July 8, 2016

I do not know why CNN chose to give deadbeat dad Joe Walsh any airtime at all, but Don Lemon thought it would be an awesome idea to bring him on the show so he could lie on a Friday night in public about our President, police, and Black people.

When Don Lemon asked Walsh why he tweeted that vile tweet about President Obama that he later deleted, he replied, "Because I'm pissed off, a lot of Americans are pissed off, and a lot of police officers around the country are upset because there really is a war on our cops and a lot of police officers believe...that it started with Barack Obama."

He also claimed that Twitter made him remove the despicable tweet or they would shut his account down. That's pretty standard procedure when you threaten the life of the President of the United States in public. He's lucky the Secret Service didn't pay him a visit.

He went on to claim that since Ferguson, President Obama "has done nothing but hate on cops."

Last time I checked, the police were the ones shooting young Black men, not the other way around. And then there are these words which our President uttered just yesterday, about how one can dislike the way young Black men are targets and still support police. The two are not mutually exclusive concepts. Here's the quote:

Let me just make a couple of final comments. I mentioned in my Facebook statement that I hope we don't fall into the typical patterns that occur after these kinds of incidents occur, where right away there’s a lot of political rhetoric and it starts dividing people instead of bringing folks together. To be concerned about these issues is not to be against law enforcement. There are times when these incidents occur, and you see protests and you see vigils. And I get letters -- well-meaning letters sometimes -- from law enforcement saying, how come we’re under attack? How come not as much emphasis is made when police officers are shot?

And so, to all of law enforcement, I want to be very clear: We know you have a tough job. We mourn those in uniform who are protecting us who lose their lives. On a regular basis, I have joined with families in front of Capitol Hill to commemorate the incredible heroism that they’ve displayed. I’ve hugged family members who’ve lost loved ones doing the right thing. I know how much it hurts. On a regular basis, we bring in those who’ve done heroic work in law enforcement, and have survived. Sometimes they’ve been injured. Sometimes they’ve risked their lives in remarkable ways. And we applaud them and appreciate them, because they’re doing a really tough job really well.

There is no contradiction between us supporting law enforcement -- making sure they’ve got the equipment they need, making sure that their collective bargaining rights are recognized, making sure that they’re adequately staffed, making sure that they are respected, making sure their families are supported -- and also saying that there are problems across our criminal justice system, there are biases -- some conscious and unconscious -- that have to be rooted out. That’s not an attack on law enforcement. That is reflective of the values that the vast majority of law enforcement bring to the job.

But I repeat: If communities are mistrustful of the police, that makes those law enforcement officers who are doing a great job and are doing the right thing, it makes their lives harder. So when people say “Black Lives Matter,” that doesn’t mean blue lives don’t matter; it just means all lives matter, but right now the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents.

Show me again where there's any 'hating' in that statement, Joey?

Don Lemon pointed out over and over again that Walsh's claims were false, that President Obama didn't call police officers racist, that there's no systemic racism in police departments. It was a circular discussion, which was doomed from the start. Again, why, CNN? Why give this man any oxygen at all to spew hate all over the air?

At one point, he said, "There are bad Republicans and there are bad news anchors."

I'll give Don Lemon a break, but Walsh is right about the bad Republican part. Very, very right. On second thought, maybe I won't give Lemon a break, since he put on someone who has no business being on national airwaves anywhere. He is exactly what this country doesn't need right now.

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