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He has written hundreds of newspaper columns that have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, St. Petersburg Times, Miami Herald, Christian Science Monitor, Philadelphia Inquirer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Sports Illustrated.
He is the author of five books. His most recent, The Sound and Fury of Sarah Palin (FrontLine Press) was published in December 2011. His other books include Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinson's First Spring Training; Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons; Wry Harvest: An Anthology of Midwest Humor; and I'll Be Sober in the Morning: Great Comebacks, Putdowns and Ripostes. His sixth book, Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball, will be published in April 2012.
He is an influential scholar in such fields as political humor and satire, editorial cartooning, and the media, race, and sports. He has appeared on The NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams, MSNBC, National Public Radio (NPR), Public Broadcasting System (PBS), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and The Sporting News radio network and has been interviewed by such newspapers, magazines and wire services as The Associated Press, Reuters, The National Journal, The Washington Journalism Review, Editor and Publisher, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Christian Science Monitor.
OpEd News Member for 671 week(s) and 3 day(s)
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Remember the Cannon Street YMCA all-stars In 1955 the Cannon Street YMCA all-stars tried to play in the Little League city tournament in Charleston, South Carolina. The mere presence of these 11 and 12 year olds on a baseball field caused the greatest crisis in Little League history. Hundreds of white teams pulled out of Little League Baseball and never returned. The Cannon Street YMCA all-stars remain the team that the Civil Rights Movement forgot.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014Remember the Cannon Street YMCA all-stars In 1955 the Cannon Street YMCA all-stars tried to play in the Little League city tournament in Charleston, South Carolina. The mere presence of these 11 and 12 year olds on a baseball field caused the greatest crisis in Little League history. Hundreds of white teams pulled out of Little League Baseball and never returned. The Cannon Street YMCA all-stars remain the team that the Civil Rights Movement forgot.
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Sunday, December 9, 2012
What Happens if There's a Fiscal Cliff?: "Human Sacrifice, Dogs and Cats Living Together ... Mass Hysteria!" If no budget deal is reached between Congress and President Barack Obama by the end of the year, there will be mass hysteria-- -- Replacement refs will return to the National Football League. -- The National Anthem will change from the "Star-Spangled Banner" to "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight." -- Cell phones will only work in South Dakota. -- You will only be able to buy shoes for left feet and socks for right feet.
Sunday, December 9, 2012What Happens if There's a Fiscal Cliff?: "Human Sacrifice, Dogs and Cats Living Together ... Mass Hysteria!" If no budget deal is reached between Congress and President Barack Obama by the end of the year, there will be mass hysteria-- -- Replacement refs will return to the National Football League. -- The National Anthem will change from the "Star-Spangled Banner" to "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight." -- Cell phones will only work in South Dakota. -- You will only be able to buy shoes for left feet and socks for right feet.
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Thursday, September 6, 2012
Why I'm a Democrat . . . The Democratic Party, when it is at its best, provides a cup of humanity to those who need it. It feeds those who are hungry. It protects those who need protecting. It provides hope for those who have lost theirs. And, by doing so, we are reminded that there, but for the grace of God, any one of us could be that woman in the darkness.
Thursday, September 6, 2012Why I'm a Democrat . . . The Democratic Party, when it is at its best, provides a cup of humanity to those who need it. It feeds those who are hungry. It protects those who need protecting. It provides hope for those who have lost theirs. And, by doing so, we are reminded that there, but for the grace of God, any one of us could be that woman in the darkness.
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Monday, August 13, 2012
How the GOP Chose Its Vice Presidential Candidate Four Years Ago (The Devil and Mrs. Palin) "The Devil and Mrs. Palin": Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, chose Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate over the weekend. As the piece demonstrates, the selection of Ryan differs from the way Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became U.S. Sen. John McCain's running mate four years ago.
Monday, August 13, 2012How the GOP Chose Its Vice Presidential Candidate Four Years Ago (The Devil and Mrs. Palin) "The Devil and Mrs. Palin": Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, chose Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate over the weekend. As the piece demonstrates, the selection of Ryan differs from the way Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became U.S. Sen. John McCain's running mate four years ago.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Truth Be Damned: Palin Revives 'Death Panels' Claim Sarah Palin revived her outrageous claim Tuesday that President Obama's health-care law includes a provision for "death panels." Palin may be a punch line in search of a joke. But she deserves to be taken seriously because she represents the rhetoric of the far right where outrage trumps fact and demagoguery trumps reason, and where, more and more, we get our news from the Comedy Channel and our comedy from Fox News.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012Truth Be Damned: Palin Revives 'Death Panels' Claim Sarah Palin revived her outrageous claim Tuesday that President Obama's health-care law includes a provision for "death panels." Palin may be a punch line in search of a joke. But she deserves to be taken seriously because she represents the rhetoric of the far right where outrage trumps fact and demagoguery trumps reason, and where, more and more, we get our news from the Comedy Channel and our comedy from Fox News.
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Friday, June 8, 2012
Who Needs a Democracy When You Have iVotronic Voting Machines? On June 8, 2010, Alvin Greene, who had no campaign staff, no headquarters, no website, and was facing charges for showing online pornography to a college student, defeated an established politician in the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary. Greene's victory exposed serious flaws in the state's iVotronic voting machines. Two years later, voters in the state use those same voting machines.
Friday, June 8, 2012Who Needs a Democracy When You Have iVotronic Voting Machines? On June 8, 2010, Alvin Greene, who had no campaign staff, no headquarters, no website, and was facing charges for showing online pornography to a college student, defeated an established politician in the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary. Greene's victory exposed serious flaws in the state's iVotronic voting machines. Two years later, voters in the state use those same voting machines.
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Monday, May 21, 2012
This Generation Can Fix What Ails America But Not If It Twitters Away Its Opportunities Many of the college students I've spoken with and listened to blame the older generation for causing the mess they've inherited. If things are going to get better, college students tell me, they're going to have to fix the mess themselves. Maybe they can save themselves and rest of us. But only if they can quit texting and tweeting long enough to do it.
Monday, May 21, 2012This Generation Can Fix What Ails America But Not If It Twitters Away Its Opportunities Many of the college students I've spoken with and listened to blame the older generation for causing the mess they've inherited. If things are going to get better, college students tell me, they're going to have to fix the mess themselves. Maybe they can save themselves and rest of us. But only if they can quit texting and tweeting long enough to do it.
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Saturday, April 14, 2012
Coomunists Helped Integrate Baseball The communist newspaper, the Daily Worker, challenged baseball's establishment to permit black players; condemned owners and managers for perpetuating the color ban, and mainstream sportswriters for their silence; organized petition drives; publicized the exploits of Negro League stars; informed readers of the successes in the campaign to end segregated baseball; and pressured baseball teams to give tryouts to blacks.
Saturday, April 14, 2012Coomunists Helped Integrate Baseball The communist newspaper, the Daily Worker, challenged baseball's establishment to permit black players; condemned owners and managers for perpetuating the color ban, and mainstream sportswriters for their silence; organized petition drives; publicized the exploits of Negro League stars; informed readers of the successes in the campaign to end segregated baseball; and pressured baseball teams to give tryouts to blacks.
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Boston Red Sox, Jackie Robinson, and a Legacy of Racism Two years before Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, the ballplayer had a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox could've been the first big-league team to become integrated. Instead, they were the last. The Red Sox paid the price for its racism, choosing segregation over integration and mediocrity over quality.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012The Boston Red Sox, Jackie Robinson, and a Legacy of Racism Two years before Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, the ballplayer had a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox could've been the first big-league team to become integrated. Instead, they were the last. The Red Sox paid the price for its racism, choosing segregation over integration and mediocrity over quality.
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Monday, March 5, 2012
The Elephant in the Room, Episode Twp The "Elephant in the Room" centers on the Elephant brothers, Newt and Mitt, share a house with their grumpy father, Ron Paul. Another character, the sanctimonious Rick, lives next door. The other regular character, the brothers' batty Aunt Sarah, lives above the house in the attic. In Episode 2, Mitt, Newt, Rick and Ron Paul wait in the living room with gifts to win the approval of Aunt Sarah on the eve of Super Tuesday.
Monday, March 5, 2012The Elephant in the Room, Episode Twp The "Elephant in the Room" centers on the Elephant brothers, Newt and Mitt, share a house with their grumpy father, Ron Paul. Another character, the sanctimonious Rick, lives next door. The other regular character, the brothers' batty Aunt Sarah, lives above the house in the attic. In Episode 2, Mitt, Newt, Rick and Ron Paul wait in the living room with gifts to win the approval of Aunt Sarah on the eve of Super Tuesday.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
GOP Presidential Debates Are No Laughing Matter Tonight's CNN debate in Mesa, Arizona, will be the 20th for the GOP presidential nomination. Thus far, the GOP presidential debates have had had all the wit and intellectual gravitas of professional wrestling without any of the athletic ability and entertainment value.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012GOP Presidential Debates Are No Laughing Matter Tonight's CNN debate in Mesa, Arizona, will be the 20th for the GOP presidential nomination. Thus far, the GOP presidential debates have had had all the wit and intellectual gravitas of professional wrestling without any of the athletic ability and entertainment value.
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Monday, February 20, 2012
When Do You Know If a Stranger Might Be a Pedophile? We live in a neighborhood with a lot of boys between the ages 7 and 12. One day a 17-year-old stranger showed up and began playing with the boys. Then we learned the 17-year-old began giving the boys money and taking them to nearby swamp.
Monday, February 20, 2012When Do You Know If a Stranger Might Be a Pedophile? We live in a neighborhood with a lot of boys between the ages 7 and 12. One day a 17-year-old stranger showed up and began playing with the boys. Then we learned the 17-year-old began giving the boys money and taking them to nearby swamp.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Palin Reprises Her Role as the Great Imposter Sarah Palin was back in all her vainglory Saturday night in her speech at the CPAC. The adoring crowd cheered as Palin delivered a speech that was full of sound and fury. It was just like old times A lot of Palin's supporters don't know the difference between what is real and what is false--and they don't appear to care that they don't know the difference.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012Palin Reprises Her Role as the Great Imposter Sarah Palin was back in all her vainglory Saturday night in her speech at the CPAC. The adoring crowd cheered as Palin delivered a speech that was full of sound and fury. It was just like old times A lot of Palin's supporters don't know the difference between what is real and what is false--and they don't appear to care that they don't know the difference.
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Saturday, February 11, 2012
A Proposal for a Television Sit-Com Starring GOP Presidential Candidates The GOP Presidential Campaign makes for bad political theater. Here's a proposal for a television sit-com pilot called "The Elephant in the Room," which stars Romney, Gingrich, Paul and Santorum.
Saturday, February 11, 2012A Proposal for a Television Sit-Com Starring GOP Presidential Candidates The GOP Presidential Campaign makes for bad political theater. Here's a proposal for a television sit-com pilot called "The Elephant in the Room," which stars Romney, Gingrich, Paul and Santorum.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
South Carolina: America's Breadbasket of Laughter Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich won heavily in the South Carolina primary by capturing the heavily evangelical state with a pro-adultery platform. South Carolina needs to exploit its reputation as the nation's breadbasket of laughter and profit from its boundless resource. The state needs to impose a users' fee on comedy coming from the state.
Monday, January 23, 2012South Carolina: America's Breadbasket of Laughter Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich won heavily in the South Carolina primary by capturing the heavily evangelical state with a pro-adultery platform. South Carolina needs to exploit its reputation as the nation's breadbasket of laughter and profit from its boundless resource. The state needs to impose a users' fee on comedy coming from the state.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Observations from Charleston: God Help South Carolina William F. Buckley called for the GOP to purge itself of extremists to elect a Republican president. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's announcement in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Monday that he would end his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination is further evidence that the fanatics in the party are purging themselves of the moderates. This may help them re-elect a Democratic president, Barack Obama.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012Observations from Charleston: God Help South Carolina William F. Buckley called for the GOP to purge itself of extremists to elect a Republican president. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's announcement in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Monday that he would end his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination is further evidence that the fanatics in the party are purging themselves of the moderates. This may help them re-elect a Democratic president, Barack Obama.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Never Go Naked to Knife Fight in South Carolina Bare-Knucked Politics in South Carolina; To understand politics in South Carolina, one needs to be aware of the quote from the Unionist James Louis Petigru who responded to the state's decision to secede from the United States in December 1860 by saying, "South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum."
Friday, January 13, 2012Never Go Naked to Knife Fight in South Carolina Bare-Knucked Politics in South Carolina; To understand politics in South Carolina, one needs to be aware of the quote from the Unionist James Louis Petigru who responded to the state's decision to secede from the United States in December 1860 by saying, "South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum."
