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Post by strummer8526 on Jan 10, 2011 16:51:41 GMT -5
I don't thinking asking people to tone down their political rhetoric and to stop trying to delegitimize and demonize the other party and the millions of American Citizens they represent is out of line at this time, nor at any other time. Is anyone actually offended looking at this image: tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/images/palin-crosshairs.jpgIs anyone truly bothered by Obama talking about bringing a gun to a knife fight, or telling his supporters to argue with, and get in the faces of, the opposition? Or Daily Kos putting bulls eyes on certain members of Congress? Offended, like feel personally insulted? No. But do I think it's over-the-top and destructive to a government that should (and often must) exist through concensus and compromise? Yes. In general, I really don't want the President describing his job or the job of running this country as a "knife fight" like the Jets and the Sharks are passing legislation. |
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Jan 10, 2011 17:06:35 GMT -5
Law enforcement has rounded up a terrorist who threatened Senator Bennet (D-CO). 1. Threats were made to the staff. 2. Why is he a terrorist? My understanding is that he threatened to torch the Senator's office or to shoot everyone in it. Presumably that would include the Senator, and law enforcement wisely increased patrols of the Senator's property. Why is he a terrorist? He told the staffers that "he may go to terrorism." That's close enough for government work IMO. |
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jan 10, 2011 18:46:24 GMT -5
So anyway, here's why I feel ashamed:
I was offline for most of the day on a press floor.
But I took the time read Paul Krugman's column and to rail against Paul Krugman for being an ass.
I did not, however, take the same amount of time to find out if there were any significant updates on the status of Gabby Giffords.
Don't get me wrong. Paul Krugman is an ass. And I thought his column was totally off base. And maybe there were not a lot of updates on her status through the early part of the day. But that's no excuse and it's just wrong.
To whatever forces judge good and evil in the world, I apologize.
(FWIW for my own personal karma, I did take the time now that I am home to check on her progress).
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Post by strummer8526 on Jan 10, 2011 19:52:33 GMT -5
So anyway, here's why I feel ashamed: I was offline for most of the day on a press floor. But I took the time read Paul Krugman's column and to rail against Paul Krugman for being an ass. I did not, however, take the same amount of time to find out if there were any significant updates on the status of Gabby Giffords. Don't get me wrong. Paul Krugman is an ass. And I thought his column was totally off base. And maybe there were not a lot of updates on her status through the early part of the day. But that's no excuse and it's just wrong. To whatever forces judge good and evil in the world, I apologize. (FWIW for my own personal karma, I did take the time now that I am home to check on her progress). I don't think you need to berate yourself over this. The Congresswoman's status is obviously of paramount importance, but in terms of what impacts you, and me, and most of us in our lives, the nature of political discourse in this country is also important. And it's something in which we all participate. So for people to spend a great deal of time reflecting on and discussing how politicians and the public talk politics is NOT something to be ashamed of. None of us can do anything about the victims' medical conditions. We can do something about what we expect and accept from our political process. |
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Jan 10, 2011 19:59:37 GMT -5
Two points: (1) the case could be made with the same degree of evidence to support it (zero) that violent movies and TV created an atmospher conducive to this kind of violence; and, (2) does Ambassador get paid by the word-count?
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Jan 10, 2011 20:02:58 GMT -5
No, Ed, and I don't appreciate your remark.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Jan 10, 2011 21:45:23 GMT -5
Two points: (1) the case could be made with the same degree of evidence to support it (zero) that violent movies and TV created an atmospher conducive to this kind of violence; and, (2) does Ambassador get paid by the word-count? Now you sound EXACTLY like those liberal Hollywood elites who are forever claiming that violence and immorality on TV and in the movies has no effect on public behavior -- then the same guys turn around and charge advertisers Billions of $$ to run ads that they have proven with absolute documented evidence influence the public's behavior. But then logical consistency has never been a consideration in your thought processes, let alone your posts. And if Jersey wants to post as much as he likes, good for him, or Lic, or Boz, anyone else. Even you Ed. And Boz, Krugman is a Nobel winning economist who has been spot on with his analyses, statistical evidence and recommendations for national economic policy for years. |
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TC
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Post by TC on Jan 10, 2011 22:10:30 GMT -5
And Boz, Krugman is a Nobel winning economist who has been spot on with his analyses, statistical evidence and recommendations for national economic policy for years. I didn't think that article was his best work. I'm no fan of Fox News, and I don't watch, but my general understanding of Bill O'Reilly's program is that although he's antagonistic and basically badgers guests he is not making violent characterizations all the time. The Millbank thing seems like a one time thing that I'm sure you could find a pretty legitimate comparison from Olbermann. |
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hoya95
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Post by hoya95 on Jan 10, 2011 22:37:37 GMT -5
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Jan 11, 2011 10:22:04 GMT -5
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TC
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Post by TC on Jan 11, 2011 10:40:40 GMT -5
And you could write the opposite finger pointing article citing Loughner's ideas on currency, federalism, the weird "government controlling your grammar" thing and the fact he shot a Democratic congresswoman. It'd be stupid though, because people like him and Sirhan Sirhan do not fall into the political spectrum. |
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jan 11, 2011 11:18:11 GMT -5
Government controlling your grammar is a conservative issue?
Hmm, maybe I guess. I do like to play grammar police from time to time, after all.
But I never blame the government, only the public school system.
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Jan 11, 2011 11:35:06 GMT -5
Government controlling your grammar is a conservative issue? Hmm, maybe I guess. I do like to play grammar police from time to time, after all. But I never blame the government, only the public school system. No, TC's right on this one. The reason I vote Republican is because the Democrats keep trying to inject the government into my sentences where it doesn't belong! I don't care what Obama, Pelosi, Ambassador and the rest of the Democratic Machine say--I will dangle my participles, add rando'm apostrophes, splice my commas and split my infinitives if I damn well please! /Hums Battle Hymn of the Republic //Marches out of auditorium |
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TC
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Post by TC on Jan 11, 2011 11:47:15 GMT -5
Government controlling your grammar is a conservative issue? About as much as atheism is a liberal issue in the original article. |
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Jan 11, 2011 12:06:55 GMT -5
(2) does Ambassador get paid by the word-count? I think he has an incentive clause in his contract based on if he averages so many words per post. ;D |
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Jan 11, 2011 12:12:13 GMT -5
This Caitlie character, whoever she is (and she is the original source of the left wing comment), had not seen or talked to Loughner in 3 years if my understanding is correct. This guy looks more like Sirhan Sirhan to me every day.
I don't appreciate being tied to the machine in some weird conspiracy theory. I may be one of the few on this B&G board to have never received a dime from a political group or elected official.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jan 11, 2011 12:32:41 GMT -5
I admit it.
I have a friend who is on a city council in Delaware. When we were in college, he used to buy me plenty of drinks when he worked as a bartender.
In return, I have pledged my complete support for the Wilmington recycling program.
Even though I hate recycling and think a better impact would be achieved through "reduce" and "reuse" programs.
I am clearly part of the problem.
But he made really, really good drinks. And did I mention they were free?
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jan 11, 2011 13:04:16 GMT -5
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Jan 11, 2011 13:43:32 GMT -5
Boz - I am seeing reports that she is breathing on her own, and she is able to register discomfort.
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Jan 11, 2011 13:48:26 GMT -5
And you could write the opposite finger pointing article citing Loughner's ideas on currency, federalism, the weird "government controlling your grammar" thing and the fact he shot a Democratic congresswoman. It'd be stupid though, because people like him and Sirhan Sirhan do not fall into the political spectrum. "Violence in American politics tends to bubble up from a world that’s far stranger than any Glenn Beck monologue — a murky landscape where worldviews get cobbled together from a host of baroque conspiracy theories, and where the line between ideological extremism and mental illness gets blurry fast. This is the world that gave us Oswald and Bremer. More recently, it’s given us figures like James W. von Brunn, the neo-Nazi who opened fire at the Holocaust Museum in 2009, and James Lee, who took hostages at the Discovery Channel last summer to express his displeasure over population growth. These are figures better analyzed by novelists than pundits: as Walter Kirn put it Saturday, they’re 'self-anointed knights templar of the collective shadow realm, not secular political actors in extremis.'" www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/opinion/10douthat.html?_r=2&ref=opinion |
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