Important media headlines for October 11th:
Bottom Line: These are the stories you don't want to miss (but probably would if I didn't find them for you).
Twitter Would Be Wise to Stay Out of Abortion Politics David Harsanyi, The Federalist
Excerpt: A campaign video of Republican Marsha Blackburn, running to replace Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, has been pulled by Twitter due to a provocatively factual statement regarding Planned Parenthood’s side business of selling baby organs. It’s not the first time the social media giant has run interference for the abortion industry. In the ad, Blackburn claims, “I fought Planned Parenthood and we stopped the sale of baby body parts. Thank God.” Fact check: True. A Twitter representative informed the campaign that this was “deemed an inflammatory statement that is likely to evoke a strong negative reaction.” Well, yeah. One hopes the sale of human body parts, which despite the histrionics from liberals after The Center for Medical Progress exposed Planned Parenthood, should arouse some strong negative — and positive — reactions.
And so now you can begin to see the battle lines drawn by social media. With platforms like Twitter and Facebook being attributed with at least some of the credit for the election of President Trump but the execs at the platforms themselves being overt leftists...there's a new tactic at play. The good ole' double standard. The piece goes on to depict some of the hatred voiced on the platform at the President and his supporters, often using Nazi references and imagery in the process, being completely tolerated but heaven forbid Marsha Blackburn bluntly state the truth...
Jerry Jones Affirms 'Bright Line' Against Anthem Protests Jarrett Bell, USA Today
Excerpt: To some people, kneeling before the American flag is the ultimate sign of respect. And the perfect way to express a protest. “I do understand it,” Jerry Jones insisted to USA TODAY Sports on Monday afternoon as he sat in his plush office at the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters. “Too many of the fans of the Dallas Cowboys perceive this as disrespect for the flag. And so I don’t want our team doing it.”
First, I'm not buying the sudden respect/patriotism of any NFL owner that's suddenly taking a stand (no pun intended). Any owner that meant it would have put their foot down immediately. Secondly, this demonstrates that Jerry Jones, as an example, still doesn't get it. "Too many of the fans of the Dallas Cowboys perceive this as disrespect". It's not perception! It's knowledge. There's a US Code governing the presentation of colors and the only respectful thing to do is to stand and place your hand over your heart.
Why Sports and Politics Don't Mix Stephen Moore, Investor's Business Daily
Excerpt: There's a famous Woody Allen joke: "Those who can't do teach, and those who can't teach teach gym."Well, here's a modernized version of that old saw: Those who can't do write, and those who can't write write about sports. One of the most amazing revelations about the shameful and unpatriotic antics of NFL players who are taking the knee (or even lying on the ground stretching) during the national anthem has been the near-universal approval by sports journalists. The left has infiltrated the locker room, and sports commentators now all think they are social reformers and muckrakers.
This is the ruination of sports entertainment. Sports offer an escape, a respite from the politics and problems of the world. I think I speak for millions of sports fans: I don't want to turn to the sports page and get lectured about race relations. And I don't care about Brittney Griner's sexual orientation or with whom she's sleeping. I just want to find out if the Cubs won last night. I guess that makes me a bigot.
And we all said Amen. I've never been a boycott type and though I cancelled the NFL Sunday Ticket over two weeks ago and haven't watched any football since I'm still not. For me it's pretty straight forward. If it's still entertaining I'll consume it. If I have to get a political lecture by leftists in the sports media and protesting players I won't. What's interesting is once you divorce yourself of certain elective habits - it's interesting how eventually you don't miss them at all. I remember turning on ESPN daily for over a decade. In the early 2000's when political agendas were being regularly incorporated as part of the sports information I wrote to ESPN twice about my displeasure. I never heard back. Nothing changed and I stopped watching. I can't remember ever missing it. In the case of the NFL, I missed it a bit for the first couple of weeks. The past weekend I didn't. I find it unfortunate but there's so much more to life and forcing politics into entertainment has a way of introducing many of us to them.
Until tomorrow...