"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast"
-Oscar Wilde		 Brilliant at Breakfast title banner "The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered also himself."
-- Proverbs 11:25
"...you have a choice: be a fighting liberal or sit quietly. I know what I am, what are you?" -- Steve Gilliard, 1964 - 2007

"For straight up monster-stomping goodness, nothing makes smoke shoot out my ears like Brilliant@Breakfast" -- Tata

"...the best bleacher bum since Pete Axthelm" -- Randy K.

"I came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." -- "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (1954-2015), They Live
Tuesday, November 03, 2009

If he were white, does anyone actually believe this would even be an issue?
Posted by Jill | 4:48 AM
It's funny how not so long ago, Republicans were talking about amending the Constitution to allow Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for President. You haven't heard that in a while, now, have you?

Just the other day, I responded to a blog comment by DCap by predicting that assuming Jon Corzine loses in New Jersey today, the media meme will be that this is a resounding rejection of Barack Obama himself, that his presidency is over, stick a fork in him, he's done. This will, of course, give the Republicans the cover they need to begin impeachment proceedings. They might take Michele Bachmann's bait and impeach him for creeping socialism with what they believe to be socialist health care reform. But I think it's more likely that they'll choose something more red-meat by finally embracing Orly Taitz and her birther lunatics and try to impeach him on the grounds of ineligibility. This way John Boehner can stand up and solemnly invoke the Constitution, and the media (yes, even Tweety) will lap it up. Then, after the next Republican president, presumably Sarah Palin or Liz Cheney, takes office, they will rend their garments and say that after much introspection, they were too tough on Obama and they'll slack off. Then there'll be another Democrat, and so it goes.

But the birther hysteria has taken hold in even a more local context than the Presidency: the New York City Marathon, where a naturalized American citizen who hails from Eritrea, and whose skin color is somewhat dark, is facing questions about whether he is a "real" American. I kid you not:
As soon as Mebrahtom Keflezighi, better known as Meb, won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, an uncommon sports dispute erupted online, fraught with racial and nationalistic components: Should Keflezighi’s triumph count as an American victory?

He was widely celebrated as the first American to win the New York race since 1982. Having immigrated to the United States at age 12, he is an American citizen and a product of American distance running programs at the youth, college and professional levels.

But, some said, because he was born in Eritrea, he is not really an American runner.

The debate reveals what some academics say are common assumptions and stereotypes about race and sports and athletic achievement in the United States. Its dimensions, they add, go beyond the particulars of Keflezighi and bear on undercurrents of nationalism and racism that are not often voiced.

“Race is still extremely important when you think about athletics,” said David Wiggins, a professor at George Mason University who studies African-Americans and sports. “There is this notion about innate physiological gifts that certain races presumably possess. Quite frankly, I think it feeds into deep-seated stereotypes. The more blatant forms of racial discrimination and illegal forms have been eliminated, but more subtle forms of discrimination still exist.”

There are few cases parallel to Keflezighi’s in American sports. Some are noteworthy because of how little discussion, by comparison, they generated over the athlete’s nationality. For example, the Hall of Fame basketball player Patrick Ewing (Jamaica) and the gold medal gymnast Nastia Liukin (Russia) were born abroad, but when they represented the United States in competition, they seemingly did not encounter the same skepticism that Keflezighi has.


That's because we didn't have a racist right wing that's been whipped into a racist frenzy by right-wing talk show hosts and Congressional Republicans, and a crazy woman in a bad fright wig screaming for attention by trying to declare the President to be illegitimate.

Labels: , , ,

8 comments
Bookmark and Share
8 Comments:
Anonymous tata said...
they seemingly did not encounter the same skepticism that Keflezighi has.

Skepticism? HE WON THE FUCKING RACE. If someone has doubts about something, make him name it and explain it.
11/3/09, 7:27 AM  
Blogger PurpleGirl said...
There is no such thing as peak wingnut... just when you think you've heard the worst, they come up with something else.
11/3/09, 7:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Regarding possible impeachment. Please, start paying attention, there are perfectly legitimate reasons for impeachment.

I'm crazy and I could draw up an impeachment for war crimes in about 1/2 an hour.

I'm not a lawyer but I could get a conviction for murder, just on the drone murders in Pakistan.

Grow up, there is nothing that Obama has done so far that does not reek to high heaven.

Being a "democrat" does not mean that he automatically is a decent human and would never never condone murder, kidnapping, theft. So far he doesn't seem to really care.

He is just another filthy american politician. Sorry, but this "his shit don't stink" on the liberal sites is really getting up my nose.
11/3/09, 9:07 AM  
Anonymous Preston said...
Judge Land and now judge Carter, smack down the crazies (case dismissed), poor little Birthers.

Not even “Fake News” Bill O’Reilly believes the crazies, how funny.

http://belowthebeltway.com/2009/…ams-orly-taitz/

To all the birthers in La, La Land, it is on you to prove to all of us that your assertion is true (TOUGH WHEN YOU KEEP LOSING CASES), if there are people who were there and support your position then show us the video (everyone has a price), either put up or frankly shut-up.

In my opinion the Republican Party has been taken over the most extreme religious right (people who love to push their beliefs on others while trying to take away the rights of those they just hate) and that is who they need to extract from their party if they real want to win. Good Luck, because as they said in WACO, “We Ain’t Coming Out”.

I heard that she now wants to investigate the “Republican 2009 Summer of Love” list: Assemblyman, Michael D. Duvall (CA), Senator John Ensign (NV), Senator Paul Stanley (TN), Governor Mark Stanford (SC), Board of Ed Chair, and Kristin Maguire AKA Bridget Keeney (SC).

I wonder if she is a mail order bride, just like her law degree? She is perfect reporter material for “Fake News”, where unfounded rumors and innuendo reign supreme , unlike a our US courts of law, where you need to present documented facts, not half baked lies (prepare for more failures).

A lawyer, dentist, realtor and black belt, WOW I must say a JACK of all trades master of none.
11/3/09, 11:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
You know, I gotta tell you: The New York City Marathon doesn't exactly loom large in right wing demonology. In fact, marathons aren't something you hear the average redneck engaging in passionate discourse over much either.

A quick tour of the conservative blogosphere and discussion forums indicates that there isn't even much awareness that this controversy exists at all.

So who exactly is making an issue of this?
11/3/09, 1:03 PM  
Anonymous Amy said...
A lot of people were not born here, including myself, and we all became American citizens. Some Americans were born here but their parents were born in another country. That is what makes America one big melting pot. I consider him And myself American!!!
11/3/09, 3:44 PM  
Blogger M. Bouffant said...
Anon at 9:07:

War crimes & murder are not impeachable offenses to the right-wing.

And there won't be any attempts at impeachment unless there is a Republican majority in Congress again.
11/3/09, 3:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Is this site going to be updated today?
11/4/09, 10:36 AM  
Post a Comment
<< Home