Patterico's Pontifications

1/14/2011

Two Videos to Watch; Eric Fuller’s Edited Hyperbole and Pat Caddell Calls Krugman an Asshole

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 2:36 pm



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

First, there is Eric Fuller and his comments to Democracy Now.  Basically he said things like this:

“It looks like Palin, Beck, Sharron Angle and the rest got their first target,” Eric Fuller, a former campaigner for Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, told Democracy Now. “Their wish for Second Amendment activism has been fulfilled.”

But I want you to watch the original video, and listen carefully.

It’s risible in many ways, but notice what he doesn’t say.  He doesn’t say he presently blames Palin, Beck, and so on for the attack.  He is saying he did Saturday night.  And of course that was the same night that Sheriff Nifong Dupnick was making his own intemperate remarks.  So is it reasonable for the Mr. Fuller to have believed law enforcement on that issue on that night?  Of course it is.

But you never hear them ask the obvious follow up question: do you still feel this way?  And if you look at the rest of the report, created today, it is obvious that these people are completely dishonest.  They have deliberately skewed every other piece of evidence to indict the right wing, leaving out every piece of evidence that might exonerate their targets.  Why should we think they presented this man’s entire statement?  For all we know, he might have said this, “yeah, I was really mad that night at the Tea Party and all that.  And now I am angry at Dipshit Dupnick for putting out that kind of wild speculation.  I feel manipulated.”

Now that the story has gone halfway around the world, who knows how he might amend that statement?

And even if Fuller still feels this way, unless he can present facts to back up his claim, it is just his opinion, no more informed by fact than the opinion of your average 9-11 Truther (Pat Buchanan proves that even a broken clock is right two times a day, here).  Maybe he heard the killer shout something relevant as he fired, but in that interview, he didn’t mention it.  So in the absence of him being privy to some piece of evidence the rest of us are not, there is no reason to think that just because he got shot he has a special line on the killer’s motivations.

Still I am not going to beat up the man if he repeats the blood libel.  He was shot and he is allowed to be angry, even irrationally so.  But we don’t have to credit his opinion, either.

But I don’t want to leave you annoyed as you go into the weekend, so let me share this video with you as well. Pat Caddell tells us what he really thinks about Paul Krugman:

The word bleeped out is “asshole.”

Hat tip: the Daily Caller.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

Steele Is Out!

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 1:48 pm



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

The Daily Caller is keeping tabs on this story.

Not sure who will take over, but we have nowhere to go but up.

Previously: Michael Steele: Vote for Me, You Racists!

DLTDHYAOTWO

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

Sockpuppet Friday—The Foot Fetish Edition!

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 10:40 am



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

As usual, you are positively encouraged to engage in sock puppetry in this thread. The usual rules apply.

Please, be sure to switch back to your regular handle when commenting on other threads. I have made that mistake myself, a lot.

And remember: the worst sin you can commit on this thread is not being funny.

———–

And for some random goofing around, here is Wes Welker apparently mocking Rex Ryan:

For background, see here.

Wait, does this mean regular commenter Happyfeet is really Rex Ryan?  I’m not saying, but I’m just sayin’.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

Remember Folks, the Elites In Power Are Smarter Than You (Updated With School House Rock!)

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 7:22 am



Or: “In Which I prove that Christine O’Donnell is Smarter Than 81% of the Public and 85% of Elected Officials…”

[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

For instance, they understand the constitution better than you do.  Indeed that was why it was pointless to read it in Congress, or so the liberal spin goes.

Um, except for this.  Richard Brake of Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s National Civic Literacy Board announced the results of their test in basic knowledge of the constitution.  They had been doing this for years with embarrassing results, but the innovation this years is they asked participants if they ever held elective office in the state or federal government and then compared those results to the general populace.

You know where this is headed, right?  From the article:

  • Only 49 percent of elected officials could name all three branches of government, compared with 50 percent of the general public.
  • Only 46 percent knew that Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war — 54 percent of the general public knows that.
  • Just 15 percent answered correctly that the phrase “wall of separation” appears in Thomas Jefferson’s letters — not in the U.S. Constitution — compared with 19 percent of the general public.
  • And only 57 percent of those who’ve held elective office know what the Electoral College does, while 66 percent of the public got that answer right. (Of elected officials, 20 percent thought the Electoral College was a school for “training those aspiring for higher political office.”)

And what is more frightening is…  well, look at the quiz for yourself.  This is multiple choice.  For instance, consider this question on “Wall of Separation:”

6) The phrase that in America there should be a “wall of separation” between church and state appears in:

A. George Washington’s Farewell Address

B. the Mayflower Compact

C. the Constitution

D. the Declaration of Independence

E. Thomas Jefferson’s letters

If you guessed randomly, you would have a 20% chance of getting it right.  Regular folks guessing it right 19% of the time is roughly in line with that.  But public officials are apparently not only ignorant of where that phrase comes from, but positively misinformed.  Thus Christine O’Donnell is vindicated (and WaPo/AP, I am still waiting for you to acknowledge your mistake rather than pretend you never made it).

So the answer is we need more constitution reading, and not less.

Update: A lot of people in the comments mentioned this School House Rock video:

And of course here is the Family Guy goof on it:

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

Right Wing Fox Shoots Man

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 5:47 am



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

Oh, can you believe this example of horrible right wing violence by (a) fox?

A wounded fox shot its would be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter’s gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle, media said Thursday.

The unnamed hunter, who had approached the fox after wounding it from a distance, was in hospital with a leg wound, while the fox made its escape, media said, citing prosecutors from the [Grodno, Belarus] region.

“The animal fiercely resisted and in the struggle accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw,” one prosecutor was quoted as saying.

I blame Sarah Palin, because she likes hunting or something.

Update: As Simon in the comments points out, obviously we cannot trust Fox News on the subject.  They are going to be biased in favor of the Fox.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

You Must Read Allahpundit’s Summary of the Obama/Palin Comparisons. Now.

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 12:03 am



I will not excerpt.

OK, just this:

A homework assignment for aspiring speechwriters: Try to write an address titled “I Didn’t Kill Anyone” without sounding aggrieved.

Now read the whole thing.

They called Obama’s speech masterful. Absurd.

This is masterful.


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