MSNBC President Griffin: David Shuster Suspension “All About Loyalty”

By GottaLaff

By now you've all noticed that David Shuster is still missing from MSNBC. Insert sad face here.

There were reports that he shot a pilot for CNN while still under contract to MSNBC, which is a no-no, of course. But questions still linger, and Mediaite provides a few answers:

“I said all along that this was about loyalty and looking out for this network and not our competition,” [MSNBC President Phil Griffin] told Mediaite, who said in an email Thursday afternoon (obtained by Mediaite today), “We don’t pay David to help CNN figure out how to beat us.”

“Really, what upset me about this whole thing was how unfair it was to people who were loyal to the company,” he said. “That’s at the heart of this thing, that’s what makes it so difficult to get beyond.”

Yes, it was unfair and probably hurtful, too. It's show/news business, and professionalism is mandatory. David threw a wrench into things, if all the reporting is accurate, and it needed to be addressed. But... I'd still like to hear his side.

So will David be back?

... Griffin said, “Dave and I have to work that out.”

Let's hope they do... amicably.

I'd like to give Griffin kudos for engaging viewers. I have e-mailed him, and he responded immediately. Others I know have done that, too, with the same result. That's highly unusual for a person in his position, so again, kudos.

That said, I sure miss David.

H/t: MADNews101

AUDIO: Jay Severin suspended after blaming swine flu on the ‘millions of leeches’ from Mexico.

By GottaLaff

I remember this bigot from his Tee Vee punditiot days. My question is, why didn't they fire him?

Conservative talker Jay Severin was suspended indefinitely today by Boston's WTKK-FM after using the current swine flu outbreak to attack Mexicans and immigrants. [...]

So now in addition to venereal disease and the other leading exports of Mexico -- women with mustaches and VD -- now we have swine flu. ... We should be if anything surprised that Mexico has not visited upon us poxes of more various and serious types considering the number of cimminalieans already here. [...]

[W]hen scoop up some of the world's lowest of primitives in poor Mexico and drop it down in the middle of the United States. Poor, without skills, without language, not share our culture, not share our hygiene. ... It's millions of leeches from a primitive country. ... Now they are exporting a rather more active form of disease which is the swine flu.

He-e-e-ere's Jay:

Severin's agent thinks Senor Severin "will be back on the air doing great radio soon."

Obama Gitmo order rebuffed

By GottaLaff

UPDATE: In the daily briefing just now, Robert Gibbs said that all of the others were stayed, and that they're working on consultation on the case (below) that was.

First the Republicans rebuff President Obama, and now a military judge does the same:

U.S. military officials confirm that a military judge at Guantanamo Bay has refused the Obama administration's request to suspend the military commission proceedings for one of the detainees for 120 days.

The judge is presiding over the case of Abd Al Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi accused in the October 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole that killed 17 American sailors. The officials could not immediately comment on why the judge refused to suspend the proceedings.

This only pertains to the one case.

Drum major suspended for waving to President Obama

By GottaLaff

Aw, come on, give the guy a break! If President Obama smiled at me, I'm pretty sure I'd have gotten in a lot more trouble for how I might have responded:

Pipe Major Mike Engle, bandleader of the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes $ Drums, said Drum Major John Coleman has been suspended for six months after he acknowledged the president during last week's inaugural parade in Washington, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Monday.

"We had gone over and over time and again with everyone in the band that this was a military parade. Protocol and proper decorum had to be followed at all times," Engle said. "Unfortunately, John chose to ignore that."

Engle said other bands in the parade complained about Coleman's behavior.

He... nodded? How unband-like! How disruptive!

"I looked over, and he smiled and waved. I was just acknowledging the president, who was acknowledging our band," [Coleman] said.

Seems to me that he would have been rude not to reciprocate when the President of the United States made the first overture, even if it was meant for the entire band.

Face it, sometimes rules are made to be broken. In fact, if President Obama had smiled in my direction, I wouldn't have hesitated to respond.

Do you think dropping everything, breaking out of formation, running wildly and screaming like a maniac, throwing myself at the glass-enclosed booth, mouthing the words, "Thank you for restoring my sanity! I lerve you!" and licking the window would have been out of line?

Me neither.