Live on MSNBC Smackdown

trANNy Coulter was on Hardball last night twirling her bleached-out split ends while spewing her nonsensical, superficial diatribe when out of nowhere, Elizabeth Edwards jumped into the ring and hit her with a double handspring back elbow smash.

Here's more of the interview:

I was so disgusted by her “I’d rather have their civilians die than our civilians die” that I decided to turn the tv off shortly thereafter and watch the rest on my dvr after work today. Then this morning Joe Scarborough (yes, I watch morning joe on msnbc) mentioned the Elizabeth Edwards' call and I felt like Celebrity Hijinx should start their morning off with a little Ann Coulter hate/ass kicking. She leaves the glasses on so we can't see her glowing devil eyes.

THINK BIG: Hate Has Wings

"Day of Silence" tensions, combined with the recent fever over violence at Virginia Tech, lead to lockdown at Indiana High School: "The Day of Truth at New Castle Chrysler High School coincided with a national Day of Silence aimed to support gay, bisexual and transgender students. 'People were in their shirts for it, people were in their shirts against it, and it just caused a lot of drama that I didn't think was needed,' said student Kayla Boyles."

Tommie Barnes, mother of a freshman, said she also was concerned about potential conflict over today's planned Day of Truth rebuttal to the Day of Silence. That also coincides with a national observance, this one planned by the Alliance Defense Fund. Its day is devoted to countering the "homosexual agenda" and presenting an "opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective," according to the fund's Web site.

If you don't know what the Day of Truth is, well you're lucky. This marks the third year of the Day of Truth, which was established to counter the promotion of the "homosexual agenda" and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective.

Mighty Christian of them, wouldn't you say? I say hate has wings, and religion is the air upon which it floats.

[source] via [source]

Advertisers: "I'm Not Trying To Hear That!"

How soon we forget...but just one week? Yup. Advertisers are already talking about hooking up with Imus just a week after he was fired from CBS for his "nappy headed ho" remark. GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney said, "We obviously don't condone his statements, but we have found value advertising on Imus in the past. Up to this point, the good has outweighed the bad. If an opportunity is presented to us, we would assess it just like we do all the other opportunities that come our way." Ah yes, corporate drooling for eyeballs continues to outweigh taking a stand on an issue. It's just too alluring to ignore the wallets of those who might still listen to Imus if and when he ever were to reappear.

And so it goes. An offense occurs. Advertisers claim disgust and bail. Then advertisers see revenue fall and return to the very place they once vehemently shunned. Classic capitalism.

ALSO...

Rosie O'Donnell and Barbara Walters did a little spring cleaning on "The View," awkwardly wiping clean their interview with Don Imus' wife Deirdre, removing any stain of the "nappy-headed hos" controversy and Don's subsequent firing by MSNBC and CBS Radio.

Pretty-headed HOmemaker Deirdre had been scheduled for "The View" this past Monday, but in the wake of her husband's I-mess, as TMZ reported last week, she canceled all appearances related to her book, "Greening Your Cleaning." But there she was on today's show hawking the tidy tome.

Despite the fact that they talked about Imus-gate during the "Hot Topics" segment of the show, Rosie and Babwa didn't go there -- or anywhere near there with Deirdre herself -- except to mention that she'd been booked before her husband's troubles exploded. They just let Mrs. Imess do her cleaning ... and Rosie and Babs her bidding. Sparklingly clean!

[source] and [source]

THINK BIG: Imus might be spark for debate on sexism

Update: Don Imus was fired for his derogatory on-air comments

I read a couple commentaries since the firing, one focused heavily on the inherent racism in the word "nappy," the other focused on the sexism aspect of his "nappy-headed hos" comment. I think the piece on sexism is incredibly well-written and though-provoking and so I'm sharing it below:

Note: Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago.

No one would have thought that when Rosa Parks opted not to give up her seat to a white man in 1956, a dozen years later blacks would have the full right to vote, the ability to eat in hotels and restaurants and see Jim Crow destroyed. We might look back in a few years and come to realize that the removal of Don Imus from the public airwaves put America on a course that changed the dialogue on what is acceptable to say in public forums.

The downfall of a long, successful and controversial career, on the surface, took eight days. But for Imus, this has actually been 30 years in the making. He has used his sexual and racial schtick to pad his pocketbook. Only this time, he ran up against a group of women who presented such a compelling story, his bosses couldn't ignore the reality of his sexist and racist rant. Although the National Association of Black Journalists led the fight to oust Imus, there is no doubt that it was that moving news conference by the Rutgers University women's basketball team that cemented the demise of Imus. Vivian Stringer was poised and strong in demanding that America look at the 10 women and see them as the real face of Imus's slurs. And that is really the issue we must focus on. So many people tried to make this a race issue. But for me, that wasn't the primary point. I never wavered from the attack as one of a sexist. It didn't matter that he was trying to be funny. He insulted a group of women who are already accomplished. Then again, that happens to women every day.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, a New York Democrat, is smart and talented, but to many, she's nothing but an opportunist. She's called too aggressive, not cute and is slammed regularly. But she should be praised for being a woman who has achieved a lot in her career. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is portrayed as a bumbling idiot, but her academic credentials are impeccable. You can disagree with her ideology, but to question her womanhood is silly. Women all across this country have to play by a different standard. They often make less than men, even when doing the same job; are accused of being too tough when they are the boss; and are treated as sexual objects. America, we have a problem with sexism. Don't try to make this whole matter about the ridiculous rants made by rappers. I deplore what's in a lot of their music and videos, but hip-hop is only 30 years old. So you mean to tell me that sexism in America only started in 1977?

Now is the time for this nation to undergo a direct examination of the depths of sexism. My media colleagues shouldn't go just for the easy target ­ rap lyrics. That is no doubt a logical next step, but sexism is so much deeper. It is embedded in our churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, Fortune 500 companies and in the political arena. We should target our resources to this issue and raise the consciousness of people, and expose the reality. Don Imus should not be the period. He can be the comma. Civil rights organizations, media entities, women's groups and others have an opportunity that they can't pass up. We have the chance to seize the moment to begin a conversation ­-- an in-depth one ­-- that has the opportunity to redefine America along the lines of race and sex. I hope and pray that we have the courage to do so.

Questionable Quotes: The Justification of Ho

Snoop Dogg, a fan of the word "hos," commented on Imus, the 187 year-old Whitey McWhitey bigot who used to term on-air (along with the adjective nappy-headed) to describe black female basketball players. Here's what Snoop had to say:"It's a completely different scenario. [Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hos that's in the 'hood that ain't doing s**t, that's trying to get a n**ga for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them muthaf**kas say we are in the same league as him. Kick him off the air forever." [source]

Snoop Dogg - the modern moral compass of America - pointing us straight to the justification of the term ho. I would have an easier time reading this comment if he did not star that Girls Gone Wild Spring Break - you know, degrading college-aged girls who were out of the hood and doing shit. Time to go back to the drawing board with that comment - I understand his point, it's just that no matter how you package it up, it's still a big box of wrong. This is honestly a double-edged sword for me - people have the freedom to say whatever they want in our country. I just don't understand why they would want to degrade young women when their only actions were working hard both on and off the court (playing Division I sports isn't a walk in the park). I also don't understand why people have to keep bringing it back to race. If he wanted to be mean, he could easily have gone the less caustic tranny insult route - works on almost any female athlete regardless of race (and I'm not justifying/supporting mysogny). BUT WHY BE MEAN TO THESE WOMEN IN THE FIRST PLACE? In the meantime, I'm leaning toward Snoop's "kick him off the air for good" comment - personally I don't want some inarticulate century-old cowboy-hat-wearing asshole making tons of money of consistently bigoted comments - it's the same reason I don't like Ann Coulter and her Adam's apple minus the cowboy hat. Instead, let's fill his place with someone who can shock people with their intelligence.

Out Magazine: Promoting the Bullying and Humiliation of Possible-Gays Front and Center

Out Magazine decided to ‘out’ a number of celebrities from their “glass closet” and then throw them on an incredibly distorted 50 Most Powerful Gays In America list to make up for it. Sure, it’s getting Michael Musto a lot of attention for the oversized, hairy balls he wants everyone to thing he must have to ‘out’ entertainers perceived as closeted. I think he’s just a big, gay bullying media whore. See: Perez Hilton.

While the gay community is striving for positive social and political change, people like this are detractors. Sure there is likely a huge, full closet in the entertainment industry and it exists in a social climate where it’s a tad bit easier to be gay than in the past. But if a star doesn’t want to be known as a gay star, they shouldn’t have to. There are plenty of entertainers well-suited and ready to run around Hollywood with a big rainbow flag on a giant glitter float. Coming out is a personal decision that involves individual identity. Instead of forcibly outing individuals, why not channel efforts to increase understanding and tolerance in society or empower them to understand the potential of their influence? This type of gossip gives the unspoken reinforcement that it’s not just ok to point fingers and ostracize the gays - do it nationally and on the front cover while you’re at it. It reminds me of high school - I do wonder how those poor boys are doing.

Being openly homosexual does not give you a magic wand to point out all of the other gays. No matter what way you look at it, treating a member of a group with intolerance is just plain old bigotry. I hear Ann Coulter is free for happy hour...always.

Celebrity Clone: Terrorism Edition

I was just looking over the news when I saw a giant picture of Daniel Pearl, the American journalist beheaded in Pakistan and for a second I said to myself "why is there a giant picture of Bob Saget on the home page of CNN." Khalid Sheikh Mohammed stopped by the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on his way to salvation and the pleasures of Paradise for a little tribunal and his 15 international minutes of jihad fame and a free one-way ticket to martyrdom. He claims he mastermined all of 9/11, organized the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Bali nightclub bombings, the attempted Richard Reid shoe bombing, a bunch of other attempted attacks, "decapitated the head of the American Jew" (decapitated the head is so redundant) but he's supersorry he killed any children. "I don't like to kill people," he said. "I feel very sorry they been killed kids in 9/11." Not so good with the English but apparently still a master of terrorism logistics. Back to my original though: Bob Saget could totally play Daniel Pearl in a movie. Conveniently, there's one soon-to-be released....but Bob didn't make the cut. Some guy named Dan Futterman is going to play Daniel. He doesn't really resemble him that much but I'm sure he was cheap and can play a decapitated journalist just fine. I previously posted on the casting of Angelina Jolie as Daniel's wife Mariane Pearl - a job that would've been better filled by Thandie Newton, Rosie Perez or even J.Lo. In the meantime, I still think Ron Jeremy or Super Mario should play Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Why am I not in the casting business? [source]

YOUR 15 MINUTES: Another Day, Another Homophobe

Jesus Christ Superstar, is homophobia the new black? U.S. military officer, Gen. Peter Pace decided to go on a personal, public anti-gay rant when asked about don't-ask-don't-tell military policy on homosexuality:

“My upbringing is such that I believe that there are certain things, certain types of conduct that are immoral," Pace told the Tribune. "I believe that military members who sleep with other military members' wives are immoral in their conduct. I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral, and that we should not condone immoral acts. So the 'don't ask, don't tell' [policy] allows an individual to serve the country ... if we know about immoral acts, regardless of committed by who, then we have a responsibility. I do not believe that the armed forces are well served by saying through our policies that it's OK to be immoral in any way, not just with regards to homosexual acts. So from that standpoint, saying that gays should serve openly in the military to me says that we, by policy, would be condoning what I believe is immoral activity.” Um...last time I checked this conversation wasn't supposed to be about you, sir-hate-a-lot.

It brings me back to this editorial I recently snagged from the hillbilly newspaper from the intolerant hometown that somehow birthed my outspoken ass. See, the editor, a ranging closet drunk, feels that his time is best spent using his first amendment right to foster intolerance among a small town that will always inherently have a very-defined socioeconomic rift. Long story short, he gives anyone with access to 30 seconds on the phone to leave a voicemail or the ability to email 700 characters, the opportunity to say whatever they want to be published in the local newspaper. While often hilarious in the grammar department, it’s also alarming in the humanity department. I almost didn’t read this response all the way through but I suggest you do:

Who are these new Demo-commies? The Democrats of today remind me of the kind of people that the great Joseph R. McCarthy first made us aware of. The Democrats want Barrack Obama, a Black Muslim, to be our next president. Barrack Osama is more like it! Would you elect Osama Bin Laden president? Have you forgotten 9-11 already??? They offer Hillary Clinton as the alternate choice. When will a man step up to represent white America? We cannot allow the toleration of Blacks or Muslims in our country, a country based on the Bible and Jesus. Thomas Jefferson is rolling over in his grave, people! What would George Washington do? He'd start another civil war, that's what he'd do! Pennsylvania better pledge allegiance to the Republican Party while it still has the chance! America is based on the right to bare arms and for states to have militias. It's never too late to stand up for what you know is right. The Democrats are trying to change our God-fearing capitalism into an atheistic socialism! I will not sit idly by and let my country be turned into a gay-loving, Jew-run, Muslim-tolerating, anti-American communist society! Meanwhile, the flag-burning Mexicans are taking over the Southwest and only a few people are trying to stop it. I have family all across this great country of ours. My nephew James can't get a paper route in his hometown of Dallas, Texas, because the illegals have taken all the jobs!
ð
I do not believe or endorse anything that I've said in this article. This has been an attempt to display the very disturbing kinds of things that are said on a daily basis in this paper by local bigots. I am tired of seeing racists allowed 15 minutes of fame in this editorial column. Some contributors choose to hide behind religion when they act hateful towards homosexuals and Muslims. Others adopt an attitude of "what would the founding fathers think," and they use this to further their ideology of racism towards African-Americans and Mexicans. I see it every week. America does not need more racists, America needs more tolerance. If America wants to accomplish something culturally, we need to spread a doctrine of tolerance. Racism and the intolerance of people who are different are the greatest ideological problems we face as a society. Change starts at the personal level; what you say and what you do does NOT have to be prejudiced. - NAME WITHELD BY CH, PA

Ah, so simple, grasshopper. Senior staff members for Pace said the general had no plan to apologize for his comments. And yes, the first part of that editorial consists of real comments.

Part of me wants to send him on a trip to DuPont Circle with Ted Haggard, Isaiah Washington (and me on karaoke night - redbull, vodka and showtunes) but the other part of me encourages you to use this as yet another opportunity to promote tolerance and understanding. Ironically, the latter is the only part of me that thinks I'll make a good mother someday.

Removing Hate With The Click of A Button

Nothing gets me going in the morning like 3 cups of extra strong coffee, some ADD medication and the repulsiveness of Ann Coulter. I was going to write another blog about her this morning but Dino already took care of that - shortly after he greeted the sunrise from his balcony, polished his hardwood floors, ran a marathon, did some landscaping and wrote a short story non-fiction in Italian. I envy morning people. The good news is that I can still do my Ann Coulter story because it differs from Dino's. The bad news is that I hate spending this much time on Ann Coulter. I'll justify it by saying this: if you don't educate yourself on EVERYTHING, especially people you disagree with, you will never have enough information to engage in meaningful dialogue or debate thus leaving increased opportunities for people like Ann Coulter to sound rational.

So by now we all know that Attentionwhore Coulter decided to do an impromptu stand-up act at the Conservative Political Action Conference and drop the new f-bomb (faggot is the new fuck) in reference to John Edwards. Sometimes I don’t think she even believes the shit that comes out of her mouth but it sure does keep her Palm Beach closet stocked with slinky black minidresses. It turns out that her latest rant might with withdrawing some cash from her bank account pushing back her adam's apple-reduction surgery to 2008:

At least three major companies want their ads pulled from Ann Coulter's Web site, following customer complaints. Verizon, Sallie Mae and Georgia-based NetBank each said they didn't know their ads were on AnnCoulter.com until they received the complaints. OOPS! Verizon, Sallie Mae and NetBank said the ads were put on a variety of sites by a third party company. Shouldn't someone be paying attention to this stuff? In many cases, advertisers do not know which sites feature their ads. "Per our policy, the networked Web site ad purchases are supposed to be stripped of certain kinds of Web sites," said a Verizon spokesperson. "This one could be considered an extreme political Web site, should be off the list, and now it is off the list." A Sallie Mae spokesperson said the company was only testing an online advertising agency, and that their ads were not meant to show up on Coulter's site. The company said they planned to pull ads from other political and religious Web sites as well. A spokesperson for NetBank said Coulter's page "is not the kind of site we want to be on." [source]

I wonder if those complaining consumer have some leftover paper to write to Paris Hilton’s merchandisers....or Perez Hilton's advertisers. That was the quickest case of consumer complaint action since Janet Jackson's nipple came out to watch the Superbowl.

FOX NEWS + Ann Coulter = An Asshole Sandwich

Ann Coulter traveled over to FOX News (big surprise) to open her gaping ass-mouth and dignify the disgusting "joke" she made the other day at the CPAC conference. Here's how Ann feels about the word "faggot":

"I didn't use an insulting word. I used a schoolyard word, about a married man with children — for the eight billionth time, and the audience knew that. I mean the joke wouldn't have worked if I had inserted the name of a gay Democrat. Any other Democrat, the name could have been inserted. It could have been Howard Dean or Hillary Clinton because it's a schoolyard taunt meaning wuss, meaning nerd, meaning weenie, meaning lame."

What in tarnation is this slutrag talking about? OK, let me reel in my blogger voice and elevate my more armchair professorial point of view - Anyone remember Andrew Anthos, the 72-year-old Detroit man we reported back in February that was brutally beaten with a pipe outside his apartment after a stranger approached him on a bus and asked him if he was gay. Yeah, that Andrew died a few days later, Ms. Coulter. Where do you think this sort of hatred is learned? People use this type of marginalizing rhetoric in order to defend treating people poorly. You know what, Ann? Fuck yourself.

You too, Fox News.

[source]

Think Big: Ann Coulter is a Hateful Feminoid

Think Big: Speak Up On Behalf of Gay Rights, and We'll Kick Your Ass

Remember this woman from a post I wrote just yesterday? Well... HRC and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today condemned the brutal arrest of Nadine Smith, the executive director of Equality Florida. Smith was arrested while trying to hand out a "Don't Discriminate" flier at a hearing over Steve Stanton, the city manager recently fired because he had a sex change operation.

According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: "The arrest occurred when Charlie Deppish of Tampa approached Smith and asked her for a flier that said only 'Don’t Discriminate.' According to witnesses, Sgt. Butch Ward confronted Smith in the lobby and ordered her to take back the flier. When Smith asked why, Ward reportedly forced her into a side room where several officers violently shoved her to the floor and arrested her. She has been charged with resisting arrest with violence, a felony, and disturbing others' assembly, a misdemeanor. Smith has been executive director of Equality Florida, the state’s leading LGBT advocacy organization, since 1997 and is nationally recognized for her leadership."

Deppish told the St. Petersburg Times: "If she was upset and struggling ... I wouldn't blame her. She was being manhandled."

Matt Foreman, exectuive director of the NGLTF, blasted Largo law enforcement: "We condemn this outrageous and unprovoked attack on one of our community’s leading advocates. This directly associates the Police Department of Largo with the appalling bigotry expressed by the hundreds attending the poisonous hearing attacking an outstanding public servant, Steve Stanton. We honor Nadine’s courage and dignity through this ordeal.”

[source]

In Other-Than-Anna-Nicole-News...

A sad update on the recent Detroit hate attack we brought you earlier this week as a Think Big piece:

Andrew Anthos, the 72-year-old Detroit man we reported on Wednesday was brutally beaten with a pipe outside his apartment after a stranger approached him on a bus and asked him if he was gay, now clings to life in a coma and is not expected to live through the weekend, according to the Detroit News.

The beating left Anthos paralyzed from the neck down and unable to speak above a whisper. Doctors reportedly performed emergency spinal surgery but were not able to reverse the paralysis. His niece, Athena Fedenis, 45, told the paper that Anthos is gay: "There's nothing else they can do but keep him comfortable. He wasn't robbed. It strictly was a hate crime. This monster gave Andrew a slow, painful death...Our family is just sick. We can't understand why someone would do something like this."

The only lead police have of the perpetrators is a vague description Anthos gave them before he slipped into a coma.

[source]
[photo source]

Think Big: Where Do We Go From Here?

A horrifying story out of Detroit — a 72-year-old man pursued and beaten in a sick attack that appears to have been motivated by the man's perceived sexual orientation.

WDIV reports:

"The victim, Andrew Anthos (right), was riding a city bus back to his residence at Detroit's Windsor Tower apartments on Feb. 13 when another male passenger asked him if he was gay, Anthos's niece, Athena Fedenis said. Anthos was followed by the man from the bus and beaten with a pipe in front of his apartment, Fedenis said."

Due to the repeated beating, Anthos is now paralyzed from the neck down and cannot speak above a whisper.

Said the victim's aunt: "It just doesn't make any sense. Why do people have to hurt each other?"
Detroit police are investigating the attack and asking for anyone with information to come forward. Unfortunately, sexual orientation is not covered under Michigan's hate crime statutes.

Whoever says that this world is becoming increasingly more tolerant - well - I just don't believe it. I've never been convinced that progress is linear, and right now, I personally feel like a deep and severely harmful level of hate in the world. We're taking steps backwards, people.

[source]

YOUR 15 MINUTES: ...of hate

Let me introduce you to fourteen year-old twins Lamb and Lynx Gaede. They have two albums, music videos, a DVD and devoted fans. They kind of remind you of the Olsen twins when they were cute, young and made lots of money off their young, wholesome image, right?Wrong. Let me introduce you to the twins' "Happy Hitler" shirts. Their fans are not your typical teeny boppers — they're white nationalists. The twins are also white nationalists and use their 'talents' to preach a message of hate. Known as Prussian Blue, a nod to their German heritage and bright blue eyes, the girls from Bakersfield, Calif., have been performing songs about white nationalism before all-white crowds since they were 9. "We're proud of being white, we want to keep being white," said Lynx. "We want our people to stay white. … We don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle. We just want to preserve our race." Lamb and Lynx have been nurtured on racist beliefs by their mother, April, since the day they were born. "They need to have the background to understand why certain things are happening," said April, a stay-at-home mom who no longer lives with the twins' father. "I'm going to give them, give them my opinion just like any, any parent would."

No one claims to be more outraged than the girls' estranged father, Kris Lingelser. "Do they know how many people out there will look at [them] and just go — I mean I get angry, just angry," Lingelser says. "And they don't deserve that anger. They don't deserve that hate. That's not them." Lingelser says he never taught his daughters these ideas and claims he didn't even know how radical their beliefs were until he turned on ABC News' "Primetime" and saw former Ku Klux Klan wizard David Duke with his daughters...and that's why Lingelser went back to court to try to regain custody, which he lost when he and April first divorced because, he admits, he had a problem with drugs. Ted Shaw, a civil rights advocate and president of the NAACP's legal defense fund, says he believes the girls did not come up with their ideas on their own. "It really breaks my heart to see those two young girls spewing out that kind of garbage," Shaw says. "Obviously, they're being taught. Their minds are being poisoned by somebody. I know nothing about their parents, but I'd start looking there." Lingelser, who says he is not a racist, also points the finger at the girls' mother. ABC News played him the girls' responses to interview questions, including the girls' statement that Adolf Hitler was "a great man" who "had a lot of good ideas." "It's just horrible," Lingelser says. "How do I feel? I want it to stop. I want them to not say 'Heil Hitler.'"

I mean seriously, who doesn’t have a drug problem? I’d rather see these adorable little girls with a guy smoking crack out of a light bulb while making meth in the garage than with their “heil Hitler” white trash mother. Someone needs to smack this Lynx bitch upside the head with a metal pipe and tell her she’s white…pure white…pure white trash! You know after all this, when these girls are 18, they’re going to be completely jaded and sitting on the receiving end of a big black cock. Only four more years ‘till their porn debut. In fact, this might be a fun, little short-term investment. The one on the right could be pretty fine...in a few years of course. [source]