Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Michael "Savage" Weiner, Fred Phelps, and Don Black

Sure, it's controversial, and while it's legal under a 2005 law, it almost certainly would face a court challenge in the U.S. "It" is the action taken yesterday by British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who "named and shamed" 16 people worldwide whom she has preemptively barred from entering the United Kingdom. Three of the five Americans on the list are some of Blast Off!'s favorites: hate-radio host Michael "Savage" Weiner, notorious homophobe Fred Phelps, and Florida's own ironically-named white supremacist leader Don Black, and the schadenfreude is oh so sweet for all of them.

The list of the 16 "least wanted" includes radio talk show host Michael Savage, real name Michael Weiner.

"This is someone who has fallen into the category of fomenting hatred, of such extreme views and expressing them in such a way that it is actually likely to cause inter-community tension or even violence if that person were allowed into the country," Ms Smith told BBC Breakfast.

Also named are American Baptist pastor Fred Waldron Phelps Snr and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, who have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claimed the deaths of US soldiers are a punishment for US tolerance of homosexuality.

"If people have so clearly overstepped the mark in terms of the way not just that they are talking but the sort of attitudes that they are expressing to the extent that we think that this is likely to cause or have the potential to cause violence or inter-community tension in this country, then actually I think the right thing is not to let them into the country in the first place. Not to open the stable door then try to close it later," Ms Smith said.

"It's a privilege to come to this country. There are certain behaviours that mean you forfeit that privilege."

Okay, so maybe none of them had any plans for a summer trip, say, to London or Edinburgh, but it's the notoriety that each of them so richly deserves that is the cause of the laughing and pointing. The three are included with militant Muslim extremists, neo-Nazis, and murderers ... precisely the sort with which they ought to be counted.

The four-year-old British law in question understandably has raised eyebrows in Great Britain and around the world:

Under a new law introduced in 2005, Britain is able to pre-emptively ban anyone who promotes hatred, terrorism or serious criminal activity. Since the measure was introduced, 101 people have been refused entry. In the five months to March, 22 were excluded; the Home Office refused to name six of the people, citing national security reasons. Critics argue that the orders are a form of pre-emptive policing that stifles free speech and, in the age of the internet, have little effect on halting hateful remarks.

Whether or not the law itself is constitutional under British law (if in fact the concepts of "constitutionality" and "free speech" as we understand them in the U.S. even apply), there can be little dispute that Savage Weiner, Phelps, and Black have "promote[d] hatred" and therefore the law ought to be enforced against them posthaste.

Savage Weiner has vowed to sue, apparently not to get into the UK but rather for defamation, which is funny because it assumes he actually has a reputation to protect. Predictably, though, the haters and cretins who listen to Weiner's special brand of aural slime are leaving their misspelled, grammatically derelict droppings in the article's comments (one of which is reproduced here verbatim):

Listening to Michael eveyday you understand how passionate he is about America and how honest he is with what he is seeing happening now. He educates and articulates as none other about how this country is being manipulated into something other than what our forefathers had envisioned. He is honest with his feelings and has no patients for ignorance. Dr. Savage, is a fighter and I think he thinks we are too far gone now in what America should be for the people. He knows what he believes in and can see how we have been manipulated into a Maxist way of life. It did not happen overnight. Fortunately people are waking up and their is a grassroots movement to try and live according to our foundation handed down to us. America is upside down and Savage articulates this. He is appalled at the people that are surrounding Obama. More people should be like him and love America like Savage. Look at how he has helped so many familes when alens killed police officers and others. His believes in borders, culture and language. I believe in this also. He is not harmful he is enlightening if you listen to what he is saying. Donna

There are more such comments if you really want to see them ... but no matter what, the world is laughing at these three stooges today. Don't worry, though, Mike, Freddie, and Don -- even if you can't go to Merrie Olde England, you can celebrate right here at home, because today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

I'm going to be on national TV today in the UK (but streaming on the Web in the US)

I'm honored to have been invited to appear live this afternoon (this evening in the UK) on the British network Sky News, where I'll be interviewed about the effect of blogs and other alternative media on the American election, then I will participate in a panel discussion on the same topic on the premiere broadcast of "Sky Unplugged."

I have been told that the interview will not be available via streaming video here in the US, but I'm not sure about that, as I'm able to watch Sky News live right now just by clicking on this link. The only catch I can see is that you must use Windows Media for your plug-in, so if you're on Internet Explorer (IE), you should be fine. However, if you are on Firefox (FF), I'd recommend getting the IE Tab plug-in, which lets you use FF but with an IE rendering engine, so with one click (on the FF logo at the lower right of your browser), you can see things as they appear in IE.

Anyway, here are the details about my appearance(s) today on British television, as I understand them (all times are Eastern):

sometime between 3:00 pm and 3:30 pm EDT: Sky News interview (may be streamed live here)
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm EDT: Sky Unplugged (should be streamed live here)

(I'm told that Sky Unplugged will be streamed continuously at the same link for 24 hours, if you miss the live broadcast. If any links are wrong, I may be able to correct them later tonight for the 24-hour stream, so please keep checking back until late tonight.)

As always, times and content are subject to change. Also, I may be unable to make changes in the links and such here, so if you have trouble finding the reports, please explore the main Sky News website and good luck. :)

Finally, this will necessitate the cancellation of Blast Off! Radio for today. I will be back on at the regular time next Monday, 4:00 pm EDT. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I hope you'll be watching today at 3:00 Eastern time ... enjoy! And cross your fingers that I don't screw up!

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

UPDATE (11:41 am 10/27/08): Whoops, almost forgot -- special thanks to Kenneth Quinnell, grand poobah of the Florida Progressive Coalition, for recommending me for this gig. He wasn't available to travel to Miami, so thanks to the intervention of about 500 miles, you're stuck with me.

Blast Off! Radio cancelled for today

Instead, I'm going to be on national TV in the UK. Please see above.

You should be able to watch online if you wish. Thanks for understanding.

A British view of Florida politics

As I mentioned the other day on Twitter, I will be appearing on national television in the UK next week, talking from Miami about blogs and their impact on the American election this year. I am trying to get details and, as soon as I can, I'll share them here. Not sure whether the broadcast will be live, but if so, it'll be 3:00 pm Monday afternoon Eastern time (9:00 7:00 pm in the UK) -- all I know at the moment is that time, which is when I'm supposed to be in the studio in Miami Beach, and the fact that it's going to air on Sky News in the UK. (Sorry I can't be more specific than that right now -- if I knew more, I'd tell you!) Hopefully you'll be able to see it here in the USA and elsewhere ...

Anyway, while doing research for the interview, I have found it interesting -- instructive, even -- to see how the British view our election. I think the British system is curious at best, but I have no doubt they feel the same about ours (Electoral College? Are you kidding me?). Anyway, even better, Sky has a correspondent in Florida -- Miami, specifically -- who is examining the impact of race and heritage on the presidential election here.

Racism is notoriously widespread in regions away from the traditionally Republican state's major cities, such as the Panhandle in the north.

A seventh-grade school teacher there was recently suspended for writing on a blackboard that Obama's "Change" slogan stood for "Come Help A N***** Get Elected".

How many times do I have to say it? Republicans. Aren't. Funny. Many of them, however, are moronic brownshirt fucks.

Anyway, the article continues:

Miguel Saabedra is president of the Vigilia Mambisa organisation for Cuban exiles which staged a street demonstration in the area of the capital known as Little Havana to show support for John McCain.

He and others at the event repeatedly linked Mr Obama with fundamentalist Islam - a charge that has been levelled against him since the primaries, despite the fact he has been a practising Christian for decades - and accused him of being a closet Communist.

"Obama wants to talk to Castro, he wants to talk to (Venezualan president Hugo) Chavez, he wants to talk to Iran," he told Sky News. "These people don't want to talk to us!

"It's not because he is black, if Condoleezza Rice was running for president, or Colin Powell, that would be good. I support black people. I have good friends who are black."

Yes! It's the classic "I have friends who are black" explanation! You can always count on a racist to bring that one up. Nice going, Mr. Saabedra -- you get a free month's subscription to Stormfront for that talking point!

Another demonstrator outside the Versailles restaurant, a focal point for the Cuban American community, waved a placard at passing motorists with a crudely-drawn picture of Mr Obama wearing what looked like a beard, robes and turban below the word "Evil".

Many passing cars tooted their horns in approval and several slowed down to shout encouragement - although one or two drove past shouting abuse and pro-Obama slogans.

For many Cuban Americans like Laura Vianello, the Democratic party still have not been forgiven for President John F Kennedy's failure to properly back up the Cuban expats who tried to topple the Castro regime in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

So that's what this is all about? Something that happened nearly half a century ago?! No, the world hasn't changed at all in that time, no, sirree ...

Jeebus. I mean, I empathize with the Cuban-American community, really I do, but holy fuck, get over it already! In many cases, you're generations removed from the Bay of Pigs, and you're following a drastically altered Republican Party today -- indeed, I question whether or not Barry Goldwater, the de facto leader of the GOP back in Kennedy's day, would even recognize his party's current incarnation.

[Vianello] lost three uncles in the invasion, a memorial to which stands prominently in the street in Little Havana.

"Most Cubans here in Miami are Republican by tradition. You could put the Devil up there as a candidate and we would vote for him," she said.

Well, you pretty much did that in 2000 and 2004, Ms. Vianello, and sure enough, you voted for him. And you're going to do it again this year. Heckuva job, Laura. But enjoy President Obama ... check back with me in 2012 and let's see which party has been more responsive to Cuban and Cuban-American interests.

My money's on the Democrats. But then, I'm just a dirty fucking hippie ...

UPDATE (11:10 am 10/27/08): As commenter pseudonymous in NC reminds me, I went the wrong way on the clock adjustment in the UK when I calculated it above. They are on Daylight Time now, which means their clocks went back over the weekend, while we've got a week to go here in the States. So 3pm here actually is 7pm in the UK. Thanks, pseud.