Monthly Archives: February 2012

The Almighty and the Bully Pulpit

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The “bully pulpit” is American life is a position of authority and public visibility. The current commander of the bully pulpit is President Barack Obama.

The President caught my attention several weeks ago when I heard him quote his Vice President, Joe Biden. “Don’t compare me with the Almighty,” the saying goes. “Compare me with the alternative.”

There are only a few Republican contenders left for the GOP nomination to unseat Obama from the bully pulpit, and none of them compare very favorably with the President, let alone with The Almighty. So why would any of them want to call The Almighty to the witness stand? Continue reading →

Social media: don’t Twitter your ascot off

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My super, well-dressed friend Roland Martin–who is known for sporting colorful, broad neck scarves known as ascots, as well as for his brash, yet pithy remarks on various CNN political analysis programs, and for his commentaries on the Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) and for his show “Washington Watch” on TV One–stepped in some deep doo-doo the night of the Superbowl, because of a couple of flippant remarks he posted to the social media network Twitter.

A musician friend who is far less prominent–and who therefore has much, much less to lose–posted a sharp comment about one of the musical managers known for helping shape the career of recently deceased pop music superstar Whitney Houston, on his Facebook page.

In one of his tweets, Martin commented about an underwear ad that featured soccer star David Beckham dressed only in his skivvies. “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!” said Martin. Continue reading →

Jamal Muhammad: Farewell My Friend

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With all the nasty, hateful things so many Americans have to say about Muslims, both here and abroad, it’s a wonder that there’s a Muslim anywhere in this “wilderness” who doesn’t go around with a snarl and a scowl on his or her face all the time.

But Jamal Muhammad was a cheerful Muslim whose mouth was always full of smiles. When he ran out of smiles, he always had a cheerful or an amusing story to tell.

My Buddy Jamal joined the ancestors Feb. 4. Continue reading →

What I like about Republicans

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What do I like about Republicans in 2012? In a word: nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I don’t like how they walk. I don’t like how they talk. I don’t like how they look. If I was close enough around any of them I probably wouldn’t like the way they smell.

I don’t like Mitt Romney and his duplicitous, scummy style. I don’t like Newt Gingrich and his pugnacious swinish style. He, after all, when he became Speaker of the House, did away with the staff structure that had been used by the Congressional Black Caucus and other Caucuses, with one stroke of his pen. Continue reading →