Glenn Beck’s (and others’) Ignorance

Recently, the hatred evinced by some on the right seems to be approaching insanity. Never mind El Rushbo and his drug-addled mind that attracts millions of adulatory know-nothings, we also have alcoholic, manic-depressive Glenn Beck pontificating on his afternoon show on the Fox Noise channel in addition to his radio broadcasts.

When Beck accused the President of being a racist and saying “I think he hates white people”, it would seem to me that we have confirmed Charles Pierce’s thinking in Idiot America. The louder someone yells, then more people will accept the scream as being true. Logic is not a strong suit on the right side.

1)Free speech is one thing…but this? At what point does the lying and the character assassination become crying fire in a crowded theater?

wingnut: Maybe when someone actually gets hurt…

2) Like Dr Tiller?

wingnut: A nutjob who doesn’t know right from wrong, but it is Bill O’Reilly’s fault?

rational being: Statement made and limits agreed upon. Instance of Statement application shown, “Oh, those limits? That’s not what I meant.”

See: Schenck v. United States, Dennis v. United States, Brandenburg v. Ohio and PLEASANT GROVE CITY v. SUMMUM for just a few of the ways the First Amendment has been interpreted by the SCOTUS.

The Schenck case is the origin of the famous (mis)quote about shouting “fire in a crowded theatre”; although it is not an exact quote of Justice Holmes words it does convey the correct meaning of his words.

When you are attempting to defend bigots, at least try to describe the situation as it happened, not as you ‘remember’ it happening

The following came from an online discussion about right wing pundits refusing to accept responsibility for their hate speech.

MICHAEL SAVAGE

Wingnut: Seems to me he was verbally attacked by a pole smoker and verbally defended himself.

Nice touch there “pole smoker”, not too bigoted yourself, are you.

Simply another example of a person ‘remembering’ an incident without acknowledging the possibility that they haven’t actually remembered reality.

USA TODAY, July 2007 Talk Show Host Fired

The incident that resulted in his firing began innocently enough. Savage was taking viewer phone calls about airline horror stories, and a male caller began talking about smoking in the bathroom.

“Half an hour into the flight, I need to suggest that Don and Mike take your …” the caller said, before he was cut off and his words became unintelligible.

“So you’re one of those sodomists. Are you a sodomite?” Savage asked.

The caller replied: “Yes, I am.”

“Oh, you’re one of the sodomites,” Savage said. “You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How’s that? Why don’t you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it.”

There are too many irrational people hearing this stuff or reading the books and who are willing to go out and kill some libs.

When the failure of his “logic” was pointed out, the wingnut replied:
Typical lib, love that Constitutional protection when it fits your agenda, but not when it doesn’t. You need a refresher course in American Civics.

This last statement is quite indicative of the “failure to communicate” that seems to be causing so much of the strife in our society today. I offered a claim that is backed up by the actions that have resulted in several deaths just this year. Three police officers in Pittsburgh, Dr Tiller in Kansas City and a museum guard in DC, all dead at the hands of right wing nuts. There is also the case of one young GI dead at the hands of a Muslim nut. Which group do you consider more dangerous in the US? For some reason, I have read numerous screeds against Muslim speech but from the same sources we have a total failure to acknowledge responsibility for right wing extremism. – “Oh those are just individuals, you can’t blame X just because they slander Y and calls Y and others un-American. Why that would be a violation of the Constitution!”

Human society is far more complex than the righties can understand. Simple moral truths, that’s their motto – and when they violate those simple moral truths… Why that doesn’t count because those dead people weren’t real Americans.