O.J., Racists, Flag Waving and Nancy Grace

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Tuesday, November 21. 2006

O.J., Racists, Flag Waving and Nancy Grace

O.J. Simpson
Photo Courtesy of the LAPD

If you haven’t heard, Fox has dropped its plans to air the O.J. Simpson confession special next week, and the parent corporation, News Corp, has stopped the publication of the book. Rupert Murdoch himself, the swami behind the entire thing, issued an apology to the Brown and Goldman families. What a guy.

Personally, I say, “Print it and air it,” because this is — allegedly — a free society and we have the choice to either buy the book or not, and to watch the program or not. On the other hand, News Corp, who owns the rights to both the book and the program, have a right to dump their books and programming if they choose, self censor in other words. I wouldn’t have watched the show, I’ll be watching Survivor (I know, I’m so embarrassed) on one of the nights it was scheduled to air … (sigh). As for the book, I’d rather beef up my collection of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen novels.

Not to be out slimied, CNN and Nancy Grace will be sued over the suicide of Melinda

Melinda Duckett and Nancy Grace

Duckett, the woman whose child went missing this past summer. Duckett was the main — and only — suspect in the case so when she appeared on Grace’s CNN Headline News program, Grace treated her like a defendant on the witness stand. Hours later, after the impact of being accused, by Grace, of murdering her own child, Duckett committed suicide.

Grace, of course, stands by her behavior towards the distraught mother.

And Pahrump, Nevada, which is about 63 miles West of Las Vegas, made it illegal to wave a foreign flag! You gotta be kidding me! First Amendment be damned! Obviously aimed directly at people of Mexican descent — the creator of the law said as much when he complained about watching all those Mexican flags during the big demonstrations earlier this year, and worse yet, on the big demonstration day, all the Mexican restaurants in Pahrump were closed! Omigawd! He had to get his tacos from Jack-In-The-Box!

Well, we can assume the U.S. Supreme Court will strike that law if the lower courts do not. The brainy one behind this law, for anyone who would like to know, is Pahrump resident Michael Miraglia. First question: Is Miraglia married and if so, does his wife wear a T-Shirt that says, “I’m with stupid.” But, let’s not heap all the ridicule on Miraglia. Three of the five Pahrump city council members voted for the city ordinance.

Makes me want to stop in Pahrump on the way to my favorite city — Las Vegas, if you’re wondering — and wave flags from Spain, Italy, Vietnam, Israel, Ireland, Greece and Hungary, the countries from where my family originated, and of course Mexico and France! Righties hate the French, maybe even as much as they hate Mexicans.

Here in Sunny Sandy Eggo, one of the local newspapers, the North County Times, runs a website of course and they allow their readers to comment on the various news blogs, as most papers do.

Here’s a sample from one of their blogs, concerning immigration, from someone named Ingrid:
 Ingrid wrote on September 15, 2006 11:32 PM: "This is about money for the wealthy Americans; pay less wages get more profit. For the mexicans it is to take over the country. These people have been taught that the United States belong to them and they are trying to over-populate so that they will be in the majority. Why else would they not learn english and assimilate. They intend to take this country. Most people think it is all about money, but to the Mexicans it is more. Americans can sit around and think they are here just for the money but will find out very shortly. When they march, they fly mexican flags, they even put one on the American post office In Maywood. Do you think these people are loyal to this country? Think about it: If we went to war tomorrow with Mexico what would happen with all of these invaders in this country? They will be at war here, a different kind of war with Americans. People take off the blinders, Mexicans do not love America like you are I; they love Mexico. The only reason they are here is for the money. I forsee a civil war here if something is not done and soon. Think about it: If America were to give them rights to three states and moved all of the taxpayers out and not give federal assistance, how long would they survive? Not long, they are too dependent on American taxpayers for their existance."

First of all, let me just point out all the typos are as they appeared on the Times website (although I bolded and italicized key sentences). I just did a “cut and paste” job. Second, Ingrid contradicts herself in this racist, 244-word screed. For most of the rant, the Mexicans want to over-run America and make it part of Mexico. Then, she writes, it’s all about the money.

Racist Pig Tom Metzger

Just to be fair to Ingrid, hers isn’t the only racist rant on their website. It’s chock-full of them. San Diego’s North County was once the home of White Supremacist Tom Metzger, who has since moved to Warsaw, Indiana. The irony of a Hitler follower living in a town called Warsaw.

More irony indeed because San Diego’s North County is awash in citrus and avocado groves, places that hire many people of Hispanic descent, legal and otherwise. Would you be willing to pay $5.00 for a California-grown avocado?

I’m thinking two bucks is plenty already, but if growers are forced to hire legal residents and pay them a decent, living wage — without any assistance from our government to counteract the far cheaper produce from Central and South America — then those businesses go out of business.

Put me in the column supporting a decent, living wage for all of the people who work at the lower rungs of our society, but we have to be aware of the realities. Someone will have to pick up the cost of doing so, whether it is in the form of price supports for our goods, or welfare assistance for the people — the legal residents — who would then be out of work.

I’ve since forgotten where I was going with that rant … oh yeah, the large racist element in San Diego’s North County. Which, by the way, is the district once represented by Randy “Duke” Cunningham and now represented by Brian Bilbray who knew what the voters liked and signed on to the House of Representatives bill that called for the 700-mile fence and to make illegal immigrants felons. Maybe Bilbray isn’t a racist, I’m guessing he isn’t, but he’s just cynical enough to know how to butter the toast in North County.

Here it is, just more than 1,100 words into this and I’ve forgotten the main news of the day. Well, tomorrow’s another day, but I have to agree with comedian Louis Black. In his most recent HBO comedy special, he lamented that the news was coming too fast for good comedians to keep up. The stupidity by our government is overwhelming. I mean, 1,100 words and I’m just getting warmed up. By the time tomorrow rolls around and I think about the presidential and Iraq news, all sorts of new news will have occurred and I’ll be left, once again, trying to figure out where to start. Oy Vey.

Posted by Tim Forkes in Celebrity at 00:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

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