Archive for October 22, 2009

Penn Gilette banned from lgf next?

Posted: October 22, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Penn Gilette found out yesterday that one of his heroes has feet of clay:

I’m surprised, frankly, that GB hasn’t had him on the show yet to talk about it. Or maybe he has and I’m out of the loop?

As with most of PJ’s monologues, there’s a sprinkling of profanity, so please observe your official content warning.

The Libertarian Popinjay (who has spiced up his site) explains the pain:

Now, I’m generally a compassionate person, so I can’t be too hard on Penn here. You can see with his dramatic pauses that he’s coming to grips with the fact that his idol is an intolerant jerk. He tries to rationize it because in his heart, Tommy Smothers – his hero, who he’s placed on a high pedestal – must be right. Penn knows the truth, however. You can see it in his eyes.

It exposes one of the biggest lies in pop and political culture: that liberals are tolerant and compassionate people. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are vile, mean-spirited individuals who want their point of view forced on everyone around them. Anyone who disagrees them is beyond contempt. There is no “agree to disagree” for liberals, progressives, or whatever they want to call themselves. Penn knows this, but it will take him a while to come to gripes with it.

Now you might remember that a certain audience losing petulant blogger, who in the opinion of a plurality of those polled here has a new employer, used to link approvingly to him on occasion but hasn’t since August, just a little bit before I was banned and Robert Stacy was converted from reporter and Pajamas Media writer to untouchable.

I guess once you appear on Glen Beck other position matters.

I disagree with Penn on a lot of issues, particularly the Catholic Church but he is usually wrong honest, sort of like Hitchens. It likely isn’t official but if he is banned by lgf like the rest of us, I suggest he should consider himself proudly banned.

Oh and the poll in question lets put it here in case you haven’t voted:

Update: The Anchoress has the same opinion of Penn as me:

Before I get 100 emails telling me that Penn & Teller have sullied the name of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta: Yes, I’m aware. Teresa can more than take care of herself, I think. No one gets everything just right, do they? It drives me nuts when a Christian writes to me saying “this person did this and that, and so they have no credibility…” because it flies in the face of what we believe about mercy, and the potential within all of us for change. Jillette strikes me as a guy who is seeking. He’s going to have blind spots like everyone else, particularly in those areas where he thinks he’s got it all figured out (again, like everyone else.) But it would not surprise me to read someday that he’s gone and spent some time with the Missionaries of Charity, to see what they do. God is not done with any of us, yet.

We may not know what God is doing but God does. As a rule if someone is seeking truth they are on the right path.

Q: What is the only way of getting a book written by editors of the Nation purchased by the general public?

Posted: October 22, 2009 by datechguy in oddities, opinion/news
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A: Why deception of course.

It’s a high complement to Sarah Palin and a perfect illustration of the weakness of the left in the marketplace of ideas. How else can the ideas of the left advance if not by deception?

Update: Captain Ed agrees completely in substance to wit:

Would “the most honest account” have to be wrapped in a deceptive cover, intended to confuse consumers into buying the wrong book? If it doesn’t start out with an honest approach, why should we trust that the same people who made that decision will be honest inside the covers? For an answer to that, we only need see the list of essayists included in this rehash of old Palin-opposing material, who include such straight-arrow observers as Amanda Marcotte, Max Blumenthal, Eve Ensler, and Jane Hamsher. Hamsher made her biggest political splash when she put Joe Lieberman in blackface during his re-election campaign. Marcotte got fired from the Edwards campaign for her vilification of religious believers in language bad enough to actually embarrass Edwards — and given Edwards’ history, that’s saying something indeed.

Alas he does not link, how dare he not hang on my every word! Doesn’t he know I’m a techie typing from the corner of my couch? (;c)

I must confess I have been thinking more along the lines of

Posted: October 22, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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Father Tim:

For many of the Anglicans who have petitioned for an arrangement whereby they can come into full communion, the primary issue is not the ordination of women or of gays but that of authority. For the Church to function properly in accordance with the will of Christ, there must ultimately be a primatial see with real universal jurisdiction. The arrangements offered by the Holy See are courageous and to be welcomed. They show yet again the determination of Pope Benedict XVI to promote unity within the Church without insisting on uniformity of rites or customs. The Holy See’s provision of the new arrangements is a historic landmark for genuine Christian Unity as envisaged by Vatican II understood genuinely as in continuity with the tradition of the Church.

But when it comes to the idea of a “mass” (no pun intended) defection of priests from the Anglican communion to the Catholic church Fr. Z brings up a critical point that I just plain didn’t think of via the Times:

But any serving clergyman would face a marked loss of income.

A job as a clergyman in the Church of England comes with a stipend of £22,250 and free accommodation. Catholic priests earn about £8,000, paid by their parish and sometimes topped up by a diocese.

In terms of dollars that is about $33k vs $12k. If you are a married Anglican Priest that is a significant chunk of change when you are supporting a family.

I don’t know if that stipend extends to C of E clergy in Africa but if so that might be pretty big sort of like the Jizya tax persuading people to convert to islam.

Remember that the unlike political matters such as the ny-23 race the church thinks in terms of decades and centuries, that’s what happens when your focus is on eternity so anything that happens will happen in its own time.

Q: How is Doug Hoffman the opposite of Meagan McCain?

Posted: October 22, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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A: He is getting attention from being flat. Flat tax that is:

Okay, enough suspense. Stacy informed me earlier this evening that Doug Hoffman will hold a press conference in the media hub of the region, Syracuse, where he will endorse the flat tax. That may not necessarily seem like a big deal but consider what I wrote earlier. Hoffman makes a good part of his living off of navigating the byzantine tax code for people who are overwhelmed by it. A flat tax will cost him business, since you’ll be able to figure out your taxes each year on the back of a postcard. Doug Hoffman is willing to work against his own financial interest to push something that’s in our best interests. When was the last time a politician did that?

That would certainly explain the Armey endorsement and to some degree the GOP opposition.

But DaTechGuy you say doesn’t the GOP like the flat tax? Are you sure you are just not getting it wrong since it’s 2:45 a.m. and you’re blogging while fixing someone’s PC while waking up on the couch?

Au contrare!

You see tax policy is one of the great powers of congress, by tweaking the tax code one can reward friends, punish foes, and “earn” the dollars of lobbyists from all over. I do my own taxes on paper and on many sections you find yourselves seemingly adding and subtracting numbers for no apparent reason, but the actual apparent reason is because for that .01% of taxpayers (usually a particular company) that particular line or tweak will affect their bottom line.

This is raw power, and if you think the GOP establishment in congress is going to give up that raw power willingly then you must think Romney care is the greatest thing since sliced bread!

The question in my mind is this? Exactly how good can try the club sandwich at the Renaissance Hotel lounge? Which came first the Flat Tax position or the Armey endorsement? and as a corollary: if the Flat tax endorsement came first is THAT the reason why the GOP establishment wants the serpents to strangle this one it the cradle because as a certain reporter wrote today?

Like they said at Chicago in ’68, the whole world is watching. I told Jimmie during our conversation that if Hoffman wins, his campaign here in NY23 will become the template for hundreds of similar grassroots conservative campaigns nationwide at every level next year.

and THAT in a nutshell is why the GOP establishment doesn’t want Hoffman or frankly Palin for that matter. If your primary interest as a feudal lord is getting back on the gravy train with the king you certainly don’t want to have the peasants revolt against that largess.

And if that revolt is successful that will force the GOP to either join the back of the mob al-la the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist, to try to get ahead of said mob pretending to lead the race a-la Rosie Ruiz or to simply accept it and pretend that they agree a la British Catholic ecumenical leaders trying to deal with the Pope’s historic move this week.

Bonus question! Why should you not blog at 2 a.m. in the middle of fixing someone’s virus infected system?

A: Because you end up writing bad puns like the title of this post.

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