Thursday Open Thread [1.8.15]
It is not often that I will agree with Ted Cruz, but in this instance he is right: anyone censoring the Charlie Hedbo cartoons, and anyone out there arguing that a journalistic organization should choose not to run them so as to be “reasonable,” are cowards.
In this sense, many of the Western voices that have criticized the editors of Hebdo have had things exactly backward: Whether it’s the Obama White House or Time Magazine in the past or the Financial Times and (God help us) the Catholic League today, they’ve criticized the paper for provoking violence by being needlessly offensive and “inflammatory” (Jay Carney’s phrase), when the reality is that it’s precisely the violence that justifies the inflammatory content. In a different context, a context where the cartoons and other provocations only provoked angry press releases and furious blog comments, I might sympathize with the FT’s Tony Barber when he writes that publications like Hebdo “purport to strike a blow for freedom when they provoke Muslims, but are actually just being stupid.” (If all you have to fear is a religious group’s fax machine, what you’re doing might not be as truth-to-power-ish as you think.) But if publishing something might get you slaughtered and you publish it anyway, by definition you are striking a blow for freedom, and that’s precisely the context when you need your fellow citizens to set aside their squeamishness and rise to your defense.
But we need some humor, so here is the Random Joe Biden Compliment Generator. You’ll spend hours playing with it.
Last night, I helped rescue Nancy Willing from an elevator at the Democratic Party HQ. Well, “rescue” seems to be hyperbole on my part, since all I did was hear the alarm from the elevator after about 2 minutes, and then call 911. And then the Wilmington Manor Fire Department promptly sent two ladder engines, two Fire Chief SUVs, and 10+ firefighters to rescue Ms. Willing and another person from the two story elevator. Still, given the quickness and level of the response, I wonder who the Fire Department thought was in that elevator. VP Biden?
Here is the view from inside the elevator during the moment of rescue…
Hotel cancels reservation for room reserved for homeless. Hotel DoUchebag. Sorry, DuPont.
Good job Delawareans.
http://news10.com/ap/delaware-mans-christmas-gift-to-5-homeless-people-thwarted/
I’ve come to admit I’ve been wrong about Jack Markell. He will throw anyone under the bus. I can’t figure out why though. Does he have ambition to get elected to another office?
@SA: Don’t you recognize a publicity stunt when you see one? If the reverend had really wanted to help the homeless, he could have put up far more people in a more reasonably priced hotel.
And here’s a link to the original story, by WDEL’s Amy Cherry:
http://wdel.com/story.php?id=65291
“If the reverend had really wanted to help the homeless, he could have put up far more people in a more reasonably priced hotel.”
Yeah, and if he really wanted to help them he would build a homeless shelter and give them all jobs. But since that isn’t in the offing, lets do nothing. Yeah, doing nothing is better than giving 5 homeless a Christmas gift. Nothing, definitely better.
Publicity stunt to what end? Whats the scam? Shakedown? Al Sharpton 2, Hotel DuPont Boogaloo?
Not the same at all. You spend a certain amount per room at the Hotel du Pont. You spend much less per room at the Red Roof Inn. Same amount of money, more people helped.
Yeah, why would an ex-con preacher need any good publicity, right?
ID is required at Red Roof Inns.
Just sayin’
Sounds personal Geezer. Do you know this guy? Here’s his account someone forwarded to me on facebook yesterday where he talks about why he decided on a gesture of opulence over the mediocrity of the Red Roof Inn.
https://www.facebook.com/mscotts/posts/609374569193969?pnref=story
Even if it is a publicity stunt, the hotel was wrong in the way they handled it.
Does The News Journal ever credit another media outlet? Looks like half their article was lifted directly from WDEL.
Ha!
They don’t acknowledge that other media outlets exist.
PDD’s Statement on Speaker Schwartzkopf’s Apparent Comments on Activists:
Many progressives have worked for Pete’s campaigns in the past.
Indeed. So he should know better.
It doesn’t matter if that person chose the Hotel DuPont over the Red Roof Inn — or why. It happened, and the Hotel duPont screwed up. And now it’s gone viral. I’m glad.
The pressure worked. WDEL ran the story all day and by 5PM the hotel sent out their reversal and apology. robin brown has a story up.
Nancy: I’ve been doing this long enough to know a bullshit-but-headline-grabbing story when I see one.
There are lots of people doing real, hard work every day to help the homeless. This story smells just like the slagging of Jan Jurden for not sentencing a retarded man to prison time — of course, that’s not what the headlines said, because there’s much more fun and profit in venting moral indignation at those perceived as snobs.
In further news, the same people would have been turned away from the Green Room buffet for not meeting the dress code.
“It doesn’t matter if that person chose the Hotel DuPont over the Red Roof Inn — or why.”
Not to you, maybe. The rest of us are under no obligation to meet your lack of standards.
If this happened at the Red Roof Inn, it would still be a story.
My position is that it wouldn’t have happened at the Red Roof Inn. And whether the “homeless” in question have IDs depends on which account you read. According to what he told WDEL, they had none. According to what he told TNJ, they did have some. Has anyone seen these alleged homeless?
I ask because this guy Senge is a real beauty. He’s not just any old ex-felon — his record includes a long list of fraud claims. In other words, he’s a bunco artist. Why should anyone believe his “ministry,” which includes no fixed address, isn’t just another fraud?
Go to Google and look up his record in the Tampa area, where he assumed the name of a woman he falsely claimed was his wife and defrauded people by claiming he was buying a well-known but failing tourist attraction. He was busted by the Alabama cops when the Tampa Times found out and printed his real name.
But I know, you don’t want to put aside your moral dudgeon about snobby hotels.
If there’s one thing a bunco artist knows, it’s how to engender sympathy. I wonder if his nonexistent church will see a bump in donations from a story that went nationwide?
“Senge said the hotel never gave him that reason, and he insists the homeless individuals in question have photo identification. ”
From the WDEL article.
“I am the General Manager of the Hilton Christiana and have offered 10 rooms to homeless individuals tonight at no charge. If you have contacts that know where families in need are located that need shelter tonight, please contact me. I can be reached at 302-454-1500.”
Posted by Brad Wenger General Manager Hilton Christiana yesterday.
Shakedown or not, somebody did something.
Yes, SA, that’s the nature of a manufactured story: Since the whole point is using the media for exposure, why shouldn’t others pile onto the PR gravy train? You’re being played for a sap.
Played for a sap…….so homeless people can get a room in a hotel……oh the horrors.
Hotel DuPont just announced they are going to put the people up in their hotel.
I get your point about the “reverend” possibly be a self promoting liar looking for a payout. But he was trying to get a room for some homeless people. And, so far, I haven’t seen a Rev. Al Sharpton shakedown yet.
Time will tell if the reverend rolls this into some big scam. You know, like other people do working for non profits and making huge salaries, or ‘Foundations” that talk alot and do little. You know, the American way.
Ok, here’s my issue(S) with the Hotel Dupont story…
I think I’m so exercised over this because it’s the sort of white-guilt liberal tripe bullshit that conservatives use against progressive issues, such as discussion regarding the real problem of systemic homelessness in this country.
1) I see a lot of privileged white people posting about the gall of the HOTEL DUPONT not allowing these folks to stay. I’d like to know how many homeless people they invited to their homes to stay on Christmas.
2) You can’t stay at a hotel without an ID. That’s a well accepted practice, if not the law. Perhaps they should of told this guy sooner (and maybe they did, who knows), but if something were to happen, since they were informed, the liability would be on them.
3) Perhaps to echo @Geezer’s point earlier – if you REALLY want to fight the problem of homelessness buying a fucking suite at the hotel dupont for $600 per night and then telling the media about it – that doesn’t strike me as charity. Give it to the Breakfast Mission or hell, buy a floor at a Budget Inn. This reeks of self promotion, which WDEL played into because of cheap, nonsense reporting.
Finally, I don’t know what is going on at WDEL but I’m sensing an increasing pattern of manufactured outrage stories that seem to smell like bullshit. Perhaps this is the new normal but its disappointing.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/ex-con-matthew-senge-the-would-be-christmas-house-buyer-is-now-a-christian/1236826
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/ATTENTION-FRAUD-ALERT-3814952.S.210541683
Maybe someone can teach WDEL to use Google?
How can we have the only two real, major news outlets in our state miss this? Is this not total evidence of how fucked this state is in terms of actual independent reporting?
Right because homeless people can’t have nice things. Even for one night. On Christmas.
Leno gave a wounded veteran a $60k high powered sport car. Was that a bullshit scam too because Leno wanted to buy a vet something nice and special? After all, he could have given the money to Wounded Warrior or bought 4 cars instead of one.
Keep bitchin’ but this reverend scammer just helped 6 people, which led to another hotel offering rooms. If the guy proves to be pulling a fast one. So be it. You will be right and I will be wrong. Time will tell.
Scam or no, 6 people (including 3 children) got something nice for Christmas. 2 weeks late, but still.
Having said that, I look forward to an article with actual interviews of the 6 who got the room and how it went.
“Leno gave a wounded veteran a $60k high powered sport car. Was that a bullshit scam too because Leno wanted to buy a vet something nice and special? After all, he could have given the money to Wounded Warrior or bought 4 cars instead of one.”
Yes, this guy sure is comparable to Leno.
Go back to your first comment. “Hotel Douchebag.” You apparently are unaware of how easily you were manipulated.
See if you can find Mr. Senge’s “ministry” anywhere but on the internet.