Monday, February 21, 2011

Should the Left Mock the Right

via Norwegianity

PZ Myers responds to Michael Lind's anti-mocking piece in Salon.


First, Lind’s charge of “constant mockery” is patently ridiculous. Rachel Maddow has committed some of the most astounding acts of journalism on a major cable network that a U.S. primetime audience could possibly hope to see. Maddow regularly does long, in-depth interviews over multiple segments for which she is extremely well-prepared, enough to swat away any bullshit a guest might dare to fling at her. Even Tweety has his moments. Lind’s implication that anyone on MSNBC fills all or even most of their airtime snickering over the jaw-droppingly stupid and inane bullshit that right-wing politicians and pundits say every day is simply absurd. I just cannot fathom how anyone — much less someone with a platform on Salon — could possibly be unaware that one can report on our devastated economy, or revolution in the Middle East, and also mock morons.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

5 comments:

  1. Rachel Maddow as journalist? Snerk


    She who compares "W" to Pinocet? And is serious about it? I mean, WTF are you smoking?

    He allowed torture, oh boo the bleep hoo! The naivety of some people here who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth who seem to think that allow need to do is share our copy of the Sunday times and last weeks New Yorker with these terrorists and they'll just go home. The terrorist want to revert the world back to the twelfth century. They are people with only one mindset and that is western Civilzation is a sin and an abomination and it must die.

    So we take a few of their whack jobs and make them talk. We hardly ever use torture any more anyway, their is no need. I can find any number of fine pharmaceuticals legal for everyday use which will render even the best and hardest agent completely glib and willing to tell you anything. If you think we don't have have really good dice willing to get people to talk then you are even dumber than I thought.


    The dog any pony show the liberals are staging these days is amazing. Any new Yorker who does not believe inwiping these vermin from the Earth has no understanding of human nature. Any American understands this.

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  2. P:

    He allowed torture, oh boo the bleep hoo!

    Funny you should mention that. Our gracious blog host, once upon a time, was willing to accept the legitimacy of the government's use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique, because of his infatuation with Kiefer Sutherland (not that there's anything wrong with that):

    I don't count myself among the liberal voices who denounce all this torture business accross the board. I've watched Jack Bauer use torture for the greater good. I admit, although his is a fictional character, there may be cases in which it is necessary. I don't fancy myself in a position to judge such things.

    Granted, once he became sufficiently embarrassed, he abruptly reversed himself, and started calling for war crimes trials for Bush and Cheney, but by then, he'd basically surrendered any reasonable expectation of being taken seriously on the matter.

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  3. You did not get my post.

    We dont need to torture to get the info. We just give a little push up the vien and they all talk.

    Interesting thing. The terrorists know water boarding is non lethal. They actually trust us. Funny isn't it. But they know we can't do such things but they also often want to talk. Give them a few minutes of water board and they can talk because they have "resisted".

    Frankly I do not see terrorists as "enemy combatants". I see them as bat shit crazy vermin who need to be controlled in the same manner as rats and cockroaches. I see no humanity in a creature perfectly willing to walk into a group of kindergarteners and mothers and then blowing them up.

    They target on purpose women and children. Yes, we have had mistakes where the same have been killed but it's not our intended target. There is a difference.

    We are different.

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  4. Zorroy, I'm fed up with your bullshit. "but by then, he'd basically surrendered any reasonable expectation of being taken seriously on the matter."

    You weren't taking me seriously even before that.:-)

    (I don't know how to make that little smiley face to convey that I was joking - I know you like me to be clear about that)

    About the torture, though seriously P, you sound a bit mixed up. I thought you said you know some good pills that can do the trick then you go on to extol the benefits of torture anyway.

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  5. Clearly you are uninformed on the matter.

    We have pharmaceuticals that work. It's pretty common knowledge.

    Secondly. There has been a lot reported that many of the worker bee level terrorists are somewhat conflicted about murdering kids etc. Islam prohibits cooperation with "infidels" except it grants a waiver of sorts if the cooperation is done under force or torture.

    We use a little water boarding and the coercion waiver kicks in and they are free to talk under their code of ethics.


    Real torture does work. Ask any Viet Nam era POW. However it does not always work as planned. Again ask any Viet Nam era POW.

    Personally, I do not see terrorists as being afforded the protections of the US Constitution. I see them as cockroaches of the human species.

    Personally I would use an industrial sized woodchipper and a fish pond. And yes. I sleep just fine.

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