Reaction to the Mar-A-Lago FBI Raid Shows People Only ‘Back the Blue’ When it Suits Them

We need to talk about the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Home.


Yesterday the FBI made a surprise visit to the 45th President’s South Florida home, reportedly looking for classified documents that the Trump administration failed to turn over. 


It’s an unbelievable and unprecedented event for many reasons, who would have ever thought that the Feds would be raiding the home of not only a former president, but an individual that has a realistic probability of being the next president.


 That is, as long as Florida governor Ron DeSantis doesn’t split the party by running in 2024.


The real reason that this FBI raid feels so unbelievable, is that after 7 years of the Trump administration stumbling their way into legal trouble, either through ignorance or incompetence, it was starting to feel like the family was invincible. 


Despite a laundry list of people that committed crimes in the process of either trying to get Donald Trump elected, trying to protect him while he was in office, or capitalizing on his presidency with an illegal grift (Shout out to Steve Bannon), it was never a member of the Trump family that had to be incarcerated or pardoned.


Not when payments were made to various women to discourage disclosures of affairs.


Not when a case could be made that the administration obstructed the investigation into Michael Flynn.


Not when the administration used the office of the president to promote commercial products manufactured by supporters.


Not when people seeking pardons were directly hiring one of Donald Trump’s attorneys to grease the wheels.


Not when a case could be made that firing James Comey was an obstruction to an investigation into Russian interference.


Not when the administration clearly pressured the Georgia Secretary of State to overturn election results.


And not, maybe until now, when the administration held onto classified documents, and turned over already destroyed documents to the National Archive and Records Administration.


After seven years of seeming invincibility, they’re gonna get this man over some paperwork.


And let’s be honest- they better get this man. You already have tens of millions of Americans that have convinced themselves that not only are we on the brink of civil war, but that they’re firmly on team Trump once the shooting starts. If nothing comes from this FBI raid, the people that believe there’s a Deep State whose sole purpose is to keep the Trump from draining the swamp, the same people that hold Ashli Babbitt up as a martyr, are going to make life in this country absolute hell.


And if there is a red-hat rebellion, you better believe those people that have spent the better part of the last seven years calling for law and order when it comes to Hillary Clinton’s emails, Hunter Biden’s substance abuse, Nancy Pelosi’s bank account, Asylum seekers at the border, Brittany Griner in a Russian airport, Eric Garner, Mike Brown and George Floyd at convenience stores, or a 12-year-old Tamir Rice on goddamn playground, will abandon their back-the-blue principles in the name of their orange savior just like Ashli Babbit did.


Because if we’re being honest, support for law enforcement from the populist right has never been about the welfare of the people behind the badge. To them, protect and serve means ‘protect me,’ and ‘serve me.’


Cops take three months to make an arrest in the Ahmaud Arberry murder case because they took the word of the killers? Unbothered. Back the blue. But let cops attempt to stop Trump supporters from hunting down the Vice President? Back the Blue becomes black and blue real quick.


When Donald Trump said he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody without losing support, it wasn’t a metaphor. And if that scenario did play out in reality, do you think Trump’s most aggressive supporters would simply let a homicide detective slap cuffs on the Donald?


I’m not out here to cape for the FBI. That organization has done nothing to deserve anyone’s unrelenting support, and some of the people on the left that are cheering them on right now were almost certainly criticizing them a couple of years ago for failing to act on a tip about Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. There’s a chance the Feds screw this up, and I hope they understand the full gravity and danger of pursuing a case against a former president in a country that is already at a boiling point.


To quote Omar Little, “You Come at the King, You Best Not Miss.“


Let that sink in.

Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Takes a Page Out of Donald Trump’s Playbook

We need to talk about Stephen Ross

Back in July 2019, one month before Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross started tampering by contacting Tom Brady while he was under contract with the New England Patriots, Donald Trump made one of the most shrewd political decisions of his presidency.


In July 2019 Donald Trump declared himself exonerated by the Robert Mueller investigation into whether Russia tampered in the 2016 election, and whether Trump had any knowledge or involvement in it.
Was Donald Trump exonerated by the Mueller report?


Absolutely not. 


But his supporters took his declaration as gospel, and the investigation is largely remembered as a waste of time.
Did it matter that anyone following the 2016 election watched Donald Trump publicly ask Russia to hack and surface Hilary Clinton’s missing emails? 


Of course not. 


You might be asking yourself, ‘why is George talking about Donald Trump?‘


Well, it seems to me that Stephen Ross was paying close attention to Trump’s ‘declaration of victory no matter what’ strategy, because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell just released the results of an investigation in which he said ‘The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,’ and in response to the investigation, Stephen Ross said ‘The independent investigation cleared our organization of any issues related to tanking.’


Did the NFL’s investigation exonerate Stephen Ross and the Miami Dolphins of anything?
let’s check the tape-


The investigation states that Stephen Ross REPEATEDLY told his team CEO, General Manager, Vice President, and head coach Brian Flores that he thought they should prioritize draft position over winning.
And what does ‘prioritizing draft position’ look like?


Losing. It looks like losing.


Roger Goodell actually commends Brian Flores in the investigation’s findings for not letting Stephen Ross’ comments affect his commitment to winning, and doing his best, in spite of Stephen Ross, to make the Dolphins competitive.


Roger Goodell is saying that Brian Flores KEPT the Dolphins from tanking, and Stephen Ross is using that fact to declare that because the Dolphins didn’t do what he asked, that he’s not only innocent, but that Brian Flores was false, malicious, and defamatory for bringing Ross’ attempt to intentionally tank out into the light.


Maybe Stephen Ross offering $100,000 to Brian Flores per loss was a joke, just like it’s possible Donald Trump looking onto a camera and asking Russia to interfere in the election was a joke, but that doesn’t make either party as innocent as they’ve declared themselves to be.


Look, Stephen. You might be rich like Donald, live in South Florida like Donald, and have a complicated relationship with Tom Brady like Donald- but that’s where the comparisons between you and The Donald end. He’s actually won something. All you’ve ever done is apparently purposefully try to do the opposite.


You might be out here declaring yourself exonerated, but you aren’t dealing with MAGA supporters that will bend over backwards to believe you. Your team’s fans don’t even like you. You’re not just going to be remembered as a loser that didn’t give your head coach or franchise quarterback a fair shake.


You’re going to be remembered as an INTENTIONAL loser.


Let that sink in.

10/20/21 Wrighster or Wrong: Rolovich Reaction, Lamar Jackson Takes, Jeremy Pruitt Extortion, Trump vs Powell

Wrighster or Wrong

On this episode of WRIGHSTER OR WRONG, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden get into the firing of Nick Rolovich by Washington State University. Is Nick Rolovich a martyr for the anti-vaccine cause, or just another clown in a political circus? Lamar Jackson’s name seems to invite online arguments, George and Ralph liken the discourse to the same talk that surrounds Russell Westbrook, and give their honest assessments of Lamar Jackson as a QB. George and Ralph discuss Jeremy Pruitt’s attempt to extort the University of Tennessee, and applaud the fact that Rick Barnes and Vol Nation aren’t having it. Donald Trump made sure to remind people that he outlasted Colin Powell with one of the pettiest press releases of all time- George and Ralph react. In Cancel or Consequence, George outlines why he believes Illinois coach Bret Bielema was out of bounds for trashing his roster in front of the media, and in Best of Social Media, Ralph talks about his neighboring high school making news for a holding up a sign during a high school football game mocking the other team’s “privilege.”

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Have a take you’d like us to address? Email us at immad@unafraidshow.com and we’ll read your take on a future Wrighster or Wrong podcast.

Colin Kaepernick Collusion Lawsuit Against the NFL is Over

Colin Kaepernick collusion NFL

Unexpectedly, Colin Kaepernick officially ended his collusion lawsuit against the NFL today. The former NFL quarterback has withdrawn his collusion complaint against the league and will take no further action in his case. Kaepernick had alleged the NFL owners conspired to keep him out after he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. The final hearing in his case against the NFL was set to take place this month. So, the timing of this withdrawal is a strong indication that the league reached a significant financial settlement with Kaepernick. People within his circle had previously spoken off the record that he would withdraw his lawsuit if the league compensated him significantly. The terms of the deal are subject to a “confidentiality agreement”.

The NFL and its owners would have been tremendously motivated to make this lawsuit go away if they believed it could be proven Kaepernick had in fact been blackballed. There is a provision within the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and NFLPA that could have voided the deal if the league was found to have colluded against players. An immediate work stoppage and a legal battle would have ensued that could have put the 2019 season and future of the NFL in jeopardy. This begs the question, how much money did it cost to make Kaepernick go away?

His protest against social justice and racial inequality issues started alone, but many other NFL players and athletes from all sports have picked up the torch. NIKE stated a campaign with Kaepernick as the spokesman.

Will Kaepernick Ever Play Again?

The end of this lawsuit likely marks the end of Kaepernick’s career. If a team was unwilling to sign him to prove he was not colluded against, then why would they sign him after they likely paid him to end the lawsuit? Commissioner Goodell said at the Super Bowl, “I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that’s what they’ll do,” he added. “They want to win, and they make those decisions individually in the best interest of their club.” 

Listen to the Podcast or Watch Live Stream Below

Is President Trump destroying the unifying power of sports?

Is President Trump destroying the unifying power of sports? 

This is the critical question after LeBron James touted President Trump for using sports to divide the nation in his recent interview with Don Lemon.  Traditionally, sports have been viewed as one of the few arenas where Americans from all walks of life would set aside their differences and bond over the commonality of their favorite teams and players.  Historically, U. S. Presidents have relished the unifying power of sports and its ability to help the country move forward.  During World War II President Roosevelt gave the proverbial “green light” to Major League Baseball Commissioner Judge Landis to “play ball,” reasoning that Americans deserved to have baseball to distract them from the harsh realities of the war. In 2016 President Obama acknowledged sports for its ability to provide Americans with a more progressive view that enables the country to move forward when he stated that “sports has had this power to bring us together even when the country is divided[i].”

Today the country finds itself at yet another critically divisive stage where race has been one of the focal points.  Sports have been an arena where many have attempted to shed light on social injustices.  One of the most telling examples of sports being used to bring a divided nation together is the integration of Major League Baseball, which helped the nation to see the error of segregation and forced the nation to acknowledge the humanity of all people.

Since the death of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a neighborhood watchman and the death of countless others at the hands of police officers, there has been an insurgence of athlete activism where athletes have used their platforms in an effort to make the country acknowledge the humanity of the lives lost at the hands of law enforcement.  NFL players have kneeled during the national anthem in opposition to police brutality before football games, and NBA players have worn t-shirts reading “I can’t breathe” in remembrance of Eric Garner during pre-game warmups.

These demonstrations have led to heated debates regarding whether athletes should use games as a forum to shed light on social justice issues and if such demonstrations are a distraction that takes away from the game.  These debates have left the nation grossly divided and has allowed President Trump to politicize these issues to gain political capital.  The President has done this by insulting NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem, accusing them of being disrespectful to the American flag and calling for them to be fired during a political rally.  Instead of using football to bring Americans together like it once did in Alexandria, Virginia where the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School football team rallied a segregated community together to cheer the team to victory in the 1971 Virginia State Championship game, the President is instead using football and the national anthem protest controversy to further divide the nation.

The President also used basketball to divide the nation when he refused to invite the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals Champions to the White House after comments from some of the league’s most prominent athletes stating that they had no interest in visiting the White House.  This sparked a contentious debate on whether it was distasteful for the players to express their opposition to the President’s policies by refusing the honor of visiting the White House.  Instead of seeking to understand why the players felt the way they did and trying to work through any differences to help propel the country forward, President Trump politicized the issue and used it for political gain.

President Trump does not relish the unifying nature of sports and instead seems to thrive on his ability to exploit its divisive issues to support his political agenda.  President Trump does not see sports as a tool to teach the nation about inclusion and acceptance the way Coach Haskins of Texas Western College did when he led an all-black starting five to defeat an all-white University of Kentucky team in the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship, which forced the nation to acknowledge the athletic ability of all athletes.  President Trump appears to view sports as a tool to perpetuate the division of the nation for his own political capital.  In his apparent views and through his actions President Trump is dismantling the unifying power of sports.

 

[i] President Barack Obama, Address at 2016 World Series Championship Cubs visit the White House (Jan.17, 2017).