Posts Tagged ‘Islamophobia’

These are just some observations from my little hole in the wall. Mo’Kelly just wants to see how closely folks out there have been paying to the political discourse of recent months. Take away from these notes scribbled on the chalk board whatever you want, just know they are what they are. They, (the embedded links) speak for themselves.

Just the facts ma’am…just the facts.  (And yes, a tiny bit of editorial.) Now, let’s see if you noticed the same things Mo’Kelly noticed.

Did you notice when Herman Cain suggested loyalty tests for Muslims, accused Black voters of being “brainwashed” or that he “left the Democratic plantation long ago” there was not one accusation from conservatives of Herman Cain supposedly “playing the race card.” And let’s not forget when Cain argued that President Obama “wasn’t a strong Black man.” We surely can’t forget THAT “non-race card” statement either.

Herman Cain

Despite all of the aforementioned, did you notice that when Herman Cain later indicated the obvious, a rock painted with “N*****head” was “insensitive”…he was immediately accused of playing the race card and race baiting? One of his harshest critics for “playing the race card” was Rush Limbaugh, who just days earlier argued Cain was more “authentic” in his Blackness than President Obama. Yes, the White man was lecturing America on who is more “authentically” Black.

But days later…Limbaugh chastised Cain for that same supposed “authenticity.” Maybe Limbaugh didn’t get the note, but epithet of N***** has been “insensitive” for many centuries now.

Notice that? Mo’Kelly did.

Did you notice when Herman Cain said that racism doesn’t hold people back in a big way…this statement came after he said that Mitt Romney can’t win the South because of his Mormonism and that he is wary of Muslims building Mosques in America?

Ken Mehlman

Strange, but Mo’Kelly doesn’t remember any Mormons getting lynched in the South…like…ever. Since when was there a “Mormon Strategy” regarding religion? The “Southern Strategy” regarding race is well-documented and led to a formal apology from then-RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman for its implementation and impact.

Mormonism matters more than color? Really Herman?  Maybe if Black people simply “forgot” the 20th century this would be true.

Did you notice that the “non-race card playing, Muslim loyalty test administering” Herman Cain is for electrified fences on the U.S. southern border? (Yeah, he said he was only kidding, wink wink.)

Did you notice that George H.W. Bush cabinet member Bill Bennett, who in a recent CNN editorial said “don’t judge candidates by their faith” is the same Bill Bennett who chastised Barack Obama for sitting in Jeremiah Wright’s pew?

Bill Bennett

And speaking of Bennett’s aformentioned CNN editorial, did you notice his advice to Pastor Robert Jeffress, “I said to Jeffress, along with everyone else, “Do not give voice to bigotry. Remember George Washington, his manly advice to us, to despise all forms of racial and religious bigotry.”?

(That would be the same Bill Bennett, who said, “if that were your sole purpose — you could abort every Black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down.” Yes, the bigot Bill Bennett was quoting George Washington, who owned some 316 African slaves, to use him as the yardstick to “despising” all forms of racial and religious bigotry. Doesn’t racialized human trafficking qualify one to check-mark “bigot” on a questionnaire?

Just asking the question…

Did you notice that Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had multiple, documented

Newt Gingrich

adulterous affairs had this to say about President Obama’s father, (who he never met.)

This philandering, inebriated African socialist, who raged against the world for denying him the realization of his anti-colonial ambitions, is now setting the nation’s agenda through the reincarnation of his dreams in his son.”

Then, Newt really got warmed up and offered…

I have two grandchildren: Maggie is 11; Robert is 9. I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time they’re my age they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists and with no understanding of what it once meant to be an American.”

But, three months later weighed in on Mitt Romney’s Mormonism…

I think that none of us should sit in judgment of somebody else’s religion. And I thought it was very unwise and very inappropriate. [...] Mormons define themselves as a branch of Christianity. “

“Sit in judgment of someone else’s religion?” Philandering? Really Newt?

They call that “Do as I hate…not as I do.”

Noticed and noted Newt.

The GOP must assume Black people have the memory span of a gold fish and no internet access. That’s the only way such doublespeak might make sense.

Pay attention folks. The links don’t lie. (But GOP surely does.)  ”Do as I hate…not as I do.”

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit http://mrmokelly.com.  Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

Free Subscription to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

Follow The Mo’Kelly Report on Facebook  HERE

Twitter – @mrmokelly 

You knew it was coming.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall has been dropped by athletic sportswear manufacturer Champion for recent tweets surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Story HERE.

Mo’Kelly already knows what you’re thinking. No need to even make the argument. You’ve said it a thousand times for a thousand other celebrities or athletes who’ve lost endorsements relative to questionable behavior publicly or within the confines of their private life.

Save it.

Before you go out there and argue Mendenhall has been either treated “unfairly” by the media or his (former) corporate sponsors; here is some truth for you to digest.

Mendenhall is paid to help make the Pittsburgh Steelers the best football team possible. His endorsements deals accordingly are inextricably linked to his athletic abilities, not the ones related to social commentary.

No, Mo’Kelly hasn’t seen Mendenhall’s endorsement contracts, but you can best believe that there is a clause or two, or twelve which prohibit Mendenall from engaging in any activity which brings public shame or negative publicity to the endorser directly or by mere association.

Tweets re: Osama to get people to “#think” was a bad idea, is a bad idea and will be a bad idea for many years to come. Couple that with him retweeting Islamic quotes of wisdom on the same Twitter feed within the same  Tweet flow…and it’s all bad for Mendenhall.

This isn’t about “fair,” this is about common sense. It’s about perception. It’s about understanding the world in which we live.

It does not matter whether you may have thought that Mendenhall had a point or was thoughtful in his approach or delivery. It’s not in his job description and likely violates each and every endorsement deal he has and now stands to lose.

A corporate representative can no more tweet about the supposed debate surrounding Bin Laden’s death, than he/she can begin a dialogue on the alleged positive contributions of Adolf Hitler to Germany. The distinction is one of the many reasons why professional football players get endorsement deals and college history professors do not.

Mendenhall’s job is to advance the ball, not the debate. If social activism is his calling then he should understand its implicit incompatibility with endorsements. He can play professional football and reap the rewards of celebrity endorsements. Or, he can play professional football and use that as a platform for social activism. Corporate America will not allow him to do both and that’s fair. Champion did not sign on to be mentioned in any stories surrounding Mendenhall, Osama bin Laden and getting people to “#think.”  Champion did not ask to be included in any future boycotts of businesses connected to Mendenhall.

#Think about that Rashard.

Know your audience, know your employer and understand the climate in which we live.

Just last week, we in the African-American community were aggressively forwarding emails with lists of associated companies and advertisers in which to boycott because of their ties to Donald Trump.  Know that the very same was being done relative to Mendenhall.

Champion is a strong supporter of the government’s efforts to fight terrorism and is very appreciative of the dedication and commitment of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Earlier this week, Rashard Mendenhall, who endorses Champion products, expressed personal comments and opinions regarding Osama bin Laden and the September 11 terrorist attacks that were inconsistent with the values of the Champion brand and with which we strongly disagreed.

In light of these comments, Champion was obliged to conduct a business assessment to determine whether Mr. Mendenhall could continue to effectively communicate on behalf of and represent Champion with consumers. While we respect Mr. Mendenhall’s right to express sincere thoughts regarding potentially controversial topics, we no longer believe that Mr. Mendenhall can appropriately represent Champion and we have notified Mr. Mendenhall that we are ending our business relationship.

Champion has appreciated its association with Mr. Mendenhall during his early professional football career and found him to be a dedicated and conscientious young athlete. We sincerely wish him all the best.

Champion wants no part of it and neither does the Steelers organization.  Mo’Kelly gets it and so should the rest of you.

Rashard Mendenhall seems to be an intelligent and thoughtful individual. I understood the intent of the tweets and received them in the spirit I believed he meant them. He wasn’t taking up for bin Laden and surely wasn’t tacitly approving of 9/11. At the same time, Mendenhall should have known better or at the minimum used better judgment. This was the wrong subject, at the wrong time in the wrong forum to “stimulate conversation.” Moving forward, he himself will now have to #think and make a decision as to whether stimulating conversation on Twitter is more important than cashing checks on the regular.

He can play professional football and reap financially from celebrity endorsement deals. Or, he can play professional football and use that as a platform for social activism. But he surely won’t be doing both.