenage Christian wrestler who defaulted rather than wrestle a girl. Now the ESPN columnist has set his sights on Nebraska assistant football coach Ron Brown, who has been politically active in local government debates about expanding anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation. [Related item: ESPN Columnist Agitates for Coach's Firing for Proclaiming His Religious Beliefs]

"Like to meet one of the doomed sinners who has Ron Brown so inflamed?" Reilly asked rhetorically before introducing readers to one Brett Major who "thanks to Ron Brown himself" became a Christian:

ESPN Columnist Agitates for Coach's Firing for Proclaiming His Religious Beliefs

By Ken Shepherd | May 01, 2012 | 17:00

ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski wouldn't mind seeing Nebraska Cornhuskers assistant coach Ron Brown sacked, but for a reason that has nothing to do with his performance coaching from the sidelines and everything to do with Brown's religious faith.

In his April 27 column, Wojciechowski managed both to demonize and misrepresent Brown's religious convictions on homosexuality, by saying that Brown believes God "loves gays less than women or African-Americans" [h/t Creative Minority Report]:

CNN's Blitzer on Election of Steele: 'I Don't See a Whole Lot of Black People'

By Matthew Balan | January 30, 2009 | 20:01

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer went out of his way to point out the apparent lack of diversity in the leadership of the Republican Party during a panel discussion on Friday’s Situation Room. Just minutes earlier, Michael Steele had been elected the chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Blitzer brought up the race of many of those who had voted for him with Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez: “Take a look at the audience, though -- and I want to show our viewers a picture of the audience. Michael Steele, the first African-American leader of the RNC -- Leslie, I don’t see a whole lot of black people, at least in that group over there.” He went on to say, “It’s encouraging. I’m sure you’re encouraged that all these white people basically elected an African-American to be their leader.”

The anchor’s comment came during the CNN program’s regular “Strategy Session” discussion. Besides Sanchez, Blitzer hosted Democratic strategist Donna Brazile during the segment. He brought up Steele’s election as the first topic. After getting both women to respond to the news, Blitzer made his comment about the seeming lack of black people. Sanchez responded by conceding to his observation, in terms of the top RNC members, but then pointed out that “if you walked around that room, there’s so much diversity there. There was so much excitement for Michael Steele.”