Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s “missing” final years, questioning the capacity of our undergraduate graduates, and a new California law that allows cops to snoop our smart phones. These discoveries and more after the jump. On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies. The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s final years are mostly missing from the media’s coverage of his life King’s “missing years” include those during which he voiced his opposition to the Vietnam War and organized the Poor People’s Campaign. Are Undergraduates Actually Learning Anything? Drawing on survey responses and transcript data, researchers have concluded that a significant percentage of undergraduates are failing to develop the broad-based skills and knowledge they should be expected to master.
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Even after the formation of a new government in Tunisia, an estimated 500 to 1,000 political prisoners are still being held in Tunisian jails, a hiccup in the post-Ben Ali era governing of the country that promised a release to all political detainees. —JCL The Guardian: The new Tunisian government is still holding between 500 and 1,000 prisoners accused of often vaguely worded terrorism offences, despite a promise to release all political detainees. While hundreds of prisoners of conscience have already been released since the fall of the government of the dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali last week, concern is mounting over the uncertain fate of a second group convicted under draconian anti-terror laws. According to those familiar with their cases many were tried under deeply flawed legal procedures or had confessions tortured out of them, often after being targeted for their religious beliefs. Read more Related Entries January 12, 2011 Twitter Fights the Man December 27, 2010 2011: A Brave New Dystopia
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After large amounts of mail from Cuba was refused entry to the U.S. due to strict security measures, the Cuban government has decided to halt U.S.-bound post due to the high costs of so many returns. Historically mail into the U.S> has been banned, but a directive by President Obama allowed mail from Cuba to be sent into the U.S. through an intermediary country, like Mexico, which increases cost. —JCL The BBC: Cuba has suspended all postal deliveries to the United States until further notice. The suspension follows the introduction of stricter security measures by the US last year after the attempted mailing of explosives from Yemen. The Cuban postal service says large amounts of mail were refused entry and returned in the following months. Correspondents say the cost of so many returns may have led to the decision to stop the service. Read more Related Entries January 12, 2011 Twitter Fights the Man December 27, 2010 2011: A Brave New Dystopia
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With the spotlight on narcotraffickers, it’s easy to blame Mexico’s endless violence exclusively on drug cartels. But the U.N. is also now urging the country to investigate the involvement of government officials in crimes, such as the abduction of 40 migrants in Oaxaca. —JCL The BBC: The UN human rights chief has urged Mexico to investigate the possible involvement of officials in the abduction of about 40 migrants. Navi Pillay said the Central American migrants had been “abducted in highly questionable circumstances” from a cargo train in Oaxaca state last month. They were reportedly taken by gunmen who stopped the train in Chahuites. Read more Related Entries January 12, 2011 Twitter Fights the Man December 27, 2010 2011: A Brave New Dystopia
Continue reading …Billy Graham’s Son Dismayed That There Was A Jesus Deficit In Tucson Memorial
January 22, 2011 No Comment
enlarge Poor, poor Christians! All that scoffing and persecution! Of course, persecution is nothing that Native Americans would understand: In a speech on Tuesday at John Brown University, a private Christian college in Siloam Springs, Ark., the son of the revered evangelist Billy Graham voiced “dismay” at the way the Tucson memorial service was conducted, arguing that it was not as explicitly religious — mainly “Christian” — as those following the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks. Graham was particularly upset that the Tucson memorial featured a Native American who called upon “father sky and mother earth.” “There was no call for the name of God to put his loving arms around the people who were hurting, the people that were suffering,” Graham said. “Why? Why did they take God out of it? Why did they leave him out? “Because the world scoffs at the name of Jesus Christ,” Graham said, his voice rising in anger. “They scoff when you say he’s the son of God.” Graham went on to say that the scoffing and persecution against Christians is only going to get worse. Initial reports of Graham’s speech indicated that he may have been including Obama in his critique, though a review of the video shows that Graham says he “felt sorry” for the president “because I knew he was uncomfortable in that situation.” Graham was referring to the pep rally atmosphere and the prayers by the Native American, an associate professor of medicine at the University, Carlos Gonzales, who is a Pascua Yaqui Indian and fifth generation Arizonan. (Graham called him a native of “the Yuppie tribe or something, I didn’t quite get it.”)
Continue reading …Ed Schultz Bashes Michele Bachmann for Doing Same Thing Obama Did in 2008
January 22, 2011 No Comment
Just how ignorant of politics and recent history is MSNBC's Ed Schultz? Well, on Friday, he attacked Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) for giving a competing response to the upcoming State of the Union address even though presidential candidate Barack Obama did the same thing in 2008 (video follows with transcript and commentary): SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW, the “Battleground” story tonight: Da Bears. No, that`s coming up later. Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is setting herself up for a presidential run. She`s in Iowa tonight speaking at an Iowans for Tax Relief event, and she`s meeting with the top Republicans in the state. Bachmann has been floated as a potential challenger to Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar in 2012, but folks, look, she wants something bigger than that. She wants it all. She wants the Oval Office. Today, the Tea Party Express announced that Bachmann will give her own response to the State of the Union address. I think this is unbelievable. Has anybody else ever done this? Not only is Bachmann trying to put herself on equal footing with the President of the United States, she`s undermining her own party. Lots of loyalty there, huh? The Republicans already chose someone to give the response and that`s budget chair Paul Ryan, but Bachmann is going to rogue. I guess, you could say she`s going rogue. As the folks at The Blaze reported Saturday, the official Democrat response to George W. Bush's final State of the Union address on January 28, 2008, was made by then Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius. However, then Sen. Barack Obama gave his own response at his campaign website. The Huffington Post even reported the news that evening with a full transcript of his comments and the video: As the Daily Caller reported Friday, Bachmann's response next week will be broadcast online. As such, what makes it any different than what Obama did three years ago? I guess that answers Schultz's question, “Has anybody else ever done this?” Nice job, Ed. Your employers must be so proud of you.
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Click here to view this media Bill O’Reilly has been using his own Big Lie theories ever since the Arizona shootings to try and promote the nonsense that it’s the left that actually uses excessive and vile rhetoric much more than the right. You see up is down and red is green in the No Spin Zone. Here’s his TPM from the other day. President Obama’s approval ratings are going up, eight points in the last few weeks, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll that says 53 percent of Americans now say the president is doing a good job. Some of that improvement at least can be traced to the president’s speech last week calling for more civility in the public debate. Americans like that, but apparently the committed left has not gotten the message. On Wednesday, the House voted 245 to 189 to repeal Obamacare. The debate was intense, as it should be. But some far-left people got nasty, defying their leader, Mr. Obama: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. ANTHONY WEINER, D-N.Y.: I want to just advise people watching at home playing that now-popular drinking game of you take a shot whenever Republicans say something that’s not true, please assign a designated driver. This is going to be a long afternoon. REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE, D-TEXAS: This bill is constitutional and it protects the constitutional rights of those who ask the question, “Must I die? Must my child die because I am now disallowed from getting insurance.” ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: The Republicans basically, as I see it, have a pre-civil rights attitude when it comes to health care. They want to openly discriminate against people because they are sick. REP. STEVE COHEN, D-TENN.: They say it’s a government takeover of health care, a big lie, just like Goebbels. You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie and eventually people believe it, like blood libel. That’s the same kind of thing. The Germans said enough about the Jews and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust. (END VIDEO CLIP) “Talking Points” submits that most Americans, including Democrats, do not respect rhetoric like that. We’ve been studying the right-wing opposition to Obamacare and basically it is policy driven, that government-run health care is an intrusion on freedom, will run up the debt and will be chaotic . That’s pretty much what the Republican Party is putting out there. Once in a while, a far-right bomb-thrower in the media will make the health care debate personal, but that’s not very common. So what is President Obama to do with his left flank? He needs them in 2012, as many independent voters have abandoned him. The far left can also raise a lot of money for Mr. Obama. But there is no question that uber-liberals have been marginalized in this country, largely because of their hateful talk. The Arizona murder case proved that beyond a reasonable doubt. The question is: Can President Obama control the far left? So far he hasn’t even tried to, as far as we can see. Cindy Adams in the New York Post reported that the president did bring in some far-left people for a secret meeting in the White House, so maybe that was on the agenda, but who knows? I do, however, know this: In the end, the far left will hurt Barack Obama. And that’s “The Memo.” You’d have to have watched him all week to know how he’s set up his Big Lies, but in essence it’s that the left is to blame for the polluting the political discourse in America and the left that uses much more violent rhetoric than the right. Also, right-wing opposition to Obamacare is policy driven, that government-run health care is an intrusion on freedom, will run up the debt and will be chaotic. That’s pretty much what the Republican Party is putting out there. Once in a while, a far-right bomb-thrower in the media will make the health care debate personal, but that’s not very common. Lies don’t count like “death panels” and IRS agents coming to your door to throw you in jail if you don’t buy health insurance. Since Bill kept off the air all the insane things that were being spewed by the right from his network and from GOP politicians, how would his audience know? And Bill tells his peeps that it’s only the result of Obama’s well received Arizona speech that has his poll numbers rising when that also false. His rise started after the midterms and has continued every since. His speech obviously helped. Gallop Nov, 8th: At 47%, his latest approval rating is also near the top of the 41% to 48% range within which it has varied since August . Here’s more polling results from Real Clear Politics. The right is trying to make Rep. Cohen out to be an incessant flame thrower, but how many of you have ever even heard of the man before this week? Bill is also trying to make the case that the base of the Democratic Party is hurting Obama because they refuse to move to the right. Laura Ingraham came on next and brought up the immigration battle under George Bush between the right wing talkers, Malkinites and moderate politicians of the GOP. Bill promotes another Big Lie when he says Americans didn’t hold any animus towards Mexicans during the heated immigration debate, they just didn’t like the bill. if one thing was certain it was that the conservative movement didn’t like the bill because they didn’t like Mexicans all that much. Karl Rove tried to woo them with immigration reform, but Conservatives wouldn’t go for it.
Continue reading …David Shuster On Keith Olbermann’s Departure: I guarantee Keith is not done in the broadcast world.
January 22, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media (h/t Heather at VideoCafe ) Former MSNBC talent David Shuster knows what it’s like to be on the bad side of the suits upstairs at 30 Rock. Placed on an indefinite suspension when it came out that he had auditioned for his own show on rival network CNN, Shuster has only recently been officially fired from the network. He had already tested the patience of his bosses by engaging in a Twitter war with James O’Keefe (of the ACORN “pimp” faked video) and suggesting that Hillary Clinton was “pimping” out daughter Chelsea during the primaries. So for the continual fascination with navel-gazing on their own industry, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked for David’s input on the Olbermann departure from MSNBC. Thanks to Heather at VideoCafe, who made this mash up of David’s comments. Anderson immediately goes to the rumors of diva-like behavior of Olbermann. Shuster tries to remain diplomatic towards MSNBC but it’s clear that he’s a big fan of Olbermann and is confident that Keith will end up on his feet somewhere. ( Howard Kurtz is reporting that part of the terms agreed upon prohibits Olbermann from appearing on other television programs through the end of his contract, or 2012.) COOPER: David, I don’t want to put you on the spot too much, but I guess it’s part of…sort of my job in this case. Was he…well-liked within MSNBC? I’ve heard plenty of…what is your impression? SHUSTER: Well, yeah, it’s a fair question. I think the people he worked with had a lot of respect for him, the people on his show, the director, the technical people. That’s the sort of people who often get forgotten by, you know, major talent. Keith was very kind to them. The make up artists, that sort of thing. I think as far as the management, I mean, Keith had his conflicts with management, going back to when Dan Abrams was running MSNBC and he had his conflicts with Phil Griffin. I think one thing to keep in mind is that not only are things changing with Jeff Zucker no longer running MSNBC, but the reporting structure. You now have Phil Griffin, from what I understand, is going to be reporting to Steve Capus, instead of directly reporting to the head of MSNBC. So Steve Capus, the head of NBC News, will certainly have much more influence over MSNBC. And this may be part of it. It is no secret that Steve was particularly upset –justifiably so—how Keith handled the suspension earlier this year and the donations and Phil Griffin took a little bit of a different tack than Steve probably would have liked. But yeah, I think what you’re seeing now either Keith recognizing, or certainly Steve Capus influencing MSNBC a lot more than he would have had say, a week ago. Trying again, Cooper insinuates that Olbermann’s ego will suffer from losing his platform, and again, Shuster deflects it by cautioning against counting Olbermann out: COOPER: I just feel bad. I’ve met him a handful of times, I don’t really know him personally, really. But for someone clearly has a strong opinion, it would be a difficult thing, I would think, to be off the air, you know, at such a critical time in this country’s history, David. SHUSTER: Well, yes and no. He’s gone down this road before. I mean, he’s worked for…he left MSNBC following the Monica Lewinsky scandal back in ’98, ’99. He was off the air for a period of time. He worked at CNN. He worked at Fox. So he’s certainly gotten used to his breaks in between his successes. And I guarantee Keith is not done in the broadcast world. He’s a very smart guy. A lot of organizations would be very wise to talk to him and to at least see what he could possibly do next, whether it’s a radio show, whether it’s a tv show. I mean, he’s such a super talent and he is good to work with. That’s a combination that I think will mean he’s got a bright future regardless…and it will be on his terms. I do think that as upset as we currently are over Keith’s departure, there is a larger concern over the silencing of voices in the media. Difficult or diva-ish as Keith may be, there is no question that he created the infrastructure of strong, progressive voices in the MSNBC line up. Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell were able to parlay guest hosting duties for Keith into their own shows. Who knows if Chris Hayes or Sam Seder might have seen the same in due time? Few news hosts could do that without a healthy serving of ego, so I’m not willing to begrudge him a little arrogance. But Keith brought ratings, almost single-handedly bringing MSNBC from third place to occasionally besting FOX in his time slot. He didn’t lose advertisers and yet, he is now out of a job and yet Glenn Beck–who wouldn’t know integrity if it stood in front of him and waved hello–has lost now more than 300 advertisers , seen his ratings plummet and yet still remains on the air, infecting it with lies and craziness. As we go into what Anderson Cooper notes is a critical time in history, we really cannot afford to lose this voice. Transcripts below the fold COOPER: David Shuster also joining us on the phone. David, you worked at MSNBC, you had your own clash with management. What do you make of this? SHUSTER: Well, Anderson, first of all, thanks for having me. I’m shocked. Let me say from the outset that I—I’m a huge fan of Keith’s work, he was always very kind to me and I consider him a friend, and I think Bill has it exactly right. You look at all of MSNBC’s primetime: Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, I mean, they exist because of Keith. Keith was essentially the fundamental building block. I just hope for Keith’s sake that he’s leaving on his terms, which it sounds like…it sounds like it was in the sense that he was given time to say good bye and Keith is his own man. I mean, when Keith does things, he does things his way. I haven’t always agreed with everything he’s done; he hasn’t always agreed with everything that I’ve done. But I’ve always respected his work immensely. He’s a brilliant man, he’s a brilliant writer and I found him a great guy to work for. And I think it’s going to be a certain loss for everyone who’s involved in primetime at MSNBC. COOPER: David, I don’t want to put you on the spot too much, but I guess it’s part of…sort of my job in this case. Was he…well-liked within MSNBC? I’ve heard plenty of…what is your impression? SHUSTER: Well, yeah, it’s a fair question. I think the people he worked with had a lot of respect for him, the people on his show, the director, the technical people. That’s the sort of people who often get forgotten by, you know, major talent. Keith was very kind to them. The make up artists, that sort of thing. I think as far as the management, I mean, Keith had his conflicts with management, going back to when Dan Abrams was running MSNBC and he had his conflicts with Phil Griffin. I think one thing to keep in mind is that not only are things changing with Jeff Zucker no longer running MSNBC, but the reporting structure. You now have Phil Griffin, from what I understand, is going to be reporting to Steve Capus, instead of directly reporting to the head of MSNBC. So Steve Capus, the head of NBC News, will certainly have much more influence over MSNBC. And this may be part of it. It is no secret that Steve was particularly upset –justifiably so—how Keith handled the suspension earlier this year and the donations and Phil Griffin took a little bit of a different tack than Steve probably would have liked. But yeah, I think what you’re seeing now either Keith recognizing, or certainly Steve Capus influencing MSNBC a lot more than he would have had say, a week ago. [..] COOPER: Sorry, go ahead… SHUSTER: One thing to keep in mind about Keith with money. Keith has never really been about money. I mean, yes, he wanted the contract in terms of wanting to be paid what he felt like he was worth. But he’s always said he’s gotten more money than he really feels he needs. He’s not a guy who’s about money and if he felt like, for whatever reason, this is the time to leave, I guarantee that money is not an issue for him. [..] COOPER: I just feel bad. I’ve met him a handful of times, I don’t really know him personally, really. But for someone clearly has a strong opinion, it would be a difficult thing, I would think, to be off the air, you know, at such a critical time in this country’s history, David. SHUSTER: Well, yes and no. He’s gone down this road before. I mean, he’s worked for…he left MSNBC following the Monica Lewinsky scandal back in ’98, ’99. He was off the air for a period of time. He worked at CNN. He worked at Fox. So he’s certainly gotten used to his breaks in between his successes. And I guarantee Keith is not done in the broadcast world. He’s a very smart guy. A lot of organizations would be very wise to talk to him and to at least see what he could possibly do next, whether it’s a radio show, whether it’s a tv show. I mean, he’s such a super talent and he is good to work with. That’s a combination that I think will mean he’s got a bright future regardless…and it will be on his terms. [..] COOPER: David Shuster, anything from you? SHUSTER: No, I think Bill has it exactly right. Keith–on his own time–will come out and he’ll make it perfectly clear what happened in a venue that he feels is appropriate. I think we should be careful, I don’t think this is the end of Keith Olbermann by any means. He’s an incredible talent, incredible guy to work with. He’s going to be valuable to wherever he goes next. It may be a period of years, or whatever it is that he has to sit down. You know, Keith’s outspoken enough and a lot of people now would pay a lot I think to hear what Keith had to say. And so I think I would be careful not to write off his career at this point. Yes, it’s done at MSNBC, but he’s resurfaced before and he’ll resurface again. COOPER: Talent finds a way.
Continue reading …Some Thoughts About Olbermann’s Exit From Opposite Sides of the Internet
January 22, 2011 No Comment
The internet has been all abuzz since Keith Olbermann's surprise announcement that Friday would be his last appearance on MSNBC's “Countdown.” Over at the liberal website Salon, Steve Kornacki wondered, ” Is Olbermann the victim of his own success? “: MSNBC, for its part, embraced the identity Olbermann was offering them. By 2008, his frequent guest, Rachel Maddow, was given her own show at 9 p.m. And liberal radio host Ed Schultz was given his own shortly after that. Lawrence O’Donnell, another left-of-center voice, was added just a few months ago. Eventually, the network adopted a new motto — “Lean forward” — that’s about as subtle as Fox’s “fair and balanced” pledge. MSNBC’s prime-time lineup is now awash in progressive politics. Of course, now that he’s surrounded by similar voices, Olbermann isn’t nearly as essential to MSNBC’s brand, which surely has something to do with his abrupt departure on Friday night…Now that they’ve built a loyal prime-time audience of left-leaning viewers, NBC’s executives may simply feel that they can afford to be rid of Olbermann and all of the headaches he brings with him. It used to be that he was the only reason liberals turned on their channel at night. Now he’s one of many reasons — a victim of his own success, in other words. Hot Air's Ed Morrissey doesn't agree : Other than Maddow, whom Olbermann most certainly discovered and nurtured into a parallel show, the other people in the lineup had careers in broadcasting before Olbermann.
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