A vote for DanaBusted.com or St. Louis Activist Hub is a vote for pissing off Dana Loesch. Voting ends September 9th, 2011. Winner not only gets to be MVB, but a $50 Amazon gift card.
Breitbart claims that Kenneth Gladney was called the n-word by Elston McCowan. At best this claim is disputed and I would argue the evidence against it is stronger than the evidence for it. At the trial, which I attended unlike anyone from the tea party, the three defense witnesses all were consistent in saying that what Elston McCowan, a black Baptist Minister, said was the word "negro" rather than The N-word. On the other hand, out of the three witnesses from the prosecution, one said that McCowan used the bizarre expression "son of an n-word," one said he used the expression "n-word" but didn't hear anything about a "son of a..", and Kenneth Gladney, after two years of saying that only Elston McCowan used the n-word, all-of-a-sudden changed his story to now claim that both McCowan and co-defendent Perry Molens called him the n-word. The inconsistencies between the prosecution's witnesses and the fact that Gladney changed his story no doubt counted strongly against the prosecution's case, as the jury took only 40 minutes to reach a "non-guilty" verdict for the SEIU defendants.
Breitbart repeated his absurd conspiracy theory that the White House sent a signal for "union thugs" to beat up innocent tea partiers at the town halls. He implicated the deputy White House Chief of Staff, the head of the AFL-CIO John Sweeney, and the SEIU in his grand conspiracy. Though the claim is clearly absurd that there was some massive government conspiracy coming from the White House to beat up a random guy selling buttons at a townhall, Breitbart actually showed remarkable constraint, at least considering that his sites and the tea party have collectively implicated all of the following groups and entities in their conspiracy theories about that night:
Breitbart claims that only Carnahan supporters were allowed in the townhall. This is not true. In fact, Dana Loesch and many tea partiers were in the townhall, as she admits. The claim is based on the fact that in addition to the main entrance there was a side door where some but not all people were being allowed in. My guess is that the door was being used to allow people in who had volunteered to help, but I honestly don't know the exact circumstances. Regardless, it doesn't have much relevance for the question of who started the altercation between McCowan and Gladney.
Breitbart's argument that UMSL should post the full 31 hours of video is a red herring. UMSL is prohibited by law from releasing the personal information of students, and for good reason. Academic freedom is, in part, based on the idea that students should be allowed to explore academic ideas in a classroom without fear of retribution or persecution. Breitbart's decision to post video of the students' comments on a public website is despicable. As for his suggestion that UMSL publish a transcript of the entire class with student names blocked out, I suspect that the reason they're not doing that is the same reason that he won't do it: it would be an absurdly time-intensive project.
At the beginning of the video Loesch asks "Does Washington University know that it's employee is here using its resources to smear private citizens?" It's true that I'm a graduate student at Washington University, but why Loesch thinks that I'm "using university resources" by engaging in a non-academic discussion on a Saturday afternoon in the summer is beyond me. Seems a little anti-free speech, doesn't it? Loesch claims, and has been claiming for a year, that I'm an "SEIU blogger." I've never been paid anything by SEIU and have no idea why anyone would call me that. Loesch claims that someone referred to me as an "SEIU blogger" on a video, and suggests that someone from SEIU made that claim at an NAACP press conference. I'm skeptical that anyone from SEIU said that since I don't think anyone from the group was even at the press conference she mentioned, but whomever said it would be wrong. Loesch also claims that I "laughed" at the same NAACP press conference when someone called Gladney an "Uncle Tom." It's true that I was at the event, but I'm sure I didn't laugh. I remember feeling uncomfortable with the comments. Another manufactured smear. Finally, Loesch disgustingly claimed that I was "stalking her children," another tea party conspiracy theory I've heard before. I previously had no idea what the claim was referring to, but Loesch explained that it was in reference to the fact that, "you clicked the website where my children are on." In other words, despite the fact that I have never, ever, said anything about her children in any context nor do I know anything about them or want to, she's claiming that I "stalk her children" because one time I linked to a post on her Mom Blog that she had referenced from her political Twitter account. That's pretty despicable behavior from a CNN analyst, or from anyone for that matter.
Andrew Breitbart spoke at the MoveOnUp.org Conference for black conservatives in St. Louis this past weekend. (It was a great success, by the way.) During a break Andrew was ambushed by a local far left troll Allen Shriver from the St. Louis Activist Hub. Shriver has a reputation for being a complete loon – his long, rambling, Media Matters a$$-kissing post on the ambush confirms this.
That blogger from the St. Louis Activist Hub’s name is ADAM Shriver, and NOT ALLEN Shriver. Hoft, Loesch, and Breitfart are lying morons, and Shriver’s telling the truth as usual.
Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder (R) snuck out of the conference to avoid scrutiny about his sordid details.African Americans who share conservative views on society and politics gathered in St. Louis this weekend to talk about building a grassroots organization. It was the first national convention for Move-On-Up.Org, a group that began as an electronic social network connecting blacks who felt big government was heading in the wrong direction.
The meeting drew people from six or seven states as well as Missouri politicians including Republican Lt. Governor Peter Kinder.
Nationally known conservatives Andrew Breitbart, known for his blog Big Government and Star Parker, a syndicated columnist, author and network TV commentator were among the speakers. Parker runs a think tank which promotes market based pubic policy to fight poverty.
The first African American chairman of the St. Charles County Republican Party, Eugene Dokes credited Move-On-Up with encouraging his interest in politics and challenging him to improve his education.
Kinder avoided talking to reporters who were waiting for him outside the dinner event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Airport. He slipped in and out of a kitchen entrance.
Videos showing two University of Missouri instructors apparently advocating for union violence don’t represent the UM System as a whole, a spokeswoman said.
The videos — posted online yesterday on Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government website — show snippets of Judy Ancel, director of UM-Kansas City’s Institute for Labor Studies, team-teaching with Don Giljum of Operating Engineers 148. The Labor in Society & Politics class is a joint effort between UMKC and UM-St. Louis.The videos are clearly edited — something Breitbart is known for. His news aggregate website is the one that put out an edited video showing Shirley Sherrod, an official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming she discriminated against a white farmer. The video later was shown to have been edited out of context, and Sherrod has filed a lawsuit against him.
Unlike the GOP spin from Janese Silvey, here's amore reasonable article from Fired Up Missouri:
I'm blown away by this story in the Columbia Tribune by Janese Silvey.
Even though the Andrew Breitbart empire of websites has a well documented history of using dishonestly editing videos to further their political goals against NPR, ACORN, Shirley Sherrod and others, the Tribune has posted videos from Breitbart's BigGovernment.com because... they "are making the rounds online."
The videos -- complete with the now-familiar quick cuts and odd edits -- are taken from an unknown numbers of classes and feature named and unnamed persons from what we're told are classes about the labor movement led by instructors UMKC and UMSL.
Or should congratulations go to Breitbart for finding someone to republish his dreck in a town that prides itself for top-flight journalism?
Here's one of the videos that Breitbart has obviously distorted.
Other Liberals, like me and Taunia Adams, also ripped Loesch's bullshit excuses.@AndrewBreitbart So when are you going to release the full, unedited tapes of the lectures?25 Apr@Flynn1776 Sherrod tapes were presented to portray her as racist. NPR tapes changed context. You've earned your reputation.
stlactivisthub STL Activist Hub@JaneseSilvey Wow, you got Breitbarted! Ever think that it might be a good idea to, you know, maybe ask for the full unedited tapes?
@Flynn1776 Are you saying Breitbart didn't call Sherrod racist?
@Flynn1776 As for history of labor, of course that was violent, given that the companies violently suppressed labor.
Difference between this case and @DLoesch's usual dishonesty: she is the originator of this story. Pay attention @CNN '
Today, @DLoesch put herself squarely in the Breitbart camp of disgraced media figures. Outright lies that she manufactured & pushed.
@TookieW @jjmnolte Nope, you are outright lying. Release the full context of "violence is a tactic" quote. Blatant lying. Sherrod Part 2.
@Flynn1776 Release the full video. Even better, just release the 10 seconds before the quote. You're lying.
@CBSNews The story about the Missouri professors is a complete out-of-context fabrication.
@cbsnews How many times do you need to be burned before asking for full tapes from Breitbart? If you run with it, you deliberately mislead.
@cbsnews @foxnews Same people who claimed Sherrod was "discriminating" and "racist" now claim profs support "violence." Figure it out.
The Breitbart swarm is hilarious. They don't even care if they're exposed later: just desperately want media attention in the short-term.
Somehow, I bet @dloesch has good lawyers. She will probably need them after these attacks on Missouri teachers..
Heh, @DLoesch follows every word of my Twitter conversation, yet is afraid to reference me? I thought she was all "punk rawk?"
@Jimi971 I've said for a long time there are/(or were) decent people in tea party, but the Breitbart crew ain't among them!
@TookieW is lucky his insults pack no punch, because I now know way too much about him.
@shep She's pushing a misleading edited video claiming that UMSL and UMKC profs "encouraged violence."
@andrewbreitbart Whoever did your "editing" on this last once really messed up. If you think Sherrod damaged your credibility, just wait.
Naturally, Dana The Devil sent her attack dogs to defend Breitbart and the distorted tapes. Of course, their tweets were just falsehoods and personal attacks.Taunia_Adams TauniaAdamsDoubtful, considering her legal probs, and multi frivolous restraining order threats RT @stlactivisthub: I bet @dloesch has good lawyers.
Doctoring vids: RW disease. Cure: (#NotBreitbart) RT @shannynmoore: Hannity got beat by girl/the truth. http://bit.ly/gyhpPb @maddow #p2theboneblog theboneblog@shep @stlactivisthub Oh, this whole 'professors teaching violence' thing in a labor class in the UM system.
@Jimi971 Methinks you're missing the point. Breitbart slandered Sherrod, got sued. Dana slanders a prof, she might get sued.
I'm glad Breitbart and his cronies have enough time on their hands to sit around and find videos to edit.
JGibsonDem Justin Gibson
@DLoesch: Last time I checked, @stlactivisthub is NOT a "stalker." However, people like Dana Loesch, @tookiew, and @jjmnolte are stalkers.
@TookieW: Actually, @dloesch got OWNED by @stlactivisthub, not the other way around. #loeschfail #dlrs
@TookieW: It is you, @dloesch, @jimi971, @jjmnolte, and @stage_right that are distortionists, not @stlactivisthub or @ericboehlert.
Shut up, @DLoesch! What you're saying about unions and SEIU is discredited garbage! #DLRS #TPOT #LOESCHFAIL
What Dana's saying on the UMKC/UMSL stuff is bunch of lies designed to scare people. They are NOT teaching Communism. #dlrs #loeschfail
Dana Loesch is indeed advocating violence against Liberals and Democrats. #DLRS #DanaLoesch #LoeschFail
cathysherwin Cathy Sherwin
Yes, Breitbart's deceptive editing hit #MO and the tea party would like to eliminate labor studies. All newsworthy I'm sure. @benpolitico
@TookieW get off your high horse, already.My grandparents,never been in a union,Grandpa was in mgmt.He's worried about GOP ending Medicare.
Don't get so far on a rant you disrespect the many union members working for Ameren around the clock after #tornado. @TookieW @PeterKinder
DLoesch Dana Loesch
Very curious as to what @UMKansasCity thinks about its professors teaching that criminal activity is OK in class: http://bit.ly/i8NDoh
@rightinillinois The man who lives with his mom in Granite City and threatened to hang me? Considering having him served with a PO.
Heh, the only way video of Marxist professors teaching that the flag is "racist" and how-to for industrial sabotage is "out of context"
@TookieW @jjmnolte @Flynn1776 LOL. I love how it's "lying" to criticize someone caught on tape saying "American flag is racist." #fail
@TookieW @jjmnolte @Flynn1776 Or how it's "lying" to criticize college profs caught on tape endorsing thug tactics multiple times. #morefail
@jjmnolte That's what is so funny. Technically, I have a case due to the libel (love when people can't tell the difference so use both)
@jjmnolte You give him too much credit. I don't give him attention because he's a stalker and just not that good at politics. #caring
@Jimi971 LOL. He was so scared he forgot to record me with his camera. See, a real pundit would have debated. Was sad. #stalkerfailjjmnolte jjmnolte@stlactivisthub thinks he's going to wrap us 'round the axel of his pimp hat. @dloesch @TookieW @Flynn1776
@stlactivisthub Ask for the pimp hat so no one notices the sex-slavery. Rinse, repeat... @DLoesch @TookieW @Flynn1776
@TookieW @dloesch @Flynn1776: @stlactivisthub, @ericboehlert & Leftists don't have facts or arguments, just TACTICS.
@stlactivisthub So u haven't seen the vid! Yer the one shouting SLANDER. Shouldn't YOU know? #DimBulb @TookieW @Flynn1776
@stlactivisthub Dude, you're screaming slander not having seen the vid & ur telling me to be careful, uhm, slanderer? @TookieW, @Flynn1776
@stlactivisthub did we miss part where THUG says, "just kiddin'!" Or when FBI bursts in to make undercover arrests? @TookieW @Flynn1776
So @stlactivisthub, you haven't seen whole video & you're screaming slander? That's slander, u dimbulb. @TookieW, @DLoesch, @Flynn1776Flynn1776 Mike Flynn@stlactivisthub likes animals, unless they have to be sacrificed on leftist altar. #noshame
can't wait to get cameras into cat ethics class taught by @stlactivisthub
ouch @tookieW you got pawned by that little shriver kid at @stlactivisthub What has he ever done, by the way?
LOL @stlactivisthub Nice try. Not falling for your silliness. I know how the left works. U own this class.
LOL I guess @stlactivisthub thinks professor said "violence is a tactic" BUT u should never use it. Hint: She didn't.
Hey @Liberty_Chick just thinking I got drawn into a fight with a minnow. Need to atone for my focus on @stlactivisthub. Weird on my part.
I'm sorry @stlactivisthub ur allies are on tape advocating violence. U have to deal with it. Wait until this happens across campuses.
@stlactivisthub would you condemn industrial sabotage? Or disrupting power plants causing black-outs?
Right @stlactivisthub cause everyone sits around after 60 minutes saying, Boy...I need to see the full tapes...only us w that standard
@derekahunter what drives lefties like @stlactivisthub nuts is they know we have the goods, cuz its typical college fare. The gig is up.
Report the story @stlactivisthub. If we are wrong U will be praised by progressives everywhere. U can do it!
TookieW Tookie Williams
@cathysherwin I refuse to work with commies time for #mounions to house clean . #American flag is racist makes skin crawl
@cathysherwin I love trades HATE commies that would sabotage , my trades are American loving folks not COMMUNIST PARTY USA members
@Flynn1776 @stlactivisthub Flynn I don't think the permanent D team leader ponytail lotion boy has actually done a thing , Hare he helped.
@jjmnolte @stlactivisthub @dloesch @flynn1776 his lotion jar would be more fitting
@Jimi971 @stlactivisthub @dloesch @jjmnolte Adam is an attention whore who finds himself the butt of the joke
@Jimi971 @stlactivisthub @dloesch @flynn1776 Shriver can't handle dana success #lotionboy
@diggrbiii it is such a waste of time to debate with Adam , he and his friends assume it is over but #just the start #x
@jjmnolte @stlactivisthub @dloesch @flynn1776 Adam is in spin mode , and not doing it well
@stlactivisthub #What #say #you #now ????
@jjmnolte @stlactivisthub Not only the pimp hat but he can't get @cbs to release full tapes of hot mike on their "highly" edited clips
@jjmnolte @stlactivisthub will every nightly news release FULL tapes ? Nolte he hangs with squatters and Communists . #nonfactor
@stlactivisthub @dloesch @Flynn1776 Oh look a ponytail hang with Commies Union leftie is making demands . What's next a threat of violence
Hey @DLoesch @Flynn1776 @Foundingblogger isn't it funny watching lefties hating on Dana success ? #WINNING does that
@Flynn1776 @stlactivisthub maybe we should release Shriver tapes of him saying " he hangs with commies" #aceinhole
@stlactivisthub @andrewbreitbart find it more odd that you support violence and sabotage of power plantsLiberty_Chick Mandy Nagy@JawaVinnie @TookieW @ChicagoPatriot @stlactivisthub @DLoesch They should do that more often. Way better than all that silly MMFA fellatio.@JawaVinnie @TookieW @ChicagoPatriot @stlactivisthub @DLoesch Plus Adam's hair looks so much nicer in this vid than the NAACP one #justsayinwhennessy hennessysviewNot a Mizzou alum, but got plenty of Black & Gold. They better fix this before kickoff http://j.mp/h9kry5 #mounion
Aaaand just when you thought it was safe to go back to the University of #MO: http://j.mp/h9kry5 #mounion
Shut Down Labor Studies Now, Governor Nixon - Governor Nixon: What does it take to get your attention? What does it... http://ow.ly/1cmo4C
This dude is insane -> http://twitter.com/#!/stlactivisthub/status/63068394609582081
@TookieW I don't debate hacks like that. I simply use them as examples of the intellectual deficit on the Left.
@stlactivisthub She said violence was to be used when it's an appropriate tactic. You're seriously grasping here. @jjmnolte
You know, tool, it might help if you had some evidence before you go around trying to accuse people of lying. @stlactivisthub
Also, don't you think they know people you would ask for the "unedited videos", moron? But hey.... keep sounding the alarm. @stlactivisthub
Are you trying to say that those guys aren't communists and they weren't lecturing about how to be subversives? @stlactivisthub
LOL! @mmfa wannabe -> MT @stlactivisthub UMSL/UMKC tapes look highly edited. @dloesch owns this story if there turns out to be misleadingJimi971 JimiYa see @stlactivisthub PRIDES himself in RT's from Senior Fellow @ericboehlert and response from"Breitbart Crew" this is his activist oxygenThe fact is! That @stlactivisthub is arrogant enuff to think that @DLoesch views his lil' Boehlert page when HE responds to her show..HE... @stlactivisthub trolled @DLoesch's mommy blog, HE (Adam Shriver) injected himself into Wash U Student paper about Dana...HE..has been trying to bring down @DLoesch her husband,any little thing he @stlactivisthub can get.ALL THIS & every single time falls FLAT on his face!
I think @stlactivisthub oughtta stick to contemplating the pain fish, may or may not feel... One thing at a time Adam.
@stlactivisthub @DLoesch @jjmnolte YET Adam blogs Aw shucks Think I stood my ground in "mob" later says Tea folks nice people? Which is it?
@stlactivisthub @DLoesch jjmnolte If Dana is afraid 2 reference you Adam,why did SHE confront u last yr rally?Made u look like a smacked ass.
@stlactivisthub @DLoesch Oh and by the way stop stealing Michelle's "punk rawk" ref, come up with your own stuff Adam. ;)
@stlactivisthub @DLoesch @jjmnolte Adam, are that fucking arrogant to think that Dana is following you? Really? You're a parrot of lib talk.
@stlactivisthub @dloesch @flynn1776 99.9% of the time when u see the words.."she or her" on his Twitter page? It's about Dana. A Diva thing.
I wrote earlier about how horrible human being Dana Loesch demanded that a MoveOn activist apologize for having her head stomped on by an angry Rand Paul supporter while being held on the ground by other Paulites.
Now Loesch is doubling down, claiming that MoveOn wasn't "chivalrous" because they didn't prevent a woman from attending a political debate:
Dana Loesch, who really does not actually know very much about the Kenneth Gladney case (as evidenced by her embarrassing attacks on a local county counselor), has recently been spreading more verifiable misinformation about the altercation. Pointing out some of these falsehoods will serve as a nice reminder of some of the main flaws in treating the police report on the incident as gospel. In fact, the police report contains several falsehoods and is based entirely on the testimony of biased tea party activists. As stated by someone arguing with Loesch on Twitter:
That, as we will see, is particularly salient in this case, but first I'll focus on some of Loesch's specific falsehoods. For starters, Loesch repeatedly claimed that Kelly Owens was "beaten" and "punched in the face." And, in fact, the police report also states that Owens was hit in the face. However, in an extended video from the night that includes Owens being interviewed by the police, Owens specifically responds, when asked by the police where she was hit, that her camera was hit which in turn hit her face. So she was not "punched in the face," and she certainly was not "beaten." Now, I'm certainly not saying that Cheryl Joiner's act of hitting Owens' camera was OK. Joiner was wrong to do that and I'm glad that charges were filed. However, to claim that a simple act of slapping a camera is the same thing as beating someone or punching them in the face, and specifically as being in the same category as stomping on a woman's neck, is just plain wrong.
So, just to review:
We have at least three central claims in the police report being directly contradicted by video evidence from the scene or later interviews with the same witnesses. We also have only three "witnesses" who didn't actually witness the fight starting and who all happen to be tea partiers with clear ideological agendas. And finally we have a ridiculous arrest of Post-Dispatch reporter Jake Wagman by the same police during the same events.
Loesch wants to start trouble on her BigJournalism blog:UPDATED: Expecting to hear crickets
by: Clark
Tue Oct 26, 2010 at 12:36:22 PM CDT
The only thing I've seen from St. Louis Tea Party blogs on the brutal attack on the MoveOn supporter at the Rand Paul rally was a couple of posts by Jim Hoft essentially claiming that Paul supporters were forced to drag the woman to the ground and step on her head.
If she didn’t want to be restrained she shouldn’t have gone with the intent to start trouble, but congressional members also need to provide their own security. Sure, the man shouldn’t have placed his foot on her head. Me writing that just now is more than Soros employees Eric Boehlert and his Soros crew over at Media Matters will ever say on Kenneth Gladney and Kelly Owens, two victims of actual violence. They’re too busy defending the people who beat them, mocking and slurring the victims. Boehlert is terrified to touch the subject of Kelly Owens’ beating because he’s more concerned with making sure he remains popular amongst an organization that would condone the beating of women and minorities.

The reason I hesitated about whether I'm "a Washington University employee" is because I'm on dissertation fellowship this year, so I actually was not sure whether I would be classified as an employee. However, I am pretty sure that I'm not considered "staff." It's not because I was trying to "conceal my identity" as they claim. And for the bazillionth time, I'm not, "using the university's resources to smear and libel private citizens."
Speaking of which, she's still ridiculously claiming that I "libel" and "defame" her by responding to her public political statements. She also claims that responding to her opinions is equivalent to "stalking" her. On this definition, I am also "stalking" Bill Hennessy, Ed Martin, Roy Blunt, Jim Hoft, Adam Sharp, etc. etc. etc. And, for that matter, Dana Loesch is "stalking" Eric Boehlert and President Obama. She sure as hell would be "stalking" Russ Carnahan when she burned a picture of him and said, "This is how a fire smells when it's burning Tyranny" on this definition. But on the real definition, it's not stalking to criticize other people's political viewpoints that they state on blogs or on Twitter. Most people with even a modicum of intelligence realize that once you put a political opinion out on Twitter, people are going to read and respond to it. Likewise, it's not "libel" to use evidence to point out when other people are wrong. As I say in the conversation, all of this blabber about "stalking" and "libel" is an attempt by Loesch to shut down political discourse, and shows just how scared she is of having people actually analyze her comments.
She said I tried to expose "payola situations" and hence was "coming after her job." Well, sorry, but if her husband's business Shock City Studios gets $5,000 from Ed Martin and she fails to disclose that while giving Martin favorable coverage, then I'm going to mention it (BTW, Chad Garrison and another reporter who wasn't in a position to write about it agreed that this was a newsworthy story). It's called "a conflict of interest" and most people are capable of recognizing clear instances of it. She thought she was clever by saying that the Congressional Black Caucus also made a video there so, "does that mean she's in the pocket of the CBC?" But, as I said in the video, I think the rules would be exactly the same. If she was reporting on the CBC, then she would have a duty to disclose that she had a financial conflict of interest. Transparency isn't only a good thing for the government. It's also quite an important feature of a well-functioning media. I tried to explain this to her but her Fox News Guide to Conversation kicked in and she simply ignored my point multiple times before changing the subject.
She says that I "attack them personally" but "never address the merits of their ideas." Hilarious. Dana alluded to the right-wing conspiracy theory that health care reform is "unconstitutional." As I point out, this is not true according to the dominent interpretation of the commerce clause: While I agree that the recent commerce clause cases hold that Congress may not regulate noneconomic activity, as such, they also state that Congress may reach otherwise unregulable conduct as part of an overarching regulatory scheme, where the regulation of such conduct is necessary and proper to the success of such scheme. In this case, the overall scheme would involve the regulation of "commerce" as the Supreme Court has defined it for several decades, as it would involve the regulation of health care markets. And the success of such a regulatory scheme would depend upon requiring all to participate. (Among other things, if health care reform requires insurers to issue insurance to all comers, and prohibits refusals for pre-existing conditions, then a mandate is necessary to prevent opportunistic behavior by individuals who simply wait to purchase insurance until they get sick.)
Finally, her comment about "poll numbers" was a complete distraction. We were discussing whether the law was unconstitutional, not whether it was popular. Incidentally, the latest poll shows a very small difference between the number who view it favorably and those who view in unfavorably, 43-45.
I want to be up front about a series of tweets I sent to a, well, how should I put this, this, less than informed young Obama supporter Mr. Gibson. I have found that over the years, having some educational background in philosophy has been very helpful because it helps me to see where ideas come from. I have watched with almost disbelief lately at how political discussions have been either mud slinging sessions or "talking points" slinging sessions. Politics has is no longer about reasoned discussion about the validity of ideas and their effectiveness in government and the private sectors but rather an angry exchange of the same old talking points expressed again and again.Lux: Strike 1: While I am an Obama and a Democratic Party supporter, I am NOT less than informed. I am more informed than many on the right.
Strike 2: He spelled belief system as "believe system." Proof that the Far-Right can't spell right.
So when I get accused of being a spokesperson for conservative talking points I have to laugh. No Mr. Gibson (yes you), my believe system is rooted in much deeper things.
The truth is that our founding fathers (and no, this has nothing to do with Glen Beck) understood and discussed philosophy. When they founded our nation they understood the influence and importance of having a firm philosophical foundation for our nations constitution. In our current times, this is lost. People are lost in a world of ideas and buzz worlds that have lost any firm philosophical basis even though they are rooted in it. The problem is that those who use them really don't understand the basis for what they are saying. There ideas, being based only in their mind, become a kind of prison because they don't believe there is any firm foundation to root them in other than their feelings. Politics then is based more on the cult of personality and in the US, the Messianic figure of Barack Obama who is certainly no Messiah. We also listen more to entertainers like Oprah Winfrey than to those to have studied the great philosophies of the world and understand their basis.
Those like Mr. Gibson have been sold a product that like any other product that the television sells based on nothing more than an appeal to the senses. The promise of a world in which pain is minimized and pleasure is maximized. That is classic Peter Singer but of course, My Gibson would rather spend his time attacking people rather than really learning what he is being sold. If you eat a lot of sugar Mr. Gibson, you get diabetes and in time, if that is not taken care of then your organs die. That is what is happening to our nation. Those foundations most importantly the constitution, care dying under the corruptive influence of relativistic poltiical ideologies.
Believe it or not, people like me are not part of some Republican conspiracy. To be honest, I don't like either party. Tea party is also a term invented by the left. Call me whatever you want but at least I know the basis for my beliefs and you Mr. Gibson, can go on believing the lie but don't be surprised when the bill collector comes to your door and there will be no one to save you, because the nation that gave you freedom and liberty has been "fundamentally transformed".