Friday, February 18, 2011

They Were Kidding Then, NOW They're Serious

Or they're kidding now, and THEN they were serious.

Warner Todd Huston (Hi Warner! Hope your feeling better) is either terrified that the Winsconsin non-violent protests are about to get ugly, or he's satirizing the nationwide response to the Tea Party rallies. Look at these headlines!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZOMG!!!!!!!!

These Hatemongers Are in Control of Our Children!

Violence Soaked Union Thug Flocks To Wisconsin

I especially like the 2nd one - his hate is so fearsome, it only takes a single one of him to constitute a flock!

Anyway, here is the kind of rhetoric which Warner has suddenly decided is "egregious":





Wasn't there a kind of effort to defend these particular rhetorical florishes a month ago? What's the difference? These people are protesting on behalf of TEACHERS, and therefore their signs aren't misspelled.

As for our flock, you have to drill down a few links to find out what terrible violent acts this guy is accused of committing.

A nonunion contractor who operated heavy equipment, York was shot to death during a strike called by the United Mine Workers 17 years ago. Workmates who tried to come to his rescue were beaten in an ensuing melee. The head of the UMW spearheading the wave of strikes at that time? Richard Trumka. Responding to concerns about violence, he shrugged to the Virginian-Pilot in September 1993: "I'm saying if you strike a match and you put your finger in it, you're likely to get burned." Incendiary rhetoric, anyone?
Yep, incendiary rhetoric is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, even from 17 years ago. No wonder they're talking about bringing in the National Guard!

I think WTH's point is not that these things are dangerous, it's that Liberals shouldn't have worried about it. But since he doesn't make it explicit, he's going to get a lot of readers (unlike me, Warner HAS a lot of readers) who take him at face value. And he's fine with that. And this is the same attitude that other leaders of the Republican Party (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh) have. I don't care how you interpret me, as long as my numbers stay high. Thus this party which is always complaining about liberal entertainers shooting their mouths off about politics puts most of its trust in entertainers who have no other talent BUT politics.

DJs run the Republican platform. Unlike David Bowie's lyric though, they're interested neither in "humble pie (nor) bitter truth." In fact, just the opposite. I wonder if we could get Bowie to run?

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