As promised in the previous blog, here is a partial – repeat, partial – transcript of what Joe Scarborough, angrily, told viewers of his “Morning Joe” show.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski had just mentioned that, before the beginning of last night\’s nationally televised NFL game, a number of St. Louis Rams players came out on the field in the “Hands up, don\’t shoot” pose featured by protesters since Michael Brown\’s friend, the criminal/thug/liar dorian johnson, claimed it was what Brown did before being shot – a claim which has been debunked by the autopsy.
Scarborough\’s reaction, including an answer to regular guest Donny Deutsch, was as follows (bold print is mine):
Thewhole thing in the media is, youdon\’t hear me usually blaming the media for stuff, but it\’s beenextraordinarily irresponsible over the past several months and whatthe media has let pass as narrative, we saw play out yesterday on anNFL football field.
DONNYDEUTSCH: I\’m puzzled: can you explain that? Guys coming outlike this [makes hands-up gesture.]
SCARBROUGH:Yeah, guys came out, hands up don\’t shoot for the St. Louis Rams.Here\’s a video of it. And what is so remarkable is theymight as well have come out with a flying saucer attached to all oftheir heads in solidarity with Michael Brown being transported toVenus on a flying saucer. Because that happened as much as thathappened.That\’s according to grand jury testimony. That\’s according towitnesses. They are using his accomplice in the robbery that was withhim at the time who also claimed that Michael Brown was shot in theback. And for some reason, the media attaches to these narrativesthat will stir up further protests. And I got to say, I just got to atipping point this weekend.
There\’sanother story in Cleveland where a young boy tragically was shotdead. Police officers got a 911 call that he was waving a gun,scaring the blank out of everybody in this public park. Policeofficers came up. Stopped. Shot the young boy. He was 12 years old.But they had taken off the markings to make it look like a toy gun.It was an actual gun.Do you know what “The New York Times” put in the caption ofthe video? “Police officers shoot child with toy.” Idon\’t know exactly who puts those, attaches those, but we are doingsuch a grave disservice to police officers in this country by pushinga narrative. That they are just going around looking to shoot blackpeople. And somebody has to tell me, somebodyneeds to tell me why Michael Brown has been chosen as the face ofblack oppression. . .
Donny,I\’m sorry. This Ram thing was the final straw for me. Ihave sat here quietly and listened to BS being spewed all over thisnetwork and all over other networks. I can\’t take it anymore. . .
It\’sabsolutely terrible that that black man lay in the street for 4 1/2hours. That\’s one area where you can say no white man would lay inthe street for 4 1/2 hours. There are places where there are greatinequities. That said, at least get your signs right. If thismovement is important enough to you, don\’t base your movement on alie. And I expect the Commissioner of the National Football League tosuggest to the St. Louis Rams, their ownership, their coaches, theirgeneral manager, and their players that having players before thestart of a National Football League game make a gesture that suggeststhat St. Louis police officers gunned down a young black men who havearms in their air saying hands up don\’t shoot, I suggest you havesome work to do. You have some work to do. Not just on Ray Rice. Youhave some work to do to talk to those players. Because thecops have every reason to be pissed off this morning. Every reason inthe world. And by the way, if I\’ve offended anybody by saying whatI\’ve said, trust me: 95% of America think just like me. Just becausethere are cowards that won\’t say that on TV, that\’s your problem,it\’s not mine, because you\’re not getting the truth.
There are things I disagree with Joe Scarborough about. One of them – which is not on this transcript – is his comparison of the Michael Brown shooting to that of Trayvon Martin (Scarborough\’s claim that Trayvon Martin was just some innocent kid shot and killed by a thug looking to kill a Black kid is beyond asinine). And another is that, if Michael Brown were White, he would not have been laying on the street as long – Scarborough has no basis for saying this.
But, those points aside, he is 100% correct in pointing out that media, instead of reporting facts as they are, continues to promote a narrative about what happened to Michael Brown which has no basis in fact…and, not incidentally, gives succor to every racial agitator, every rioter, every looter and every anarchist currently using Brown\’s death for their own agendas.
I\’m very glad he said what he did – especially his indictment of MSNBC along with the other networks – which is absolutely true.
It will be fun to see if/how the show hosts Scarborough clearly has referenced might answer him. Nothing like a good intra-network feud.
