Roland Martin
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A Real Fallen Athlete? Jayson Williams
March 4th, 2010
A week ago nearly every media outlet was fixated on Tiger Woods and his apology news conference. We saw pundits, columnists, journalists, radio talk show hosts, psychologists, body language experts, entertainers and anyone with an opinion weigh in on the sincerity of Tiger. Was he really sorry for committing adultery? Should he apologize further? And hundreds of other angles.
Some even described him as a fallen athlete who will lose millions of endorsements and a man who has destroyed the trust he built up with his fans. I even heard one woman say that she needed Tiger to apologize, but couldn’t articulate why it mattered so much to her, especially since she wasn’t his wife, wasn’t kin to him and wasn’t a family friend.
Yet if there were ever one athlete we could truly place in that category of fallen athlete, it would be former NBA star Jayson Williams.
While Tiger brought shame on himself and his family by his admitted extramarital affairs, he has broken no laws, and what he did doesn’t affect us at all.! Read the rest of this entry “
Tiger, You Don’t Owe Me a Thing
February 25th, 2010
Roland Martin
When Eldrick “Tiger” Woods joined the ranks of professional golf a dozen years ago, it was via the heralded “Hello, World” Nike commercial. When he steps on the podium to speak to an assembled group of friends, colleagues and journalists, the world will truly be watching to see the greatest golfer of this generation talk about the sordid events over the last three months, which have kept him off the golf course and shredded his well-cultivated image and reputation.
The main news networks will air live reports with their anchors there to report and comment on every word; the cable nets will undoubtedly have multiple individuals ready for instant analysis; and millions will tune in to hear Tiger likely apologize and possibly say if and when he will return to competitive golf.
He isn’t expected to take any questions, and that has made for an angry bunch of columnists and commentators. They are denouncing Woods for calling a news conference to make a statement but not undergoing the grilling many want to give him. Woods hasn’t even said a word, and already he’s been called a spoiled, petulant child who has lived in a sheltered world of handlers since he was 2 years old. Some have even gone as far as saying nothing has changed about him, and he’s showing that he is just as selfish and self-absorbed as ever before.
Tiger, let me be as clear as possible as to whether you owe me or the American people an explanation of the events since your car accident during Thanksgiving weekend: Hell no.
I repeat: Tiger, you don’t owe me or anyone else anything! Read the rest of this entry “
Sarah Palin: Just Another Empty Politician
February 19th, 2010
Roland Martin
Sarah Palin’s most ardent supporters in “real America” love to suggest that those of us who don’t buy into her silly shtick fail to grasp why they heart her, citing her realness, plain-spokenness and whatever else they can conjure up.
Folks, nice try, but as a native Texan, I’ve seen many politicians Read the rest of this entry “
Time for Obama to go ‘gangsta’ on GOP
February 15th, 2010Roland Martin
Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer made famous the phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
For me, I’m sick and tired of Democrats having power and being Read the rest of this entry “
Nothing Wrong with Tebow’s Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad
February 11th, 2010Roland Martin
There is no rule anywhere in existence that says the Super Bowl should be free of politics and social causes. None. So, what’s the big deal over Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother starring in a pro-life ad?
This is one of those stupid debates we see too often these days. And frankly, the folks who make a big stink about this bring far more attention to the issue than it deserves.
Tebow has always been a fervent religious guy. As a Christian, he takes the admonition of Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19 seriously: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
The Christian faith calls on believers to spread the word of God. There is nothing wrong with that.
As a paying entity, Focus on the Family has a right to spend the $2.6 million to air the ad. Would people be up in arms if Tebow and his mom had joined with Focus on the Family to do an ad asking for more donations for Haitian relief, funding missionary work in nations across the world? Or even asking Christians to unite and pray daily for America? Not at all. He would be hailed as the all-American kid he has been routinely portrayed as over his stellar career.
The criticism isn’t unique. For many folks, they would rather Christians treat their faith like a buffet: take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, ignore this and that, and go on your merry way. But Tebow chooses to live his life differently, and that should be just fine. Read the rest of this entry “
Do Dems Have Their Own Purity Test?
February 4th, 2010Roland Martin
We saw this play itself out in November in New York’s 23rd congressional district. The Republican candidate, chosen by party leaders, was forced out of the race after a conservative candidate who didn’t know a darn thing about the issues in the district captured the fancy of the Tea Party renegades, almost winning the seat.
Now we see the same thing playing out in Florida. The state’s once-popular Republican Gov. Charlie Crist is in a dogfight with his more conservative challenger for the U.S. Senate nomination, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.
Even the Republican National Committee is fending off a concerted effort to keep the party’s money from candidates that don’t pass a “purity” test.
While such a thing isn’t being presented as rigidly by Democrats/progressives/liberals, the debacle in Congress is clear evidence that there is a “who-is-more-of-a-real-Democrat” battle ensuing between the various wings of the party. Read the rest of this entry “
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Obama Should Take Massachusetts Senate Loss Personally
January 28th, 2010Roland Martin
Now, in the wake of the Democrats losing what was seen arguably as the safest Democratic U.S. Senate seat in America — that of the liberal lion Ted Kennedy — there is a significant amount of sniping, backbiting, finger pointing and angry words going on between Democrats, progressives and independents that lean their way.
The loss is fresh and it stings. With the party being so close to passing the one issue that it has fought for years — only to possibly see the issue die with the election of a Republican in the seat occupied by the greatest champion of national health care — it clearly hurts like hell for Democrats.
And it should.
When you get your butt summarily kicked, you should lick your wounds, step back and figure out what went wrong and how you failed.
President Obama knows how that feels. When he was an Illinois state senator and was blown away by Rep. Bobby Rush for a Chicago congressional seat in 2000, he had to go and figure out why he lost, study his major mistakes, and figure out a way to do it differently if he sought higher office. Read the rest of this entry “
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The Week Nothing Else Mattered but Haiti
January 22nd, 2010Roland Martin
As CNN and other news networks began to report on the monstrous earthquake that struck Haiti, nearly all of us were in the dark — unable to broadcast pictures out of the country due to a lack of power. All we had to rely on were e-mails, text messages and phone calls relaying signs of misery that would shock anyone. We all kept reminding the public that daylight would allow a true assessment of the impact of the earthquake and to prepare for utter devastation.
And as the sun rose the next day over the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, we began to see what others could only describe. Frankly, it made the ravaged U.S. Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina look pale in comparison.
It has simply been stunning to watch the human carnage in Haiti. Lifeless bodies along the streets. Schoolhouses filled with children eager to learn, now destroyed by the 7.0 earthquake. Nothing but heartache and misery, and the nation has a long way to go before any sense of normalcy returns.
It has been hard for me because I was planning to travel to Haiti in March for the first time. I was going to interview the president and first lady of the country, as well as connect with my roots. The parents of my maternal grandfather, Clarence Lemond Sr., migrated to Opelousas, La., from Haiti, and I wanted to see their homeland.
I will still go, but clearly it will not remotely resemble what I envisioned.
As expected, the human suffering has led to an amazing outpouring of love and compassion. Folks have put aside talk on social networks about their inconsequential life drama, and instead sent money and resources on Facebook, Twitter, BlackPlanet and other online outlets. Read the rest of this entry “
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Americans Need to Stop Whining about Airline Security
January 15th, 2010Roland Martin
One of the centerpieces of President George W. Bush’s administration was the creation of an intelligence center that was supposed to connect all the dots. That did not happen, as President Barack Obama has reiterated several times.
Yet what is perplexing is the complacency among Americans who are quick to condemn security lapses. But when tough measures are put into place, they act like spoiled children that don’t want to be inconvenienced.
Take the full body airport scanners. Civil libertarians are up in arms, saying it violates the privacy of Americans. But come on, folks, are they really that bad? Why is that no one wants to be inconvenienced? If Flight 253 had gone down in flames — killing hundreds and causing more harm to the nation’s airline industry — folks would have been yelling and screaming at politicians for not doing their jobs. If the scanners will keep weapons off planes, I’m all for them.
Instead of focusing on more congressional investigations, the president and Congress members should be buckling down to ensure that all appointees in homeland security are in place. Sen. Jim DeMint has been delaying the appointment of the head of the Transportation Safety Administration because the president supports the unionization of TSA. At the end of the day, the Senate should have a vote rather than allowing one senator to hold up a critical appointment. Read the rest of this entry “
You Can’t Take Christ out of Christmas
December 30th, 2009Roland Martin
Because of all the politically correct idiots, we are being encouraged to stop saying “merry Christmas” for the more palatable “happy holidays.” What the heck are “seasons greetings”? Can someone tell me what season we are greeting folks about? A Christmas tree? Oh, no! It’s now a holiday tree. Any Christmas song that even remotely mentions Christ or has a religious undertone is being axed for being overtly religious. And I’m sorry, forget Xmas. Malcolm X? Yes. X replacing Christ? No.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m very respectful of other religions. I don’t want anyone to be afraid of discussing the Jewish faith when we address Hanukkah. And we shouldn’t dismiss Muslims when the annual pilgrimage to Mecca is held during December. In fact, Americans are so ignorant of other faiths that we all can learn from one another.
But this seeming backlash against Christianity is bordering on the absurd, and we should continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
I know that may sound strident, but it’s true. We spend an inordinate amount of time focused on shopping and buying gifts, but really, what does any of this have to do with the birth of Jesus? We have families all over the nation killing themselves to buy a tree they can’t afford, running up their credit to buy toys and other gifts, all in an effort to make someone else happy. Read the rest of this entry “
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Mr. President, Talk Is Cheap to Bankers
December 22nd, 2009Roland Martin
President Barack Obama and his administration have undertaken their latest round of berating Wall Street for its bad ways.
On CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the president bristled at questions about helping the banks, saying, “I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street.”
You didn’t, but you have. In your defense, this economy stinks, and the mess of the Troubled Asset Relief Program left by former President George W. Bush’s treasury secretary, Hank Paulson, didn’t solve anything; you and your administration have been trying to figure it out to no avail.
“The people on Wall Street still don’t get it,” a frustrated Obama said. “They’re still puzzled why is it that people are mad at the banks.”
We knew that then, and we know it now. So, Mr. President, what are you prepared to do?
Let me be on the record as saying that unless the president, his administration and Congress go after Wall Street with gusto, not a damn thing will be accomplished by the chat between the president and the top Wall Street bankers. Let me be clear: NOTHING. Read the rest of this entry “
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Tiger Woods Always Will Be a Golf Role Model
December 18th, 2009
Eldrick "Tiger" Woods
The other day, Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” actually wondered out loud whether any wife would buy her husband a set of Tiger Woods golf clubs for Christmas as a result of Woods’ reputed affairs. Joe, if the husband’s golf game is that bad, yeah, his wife should buy the driver, irons, wedges and putter and throw in some golf attire, as well!
Tiger Woods has not admitted to cheating on his wife, but his statement about committing “transgressions” that have hurt his wife and family clearly revolves around all of the women who are scattering like cockroaches, most in search of a payday by selling their stories of trysts with him.
Tiger Woods the husband clearly has failed to live up to his obligations. He did agree to forsake others in marrying his wife, and what he did in darkness has come to light, dealing a substantial blow to his carefully crafted image as the all-American golfer. Read the rest of this entry “
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