Archive for the ‘internet/free speech’ Category

That sentence says an awful lot

Posted: January 24, 2011 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news, war
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Now it is one of the seven corporal acts of mercy to visit the imprisoned. So I certainly can’t fault someone for visiting a person in jail, and if Firedoglake and Greenwald want to bemoan Manning’s treatment that is certainly their call and of course as a blogger I have no issue with citizen journalists covering a story.

But the Washington Post has an interesting description of the firedoglake folks who went to visit Bradley Manning in this story.

Two backers of a jailed Army private suspected of passing classified documents to the WikiLeaks website say their car was towed after they arrived at a Marine base to visit him.

David House and blogger Jane Hamsher say in a statement they had not had problems previously driving onto the Quantico base. But they say they were detained and unable to visit Army Pfc. Bradley Manning on Sunday.emphasis mine

“Backers”; that is the key word. Manning (and lets give the presumption of innocence) is accused of leaking classified documents in wartime to a foreign national who put them out there harming the US and risking lives. When they are backing Manning, it’s not because they think is wrongly accused, it’s because they don’t support the war and support any action that might cause our retreat.

Let’s make it clear. They do not back him because they think he is innocent. They back him because they believe he is guilty.

As Glenn Reynolds has said many times. They are not anti-war, they are on the other side and we are deluding ourselves if we think differently.

The “Why” of the left’s call for “civility”

Posted: January 21, 2011 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Tim Blair and Don Surber already talked about this now Victor Davis Hanson explains the why when it comes to the left’s “call for civility”

In other words, the calls for a general toning down of rhetoric translate far more into a toning down of both an effective media opposition and a rising political obstruction to the Obama agenda. “Can’t we all get along?” in essence means, “Can’t we all just keep quiet and keep going on with the big-government, agreed-on politics of the last fifty years?”

And why it will fail:

bipartisan friendly dialogue cannot and will not be adhered to by those now calling for its implementation, since divisive language often achieves what an unpersuasive ideology cannot.

And the end result?

I predict that 18 months from now the president himself will still be calling for a new civility in the manner of his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention — and will once again adopt the sorts of over-the-top metaphors, similes, allusions, and rough-stuff politics that got him elected senator in 2004 and president in 2008, and pushed his health-care legislation through in 2009. If anything, the language of division will be shriller even than in 2010, as the administration grasps that loaded language, coupled with calls for an end to rancor, must now do what a record of unpopular governance cannot.

As I’ve already said today predictions are tough even for a classical historian like Hanson, but go read it all and decide for yourself.

Since the call for civility we have seen…

Posted: January 21, 2011 by datechguy in internet/free speech
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A Democratic congressman compare republicans to Nazi’s and refuse to apologize at first then finally did.

A liberal talkshow host made oral sex jokes concerning the Republican Female Lt. gov of Wisconsin on the air.

A second lib talker fantasized on air about murdering Rush Limbaugh.

and on the Joy Behar show Sarah Palin was referred to as a Nazi and blamed her for the Tucson Massacre

We could go on but it’s kinda late as I’m writing this.

As Jim Treacher says “This ‘New Tone’ sounds a lot like the old one.”

Flash Poll weighed in favor of Democrats 3/2 favors Obama!

Posted: January 20, 2011 by datechguy in internet/free speech, media, opinion/news
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Morning Joe et/al is breathlessly reporting that the president’s number are up, that a slight majority favor keeping Obamacare and things are turning around for the pres.

The media is all over this but if you look at the actual report there is a set of numbers not getting play:

Q15 Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as (ROTATE:) a Democrat, a Republican, an independent, or something else? (IF “DEMOCRAT” OR “REPUBLICAN,” ASK:) Would you call yourself a strong (Democrat/Republican) or not a very strong (Democrat/Republican)? (IF “NOT SURE,” CODE AS “NOT VERY STRONG DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN.”) (IF “INDEPENDENT,” ASK:) Do you think of yourself as closer to the Republican Party, closer to the Democratic Party, or do you think of yourself as strictly independent? (IF “NOT SURE,” CODE AS “STRICTLY INDEPENDENT.”)
Strong Democrat ………………………….20
Not very strong Democrat ……………..11
Independent/lean Democrat …………..10
Strictly Independent………………………18
Independent/lean Republican …………11
Not very strong Republican ……………9
Strong Republican ………………………..12
Other (VOL) …………………………………7
Not sure …………………………………….2

So let’s get this straight, this poll of Registered (vs likely) voters that is showing the president’s numbers improving samples 31% democrats (or 41% counting learners) and 21% Republicans (32% counting learners). And you are judging national opinion on this? You are calling this news?

Think of it this way. If you had a poll on the popularity of the Red Sox vs the Yankees and asked 3 Guys from Boston for every 2 guys from New York City how would the Red Sox do?

This is what you call spin. The media manufacturing a story to create a bounce that doesn’t actually exist.

If people fall for this it is their own fault.

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