The Attempt To Censor MSNBC

I have certainly gone over my usual one posting a day six days a week but as this is my day off and with a post today by David Badash which I have read at The New Civil Rights Movement I need to respond now rather than tomorrow.

Badash's posting is about the religious group Faithful America which on Tuesday went to 30 Rock to present 20,000 signed petitions to MSNBC to stop inviting Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council on MSNBC news/commentary programs as a guest when discussing Conservative views or topics.

Without coming right out and saying (although he did so in so many words on his Google+ link) that he is in agreement he does put a link in his posting offering to his readers to sign the petition and also a link to the groups Facebook page.

There will be, if not already, others in the LGBT blogosphere who will feature this story and agree that Perkins should not be allowed on any news media programs or as part of a reported story because of the group's anti-gay views and because Perkins' group has been labeled a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Which brings me to my response. If any of those including Badash who are in favor of not having Perkins on media programs then they have about as much in common with real journalists as the milk man. To wit they are not journalists.

Anyone who has ever worked in the news media, including myself, would see this as a true form of attempting to censor a news organization from outside forces, which unfortunately has been done time and time again by the likes of GLAAD and HRC.

News divisions are autonomous (or at least perceived to be) from their parent corporate owners and other divisions within that corporation.

One way to look at it this for those who have never worked in the media is the advertising division has no right to complain to the news division and attempt to censor the news if an advertiser is held under journalistic scrutiny. But today more and more the Parents are telling the Kids what they should or shouldn't say or who they should or shouldn't give air-time (ie: Roland Martin) because of outside pressure.

And that boys and girls is censorship of the Free Press.

This is nothing new, it goes back as far as CBS when Edward R. Murrow ran his expose' on Senator Joe McCarthy which drew so much angst for CBS Broadcasting owner William Paley that Paley insisted on giving those who Murrow might feature in a broadcast the opportunity to "have their say" and without consultation with Murrow in giving that opportunity.

This while it caused an irreparable spilt between Paley and Murrow ended up doing more good for journalism than it did harm. When Murrow had McCarthy on for a "rebuttal" interview regarding Murrow's story about McCarthy it harmed McCarthy even further than the original broadcast as far as public opinion was concerned.

For any news organization from the smallest weekly newspaper or local radio station to ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN and their many subgroups to kowtow to the pressure of outside groups and organizations is not only shameful but is akin to "governmental control" of the news media.

The First Amendment of The Constitution not only should apply to governmental control of the news media but to those who try to censor the news media when someone or a group is allowed to be featured in or on the news media which others disagree with their given position or overall stance on subjects be they political or social.

It is then up to the Parents of news organizations to stand firm in their resolve to standby Freedom of the Press and not waiver in what the broad sense of the Amendment means.

Censorship of any kind is a slippery slope which is hard to turn back from.

CNN Suspends Roland Martin WTF

Amazing what happens while you're out of the house for 90 minutes while at the doctor's office for a general followup visit post-heart attack.

According to Erik Wemple at The Washington Post, CNN has caved in to GLAAD's uproar over Roland Martin's Super Bowl Sunday tweets which de gay has deemed homophobic in content.

“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.” so says CNN in a statement.

Of course Wemple is happy about this as is and will be those in the blogosphere and websites of de Pink as this story makes its rounds. To wit I say .... BULLSHIT !

In regards to my doctor visit, I'll be giving opposing views to these Pink Police Bastards and the LGBT Elite Cissies for a very long time. Try as the blood clot did to kill me, I survived the Widow Maker heart attack and the Big Kahuna upstairs ain't ready to call me Home and wants me to continue to be a voice of reason for those who don't follow the Elite like so many sheep.

As a public service if you experience any of the symptoms or factors described in the video get your heart checked out. You may not be as lucky as me to survive the Widow Maker.

If you experience chest pain, don't be a hero, dial 911, get help ASAP and get to the hospital. I was told by many on August 23 of 2011 the main reason I survived was within an hour of first experiencing pain and symptoms (chest pain like someone was pushing their fist into my sternum, excessive vomiting, uncontrollable sweats and trouble catching my breath) I was being worked on with an angioplasty. Otherwise I wouldn't be here to be a thorn in the side to some.

That'd have been a shame huh ?

One final (uh huh) thought on this and not from me but a commentor at the Rueters website where the story about Roland Martin ran and it's from a ... GASP ! .. a gay man "FlamingLiberal" :

Thanks to political correctness, we have become a very delicate, sensitive, and thinner-than-paper skinned society. I didn’t think those comments were far from offensive. On the contrary, I thought they were a little humorous and would have never equated the comments with violence against the gay “community”.

Let’s get a sense of humor, some common sense, and refrain from attempting to read into things that just simply aren’t there in order to grab the limelight. These “activist” groups that cry foul at every little thing make me thankful I am an independently-thinking, rational, and grounded gay man who sees life outside of his sexuality.

Right On Brother, Right On.

Roland Martin vs The Pink Police

I'm sure many will find fault with this opine but then I don't write to please the masses, quite the contrary, I write for the like-minded out there in LGBTdom and perhaps beyond.

Prior to going to work Monday afternoon I Googled to see how many websites and blogs featured the Roland Martin debacle which occurred Sunday during the Super Bowl and none to my surprise (and even when arriving home after work) the story hit the blogosphere and websites, both LGBT and mainstream, like an avalanche cascading endlessly from the top of a mountain into the foreboding abyss of a crevice.

Which brings me to today's opine of how it is, no matter how small a thing is done or perceived, someone, somewhere will find something which has been said or written against LGBTs even in inference, innuendo or matter of joke.

I have to wonder if there are folks out there who have nothing better to do than to constantly check and monitor social websites be they Facebook or Twitter or any number of others just looking for something to be able to cast a spotlight on anti-gayness.

Are there those monitoring any number of a variety of people or groups for what they say in written form, link to or post a photo of which can be deemed homophobic even if not intended as such but in the eyes of the beholder becomes such. Today's zealots of protecting the LGBTs are worse than anyone involved in the Salem witch trials or even the McCarthy era.

Just who was it who first saw that tweet from Martin and then went running to GLAAD like a cry baby to his/her Mama, or even worse who at GLAAD is monitoring to see what is said or perceived to be against LGBTs ?

With all the things of more important relevance going on in the world, not just with LGBTs and true anti-gay brutality and political or religious agenda, but also the state of the world as far as economics, political strife, people being shot down like so many dogs while rising up against an oppressive government, on Sunday and into Monday and who knows how much longer, the sights of the Elite and others are focused on Roland Martin and his tweet, tweets if you want to add in some others which were noticed after the first "assault" against gays and the "suggestion" to do harm to said individuals.

How many others were there in Tweetdumb, regular folks who may have written something which could have been or was indeed a repulsive notation on LGBTs ?

But you see boys and girls, in the grand scheme of things regular folks don't count because they have no notoriety and don't make headlines either on LGBT blogs or websites, nor for orgs like GLAAD and have nothing to gain by brow beating a singular individual of nothingness, instead it's the big fish they troll for (that's a fishing term for you uneducated) and go after to gain their own notoriety when calling for boycotts or dismissals from careers.

Be careful friends and foe of LGBTdom, yesterday Roland Martin, tomorrow it could be you because they are watching. Its not the year 2012 but 1984 where Big Brother wears pink.

GLAAD Wants Roland Martin Out

Well it didn't take long for GLAAD to react to a perceived homophobic tweet during the Super Bowl game on Sunday by CNN's Roland Martin (you'll find a link to the tweet in Sunday's posting about the Super Bowl here ... hat tip to NGBlog for the tweet link I received via email during the game).

GayStarNews (which has replaced UK Gay News as one of my international sources for story ideas) reports that GLAAD is calling for the dismissal of Roland from CNN for the tweet.

Don't hold your breath kids as although GLAAD like an aging lion thinks when it roars the media listens they have more gum than teeth nowadays.

According to the article, Martin dismissed all the criticism, noting his words had no bigoted intent. Instead they were a slap against soccer as a sport. He added anyone who followed his Twitter account understood his disdain for Beckham's sport.

Yeah okay Roland but how about folks, like myself, who don't follow your tweets and your "history" of disliking soccer.

Should Martin be fired ?

In this writer's opinion no, others have done worse and still keep his/her jobs in the media, but this tidbit of advice to Martin, if CNN gives you 30 seconds of air-time for an apology do it and get this behind you before the Elites really blow this out of proportion, then my friend there will be no turning back and it may back CNN into a corner and then, God forbid, you'll be working for Faux News.

Update - since this posting went up at 2:30 AM this morning, Steve Rothaus at The Miami Herald has reported that Martin used his twitter again around 10:30 AM to offer apology and explanation.

Now can we move on to more important events in the US and the world ?

Huffington Post Closet Queen

Sometime back The Huffington Post added a section with LGBT news and commentary but with little fanfare. In fact to be honest thanks to these dying brain cells of mine while in the "silver years of life" and three times under anesthesia this year I couldn't tell you what I was reading online which sent me over to Gay Voices on Huff's website.

When I first went there a month or so ago I thought well this will make another good source for LGBT news (commentary is a dime a dozen in this age of LGBT blogs and websites) provided they post new and fresh articles rather than just rehashes from LGBT news sites such as The Washington Blade or The Advocate just to name two of several available online or in a printed format version.

So it is this commentary isn't about the content of Gay Voices but with The Huffington Post itself and the promotion, actually the lack there of, when it comes to the Gay Voices section of the website.

You see boys and girls if you go to the front page of Huff Post you will see in the website's banner the sections for Black Voices and Latino Voices are listed along with other sections of news, commentary and other things available at Huff Post.

However Gay Voices is not listed in the banner. So what's up with that he asks. Could it be Huff Post has added de gay section to win the hearts of GLAAD and HRC and others who will be overjoyed that an online institution such as Huff Post is scattering pink crumbs to de gay but doesn't promote it in the banner as not to offend homophobic readers of the website ?

True when you scroll down the front page you may find a posting or two within the Gay Voices section, however if you truly wish to promote a section within a website such as Huff Post, it should be in the banner along with other "a click away" sections. To do less is a slap in the face to the LGBT community and a hard slap at that.

Merry Christmas Arianna, you and Huff Post have been outed so to say.