Weird way to become a fan of Run the Jewels

Imagine having to thank Republican Senators Markwayne Mullin and Sean O’Brien for tweaking your hip-hop playlist

Nov 15, 2023

By now, a considerable amount of news watchers have heard about the U.S. senate hearing that could have escalated into a near brawl on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when Oklahoma's Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin asked Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, for a fair one*. (After being on Twitter since 2008, Elon Musk’s antics made me finally shut my account down in September of this year. I had no clue about their Twitter battle that led up to this day in Congress.)

Here’s what happened.

The 5:42 mark of the extended video with "Let's have coffee. Discuss our differences" is what happens when you F around and FIND out the other person is very, very, very about that life onsite**. Mullin even named a time, date, place and occasion for a charity fight if the first senator wasn’t up for it then. O'Brien backed away like Homer Simpson in the grass.

Still, when I saw HenryStuart05’s comment on Instagram about the shortened version of this video on Associated Press, I instantly scowled. I thought he was trying to blame rap music for two senators going at it, which has zero to do with “us.”

His comment: “Guess I didn’t realize the music video for ‘Nobody Speak’ by Run The Jules was based off real events.”

I was all set to stand on my soapbox and “correct” him but something kept telling me, “You’re a professional fact-checker. Do your job!” So I found and watched the seven-year-old video for “Nobody Speak” for the first time.

Never mind. I get it now. Also, this is now on my playlist, and I can never separate the real-life incident versus what turned out to be a dope music video. Strange way to become a Run the Jewels fan after hearing numerous other songs.

Whoever casted these two did a great job. Henry, thanks a zillion!

History lesson (and no laughing matter)

Senator Mullin tried to justify taking off his wedding ring and getting ready to fight on the floor by pointing to other politicians who have fought while in office. CNN clarified all of these fights, most of which were startlingly dumb. One that I didn’t find funny at all was Sen. Charles Sumner, who opposed slavery.

On May 22, 1856, he insulted pro-slavery proponents, who wanted to see Kansas enter the union as a slave state. In response, House Rep. Preston Brooks entered the Senate chamber and “savagely beat [the] senator into unconsciousness” with the kind of cane used for unruly dogs, according to the Senate historian. Not one onlooker tried to pull Brooks off of Sumner. After the fight, Brooks resigned from the House of Representatives in July, was re-elected two weeks later in August, then died a few months later on January 27, 1857. Sumner recovered, returned to Congress and stayed in office for 18 more years. So the “good guy” won, but that fight is permanently part of his legacy.

Stories like these are yet another reason I understand Frederick Douglass’ love-hate relationship with Independence Day — and Childish Gambino too!

* An immediate fight, usually about five minutes and uninterrupted

** Arriving at the same place unknowingly and coincidentally or on purpose

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