Atlanta is a good sport for Irma escapees | ‘Motel Snitch’ | ESPN ‘Offenses’ & More—CrankyYank Vol. 68 [UPDATED]

Writer’s note: Irma and power outages—not to mention schlepping perishables to and from the office so that they didn’t go bad—has caused a major delay in this week’s newsletter. Apologies to all—and welcome to new WordPress followers. CrankyYank is now up over 30 WP followers! As always thanks for your likes, comments and shares. Motel 6 banner cartoon credit: Lalo Alcaraz—follow him on Twitter!

[ this post has updates where indicated ]

I’m a proud “rehabbed” Manhattanite. I was lucky to be born and raised in NYC with some early, growed-up training. Later on, Atlanta helped me further develop my innate tools on how to stop, appreciate life and love those around me.

When I moved here in 1994 I didn’t think people could be *that nice. It all has to be an act, I thought.

Cut to 2017, and I’ve been proven wrong on that count over and over. The latest example is a slew of sporting teams opening up their stadiums for people displaced by Irma—mainly those migrating from Florida.

Fate is not without a sense of sporting irony: the Braves were due to play the Miami Marlins—a city absolutely ravaged by Irma, with many streets looking like hellscapes—so the Bravos decided to offer free tickets to those with a valid Florida ID.

The Braves were not alone in this effort, either. Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech and others got in on the action as well. Even more proud to live in Atlanta.

In other sport news, ESPN’s Jamele Hill’s found out the hard way what it feels like to speak up about Trump. ESPN has fired its on-air personalities when their stated views run afoul of the network’s rules or corporate mission. Curt Schilling and Colin Cowherd are just two that leap immediately to mind. (The WaPo has a running list of personalities that have been recently excused from the network.)

The Ringer has a fabulous write-up on Jemele Hill that talks about how ESPN has always had some push-pull on trying to be edgy without offending its viewers and listeners. From the post:

This tension — between being the fearless opinion-slinger ESPN hired and honoring the legacy of a venerable franchise — isn’t just the kind of thing that’s on Jemele Hill’s mind. It’s the very dilemma of the network she’s trying to help reinvent.

As a woman of color Hill is basically the poster child of a double-standard. It’s not just that I agree with her stance—I very much do—it’s that I support her right to say it. Even someone as ignorant as Curt Schilling saying stupid shit is irrelevant in my opinion of ESPN because, hello, I choose not to listen or watch him.

One more thing: Sarah Huckabee’s claim from the White House that Hill’s comments are “fireable offenses” is yet another disgusting example of podium propaganda under the Trump regime.

Follow Jemele on Twitter or catch her show, SC6, on the teevee or YouTube.

 

Trump has a Coke button. Dr. Evil had a trap-door button. And some Motel 6s in Arizona have an ICE button?

Yes, says the Washington Post. Two Phoenix-area Motel 6 locations—which, by the by, are company-owned, not franchised—are in deep shit following allegations that they secretly collaborated with Immigrations & Customs Enforcement by sending secret digital records of their hotel guests. This of course leads to all sorts of slippery-slope questions, according to the article.

If some Motel 6 locations are tipping off ICE, could other motels or lodges nationwide be following suit? Others suggested the report could indicate racial profiling on behalf of motel employees who report certain guests to ICE.

Here’s the crux of the matter for me: the poh poh have already shown to quickly overstep themselves in routine police matters. Giving them an unconstitutional avenue to report and deport law-abiding people is just another way for either federal, state or local law enforcement to get around the laws they’ve been sworn to uphold.

A longtime Motel 6 spokesman was not amused by this news; for its part the hotel chain put out a statement promising reforms.

Thanks to Stephanie Miller’s associate producer Rocky Mountain Mike, we have a new jingle in response to this controversy. “Motel Snitch” is the best new thing in the world today by a white, country mile.

UPDATE: ThinkProgress reports that a multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed in Washington State alleging that six locations had shared guest personal information with ICE without their consent. Washington’s AG Bob Ferguson said “the company’s actions were methodical” in training employees on how to flag Latino-sounding names. The investigation is ongoing and I’ll update with any other developments.

 

Did Trump export a trash-talkin’, jeans-wearin’ heckler to Canada? Maybe… with a huge hat tip to Dean Obeidallah via Stephanie Miller Show, watch at what it looks like to confront hate with love. It’s a bit uncomfortable in the beginning but by the end it gets very good, including the moment when the woman gives up and leaves the building.

Let’s set aside the fact that the gal had it wrong—the gent she was screaming at was actually a Sikh politician Jagmeet Singh, speaking at an event in Brampton, Ontario. He was not Muslim, nor is he advocating Sharia Law. He stays steady and, like the owner of a 6-week-old puppy, lets the heckler run out her energy before giving up and going home. Well done. 🔵

 

That’s a wrap guys! Thanks for reading and, as always, for your shares and comments. We’ll see you right back here next week for another edition of CrankyYank.

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Will Pollock is an Atlanta-based freelance multimedia journalist focusing on pop-culture, politics, journalism & media, retail, real estate, travel, politics, and human interest. 

He is the author of two books (Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), with more on the way. Sign up for the mailing list, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—and check out the book links below.

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