It's Good To Be The King

Yesterday, Mr. Dooley decides to visit Whallah! and leaves a comment, albeit an angry and snarky one. To the surprise of at least one reader, it was left, as that Whallah! encourages discussion, real debate, if you will.

Thinking this was a breakthrough, I went to RDW and left two messages. The first was admittedly a snarky one about the upcoming AFP convention (otherwise known as the unofficial Republican convention):

I could save y'all some time and money.

Here it is:

Taxes bad.

Liberals bad.

High profits good.

Tax breaks to wealthy good.

There, now you got a weekend free. Maybe kick a homeless person, or taunt an elderly lady, while you're at it.
capper
01.16.08 - 1:04 am #

King of the hate left strikes again
Fred Homepage 01.16.08 - 7:21 am #

It's good to be the King!
capper 01.16.08 - 8:38 am #

I also left a comment on a post of his in which he annoucnes that he has made his site the "Official Packer Blog." As you can see there was no breakthrough after all (although, to his credit, he did leave them up, and didn't ban me, yet):

I must admit a certain amount of jealousy here. I wish I had thought of this first.
capper 01.16.08 - 1:05 am #

Perhaps if you expanded your horizons a bit you might think of doing something other than attaxking rightie...I point you to the ridiculous hypocrisy of One Wisconsin Now...Applying standards differently is so easy to write about.If you have any standards to begin with.
Fred Homepage 01.16.08 - 7:24 am #

Wow, I give you a compliment, you respond with an insult. And I thought I was supposed to be the king of hate.
capper 01.16.08 - 8:39 am #

Sigh. Oh, well. To cheer myself and my royal friends up, a little up lifting music, going out to my BFF, Mr. Dooley:

Off the Deep End

It's fun having a mother who is even more of a lefty than her son. Anyway, she now lives in Arkansas and sent me this letter-to-the-editor from the local newspaper.

LIBERALS ARE THE TERRORISTS’ BEST FRIENDS
By Robert W. Griffith
Midway (Arkansas)

As I frequently listen to Bill “Slick Willie” Clinton and Power-hungry Hillary’s double-speak campaign, I tremble with laughter and fear for this republic’s future.

Face it, Hillary’s campaign agenda is based on the old German Marxist Social Democratic Party of 1875 and Fidel Castro’s form of government. Hillary’s form of government is Big Daddy and Big Momma.

Military magazine, January 2008, terrorists and liberals: “Our enemies know one thing: They have a friend in the lieberals because they will always tuck tail and run instead of stand and fight.” Radio-show host and Vietnam veteran Bill Boltinghouse.

Is Hillary a closet communist?

German Marxist Social Democratic Party? That's a mouthful and inaccurate. The party is considered to have been born in 1863 by Ferdinand Lassalle and was called Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein (General German Workers' Association). It has undergone numerous name changes, none of which come close to what Mr. Griffith claims.

I suspect comparing that original party to Fidel Castro's form of government is a stretch. I wonder if we can get Martin Lawrence to reprise his role if Ms. Clinton wins the presidency. Where would that leave her husband, though?

Anyway, these people are seriously deranged.

Someone's Getting Desperate...

Sykes either is having a hard time coming up with things to gripe about, or he is simply getting desperate. His "HOT READ" for Wednesday, which he posted on Tuesday, is just going to blow up the Obama campaign.

Charlie was able to sift through all the clutter on the Internet and tear himself away from surfing YouTube to find this devastating piece of damning literature: The pastor of Obama's church likes Louis Farrakhan! Oh! How will Obama survive when this news is made broadly known?

I can't wait until tomorrow, when we find out that Fred Thompson's next door neighbor's best friend's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician doesn't like Jack Bauer. That will ruin him, too.

She's Alive!

She's alive, and talking about Michigan! Nothing too outrageous, except that I don't think Romney really cares about her opinion of him, but I knew some of you were concerned.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

'Nuff said.

H/T Our Royal Barrister

On Banning Free Speech

Having read some of the silliness emanating from a local conservative blog regarding that owner's "liberal" use of banning commenters for perceived meanness, or slams against Christianity, the meaning of free speech was on my mind as I surfed the Internet today. I came upon this piece by Glenn Greenwald in which he comments on the "noxicity" of hate speech laws. He writes of the case of Ezra Levant, "... a right-wing Canadian neoconservative who publishes Western Standard, a typical warmongering, pro-Likud journal -- a poor man's Weekly Standard for Canadian neocons."

A little background: In 2006, Levant published the Danish Mohammed cartoons. An Islamic group's imam filed a complaint against Levant. Greenwald writes that rather than dismissing the complaint out-of-hand as it should have been, the Alberta Human Rights Commission decided to investigate. Though the hearing was closed to the public, Levant insisted on recording the proceedings. His wish was granted with the proviso Levant would not publish the video. He did so anyway and below is this video. As Greenwald says, it's “... nothing short of stomach turning: ...”



As repugnant as Levant's views are, free speech means that he should have the right to expose them to the light of day. For those heads on the right nodding sleepily, Greenwald goes on to say:

For those unable to think past the (well-deserved) animosity one has for the specific targets in question here, all one needs to do instead is imagine these proceedings directed at opinions and groups that one likes. If Muslim groups can trigger government investigations due to commentary they find offensive, so, too, can conservative Christian or right-wing Jewish groups, or conservative or neoconservative groups, or any other political faction seeking to restrict and punish speech it dislikes.

Down that ugly path lies people like Newt Gingrich, openly advocating that the First Amendment be narrowed considerably to exclude advocacy of "radical Islam" as a means of combating terrorism. People who favor and seek to exploit Canadian and European hate speech laws are but opposite sides of the same tyrannical coin as Gingrich and his allies who are eager to restrict political expression here.

Government control of speech, however well-meaning its surrender by citizens and regardless of how well-intentioned the government may be, is never the answer, because anyone believing the government will easily give back what it has been given is easily and frighteningly deluded.

McIlheran Gets Low Grade On Logic

Jay Bullock, the man of a thousand blogs, takes time out to refute some of McIlheran's (and by default, Sykes') bogus arguments about school choice and supposed plan that had been cancelled anyway. Jay ends with this conclusion:

So there's your choice logic: We can't make these voucher schools take expensive-to-teach students, because they don't have the money. And, hey, look at that, vouchers are a bargain! McIlheran is trying to have it both ways with a heads I win-tails you lose argument. It's a deal stacked against MPS.

You can read how he filets the arguments of Sykes and McIlheran here.

I am afraid that this will not slow them down from continuously squawking about it.

How Soon We Forget

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If he were still alive, he would be sorely saddened by the headlines of today.

We see that there are some that would want U.S. troops to remain, and continue fighting an unjust war, for another ten years. We also see Bush, on the pretense of wanting to establish peace in the middle east (Note to Bush: Starting wars is a not a good way to promote peace.) by selling smart bombs to Saudi Arabia, home of most of the 9/11 terrorists.

Sigh.

How prophetic Dr. King was when he said,

"The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live...We have guided missiles and misguided men."

But I take some comfort in the belief that if the good doctor were alive-- and he heard and read Sykes, McBride, McIlheran and the rest of the local right wing media, and how they promote not only the war in Iraq, but urge for an attack on Iran--well, he would be writing for Whallah!

It's The Economy, Stupid!

Jay Bullock (yes, I'm done with that kingly talk--for now) points out that the economy is not as rosy as the local right wing media squawk brigade would have us think it is.

Jay refers to an article in this morning's paper that tells of how the financial aid office of Milwaukee County is being overwhelmed with a jump of people applying for assistance. He then continues:

... However, let's all keep this in mind the next time McIlheran wanders through to tell us how fantastic the economy is. You can also remind him of the increasing Milwaukee foreclosure rate (mirroring national trends) and the skyrocketing consumer bankruptcy rates we've seen in the last year.

Jay also points out that there is plenty of blame to go around for the dismal financial events here in Milwaukee (emphasis mine):

There's lots of blame to go around for this--Republican legislators targeting Milwaukee County, a county executive unwilling to stand up to those legislators or meet the needs of his residents, a federal government pursuing welfare-for-the-rich strategies....

The highlighted part stood out to me. It seemed that I had seen something like that earlier, and in more than one place.

Of course, McIlheran, along with his good buddy, Sykes, will be leading the effort to think that the local economy is booming and Walker is doing a great job, but we know better than that. Don't we?

Leading By Example

Forsooth, a good king leads his people not with an iron fist, but by example. Verily, the day previous, I had posted on an article by one of the Knights that say Squawk, pointing out the falsehoods with which he was trying to beguile the good people of Milwaukee.

Truly, I must have set a good example for my fellow knights. For this day, we fine that others have taken up arms in defense of the good people of Milwaukee.

Sir Paul the Wise and Mustachioed points out that WMC needs to be muzzled, and prevented from doing more sabotage to the business community in Wisconsin.

We also find that Brew City Brawler, the Arch (put up your)Duke(s) of Deliberateness points out that McIlheran fails to point out that one of the anonymous critics that McIlheran refers to is none other than the National Catholic Reporter newspaper.

Royal Decree

Since I have now been annointed the King of the Hate Left, my Royal Barrister, the Lord of Liberals, the Illustrious Illusory One, hath pointed out a very valid and right noble fact.

Now that we have jousted with that miscreant knight, it doth needed to be pointed out that not all of those from the right side of the blogosphere is so petty, so tyrannical. There are many men and women of the conservative persuasion that are right noble and honorable themselves, though we mayst not always agree with their opinions.

There are many worthy and decent adversaries that doth follow the rules of blogging chivalry. They allow free debate, and ask only that we respect them, other commenters, and ourselves. They then doth offer us that same respect. They do indeed have the right to our respect, and we must be honorable ourselves by paying them that courtesy as we verbally joust with them.

These worthy foes include: Sir Dad29 the Pious, Sir Patrick the Badger-Hearted, Sir Elliot the Wheeled, Sir Billiam the Duct-Taped, Sir James the Entrepeneural (be gentle with Sir James, for he hath suffered a grievous blow), Sir Paul the Electric, and Lady Phelony, to name but a few.

Yea, verily, these stalwarts deserve our respect, even as we spar with them. As for the Knights that say Squawk, eh, not so much.

What A Difference A Day Makes

When I went to bed last night, I was but a modest man who had defended an honest man who was being persecuted by those who sought to quiet his voice.

This morn, I have found myself given the title King of the Hate Left. To my further amazement, I found people, both near and far, praising me and calling me by this title. I was sorely stunned by these turn of events.

But, after much thought, though I lief remain that modest man, trying to promote the values of truth, liberty and justice, I found that I could no longer be so. Thusly, though, yea verily, I fear that this crown shall weigh heavily upon by burdened brow, I humbly and gratefully accept this honor that hath been bestowed on me.

But, my brethen and sisters, do not capitulate, nor genuflect to the likes of me. No, rather, stand up, my people, my brave knights of goodness, my dear friends. Stand up and stand with me, for together we shall seek, and find, and protect the holiest of holies, the all-powerful Liberal Template!

Who will stand with me, in this just and greatest of endeavors? Stand up and be counted, I say!
Forsooth, you are all dear to me, and I can think of no greater honor, I ask no greater boon, than to have you at my side.

Conservative Thought: A Contradiction in Terms

I've yet to hear if anyone locally has purchased Jonah Goldberg's bathroom opus, "Liberal Fascism," though I'm fairly certain that James Wigderson once wrote he had ordered it. Can't wait for his review. Really. In any case, after reading Brad Reed's review over at Alternet.com, I may just have to purchase the book for laughs, or at least to be able to keep up with James.

Here are a couple of funny paragraphs from Reed's review (To Esenberg: The italicized sections are not examples of prooftexting. Rather, the selections are those I thought especially humorous. Sheesh.)

For the uninitiated, Liberal Fascism is a new book by National Review editor Jonah Goldberg that contends that Hitler and Mussolini were committed left-wingers, and that today's liberals are fascism's natural intellectual heirs. While this may sound like yet another Coulteresque quickie aimed at prying some money out of Dittohead Nation, Goldberg insists that it is actually a Very Serious Work that "isn't like any Ann Coulter book" because it presents an argument that "has never been made in such detail or with such care. Goldberg also goes to great lengths from the start of the book to say that he's not really saying liberals are fascists, but hey, here are 400 pages of similarities between liberals and fascists, and if you start associating the two of them by the end of the book, then that's not his fault.

But despite Goldberg's protestations and caveats, "Liberal Fascism" is indeed a remarkably silly work that's jam-packed with the same sloppy logic and dodgy research that we've come to expect from today's conservative pundit class. On page 2, for instance, Goldberg admits that he doesn't really know how to define fascism and that "not even the professionals have figured out what exactly fascism is." But as anyone who's followed Goldberg's career can tell you, lacking knowledge on any given subject in no way impedes him from writing over 400 pages on it.

Sounds like a certain local MJS columnist.

Anyway, sounds like fun. If this is the state of conservative thought these days, it's no wonder that voters are turning away from those bozos in droves.

Real Melodrama Wisconsin

This is an update (and hopefully the last one) of the 3rd way incident.

If you want to see Mr. Dooley's response, you can find it here. It is a wonderful study in selective outrage and melodrama. I would definitely suggest reading the comments as it is the best illustration of the hypocrisy that can be found there, especially in the first ten comments or so.

There are four points that I feel needed to be addressed.

One, Mr. Dooley calls Whallah! an attack blog. I suppose this could be conceivable if one only looks at some of the posts showing the hypocrisy of the right wing squawk brigade. But Whallah! is also a platform for those who oppose the foolish posturings of the right, but aren't allowed to express them freely otherwise.

Mr. Dooley also claims that the left are the only ones that are abusive. Some on the left can be abusive without a doubt, but Whallah! has already shown that one of Mr. Dooley's close associates has actually threatened physical assault on other people. And this does not include the COEXIST issue, McBride's distasteful handling of the death of two young black people, or Mr. Dooley's own poor behavior.

Third, Mr. Dooley claims that during l'Affaire de Illusory Tenant, no one on the left did anything.

This one is simple. Here is my post, and here is one from Jay Bullock. Not to mention that iT apologized profusely, and McBride accepted the apology.

Lastly, Mr. Dooley claims he has the right to run his blog any way he wants. He is absolutely correct in this statement. No arguments here. But other people also have the right to criticize them for their hypocritical positions.

And Yet Another Fan

McIlheran put up a quick post yesterday, announcing he would be on Sykes' show. Apparently someone else also caught the show, and commented on McIlheran's performance:

mdh

So,what will your job be? To parrot everything Charlie says? To get him coffee from the Green Room?

Why is is every political hack thinks their career is validated by appearing on television?

Tomorrows show: "Nod Yes To Anything Charlie Says" and get invited back next week.

"Squawk, you're right again, Mr. Sykes. Squawk".

And for the record, mdh are not my intitials.