Bill O'Reilly and Good Home Training

Scene 1- Conservative Fox News Pundit Bill O'Reilly, apparently to broaden his horizons (what?), went to lunch with Rev. Al Sharpton at the renowed restaurant, Sylvia's, in Harlem. Later, when describing the experience on his radio show, O'Reilly claimed to be surprised "that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it was run by Blacks." He also expressed shock that "there wasn't one person in Sylvia's screaming, 'M-fer, I want more iced tea.'"

Scene 2 - On my way home from work on the Green Line in DC one afternoon, the train car was boarded by a large, loud group of teenaged girls. These young, Black girls were either fighting with each other, or pretending to, either way, for the 10 minutes they were on the train, we were all favored with an embarassingly profane, ear-splitting display of ignorance. When they finally exited the train, a White man across the car from me fixed me, a Black male adult in shirt and tie, in his disapproving gaze. Of course, my first thought was, "why the fuck are you looking at me?"

I really despair for race relations in this country these days. There seems to be a whole lot of Black and White people talking, stating positions, but not too many people understanding why other people are upset. And this issue of conduct and civilty brings it up again. White people, like Matt Lauer of the Today show, fail to understand why some Blacks were offended by O'Reilly's expressions of pleasant surprise. Well, I'll field that one:

O'Reilly, who claims to speak with authority on everything he speaks about, is surprised that there is a place where Blacks act with civility. Where they don't screech curses at one another. AND I'M SUPPOSED TO FEEL COMPLIMENTED BY THAT? Bill, as I've always suspected, you speak at length on topics you know nothing of. Stop acting like an authority on anything. However, I encourage you to continue your outings into the Secret, Well-Behaved Heart of the Black Community. We will continue to surprise you, I promise.

Scene 2 is more dificult for me to comment on. On one hand, these girls' behavior is probably one of the reasons that ignoramuses like O'Reilly and the Staring Guy have their tragic misconceptions about the conduct of African Americans. On the other hand, I used to cut up on the bus with my friends when I was a teenager. On the other hand, I don't think we were ever that loud or cursed that much or that pointlessly. On the other hand, if these kids got any attention from their absent/overworked parents, maybe they wouldn't crave it so much from strangers on a train. And on and on...

I was raised in Southeast Washington, D.C., an area in the city considered the poorest and least-educated. People view you differently in this area when you say you're from Southeast. So when I entered the work-world, I made a concerted effort to speak eloquently, use my vocabulary, and not curse to exreme. I haven't always been successful, but I'd like to think I've done my part to change the pre-conceptions of some Bill O'Reillys I've me along the way, in some small part.

I know that you're young, girls, and the odds are against you, but you might find your life is ultimately easier if you don't spend so much time playing, and being, the fool.

Rhymes with "Betray Us"

For months now, we had been told that the true results of the President's seemingly pointless troop surge would be made apparent in a report General David Petraeus in September. Given the increasing news that we had been receiving about sectarian violence and the hopeless Iraqi government, it seemed a foregone conclusion that this report would be bleak.



Ah, but you forget who we're dealing with here. General Petraeus stated that the surge had provided US troops with a "tactical momentum" that they will continue to exploit, he sees that the Iraqi government will improve on hitting its US-mandated benchmarks. And finally, he threw us a bone: There could be a drawdown of up to 5 platoons by summer 2008. Whoo-whee!


When asked the inevitable question of whether the White House vhad exercised any influence on his report, Petraeus indignantly stated that he had "written the report himself." He didn't mention having REwritten the report, after getting notes from Bush and his neocon advisors. Because we know that Bush NEVER would try to skew facts his way.

Of course, as with anything in this misbegotten, pointless war, all good news must come with bad news. Because, in fact, the reason these that these 5 platoons are not going to be replaced is that there are no troops at the ready to replace them. That's NO troops at the ready to replace them.

So after weeks of build-up, Petraeus' report offers nothing substantial that could truly change the course of the war. It has offered instead just another anti-climax. Another false hope. Thanks a lot, General.

UPDATE:

MoveOn.org, you devils you! You bit my style! I had the whole "Petraeus/betray us" thing at least three days before you! Give some credit where credit's due. And Bush calling you guys out in that press conference for supposedly hurting the General's fragile feelings, well, I'd have loved some of that action.

And, hey, 22 Democrats who voted for the resolution wagging the finger at MoveOn, let me put it plainly: YOU'RE GUTLESS TURDS. How many times are you gonna let Bush and the GOP set the agenda and put you on the defensive with irrelevant bullshit? FOREVER. The weak, indecisive behavior of the Democrats has given Bush the only victory in Iraq he cares about now: no drawdown.

I was filled with optimism last year when the Dems took control in Congress. But what are they controlling? They cannot sway enough Republicans to their side to beat a Bush veto on anything. Okay, I understand. But why not make a bold move, and do something that will put heat on Bush even if you lose? IMPEACH HIS ASS. Yeah, something like that. But you won't, will you? Sigh. Betrayal, indeed.