Comments Posted By yazi
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MUSEUM SHOOTER INFLUENCED BY RIGHT WING RHETORIC?
ed: "[I]s there anyone on the left writing anything differently?"
Well, it's kind of like proving a negative, right? A lot of "lefty bloggers" aren't saying anything about any "connection" b/c there's nothing to say. Crazy person did crazy things. I have not gotten the impression from what I read that most people are drawing a connection between teaparty-like rhetoric and this guy. Because a few do doesn't mean all are.
There is another point of course, which is that the DHS report talked about an uptick in "right wing extremist" violence and there is a certain fringe of the right that is, aside from anything else, racist and extremist. I'm quite sure this is the part of the right that you would strive to disassociate yourself from. But it exists and the fact that the report observed it correctly should be noted. And the report was pretty careful about its terminology, Michelle Malkin's misreading notwithstanding.
Finally, I would agree that it would be better to grow our vocabulary a bit so that the term "right" doesn't encompass feelings of anti-government and racial separatism equally.
The report was withdrawn by DHS after they admitted it was badly written. That's not a right wing fantasy but rather an admittance by the Department itself that their definitions were drawn too broadly.
And perhaps a few conservatives were questioning the danger of extremists but what I was worried about (and even many liberals to their credit echoed this) was that the language in the report could be construed to include those who simply held contrary views on immigration and abortion. It was very undiscriminating between legitimate protestors and those who might very well act out in a violent manner.
ed.
Comment Posted By yazi On 11.06.2009 @ 09:13
You're right. These conclusions are simple-minded and unhelpful. But, BUT, it's equally unhelpful to ascribe this kind of thinking to "the left" as if "the left" is some kind of monolithic entity. It would do us all some good not to over-generalize like this.
I suppose you're right. And I usually take a little more care and am not so indiscriminate.
But frankly, is there anyone on the left writing anything differently? I haven't seen it yet and my piece was a reaction to the universal connection made by lefty bloggers (see Memeorandum and click a few links) to the idea that this is the fault of conservatives.
ed.
Comment Posted By yazi On 11.06.2009 @ 08:55
NOT A MISPRINT: OBAMA SEEKS CUTS OF 100 <em>MILLION</em> TO CURB DEFICIT
"Yes, your “O” no doubt has other plans to cut the deficit. But to make a big deal - and they did make a big deal about this - about cutting 1/37,000 of the budget is ludicrous. You are so far in the tank for the guy that he you probably believe he shits marigolds.
ed."
Nice. You presume to know a lot about me because I used shorthand (not unlike my use of W) in a blog comment.
But to your point: okay, maybe he made too big of a deal of it. It seemed to me he used words like "drop in the bucket" and "symbolic," which seemed like good qualifications on this move. But let's assume that you're right and it is just an empty PR stunt -- that seems like a legitimate, substantive complaint. But YOUR post was all about how this is such a ludicrously small portion of the deficit and how could anyone think that this is meaningful. So I say again, if he's not claiming that it's the sum total of his plan, you can't really fault him for saying that.
As others have pointed out, you show your irrational hatred when you walk right past the legit critique straight to the slightly unhinged one.
Comment Posted By yazi On 20.04.2009 @ 18:46
This is IDENTICAL to the tire gauge BS from last year. Where did O say that this was his one and only plan to eliminate the deficit?
Yes, your "O" no doubt has other plans to cut the deficit. But to make a big deal - and they did make a big deal about this - about cutting 1/37,000 of the budget is ludicrous. You are so far in the tank for the guy that he you probably believe he shits marigolds.
ed.
Comment Posted By yazi On 20.04.2009 @ 13:14
