The Patriot Post® · Fumbling the Football

By Burt Prelutsky ·
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/51598-fumbling-the-football-2017-10-07

The Never-Trumpers were having a field day on the football field so long as they got to call all the plays, flag all the penalties and invent an opposing team consisting solely of straw men.

When Trump called them a bunch of SOBs, lunkheads like Jeff Robinson, deputy legal director of the ACLU, snapped at the bait, insisting that the president “has misled people into thinking the protests are just about the flag, or the national anthem. So, let’s turn to what this protest was about from the beginning: the epidemic of police in this country killing black and brown people with no accountability.”

While nobody denies that there has been a spate of questionable killings by cops — some white, some black, some Hispanic — the unvarnished truth that Mr. Robinson and every other cheap race hustler — be they white, black or Hispanic — chooses to ignore is that most of the violent crime in America is committed by young black and Hispanic thugs.

Trump called the spoiled players, owners and commissioner of the NFL SOBs because that, in the main, is what they are. And everyone who doesn’t have a vested interest in seeing Trump removed from office or at least seeing his administration go down in flames knows that’s what they are.

In case anyone believes there isn’t a left-wing political agenda behind the NFL’s taking a knee, my friend Steve Maikoski passed along the work history of Joe Lockhart, who serves as the executive VP and top public relations official for the league.

In 1980, he worked on Jimmy Carter’s failed re-election campaign.

In 1984, he worked as press secretary for presidential candidate Walter Mondale. 1988 was a busy year for Mr. Lockhart, who started out working to garner Illinois Sen. Paul Simon the presidential nomination, then moved on to working to get Michael Dukakis elected; and when that didn’t pan out, he went into private practice, where he worked for the Al Nahayan family during the BCCI financial scandal.

In 1996, he worked to help Bill Clinton get re-elected. It marked the first time he was on the winning side of an election. That garnered him the opportunity to serve as Clinton’s press secretary during the impeachment proceedings.

In 2004, he returned to form by serving as senior advisor to presidential candidate John Kerry. While in that position, he played a key role in providing Dan Rather with the false report about George W. Bush’s service in the National Guard. At least that wound up costing Rather his job at CBS, so it’s not as if Lockhart hasn’t ever done something positive for America.

Between 2011 and 2013, Lockhart was the company spokesman for Facebook. Then, in 2016, Lockhart signed on with the NFL and also found the time to sell the Obamas his home in Washington, DC, which was always intended to serve as the seat of Obama’s shadow government. It is from Lockhart’s former living room that the Obamas and Valerie Jarrett, in concert with George Soros’s ill-gotten billions, are waging what they refer to as the Resistance.


It’s a shame that so many basic things that Americans should agree about have become so partisan that one’s political identity pre-determines one’s position. For instance, consider immigration. What rational human being, including even someone as liberal as Bill Clinton, would have envisioned 25 years ago that the Democrats would defend the right of people who had snuck into this nation — simultaneously cutting the wages of the lower class, while taxing the resources of the middle class — to not only remain but have mayors and governors offer them sanctuary in violation of federal law?

But, so long as liberals pretend that the millions of people who dislike Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or illegal aliens are racist, sexist or xenophobic, I can guarantee they will continue losing elections. Even easy-going, good-natured, people, which Americans, by and large, happen to be, dislike being constantly slandered and having their motives impugned.

Speaking for myself, and I suspect a few others, I am getting sick and tired of hearing how this is a nation of immigrants and how important diversity is in forging the future direction of the nation.

This is, in fact, mainly a nation of the native-born, many of whose ancestors came here a long time ago, mainly between 1870 and 1920. We have nothing against immigrants who wait in line and come here legally. We welcome them wholeheartedly. However, we have a natural contempt of people who butt in line, whether it’s to get into a ballpark, a movie theater or America.

And if diversity is as important as those on the Left are always claiming, how about we take in a few more immigrants from England and Eastern Europe and a few less from Latin America and the Middle East?

In case anyone else thinks that America is no different and certainly no better than other countries, I heard a caller to a radio talk show, an attorney whose work takes him to foreign capitals, point out what should be obvious to all: America is the only nation in history that grants absolute freedom to the nations it defeats in wars.


Although the jokes have been sparse of late, I have received a couple of amusing lists. The highlights of the first, supplied by Joe McNeeley, pride of West Salem, IL, include:

“I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So, I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.”

“I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.”

“To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.”

“A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stop. On my desk is a work station….”

“Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the edge of a pool and throw them fish.”

“Hospitality: making your guests feel like they’re at home, even if you wish they were.”

“When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.”

“You’re never too old to learn something stupid.”

“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.”

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.”


My old friend Dr. Harry Maller, who gives Van Nuys, CA, something to brag about, has passed along what some people might consider clichés and stereotypes about Jews, unless, of course, they happen to be Jewish and recognize truth when they hear it.

“My mother is a typical Jewish mother. Once she was on jury duty. They sent her home because she kept insisting SHE was guilty.”

“Any time a person goes into a delicatessen and orders pastrami on white bread with mayo, somewhere a Jew dies.”

“An elderly Jewish man is knocked down by a car and brought to the nearest hospital. That evening, when a nurse tucks him into bed, she asks: ‘Mr. Greenbaum, are you comfortable?’ With a shrug, he replies: ‘I make a living.’”

“A rabbi was opening his mail one morning. Removing a single sheet from an envelope, he found a one-word message: ‘Schmuck.’ At the next Friday night service, the rabbi announced: ‘I have known many people who have written letters and forgotten to sign their names. This week, I received one from someone who signed his name, but forgot to write a letter.’”

“Three Jewish women got together for lunch. As they took their seats, one took a deep breath and let out a long, slow ‘Oy.’ The next one took a deep breath, and let out an equally long, slow ‘Oy.’ The third lady looked at her friends and said: ‘Girls, I thought we all agreed we weren’t going to talk about our children.’”

“An elderly waiter comes over to a table of Jewish women — perhaps that very same table — and asks, ‘Is anything alright?’”