The Clarks Love Money More than Vets

[gblowfish]

Apologies if posted before, and maybe this ought to be in the DC section.

Washington Post reports that the Federal Military has paid millions to the NFL to "salute" veterans. The Clarks took $250,000. So much for the NFL saluting soldiers out of the goodness of their hearts.

The Chiefs don't need the money. They should send that cash back to the military to buy body armor for active service guys, so we wouldn't have so many "wounded warriors" to salute. This whole thing makes me more cynical than I already am, if that's even possible.

Just salute veterans because its the right thing to do, and pick up the goddamn check. They put their lives on the line for us, it's the least a tax-exempt, multi-billion dollar enterprise like the NFL can do.

I didn't get a harrrump outta that guy......

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...rss=rss_sports

During timeouts at home games, the New York Jets air a Hometown Heroes segment in which a U.S. soldier or two are shown on the Jumbotron and everyone thanks them for their service. The soldiers and three friends get seats in the Coaches Club. It’s a nice salute.

It’s also funded by U.S. taxpayers.

According to Christopher Baxter and Jonathan D. Salant of New Jersey Advance Media, the Department of Defense paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million from 2011 to 2014 for salutes like the Hometown Heroes segment and other advertising at professional football games. All but $100,000 of that money came from the National Guard.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called the spending wasteful and disingenuous, Baxter and Salant report:

“Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes,” Flake said in an interview. “You get a good feeling in your heart. Then to find out they’re doing it because they’re compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly.” …

“They realize the public believes they’re doing it as a public service or a sense of patriotism,” Flake said. “It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”

Flake added that he has no problem with the National Guard spending money on recruitment advertising at football games. “The problem, he said, was spending taxpayer money on a program that, on its face, appeared to be a generous gesture by a football team,” Baxter and Salant write.

The story goes on to detail what the National Guard gets in return for its spending:

Aside from the Hometown Heroes segment, the agreements also included advertising and marketing services, including a kickoff video message from the Guard, digital advertising on stadium screens, online advertising and meeting space for a meeting or events.

Also, soldiers attended the annual kickoff lunch in New York City to meet and take pictures with the players for promotional use, and the Jets allowed soldiers to participate in a charity event in which coaches and players build or rebuild a playground or park.

The Jets also provided game access passes.

A National Guard spokesman said the agreement with the Jets helps promote and increase “the public’s understanding and appreciation of military service in the New Jersey Army National Guard increases the propensity for service in our ranks and garners public support for our Hometown Team.” A Jets spokesman says the team works with the National Guard just as it works with any other sponsor to tailor in-game advertising.

According to the report, the Colts and Ravens are among the other teams that have similar agreements with the National Guard.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by -King-

No one said its a crutch. But its a fact that black people play on an uneven playing field. A black man makes 75% of the wages a white man makes for the same jobs. A black man is more likely to be falsely accused of commiting a crime or be killed by a police officer. Black people with the same qualifications as whites find it harder to get jobs and post secondary education.

Its an issue because its an issue. Not because we make it an issue.

And no, I'm not saying black people are entirely faultless for their current circumstances.
Posted via Mobile Device

An inconvenient truth.

Lost hope is the the great diminisher. Kid in my wife's class were asked what they wanted to be......kid says a lawyer but I'll never be one. Wife asks why. He said because I'm black. No anger, just acceptance that was just the way things are. Great kid. Studies hard. Well behaved. Pissed me off when I heard about his response.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

you know what I meant. If not, there is a BRC interpretation class at the junior college on Wednesday nights.

What I mean is that you don't even know how you think until you act on it.

You don't know what you don't know...

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

An inconvenient truth.

Lost hope is the the great diminisher. Kid in my wife's class were asked what they wanted to be......kid says a lawyer but I'll never be one. Wife asks why. He said because I'm black. No anger, just acceptance that was just the way things are. Great kid. Studies hard. Well behaved. Pissed me off when I heard about his response.

Dude a black guy is the president who went to Harvard . If that don't convince him what will? Johnny Cochran was black and he was a famous lawyer as well.

If you want it go get it. For **** sakes Clarence Thomas, Thurgood Marshall....That's a cop out.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Dude a black guy is the president who went to Harvard law. If that don't convince him what will?

As I said its lack of hope. It's a 4th grader, not a high school student.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Dude a black guy is the president who went to Harvard law. If that don't convince him what will?

Everything, ever, before him.

To white America Obama is just another $3itty president that happens to be black.

To black America

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

As I said its lack of hope. It's a 4th grader, not a high school student.

What other sense of hope could you give this young student? Non-supportive parents or other supports come in a vast multitude of colors. The color is not the problem, their approach is.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Baconeater

Ok, I'll give you that 50 years isn't enough, but what is going to be enough? IMO it's going to be an issue as long as you allow it to be. At some point it becomes a crutch.

It's also odd how Mexicans can cross the border with not a pot to piss in, find jobs that allegedly don't exist, develop skills, start businesses and do alright for themselves in just one generation.

Eh, who knows? It'll likely take a long time given recent human history, especially this country. BUT.. It seems to get better with every generation so there's hope!

To your second paragraph, there's wayyyyy to much sociology that could go into a response. Asians have also done quite well in certain ethnic enclaves, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the two groups in the worst socioeconomic positions were a) involved in a genocide or b) brought here and enslaved against their will.

Seriously. Take a look at poverty rates, drug abuse, etc of Native American reservations in America. They're often worse off than many predominantly black areas.

We're talking about two groups that were doing juuuust fine before the early 1500s. Are we to believe that they're now just a bunch of lazy bums or acknowledge that there might be a bit more to the equation?

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Everything, ever, before him.

To white America Obama is just another $3itty president that happens to be black.

To black America

I just listed 3 prominent black attorneys. If I dug deeper I could find more. Everything before him? Please. I'm 40 years old and I know nothing like what happened in the 60's in my lifetime.

In fact you take programs like affirmative action, schools that are devoted to all black campuses, etc and ask yourself who is discriminating in this lifetime?

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

What other sense of hope could you give this young student? Non-supportive parents or other supports come in a vast multitude of colors. The color is not the problem, their approach is.

There is a black lawyer that runs commercials on TV. He is the south side lawyer. South side = Black. Google St. Petersburg riots 1996. The Ferguson of the 90's. Thats where I live now.

I told him of the kids response and got him to come to the wife's class and talk to them. Who knows if he got through to them. But maybe some listened.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

One of my favorite things to do is get into a candid conversation about race with a white person. If you get them talking long enough you'll almost always get them to expose some prejudiced viewpoints.

Prejudiced viewpoints? or inartful statements one can interpret as prejudiced?

The biggest obstacle I find, is the countering narrative of celebrating all differences [that are 'positive'] and ignoring all differences [that might seem 'negative'].

'White people' aren't even advised which differences are beautiful and which are verboten. MoF, most often 'anti-racists' posit that it's a conversation we're not even allowed to have.

We're called on to empathize with pain 'we can never understand' [an oxymoron on its face].

If you don't engage, you're shunned as a bigot, and if you do engage you're shunned as 'paternalistic' or prying, yet everyone insists some vague amorphous 'conversation' that is fraught with deadly potholes direly needs to take place.

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

There is a black lawyer that runs commercials on TV. He is the south side lawyer. South side = Black. Google St. Petersburg riots 1996. The Ferguson of the 90's. Thats where I live now.

I told him of the kids response and got him to come to the wife's class and talk to them. Who knows if he got through to them. But maybe some listened.

I truly hope so. If there are two words I ****ing hate they are "I can't"

Anybody can. It might take help, It might take some support, but there is no I can't.

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Prejudiced viewpoints? or inartful statements one can interpret as prejudiced?

The biggest obstacle I find, is the countering narrative of celebrating all differences [that are 'positive'] and ignoring all differences [that might seem 'negative'].

'White people' aren't even advised which differences are beautiful and which are verboten. MoF, most often 'anti-racists' posit that it's a conversation we're not even allowed to have.

We're called on to empathize with pain 'we can never understand' [an oxymoron on its face].

If you don't engage, you're shunned as a bigot, and if you do engage you're shunned as 'paternalistic' or prying, yet everyone insists some vague amorphous 'conversation' that is fraught with deadly potholes direly needs to take place.

I could not agree any more. This is an issue and one now that is divisive in this country.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

I could not agree any more. This is an issue and one now that is divisive in this country.

The logic circuits in my brain nearly melt down when I read SJW posts on some sites and the same poster will adamantly say

'Don't assume, just because I'm black . . . '

then 10 seconds later says

'what you need to understand is we [ed. - who are black] have a shared culture that gives us a commonality that you can't fathom.'

Utterly oblivious to irony.

Oh, and the irony aside, the 'white' posters are the ones who are condescending tutors in the conversation.

So if I have this straight, I need to understand a lot of stuff I'm ignorant of, or at least accept that I'm unequipped to ever understand it fully, AND I need to stop telling people what they need to understand as well.

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

The logic circuits in my brain nearly melt down when I read SJW posts on some sites and the same poster will adamantly say

'Don't assume, just because I'm black . . . '

then 10 seconds later says

'what you need to understand is we [ed. - who are black] have a shared culture that gives us a commonality that you can't fathom.'

Utterly oblivious to irony.

Agreed. "I'm going to pull this card but you can never, ever question this card"

I call bullshit. See it for what it is. If it's a problem fix it. If it's an excuse eradicate it.

[J Diddy]

BTW, Baby Lee, right now we're being branded racists.

just saying.