Update on hot dog stand owner

Needless to say, I feel like a chump. I trusted that those that I linked to, might be have actually telling the truth about this incident. Well, it turns out, they, of course, were lying about that as well. Go figure. Rolling Eyes

Anyhow, Chris Savage, much to his credit flushes out the spin and hype about this little lie told by the corporatist right. I hope like heck he does not mind me quoting him a bit, but here goes:

The right wingnut blogosphere is apoplectic that Lansing, Michigan’s iconic “Hot Dog Guy”, Clinton Tarver, was a victim of union thug violence at yesterday’s anti-Right to Work for Less rally. The reality is that Tarver is simply a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He also happens to be married to the Michigan Republican Party’s Ethnic Caucus Vice-Chair — perhaps one of the loneliest leadership positions in the entire state.

[…]

This is a far cry from the all-caps-can-you-believe-what-these-union-thugs-did freak out by conservatives who would have you believe that Tarver lost his entire livelihood at the hands of union goons. Tarver was set up on some tables under the tent and did not even have his cart. He must have had a very slow day. Anyone who was at the rally and wandered by the two giant AFP tents will tell you that they were essentially empty all day. There were a few AFP folks standing out front, taunting union members and provoking confrontations, but there was not a lot of activity inside the tent where Tarver was.

[…]

….According the article, they have raised over $10,000 for him (UPDATE: MIRS News reports that it’s now over $16,000.) The total value of what he lost in the scuffle?

$500.

I wonder what they’ll do with the thousands of extra dollars not needed to buy more buns, hot dogs, ketchup, mustard and a couple of folding tables and coolers?

Certainly Clint Tarver didn’t deserve to be treated as shabbily as he was by the union folks there. His wife claims he was called a “nigger” and jeered for working for the enemy. If true, that’s reprehensible and inexcusable. But the off-the-charts poutrage from the right on this is an absolute joke. Some of the same people decrying the verbal taunts that Tarver experiencde are here on this very website calling union members all sorts of hideous names. So let’s keep it real, shall we?

One more thing: if you’d like to meet Clint Tarver in person, I’m hearing that he’ll be selling hot dogs outside Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville’s office tomorrow, capitalizing on his newfound political fame with Republicans. Stop by and buy a dog.

Adding… Let’s not kid ourselves about what “Tentgate” and “Hot Doggate” are all about:distracting the country from noticing that corporatist ideologues have turned the birthplace of American organized labor into a Right to Work for Less state.It’s a smokescreen, chaff to make sure the conversation is not about screwing union members and is, instead, about the AFP losing a couple of tents.

I can understand the spin, it is what happens in politics; but I will never understand the lying about what happens. Do these people even have any sort of conscience at all?!?! The real cute part is this; this Steven Crowder guy, claims to be a Christian — to the point of writing about how stinking Christian he was to not get his noodle wet until he was married. But yet, he lies like this? My question is this: which God and Jesus does he serve? Does this man know not what the Bible says about lying and liars in the Old and New Testaments? Hypnotized I really hated to bring religion into it, but good grief these people give  good and honest Christians a horribly bad name. Not talking

Now before anyone points it out; Yes, I have commented on the fact that I thought his stuff was funny. Yes, I did and I still think he is funny, as an comedian and an actor. However, when he started acting as shill for the corporatist right, and came out in support of this union busting crap by Governor Snyder; he lost me. When he was making his video himself, without people like AFP backing him up. I respected him. I no longer do as such. Because he is a corporate shill.  Which is a far cry from the small business owners that I happen to respect and want to be myself.

Changed themes…again….

Okay here is the deal on the looks change.

The 3 column that I was running, was tossing errors and when you are a production blogger, like me; that is never a good thing. Anyhow, I at first, tried WordPress’s newest theme, Twenty-Twelve. Well, it was nice, but it had some issues that I really did not like, in the display department. So, I ditched it and got this one here, which was made by the same people in 2011. Looks-wise, I like this one much better than the other one.

So, there’s that. Nerd

12 is such a lovely number

The Video:

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The Story:

Kiam Moriya, from Birmingham Alabama, was born on December 12, 2000 12 minutes after midday, in Bronxville, New York.

“It’s like one minute out of a whole lifetime,” Kiam told AL.com. “You know, it’s all 12s.”

Kiam was not due until later January or early February, but was seven weeks premature, making the birthday all the more remarkable.

Statisticians from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said about four million babies were born in the US in 2000, with an average of about 11,000 per day – or about eight babies every minute.

12/12/12 is seen as somewhat of a lucky date, with lots of couples planning to marry on the day.

via Boy turns 12 on 12/12/12 at 12.12pm – Telegraph.

Now number one on the other hand:

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Did Steven Crowder sucker punch a union protester?

Now this is very interesting:

The Photo:

The story:

The washed up child actor is apparently to stupid to realize just what he was admitting in that interview. He is apparently too stupid to understand that the video they showed last night includes proof that he sucker punched the demonstrator before he himself was hit in retaliation. This is why you don’t let ignorant washed-up child actors serve as correspondents on your fake news show. It never turns out well for you or your neoliberal agenda.

So brainiac Crowder inadvertently admitted yesterday that he went to the demonstration to provoke a response; to “prove the left for who they really are”. This mindset of Crowder holds true to his current alignment with the  Andrew Breitbart  “war against the institutional left.”   philosophy and it makes what happened and it puts the subsequent misleading editing of the first video he released in the proper perspective.

And apparently after he was unable to garner something he could use on Fox “news” that night after being belligerent all day long to people who are literally out there fighting for their jobs, their pensions and their futures, he decided to step it up a notch.

As the Fox cameraman was focused on one confrontation, Crowder ducks under the view of the camera and sucker punches  the demonstrator who was then filmed getting up off the ground and going right at Steven in retaliation.

Above is a still taken from the extended video Fox ran on the Sean Hannity show last night. Notice the extended crawler they ran over the bottom 3rd of the screen in an effort to hide Steven’s hand. It ran so fast you can barely make out what happened, but I took it frame by frame and as I pointed out last night when I first saw the edited video, Steven clearly hits the man, I think he sucker punched him, in order to provoke a response.

The still above is a screen capture taken from that video. You can see Steven’s arm is outstretched and he pulls it back quickly. It’s outstretched in the direction and approximate height of the demonstrator’s head. He’s also got his right hand up covering the right side of his face in what appears to be a defensive posture taught in fight training and probably a conditioned action by Steven when he throws a punch.

via Steven Crowder Sucker Punched Demonstrator in Crowd Before he was Hit « American Everyman.

No wonder the dude slugged him. Like I said, this was all done intentionally and they got what they wanted. It is too bad, that one poor man got caught in the middle of it all.

 

UPDATED Heartbreaking: Black hot dog vendor caught in middle of union protest

This one breaks my heart. It appears that someone was caught in the middle of the protest in Lansing.

The Photo:

Clint Tarver, known as “The Hot Dog Guy” here in Lansing.

Here is the part that breaks my heart, it comes Ironic Surrealism:

The woman (Lorilea Susanne) who set up the fundraising page for Clint has spoken to his wife. Apparently Clint was hired to provide catering for the Americans For Prosperity tent which was also destroyed by union thugs.

*UPDATE* 11:40am – I have spoken with Linda Lee, Clint’s wife. She says he is absolutely overwhelmed with our support, even more so than by the events of yesterday. I would like to clarify the events, however. Clint hired as a caterer for the AFP tent which was torn down. He was much more concerned about the others, and particularly helped to get the women out of the tent. It was when he returned to gather his equipment that the taunts and racial slurs began. He says the working people did not respect the working man. He was not there to be political; he was just there to serve. This is the Clint we know and love. Please, let’s respect him and leave our political opinions out of this. This is about our support for Clint.

You know, I am just going to say this; and believe me when I tell you, I am quite serious about this  one: I support the Unions and their right to protest that Governor Rick Snyder lied about not going after the labor movement and I do not much mind people like Steven Crowder getting their jaws jacked for being idiotic tools.

However, I do not support a black man being beaten up and being called an “uncle tom” or even worse the “N-Word,” especially seeing when the man was simply there to serve others and not really even involved with the protest at all. I believe that this one is just a bit too much and goes over the line in a big way.

Of course, the right is going to blame the unions, and this is quite short-sighted in my opinion. The person that should be blamed here is Governor Rick Snyder for picking a fight with the labor movement — and over what? Because the labor movement tried and ultimately failed to get collective bargaining written into the Michigan State Constitution?

I think what needs to happen right now is this: Everyone that reads this blog posting, needs to head to this fundraising page here (LINKED REMOVED GO READ THIS UPDATE!) and give as much as you can afford; and be sure you leave your name and maybe a message to the fact that you are a Union member or supporter; and that you do not support this sort of violence and racism toward a black man.  It is immoral and it never should have ever happened in the name of the labor movement at all, ever.

I might support the labor movement in a big way and the love affair between me and the Republicans might be over. However, I did not leave my moral compass at the divorce court — so to speak. This little incident was wrong and we, as supporters of and/or members of the labor movement can make it right.

Others, who are helping, like we should be: Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers and The Daily Caller

BIG UPDATE TO THIS STORY: Please, click here to go read the update to this story. Needless to day, I feel like a freakin’ chump. 🙁 Never again will I ever blindly trust anything by the right blogosphere again, ever. Because they just lie way too much. 😡 

Fame: It is such a bitch

A well-paying bitch, but I digress…..

NEW YORK –  It’s been a bad week for A&E.

First, Dave Hester sued the network, claiming “Storage Wars” was staged. Now the network’s History Channel division has its own lawsuit brewing over its hit show “Pawn Stars.”

A talent agency has filed a lawsuit against The History Channel, TMZ reported, claiming they signed on to represent the cast of “Pawn Stars” back in 2007 and 2009 and were terminated after the show hit the air.

The agency, Venture IAB, claims they were representing Corey Harrison, Rick Harrison, Richard Harrison and Austin “Chumlee” Russell before the stars made it big. The agency alleges six months after the show hit the air, two “Pawn Star” executives convinced the cast to end their deal with Venture.

via ‘Pawn Stars’ ex-agents suing for $5 million day after ‘Storage Wars’ star files suit | Fox News.

Poor Rick Harrison; the dude cannot catch a break! I mean, the show is a success and what happens? The vultures come out in force. I am writing about this, because I happen to like the show, quite a bit. It is a good escape from the stupidity of politics all of the time.

Hopefully, Rick can get this dismissed or solved, without losing his rear end.

I got two words for AllahPundit of HotAir.com

Fuck You.

The entire damned thing was staged for the cameras, they pulled down the tent themselves.

So, there, Jeremy — Why don’t you try reporting the facts, instead of the stupid bullshit that the corporatist pigs and crony capitalists tell you to report?

…and by the way, how’s life treating you in queens these days? Heh.   You obviously are living large, seeing you are getting paid to spout corporatist bullshit.

I’m just asking… and let me tell you something else; there will be blood and lots of it. The first time one of them free-loading motherfuckers steps into a union shop and tries to get hired. The union guys will stomp fucking piss out of them; and people like me, will cheer. You don’t cross union lines, when you do, you get your ass beat or worse. That is how it is. It has been that way for years and it is not about to change anytime soon. Least of all because some paid corporate shill got his ass beat or when some pussy motherfucking anonymous blogger writes false bullshit about a story either.  He is lucky, he didn’t get shot or stabbed to death. Which really should have happened.

In the name of my Father…..

 

This is because China supports their actions

Sometimes the woefully obvious is just too much for the media:

Hong Kong (CNN) — North Korea’s neighbors have condemned the secretive nation’s launch of a long-range rocket, with Seoul calling the launch a “challenge and threat” to stability on the Korean peninsula and the world at large.

The rocket passed close to the territory of Japan and South Korea but both have refrained from any retaliation.

Japan said it did not take any action to destroy what it termed “a missile,” which passed over its territory near the island if Okinawa, and had not seen any signs of damage.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said the launch was “extremely regrettable.”

Beijing, North Korea’s main ally in the region, took a softer line.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei expressed regret at North Korea’s decision to launch despite the concerns of the international community.

via China’s reaction key as neighbors decry North Korea rocket launch – CNN.com.

Anyone that believes that China does not support what the Norks are doing — is crazy. They give the stuff needed to fire those missiles, and so, they obviously must support the actions. Besides, China is a communist nation, as is North Korea; so, why wouldn’t they support them?

Like I said, the obvious is as plain as the nose on the end of ones face. Too bad CNN and rest are just too dumb to figure this out.

The Early Morning Music Express Presents: Ravi Shankar

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Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitarist and composer whose collaborations with Western classical musicians as well as rock stars helped foster a worldwide appreciation of India’s traditional music, died Tuesday in a hospital near his home in Southern California. He was 92.

Mr. Shankar had suffered from upper respiratory and heart ailments in the last year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last Thursday, his family said in a statement.

Mr. Shankar, a soft-spoken, eloquent man whose performance style embodied a virtuosity that transcended musical languages, was trained in both Eastern and Western musical traditions. Although Western audiences were often mystified by the odd sounds and shapes of the instruments when he began touring in Europe and the United States in the early 1950s, Mr. Shankar and his ensemble gradually built a large following for Indian music.

His instrument, the sitar, has a small rounded body and a long neck with a resonating gourd at the top. It has 6 melody strings and 25 sympathetic strings (which are not played but resonate freely as the other strings are plucked). Sitar performances are partly improvised, but the improvisations are strictly governed by a repertory of ragas (melodic patterns representing specific moods, times of day, seasons of the year or events) and talas (intricate rhythmic patterns) that date back several millenniums.

Mr. Shankar’s quest for a Western audience was helped in 1965 when George Harrison of the Beatles began to study the sitar with him. But Harrison was not the first Western musician to seek Mr. Shankar’s guidance. In 1952 he met and began performing with the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, with whom he made three recordings for EMI: “West Meets East” (1967), “West Meets East, Vol. 2” (1968) and “Improvisations: East Meets West” (1977).

Mr. Shankar loved to mix the music of different cultures. He collaborated with the flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and the jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, who had become fascinated with Indian music and philosophy in the early ’60s. Coltrane met with Mr. Shankar several times from 1964 to 1966 to learn the basics of ragas, talas and Indian improvisation techniques. Coltrane named his son Ravi after Mr. Shankar. — New York Times

News Roundup Here