Discover Magazine online has a piece on “The Mainstreaming of Crazy” that rails against the uproar over Obama’s school speech. It really mutilates a large number of strawmen:
Perhaps you’ve heard all the uproar about President Obama’s speech today. A group of folks is very concerned about a speech of his today, because he’s talking to schoolkids. And hey, didn’t Hitler talk to kids…?
That’s about as good as their logic gets. I wish I were kidding. Read the transcript of Obama’s speech, and see if you can find the alarming parts where he calls for the formation of Brown Shirts, or the extermination of a group of humans, or the invasion of Poland. I must have missed it . . . .
Well, here’s Zombie’s retrospective on Bush as Hitler, if you insist on going there, dude. Then, of course, there’s the Congressional investigation that was launched after Bush the Elder addressed the schoolkids of America during his tenure.
But rail on.
If I sound angry, then, yeah, I am. I’m tired of ignorance held up as inspiration, where vicious anti-intellectualism is considered a positive trait, and where uninformed opinion is displayed as fact.
It’s killing any real debate in this country, where the system of government depends utterly on a well-informed public. When rampant idiocy is presented as reasonable discourse without any rebuttal, then we all suffer.
What we need are government officials not afraid to talk like Barney Frank did to such a voice of lunacy. To reiterate, crackpots have a right to air their diseased notions, just as we have the right to tear those ideas to shred when they do. More than that, the news media have a responsibility to do so.
I’m sure you believe that Barney Frank had no idea a homosexual whorehouse was being run out of his brownstone, either, and that he had nothing to do with the spectacular collapse of Fannie and Freddie.
I’m sure that you believe that Van Jones was the victim of a vicious smear campaign.
But really, that brings me to my point: where’s your outrage for the insane calumnies of the Truthers? Talk about mainsteaming the crazy. Do you think that maybe Barack Obama ought to put out something more than Gibbs’ “doesn’t agree with that”? Do you think, maybe, that it’s a little insane not to vet someone who’s supposed to be in charge of fostering the “Green Economy”? Aren’t those people who are expecting a jobs windfall from “Green Energy” kinda whistling Dixie? You don’t think that it has anything to do with the disdain he’s shown for other people?
And to think, judging by the URL, that the original title was “The Mainstreaming of EVIL.” Stick it.
If Obama really wanted students to take ownership of their education, he’d be advocating expansion of vouchers, but he’s too beholden to the teachers unions. And tonight, he goes to bat for the public option that’s good enough for the public, but not the Congress. Maybe I shouldn’t be insulted . . . but I am.
UPDATE: Camille Paglia gets it.
By foolishly trying to reduce all objections to healthcare reform to the malevolence of obstructionist Republicans, Democrats have managed to destroy the national coalition that elected Obama and that is unlikely to be repaired. If Obama fails to win reelection, let the blame be first laid at the door of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who at a pivotal point threw gasoline on the flames by comparing angry American citizens to Nazis. It is theoretically possible that Obama could turn the situation around with a strong speech on healthcare to Congress this week, but after a summer of grisly hemorrhaging, too much damage has been done. At this point, Democrats’ main hope for the 2012 presidential election is that Republicans nominate another hopelessly feeble candidate. Given the GOP’s facility for shooting itself in the foot, that may well happen.
Obama came into office wanting to politicize the American public. Congratulations.
REUPDATE: Via Dan Riehl, we discover Phil Plait is a professional skeptic. Wow.
REREUPDATE: Stacy’s terrific piece on what Classical Liberalism is and isn’t.
The playground finger pointing they-did-it-first routine was boring from the start and never a reasonable excuse.
Republicans are getting punked at the ballot box for all the right reasons. Their ideas are total crap.
I don’t suppose there’s any way we could trade David Frum for Camille Paglia?
BTW, if you ever get a chance to hear Paglia speak, do it. I saw her a few years back, and she’s as good in person as she is in print. I especially enjoyed her shutdown of some Junior Anti-Sex League types who showed up to protest.
Was it as good as when Barney Frank put the smack down on that deranged Hitler Youth r-winger?
Hmm… time to update TrollHammer so it works with POWIP’s WordPress theme.
Paglia is a true liberal – in the classic sense of the word – and yet still retains integrity. Need more of them, even though I wholeheartedly disagree with her political-philosophy. Although, I spose she votes – so maybe we need fewer of them. Point is this: I can actually imagine having a discussion with Paglia or Juan Williams and have it remain civil.
Then there are the McFistedalots; true whack-jobs who fly the colors of Liberalism without recognizing they have simply committed a hostile takeover of the brand – which has nothing to do with what Kennedy (not the dummy, the real thing) believed. So, the package sez Liberal, but the product screams Nazi upon first taste.
But moronics don’t bother, as they don’t read. They receive instead. Marching orders from bunkers made of concrete and about as receptive to actual reports of the disposition of the units they command as the Hitler was in his waning days in Berlin. Now if they’d only shoot themselves.
I’ll update Pirate Fister.
That was a lefty, McVicklicker. A LaRouchenick, carrying one of these. A relative of yours, perhaps? Nah, she wasn’t hideous enough.
Amazingly, no questions at yesterdays WH news conference on the resignation of Van Jones…
All the media wants to know is why the Rube!, Hicktard!, RAAAACIST!, H8ting!, Poor excuse for Parents! could possibly object to O!’s address to the kids yesterday…
There’s a lot of Sturm und Drang going on in the wake of Jones’ resignation; about a whole host of “sins” of the right. You would think with Teddy K’s recent passing, and his personal history being recounted and brought up to date, that they’d get a clue as to who actually began the modern version of the politics of personal destruction…
Jones was a “czar”, which meant he didn’t require Senate approval. So I guess in a sense, he simply got “Borked” after the fact!
Teddy would have been proud! of the technique…
Thor: I’ll leave the fisting to you and your fantasy mate, Barney Frank. Do you write your names as “Mr. and Mrs. Barney Frank” or “Mr. and Mrs. Thor” on your Pee Chee folder? In other words, are you the bitch or the butch?
On second though, never mind. Don’t ask, don’t tell and all that.
LaRouche-bots are Lefties now? Aren’t they famous for fist fighting with the loony Commies? Dumbassed tea-baggers is what they are.
Odd thing was she was close to being fuckable with your beaner wiener.
[...] I don’t do is spend any time on the Discover blogs. That’s where you get the real crazy. But really, that brings me to my point: where’s your outrage for the insane calumnies of the [...]
“LaRouche-bots are Lefties now? ”
You’re an insane, ignorant mouth-breather, thor.
Get professional help.
Loki, the only professionals that could help that are on SEAL Team Six…..
[...] says why. I assume he thinks it’s obvious, but the irony in his words is not hard to find. This guy accuses me of attacking straw men, then creates a cornfield full of [...]
“vicious anti-intellectualism is considered a positive trait, and where uninformed opinion is displayed as fact.”
But enough about the environmentalist movement…
Why do you let whor comment here?
Oh, well. I was hoping the new site — which will accept my comments, unlike the last one — would be worthwhile. Guess not.
Dude, you wouldn’t know what a straw man was if you were fucked in the ass by one.
[...] says why. I assume he thinks it’s obvious, but the irony in his words is not hard to find. This guy accuses me of attacking straw men, then creates a cornfield full of [...]
Who is denying that people on the left compared Bush to Hitler? You’re making that up. Of course democrats compared him to Hitler. He waged a war on a country for no reason. He sank more money into the military than any other president in history.
The problem any rational person would have with Obama/Hitler comparisons is that they aren’t justified. Obama hasn’t exhibited any Hitler like behaviors. Bush did. Comparing Bush to Hitler is completely justified.
At least democrats gave Bush two years before those comparisons started appearing. You racist conservatives barely gave Obama eight months before the Hitler comparisons started popping up. And over what? Universal health care. Something that will help over 90 percent of Americans. You obviously lack compassion for others. That’s a very consistent theme with you conservatives. You’re VERY selfish. Ironic for a bunch of bible-thumpers who are supposed to love thy fellow man.
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[...] really says why. I assume he thinks it’s obvious, but the irony in his words is not hard to find. This guy accuses me of attacking straw men, then creates a cornfield full of ‘em.Noise, noise, noise.I [...]