| The people who claim to speak for Conservativism in America are insane. |
[Jul. 12th, 2009|09:59 am] |
The comments referenced in this news article thoroughly disgust me (italics are direct quotes from the article)...
Conservative "Free Republic" blog in free speech flap after racial slurs directed at Obama children
"A typical street whore." "A bunch of ghetto thugs." "Ghetto street trash." "Wonder when she will get her first abortion."
These are a small selection of some of the racially-charged comments posted to the conservative 'Free Republic' blog Thursday, aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama's 11-year-old daughter Malia after she was photographed wearing a t-shirt with a peace sign on the front.
The thread was accompanied by a photo of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that featured the caption, "To entertain her daughter, Michelle Obama loves to make monkey sounds."
According to the article, some of the other comments made included:
"Could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there?"
"They make me sick .... The whole family... mammy, pappy, the free loadin' mammy-in-law, the misguided chillin', and especially 'lil cuz... This is not the America I want representin' my peeps."
"This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution,"
"I never actually wnated [sic] to be a pistol before but..."
According to the report, a writer, who had referenced the site to do some research on the American conservative movement, complained about the racist tone of the posts. In response, not only did the site owner keep the post up, but PUBLISHED THE COMPLAINING EMAIL AND THE WRITER'S EMAIL ADDRESS!
The writer has a point," wrote site owner Jim Thompson sarcastically. "We should steer clear of Obama's children. They can't help it if their old man is an American-hating Marxist pig."
"I agree Jim," wrote commenter, by the nickname NoobRep. "The kids didn't pick their commie pinko pansy of a father. Nor did they choose to be put into the spotlight. But Obama/Soetoro is fair game and so is his witch of a wife."
"Poor kids. I hope they're not 'punished with a baby'," wrote another. "Hopefully they won't deal cocaine like the Kenyan."
"DIRTBAGS! All of them. Our [White House] is now a joke to the rest of the world. We have no respect and this is not going to turn out well, mark my words. We will be hit, and much worse than last time. We are now seen as weak and vulnerable. Ghetto and Chicago thugs have taken over."
And, yes, the article does say that there were those who complained about the vitriol. Unfortunately, in my opinion, those who spoke up against this kind of ugliness were far outweighed my the rampant hatred found in the other replies.
As one commenter put it, "Poor libs .... Too late, the battle has been joined."
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I know that evil like this still exists in the world, but it still leaves me in shock every time I see it.
Free Republic is supposed to be one of the leading websites for discussion from the conservative "grassroots" movement in the U.S.. Is this REALLY what the conservative movement is supposed to be all about!? I mean, I know conservatives... I have friends who are conservatives... hell, some of them are READING THIS POST! And I know... I KNOW... that this doesn't represent them. But, JESUS, the people referred to in this article sound flipping INSANE! Some of them are talking about ARMED REVOLT! I mean, I know that there's plenty of overblown rhetoric from the left as well, but I've never seen any sort of organized discussion of starting a WAR! (In fact, I can't think of a time I've seen someone say something like that, where I haven't seen them get SHOUTED DOWN by other lefties!) But I've been seeing this sort of thing coming out of the right for a while now, and lately, it's only gotten WORSE.
I decided to go and read over the Free Republic forums , so that I wouldn't just be talking out of my ass here. Much of it was people discussing various policy and news items from a conservative viewpoint. I generally don't agree with their rational, but at least in most cases they HAD one (usually, their arguments were fine... I just disagreed with the premises they started from). But some of them... OMG! There were people on there who INSIST that President Obama is a MUSLIM and the ANTICHRIST! That the Left is FASCIST! (Note... Fascism is a "right-wing" political philosophy. The equivalent on the left would be COMMUNISM. If you're going to call names, at least get it right!) That democracy is a bad form of government, because it's the rule of the majority, and the majority are SINNERS! There was even a thread where people were commenting on the fact that most U.S. Christians are NOT "Christians", and they will all be destroyed in the coming Apocalypse, and THEY WANT TO HELP IT ALONG! I swear to God, a lot of what I was reading there TERRIFIED me!
(And if you'd like to read it, well, you can go looking for it yourself. I'm not linking to it. There's no way I want to help this sort of poison be spread.)
Please, all of you rational Conservatives out there... I may not agree with you on many things, but the right-wingnuts have taken over your movement, and they claim to be speaking with your voice! Please... PLEASE... Don't let the crazies WIN!
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| I think I hear the band playing "And The World Turned Upside-Down"... |
[Sep. 23rd, 2008|03:14 pm] |
Conservative columnnist George Will may not be supporting Obama, but it doesn't seem like he's too keen on McCain, either.
Here's the money shot from the column:
Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.
It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?
That sound you hear is William F. Buckley spinning in his grave... |
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| And now, just politics... |
[Sep. 16th, 2008|12:23 pm] |
Just in case you're one of the four people on the planet who haven't been already alerted to it, you should check out why![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) bluesgirly is voting for McCain/Palin (Um... she's not... the post is satire, and it's well done. Go read!)
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Fromckn:
HOW RACISM WORKS
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class? What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said “I do” to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
At the very least, whether you agree or not, it's thought provoking.
**********
And, apparently, Colin Powell is still undecided who to vote for.
I liked this part:
When one of the moderators asked Powell whether this vote was personal to him since he was the first African-American Secretary of State, his answer sparked wild applause. "I'm an American first and foremost," he said.
Powell explained to the audience that he told McCain he would not vote for him just because they have been friends for 25 years, and he told Obama he would not vote for him just because he is black. He said he will look at who has the best economic policies, who inspires the most confidence in the country and around the world, and who will keep America safe.
I've always liked Powell, and felt he was horribly misused and abused by the current administration. This quote is one of the reasons WHY I've liked him.
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| READ THIS BOOK - The Authoritarians, by Dr. Robert Altemeyer |
[Sep. 12th, 2008|12:53 pm] |
Yesterday, I read a fantastic book online that was recommended by the awesome ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) miintikwa . It got me so hooked I read the whole thing in one day.
The book (which is available for free, from the author) is THE AUTHORITARIANS, by Dr. Robert Altemeyer. He's a research psychologist who has spent most of his career studying "Right-Wing" Authoritarianism, or RWA. RWA is authoritarianism that springs from a desire to follow those who preserve the status quo and respect for existing authority (or at least claim to), as opposed to "left-wing", which is someone who's an authoritarian, but is a follower of those who want to change the status quo. This "right-wing" is different in different times and places... for example, in the US last century, if you were RWA, you believed in Democracy and Capitalism and hated The Soviets and Communism. But if you were an RWA in the Soviet Union, you actually had exactly the opposite view. Thus, the actual beliefs of RWAs will change, but their personalities and cognative process shows many commonalities, as Dr. Altemeyer shows with data from studies and experiments conducted since the '60's. The book combines everything from Social Dominance Theory to the famous Milgram Experiment under one very easy to read, and occasionally funny, title. He shows how RWAs thought process and emotional makeup contributes to their political, religious, and social beliefs, and why it's so hard to get them to change their minds on a topic that's important to them (hint... it has very little to do with what their beliefs ARE!). He also shows why it's so easy for a "Social Dominant" (especially one who's manipulative or even sociopathic) can so easily gather so many of them as followers. And how the small number of people who are both RWAs AND Social Dominants (called "Double Highs")who are very rare... the two tend to be mutually exclusive) may be just the kind of people who are a threat to American democracy.
Dr. Altemeyer's work has been used throughout the field of Social Psychology, and his work contributetd to John Dean's book "Conservatives Without Conscience". The guy knows what he's talking about here. Looking at his work, I get the feeling that, among the current crop of politicos, that Obama and McCain are both pure Social Dominants (although with very different philosophies), but Palin is probably a "Double High". I also think that W. is probably a "Double High", but Cheyney is probably a pure Social Dominant.
The think that made me laugh about this book is that, in chapter 2, he gives examples of both an RWA, and also someone who is, for lack of a better term, an "anti-authoritarian". The name of the RWA... is Hugh. Then, to make it even funnier, I took the RWA profile test in chapter one, and on a scale of 20 to 180 (where higher means more authoritarian), I scored a 32. Apparently, I'm practically an anarchist! (Actually, it's probably more due to the fact that I have some deep seated problems with authority. ;-P ).
And, of course, once you read it, if you want to talk about it, comments are open! |
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| *Poly-Ticks* Two really good articles. |
[Sep. 9th, 2008|01:25 pm] |
Yep, I'm here... just busy today.
Here's a couple of political articles to tide you over, though...
First off, here's a wonderful essay by Bob Herbert that appeared in the NY Times. For me, this was the money shot:
Without the extraordinary contribution of liberals — from the mightiest presidents to the most unheralded protesters and organizers — the United States would be a much, much worse place than it is today.
There would be absolutely no chance that a Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin could make a credible run for the highest offices in the land. Conservatives would never have allowed it.
Civil rights? Women’s rights? Liberals went to the mat for them time and again against ugly, vicious and sometimes murderous opposition. They should be forever proud.
Just remember... what's conservative today USED to be liberal. So, do you want to be behind the times, or ahead of them? ;-)
Of course, it may not matter in the end anyway, as Adam McKay notes that We're Gonna Frickin' Lose This Thing. I am, of course, hoping he's proven wrong, but we'll see, won't we? And I definitely think that his criticism of the "free press" is spot on. |
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| When Candidates Attack, Part Deux! |
[Aug. 19th, 2008|01:00 pm] |
From my friend Matt, regarding the McCain campaign's dissing of D&D gamers...
This whole statement seems to me to be one big non sequitur. When I think of folks who don't respect veterans, D&D players just don't come to mind. In fact, I am not sure what D&D players have to do with ANY of the rest of this person's statement! What a random and seemingly inappropriate choice of subcultures to attack! Next thing this guy will be going after cat-fanciers, rock-climbers, and quilters. "It may be typical of the pro-Obama Pampered Chef crowd..."
I LOLed. :-D
So, what subcultures should the candidates go after next? Goths? Bikers? People who like mayo on rye?
;-) |
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| *Poly-Ticks* McCain engages in an Attack of Opportunity... |
[Aug. 18th, 2008|10:09 pm] |
Thanks to allandarosfor this link...
In the blog on John McCain's website, the McCain campaign has taken to insulting gamers.
"It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others."
Oh, you're kidding me! You did NOT just go there!
Actually, most of the gamers that I know would be MORE likely to respect someone for their military history. They may not agree with him, but they'll respect him for his service to his country. And some of them might have voted for him.
Somehow, I have the feeling he may have just lost that vote. |
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| *POLITICS* Well, if we can't have Cthulhu for President, I suppose The Antichrist will do. |
[Aug. 8th, 2008|12:51 pm] |
(From trillsie)
From TIME.com:
It's not easy to make the infamous Willie Horton ad from the 1988 presidential campaign seem benign. But suggesting that Barack Obama is the Antichrist might just do it.
That's just what some outraged Christian supporters of the Democratic nominee are claiming John McCain's campaign did in an ad called "The One" that was recently released online. The Republican nominee's advisers brush off the charges, arguing that the spot was meant to be a "creative" and "humorous" way of poking fun at Obama's popularity by painting him as a self-appointed messiah. But even this innocuous interpretation of the ad — which includes images of Charlton Heston as Moses and culled clips that make Obama sound truly egomaniacal — taps into a conversation that has been gaining urgency on Christian radio, political blogs, and in widely-circulated email messages that accuse Obama of being the Antichrist.
Here's a link to "The One" on YouTube. Go have a looksee.
Now, here's the thing... the ad never SAYS he's the Antichrist. But it makes a BOATLOAD of references that infer just that. And here's the trick... they don't reference the Book of Revelation, or any other Biblical or apocalyptic writings. Nope... they give hints that remind people of the LEFT BEHIND novels. And, frankly, more Americans have probably read those books (almost 70 million, all told) than have read Revelation.
Several times in the ad Obama is shown in a way that invites comparison to the "villain" of Left Behind, Nicolae Carpathia, AKA The Antichrist. Among these:
- As the article notes, "Carpathia is a junior Senator who speaks several languages, is beloved by people around the world and fawned over by a press corps that cannot see his evil nature, and rises to absurd prominence after delivering just one major speech." Gee, doesn't THAT sound familiar?
- The ad starts with the words "It should be known that in 2008 the world shall be blessed. They will call him The One". "The One" was the phrase that Oprah Winfrey called Obama when she gave him her public endorsment. In the Left Behind books, Carpathia founds a religion called "The One".
- In the books, Carpathia brings all nations together under one world government. The ad quotes Obama, "A nation healed, a world repaired. We are the ones (There's that reference again!) that we've been waiting for."
- A number of the images in the ad, with orange or reddish light shining through the clouds, are very reminicent of the covers of the Left Behind novels.
- The strange end of the ad, where they use footage from THE TEN COMMANDMENTS of Moses parting the Red Sea, and a huge Obama emblem (with an eagle depicted on it) flys out, may be a reference to the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7: 2-4:
Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
The first beast in Daniel is often linked with The Antichrist by apocalyptic-minded evangelicals.
Still think that this is just silly? Then do a GOOGLE search for "Obama" and "Antichrist". And while you're at it, do a search for "Obama" and "Nicolae Carpathia".
Scary, huh?
So remember, kids... this November, VOTE ANTICHRIST! *rollseyes* |
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| If he keeps this up, his handlers won't let him out in public anymore! |
[Aug. 6th, 2008|07:28 am] |
John McCain made an appearance at the STURGIS BIKE RALLY in South Dakota on Monday, where he offered to volunteer his wife, Cindy, as a contestant in a topless beauty pagent run by bikers.
No, really!
Indeed, McCain felt so comfortable at the event that he even volunteered his wife for the rally’s traditional beauty pageant, an infamously debauched event that’s been known to feature topless women. (Note from me: "...been known to..." is a bit of an understatement. (That link is REALLY Not-Safe-For-Work!))
“I encouraged Cindy to compete,” McCain said to cheers. “I told her with a little luck she could be the only woman ever to serve as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip.”
So, let me get this straight... the Republican Presidential candidate went to a rally full of leather-clad bikers, and offered to have the possible future First Lady participate in a raunchy topless contest.
Uh huh.
I've gotta imagine THAT'S gonna play well with the GOP's conservative base.
Not to mention how Cindy McCain feels about it. Do you get the feeling that John may be sleeping on the couch for a while? *grin*
(Thanks to supergeefor the links!) |
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| *Poly-Ticks* Secret Meetings... |
[Jun. 6th, 2008|03:47 pm] |
Obama and Clinton met privately for an hour, with no aides, press, or anyone else present, at the residence of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday night. They have not discussed nor released any details of their conversation. New York Sen. Charles Schumer, one of Clinton's top supporters, stated that the meeting was NOT about the Vice-Presidency. It was about how to best to carve up the world between them! MWAA-HA-HAAAAAAA! Oh, to have been a fly on the wall... |
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| Vote Early, Vote Often! |
[Apr. 22nd, 2008|09:36 am] |
Went to the polls before work and did my civic duty. The polls were CROWDED, though! I guess that's a good thing (except when it makes you late for work!).
There were many more Democrats voting than Republicans. Not surprising, since there really isn't a race for the GOP Presidential nominee, but it's still a bad thing, as the Repubs had a large number of nominees for state offices (many Democratic races only had one nominee... the exception being Treasurer). So, please, GOP members, go to the polls and vote!
Also, remember to not only vote for your Presidential choice, but make sure to VOTE FOR THE DELEGATES TO THE CONVENTION THAT SUPPORT THEM! (Each delegate nominee has their candidate listed on their ballot, if they are already pledged.)
And on a non-election related note:
Walking into work from the parking lot today, I saw a lovely lady getting out of her car. She was a beautiful African-American woman, and she was sharply dressed in a well-tailored business suit. She looked like she was ready to take on the boardroom, and she was the kind of head-turner that makes men like me go, "Well, HELLOOOOO, NURSE!"
And she was carrying a Barbie-pink, Disney-Princesses purse. The kind you'd buy for a 10 year old at the Disney Store.
I thought that was totally awesome.
So, what sort of incongruous things have you seen recently that caught your eye? |
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