Right-Wing New-Speak

by: Steve Harvey

Sun Mar 11, 2012 at 20:12:11 PM MST

It's not possible to fully understand American politics without understanding the language that is employed in political discourse, and how the terms are defined by those who use them. Interestingly, one American political faction has come to define all terms as precisely the opposite of what the rest of us have long understood them to mean.

Bigotry, Prejudice and CO's Civil Unions Bill

by: peacemonger

Thu Feb 16, 2012 at 09:36:14 AM MST

Dad was deaf from a childhood accident, but he heard the language of the streets through beer, cigarettes, cars, and frequent "gut checks". Everyone from the shop was invited to poker night, no matter what their faith, color, ethnicity, language, bank account, religion, etc. The only rule to be invited to poker night was you couldn't drive a foreign car. (I talked a lot about that here.)

We had one television, one telephone, and ten people fighting over them, so I read often, and listened to Canadian public radio, where my liberal curiosity was nurtured. I loved meeting all my Dad's friends from "the shop" -- each had a different accent, a different smell, a different look. When I studied Native Americans, my Dad had a friend who was a Native American Chief, and my Dad asked him to teach us. Chief Red Bird, a local volunteer at a state park, brought his daughter and some friends, and had a mini-Pow-wow in our living room. He even made us leather slippers, which we wore when we visited him at Detroit Metropolitan State Park.

Dad didn't discriminate, at least not in the usual ways. Although my father quit school in the eighth grade and only later went back to finish the eleventh grade (there was no special education offered for poor deaf kids in the forties), he was an expert at people. Dad made friends with everyone -- literally everyone -- and he brought them all home for poker. Jewish friends, Italian friends, Greek friends, African-American friends, German friends, Asian friends -- didn't matter. As long as they didn't drive a foreign car, they were all his friends.  

Jethro Bodineism Watch - Rand Paul Edition

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Wed Jun 01, 2011 at 06:53:19 AM MST

To my great chagrin no one in the national media has picked up the Bodineism meme, but they are starting to get the picture that there are some elected officials, particularly Republican elected officials, are about as dumb as sack of hammers.

The particular Jethro that I am talking about today is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Of all the folks that I have compared to Jethro Bodine, Sen. Paul is probably the closet to the mark. By all accounts he is a pretty genial guy with a good smile and a nice manner. He is also so clueless as to be a text book (given that all books are printed in text, wouldn't that make them all text books?) example of self-satire.

Most recently Sen. Paul (gods greater and lesser that gives me chills just writing it, ugh) has managed to trample the 1st Amendment with his "ideas". Some of us on the Left side of the Blogasphere were more than a little happy that he was holding up the PATRIOT act renewal, by wanting to insert some amendments that would lessen the ability of the government to spy on its own citizens.

That was a good thing, but it does not mean that he was doing it from a deep understanding of the Constitution. You see after his ploy failed he went on Sean "The Manatee" Hannity's radio show and said the following:

I'm not for profiling people on the color of their skin, or on their religion, but I would take into account where they've been traveling and perhaps, you might have to indirectly take into account whether or not they've been going to radical political speeches by religious leaders. It wouldn't be that they are Islamic. But if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that's really an offense that we should be going after - they should be deported or put in prison.

Bigoted Ex-Bush Official Sues HRC And Karl Rove Under RICO

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Wed May 11, 2011 at 06:31:05 AM MST

What do you do when you have been caught breaking civil service rules left and right as a Presidential Appointee and consequently been forced out of that job? Why of course you sue everyone in sight under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act. Which is exactly what the former href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-special-counsel-bloch-sues-rove-davis-and-others-for-202-million/2011/05/10/AFuKHtkG_story.html">Office of Special Counsel chief, Scott "I got no clue" Block is doing.

Let's back up a little bit so everyone can remember the facts about Mr. Block. The Office of Special Counsel is charged with protecting federal whistleblowers. That is actually the mandate of this office, to make sure that when someone notices illegal or improper acts happening in the federal government and comes forward, this office looks into the it and they make sure that the person reporting the misdeeds is not retaliated against. Or at least that is what they are supposed to do. This is also the office that is supposed to enforce the Hatch act, which prohibits using government resources for electioneering purposes.

Now you have to remember that this was the criminal Bush administration, so they were not really keen on having any kind of actual enforcement neither of the Hatch Act nor, for that matter having whistleblowers come forward. This was the Administration filled with John Yoo and Monica Goodling after all. It was a place where Karl Rove went to Executive branch departments and gave Power Point presentations on helping Republicans win new seats and defend old ones.

So, there is good ol' Scotty at the helm of the office that would get any complaints. He was, until recently that is, a "good Bushie" and did what you might expect. He started out purging his office of anyone who disagreed with him on summary dismissal of whistleblower claims. He is also started to retaliate against people in his own office for disagreeing or complaining about his actions. Real nice from the guy who was supposed to protect whistleblowers.  

No Depths Too Deep For Bryan Fisher Or His Republican Guests

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Thu Apr 07, 2011 at 07:05:14 AM MST

Yesterday one of the questions that we though was for the ages was answered. Was there anything that you could say on Fox "News" that was too far out there, too crazy even for the propaganda arm of the Republican Party? Now we know the answer is yes, but you have to do it for nearly two years before it has an affect.

There is a question that is a corollary to that one; is there anything that Bryan Fisher of the American Family Association, and a radio personality on the Right, can say that is so crazy and offensive that Republican presidential hopefuls won't go on his show?

The answer to this one is; apparently not. For those who really don't have time to follow abject assholes like Fisher he is one of the Terry Jones and Fred Phelps type of Christianist.  He has insisted that there be no more Mosques built in the United States, he believes that American Muslims don't have First Amendment Rights and that the U.S. military is run by homosexual and Muslim activists.

You know, just your average foaming at the mouth Religious Right Conservative. It is possible that he has gone too far this time though. Recently in a rant against the War on Poverty he said (From RightWingWatch) :

Welfare has destroyed the African-American family by telling young black women that husbands and fathers are unnecessary and obsolete. Welfare has subsidized illegitimacy by offering financial rewards to women who have more children out of wedlock. We have incentivized fornication rather than marriage, and it's no wonder we are now awash in the disastrous social consequences of people who rut like rabbits.

Now, I already considered this guy a bigot, but he is getting into open racism with this stuff, and as we found out with Glenn Beck when you do that, you are probably a bridge too far.

In recent months his show has hosted many of the 7 dwarfs of the supposed Republican field. Fisher has hosted Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, Michele Bachmann, Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich on his show. It would be great to think that they would understand that Fishers brand of toxic crap against Muslims and Muslim Americans was enough to keep them away, but we all know that the Right is not going to punish you for bashing Muslims.

However, folks like Gov. Barbour have enough race issue problems already without being tied to someone who is comparing poor African Americans to rabbits and saying that they are willing to be paid to fornicate.a>

The Bigotry Shuffle - NPR To Fox

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 06:00:25 AM MST

My parents were Liberals with a capital L. They both came from places and times when the N word could be used and nothing would be thought of it. This was anathema to them, and they were not going to pass this kind of thing down to their children. The rule in our house was that you could hate someone, but you could only do it if you knew them personally and they had done you wrong. There would be no painting with a broad brush, no assumptions put on one person because of the actions of another person like them.  

Arson And Reported Gun Shots At TN Islamic Center Site

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 05:45:23 AM MST

Will Muslims Be Able To Rent Space In The Freedom Tower?

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Fri Aug 20, 2010 at 06:22:21 AM MST

Gov. Dean has taken a lot of heat from the Left for his idea that there can be come kind of dialog with the families of the 9/11 victims who object to the Park51 community center. He is making a stand on ideals, though not the ideals that many of us would like. It is a good idea to reach out and find common ground, but we can not do so with those who want it all their own way. This is exactly the same kind of situation the Democrats in Congress find themselves in. They want to find common ground with Congressional Republicans, but the Republicans insist on it being all there own way or nothing. There is no way to compromises with those who won't bend.  

The Final Nail For Birtherism? If Only

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Tue May 18, 2010 at 06:21:14 AM MST

The fact that Hawaii is invoking the Act 100 clause of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) combined with the Republican Governor of that state saying that she has viewed the presidents birth certificate would be enough to kill the beast that is Birtherism. Sadly Birtherism is a hydra, when you cut off one head, two more grow back.