We Talk About It AND We Write About It
BradandBrittAmazon.com is your one-stop shop for all your holiday shopping needs. A NJ Muslim cleric responds to Trump’s accusations, Trump on the Carolina Panthers and the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooter, Tim Tebow just won’t give it up, documentary sheds light on Trump, Seinfeld story. Follow us on twitter: @BradandBritt facebook: fb.com/BradandBrittShow
Dear Robert Dear, I sincerely apologize for prejudging you upon hearing of the Colorado Planned Parenthood Murders. Even though all day Friday and Saturday the news reports were 100% neutral, saying “we don’t know if there were political motives” or my favorite, “we don’t know if this specifically had anything to do with Planned Parenthood and the abortion issue,” I harbored the worst possible thoughts about you. Thank you, media, for not speculating on this man’s reasons for invading a PP clinic and firing away. Several times I heard it said that “we don’t know for sure he intentionally targeted a Planned Parenthood clinic.” Correct. He could just as easily holed himself up in a Starbucks, a Chuck E. Cheese, or a dentist’s office. Here’s the Denver Post, late Saturday afternoon:
Ya think? There I was, simply assuming you, Dear, were a liberal, Jewish, Obamacare-supporting, card-carrying member of the ACLU, a labor union member possibly angry over the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, or a NAACP, NARAL, Amnesty International, Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence-type. It’s just so wrong to assume, isn’t it? As the information began to take real shape on Sunday, boy was I ever surprised that while in custody you ranted, “no more baby parts,” possibly (let’s not speculate falsely, again) referring to the doctored, anti-Planned Parenthood, discredited sting videos.
How should I feel that a fully intimidated, politically correct media has taken a cue from Obama, refusing to label radical rightwing anti-abortion rights domestic terrorism for what it is? Remember, as poll leader Trump tweeted a few weeks ago:
I look forward to other bloggers, conservative talk radio, and Fox News to set me straight this week…. to help me get over my jumping to conclusions, rushing to judgement and assuming things about a mass shooter that turned out so wrong. What other things could a logical person have thought? That the guy went to the Nick Nolte School of Mugshots….?
Don’t give him your vote. Extend to him your pity. These episodes of public embarrassment for such an accomplished man make it all that much harder watch The Unraveling. The misstatements of fact (to call them lies is so mean and judgemental and assumes motive… how dare we go there?) are so unfortunate and difficult to fathom. Maybe Mr. Trump experienced “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”-style treatment years ago, where documented, public events and relationships were wiped from his mind, such as his obvious, multi-meeting, many-interview relationship with current NYT/former NYDN reporter Serge Kovaleski. All the more sad since Mr. Trump has publicly claimed he has the World’s Greatest Memory.
Kovaleski had the temerity to challenge Trump’s delusions about “seeing” thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the downing of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. Doubling down on his original delusion and using Kovaleski’s byline about “a number of people allegedly celebrating the attacks” as his “proof,” Trump now forgets he ever met or possibly knew Kovaleski and had no intention of mocking the man’s congenital condition called arthrogryposis that limits the movements of the joints, even though he clearly knew him and he did make fun of him. Part of Mr. Trump’s attack, seen below, demands that Serge Kovaleski stop “using his disability to grandstand.” Mr. Trump, of course, at this point cannot be held responsible for anything he says…. and this should be good for another 3 or 4 points among sympathetic Republican primary voters who have family members who’ve suffered from Alzheimer’s. No political correctness anymore, baby! I’ll bet Trump was the kind of guy who used to fume at the tv each Labor Day as “Jerry’s Kids” used their “disabilities to grandstand.”
I was beginning to get nervous about the survival of the United States, which annually must fight The War on Christmas, as I awaited retail sales figures surrounding Black Friday. A percent or two in the wrong direction could mean the War may be lost and we’re doomed. I couldn’t help but notice the number of defective products and services offered in our economy these days as I opened an envelope from Honda telling me I have to AGAIN take my ’06 Accord to get the air bag thing replaced. Sure this had already been taken care of back in June, I called the dealer and they said this time it’s the passenger air bag thing they’re going to replace, out of an abundance of caution…. my favorite phrase that covers terrorism, recalled products, and all school closings due to more than 1/8 inch of snow. Amazingly, Takata, the Japanese company that made those things, is over 30 million defective airbag inflators in the hole…. and is still in the business! I was going to stop at Chipotle for a quick meal on the way over to the dealer, but decided to pass on that due to something called, “headline risk.” That’s where you don’t read beyond the headline, you ignore the facts (like that you’re 300 miles away from a state with documented cases, any danger is probably already past, and the company is working overtime to fix the problem) and unfairly punish a quality entity like Chipotle because there are so many other choices that aren’t in the headlines.
Sometimes I eat super-cheap at Costco…. nice alternative… a slice of pizza or a hotdog satisfies, but that’s off the table for now, too. More headline risk:
Health officials urged people who bought chicken salad at any U.S. Costco store on or before Friday to throw it away, even if no one has gotten sick. That’s enough to prompt me to head over the the Consumer Product Safety Commission page to see what else is a danger to my life, even beyond food. First, I see that Home Depot somehow has not bothered to stop selling 28 different products under recall notice from 2012 to 2015. Ladders that collapse, smoke detectors that don’t detect smoke, and electric ranges that never turn off even after you’ve turned them off. Mistakes were made. The government’s even recalling The Bostich Electric Pencil Sharpener due to a shock hazard. I know what you’re thinking….. who the bleep is still using pencils so much that the act of sharpening them STILL needs to be done in one of those electric pencil sharpeners that only the 
cool kids had….. in 1967? And does the shock hazard occur from just sticking the wooden pencil in there, or do you have to be trying to sharpen your finger? What was wrong with this one, anyway?
This concludes my holiday salute to the late Andy Rooney. Ah, for the days of simplicity and everything made in Amurica, like Zenith (now an LG child) Happy Thanksgiving!!
Now is a great time to drive with Uber. Go to DriveWithUber.com and enter the promo code 3LI7Z to get even more cash when you complete your first few trips driving with Uber. Lil’ Rush on Thanksgiving traditions, B and B talk about people who are VERY offended, transgender bathroom crisis, WAR ON CHRISTMAS redux. Follow us on twitter: @BradandBritt facebook:fb.com/BradandBrittShow
Showtime currently is the home of fictional teenagers I’d like to slap. Witness the talented Kerris Dorsey of “Ray Donovan”
She’s good, but, she may not hold a candle to Julia Goldani Telles of the woefully unappreciated “The Affair”
If that doesn’t have you double-checking your birth control method…
“The Affair” is the ongoing story of a family that’s been ripped apart by infidelity (surprise). Dominic West (HBO’s “The Wire”) plays Noah Solloway, a struggling middle-aged writer, who chafes under the judgmental eyes of his Upper West Side in-laws. Maura Tierney plays his wife, Helen, who dutifully trudges along, trying to support her husband’s career, while raising the kids, and keeping her parents at bay
The family takes their requisite vacation to Long Island and that’s where Noah gets involved with waitress Alison (played by Ruth Wilson). After a bizarre set of circumstances, Noah is accused of murder
I’ll stop my review right now to express my admiration for Maura Tierney. She’s always been fantastic, but, please get your hands on the wonderful “Scotland, PA” which was directed by her ex-husband Billy Morrissette. It’s a great update of “MacBeth” and features another underrated actor James LeGros in the MacBeth role. Mix in Christopher Walken and an extra trippy Andy Dick and you’ve got a weird, hilarious, crazy film that’s one of the best modern-day Shakespeare takes in a long time
Back to “The Affair”, one of the great decisions the producers made was to cast Wilson in the role of the mistress. She is very attractive, but not insanely young or drop-dead gorgeous, which would have reduced Noah’s middle-aged crisis to an absurd cliche. Their attraction is, at once, carnal and spiritual. As they progress in their relationship, they begin to wonder what the hell they’ve gotten themselves into
Oh, I almost forgot the real selling point for “The Affair” for women of a certain age: Pacey’s in it
“The Affair” has great performances by all the actors and features raw, uncomfortable moments. But. it’s completely relatable to anyone who has lived life a little and seen how people who supposedly love each other can spend so much time and energy tearing each other apart. The show will confuse, sadden, and even anger you
Especially that teenage kid
On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers annihilated the Washington Redskins 44-16. It was complete domination by Carolina, which is now 10-0 on the season going into their Thanksgiving Day matchup at Dallas. The Redskins were so humbled that they only scored 7 (SEVEN) offensive points. So, if you’re Washington, how do you respond to this butt-kicking:
A) Give it up for Cam Newton and the Cats
B) Just stay silent and say nothing
C) Say that the officials screwed you because of the team’s controversial nickname
Let me introduce to you Washington Defensive End Jason Hatcher
I don’t know if it’s about the name or what, but, you know, at the same time, we play football, too. We work our butt off, too. You know, don’t single us out. At the end of the day, it’s the name. Don’t worry about the name. We players and we work our butt off, too. So, I’m just frustrated with it
Wow! Can we go back to arguing about deflated footballs?
So, the theory is that National Football League Officials are SO offended by the Washington NFC football team’s name that they are calling unfounded penalties against Washington, which results in the Washington NFC football teams losing games. Isn’t it possible that the Washington Racial Slurs just SUCK?
Nah! Couldn’t be that
I suppose the officials are also offended by the Detroit football team’s nickname. Also, that Baltimore squad has an unpleasing nickname. And don’t even get me started on that offensive nickname of that AFC team in southern Ohio
Here’s hoping the Trump presidency will do away with this POLITICAL CORRECTNESS that’s wrecking this great nation. I’m sure that President Trump will create some sort of…what’s the word I’m looking for…DATABASE of these offending referees, so we can keep an eye on them
Of course, the owner of the Washington NFC football team, Dan Snyder could REALLY stick it to these officials and just change the name
That would show them
University of North Carolina law professor Eric Muller says it was fear in the 1940’s grounded not just in Pearl Harbor, but also, “in the image that many Americans had of the Japanese as this race apart… organized around different values from what we’d prided ourselves on. A touch subhuman, maybe? We’ve seen a lot of that same kind of rhetoric now, accurately in some ways about ISIS… to all of the more than 1 billion+ Muslims on the face of the earth.” We don’t want to see on our streets the kind of things that have happened on the streets of Europe, says Muller.
Could the kind of internment camps we saw from 1942-44 with the Japanese happen again with Muslims now in the United States? It seems a far stretch, but, “we are disengaging our rational brains and our memory of history and going with what seems like the easy solution.” Muller, author of “Free to Die for Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II,” notes that in December of 1944, the Supreme Court ruled that it was legal to relocate Japanese-Americans away from the west coast but said it was illegal to detain and incarcerate them.
On the sudden elevation of the issue of refugees to Topic A in America, Eric Muller says, “if we were really concerned about national security, we wouldn’t be focused on the handful of Syrian refugees, comparatively speaking, we’d be worried about the literally hundreds of thousands of people from Europe and other places as tourists and students who swarm to the U.S. without almost no investigation.” He reminds us that right now the legal process for refugee status involves months and months of redundant searching and is quite extensive.
Frightened in 1941 and frightened now, Muller reminds of some of the bad judgements of the day. “We’re listening…. well some of us, anyway, not me…. to a demagogue like Donald Trump, who will literally say anything to boost his poll numbers.”
Our conversation in full:
It is literally impossible to keep up with the constant stream of lies, intentional misstatements, and distorted, fudged hyperbolic BS coming from the mouth of Donald Trump. His Big Lie technique to answer challenges to those misstatements is to deny he said what he said, attack the source of the truth, then double-down on the lie. Add a few more points to his polls, brag about his lead, and the ends justify the means. If people tell pollsters they’re voting for me, I must be right. Just in the past few days he’s decided to close the mosques, but well, maybe we’ll just monitor them more closely while we set up the databases to keep track of the Muslims. During a speech at Decker Auditorium in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Trump said he would go after ISIS-controlled oil fields and “bomb the s— out of ’em,” to loud applause. The result: He’s regained his lead in Iowa that he briefly lost to Ben Carson.
It just doesn’t stop. Trump retweeted phony stats from a non-existent entity (conveniently) called, “Crime Statistics Bureau-San Francisco” (who could doubt something called that?). According to Little Green Footballs via Talking Points Memo, “the graphic retweeted by Trump appears to have originated with a neo-Nazi Twitter account.”
TPM goes on to say that the FBI reported in 2014 that 82 percent of murders with white victims were carried out by white people, while just under 15 percent were carried out by black people, according to the Huffington Post. And almost 90 percent of murders with black victims were committed by black individuals, while 7 percent were committed by white individuals. But then who you gonna believe, the FBI, or the followers of Hitler?
….even worse, the guy asked me if I needed some batteries or a new scraper for my windshield this winter. I said, “what is this, a hardware store?” He says, “yes sir, welcome to Ace…. do you need a new hammer or snow shovel?” I said, “but your ad is 100% guns…. I want me a gun. I’m confused. Why can’t you use the word “Christmas” in your ad? The words SEASONAL SAVINGS look Christmassy to me.” He said, “I don’t make the ads, sir. If you’re worried about ISIS or Obama, can I help you?” 