06
Oct
Is This It
We’ve spent a lot of time debating the possible existence of peak wingnut here. If this isn’t it, then it’s, at the very least, the Sistine Chapel of early 21st century wingnuttia (via Wonkette).
Update. Via the comments note that the black man in the blue shirt on the left is holding the Glenn Beck bible.
General Winfield Stuck
Where is Sarah Magdalene?
Cain
Note that the union soldier is hiding his face in shame! Some stars shine brighter than others? Fuck you dude!
MikeJ
The picture alone doesn’t do it justice. Not only do you need the original with captions, but you need the snark.
Martin
Really, now. We passed this milestone ages ago.
They’ve got to do a lot better than that to claim peak wingnut.
DougJ
Note that the union soldier is hiding his face in shame! Some stars shine brighter than others? Fuck you dude!
I think that’s a Supreme Court judge.
Xecky Gilchrist
Agreed it is the Sistine Chapel, but no way is it peak wingnut.
I know not how they will top it, but they have not yet begun to wingnut.
MikeJ
Look at the schoolteacher, just to the left of the mother holding her hand up and to the right of the marine in dress blues.
McGeorge Bundy
That is some fucked up shit. No other way to put it.
DougJ
The picture alone doesn’t do it justice. Not only do you need the original with captions, but you need the snark.
You can’t connect, tho—too many hits.
sunsin
Jesus looks awfully white for a guy who spent his life in the Middle East before the days of sunscreen.
Just sayin’......
Cat Lady
No Waldo, Elvis or TruckNutz. No Peak Wingnut yet.
Martin
@DougJ:
There’s another on the back left.
anonevent
What’s Aragorn doing with the Constitution?
General Winfield Stuck
I can’t agree that this is near Peak Wingnut. It is however, funny.
DougJ
There’s another on the back left.
You’re right.
SiubhanDuinne
Supreme Court and Congress are there. Where’s the White House?
General Winfield Stuck
@SiubhanDuinne:
The n*gger has it.
Fulcanelli
@sunsin: And bears an eerie resemblence to Jim Caveziel. Also.
Cat Lady
Is that John McCain on the phone getting good news?
SiubhanDuinne
The Capitol, of course I meant. But I still think it’s interesting that the artist omitted the architectural symbol of an entire branch of government. Wouldn’t have anything to do with the current occupants now, would it?
Martin
They sent it out for fumigation before
babyClint Eastwood Jesus moves in.General Winfield Stuck
@MikeJ:
could be her. younger maybe.
mistersnrub
Farmers are truly the backbone of society, not those rootless, cosmopolitan, money-grubbing lawyers, bankers, academics, hollywood moguls and media people…
Modern Conservatism = Stalinism
Penfold
Okay, I mentioned this in an earlier thread as it was dying, and I just felt the urge to again:
I really think we should team this guy up with the ace political cartoonist and “artist” Erin Bonsteel so astutely profiled by Sadly, No!
McGeorge Bundy
Take a look at the book the college student is holding: The Five Thousand Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen. Glenn Beck’s second bible.
Fulcanelli
A’fore long this’ll be on the back of durn near every airport restroom bathroom door to drive out the sin! Praise the Lord’s wide stance!
Nicole
I liked that there were explanations for all of the figures except for “Business Woman.” Is she good? Is she evil? You decide!
I noticed the Sarah Palin teacher, too. So… state supported public education good, but private college bad? Unless eeeeeevil college professor was from a state university. Really, it’s a very deep picture.
RSA
I like the contrast between the salt-of-the-earth school teacher and the arrogant, Darwin-believing college professor. I guess no one needs any more book-larnin’ than is needed to read the Bible.
Ash
Satan looks like Voldemort.
raff
Aww yeah! I saw this earlier—check out the ‘mouse-over descriptions of almost every character in the “painting”... it’s teh awesome! Ironically, the “politician” character represents a generic republican (has a “patriotic tie” & “American flag lapel pin” even though he only cares about his own self-interest before his country).
Seriously, go now & check out the roll-overs… minutes of fun!
I particularly like the depiction of Jebus as a towering, latern-jawed action figure when in reality (?) Jebus would be only a foot taller than the kid fondling the constitution (that apparently Jebus wrote).
Tattoosydney
What I want to know is where, o where, are the hommosexuals and other perverts cowering before our lord jesus like they should be?
Nicole
@MikeJ: Oh my Goddess, the snark was a sack full of win. Thanks for the link. Heh. The Jeebus DOES look like Aaron Eckhart!
But even in the snark version, no Business Woman love.
jack fate
ALL UR GODZ BELONG TO US
!
Ben JB
I do like the “if you’re black, go to the back, unless you like Skousen’s Five Thousand Year Leap” system they’ve got going on.
If only more conservatives would spend their time painting these painting and de-liberaling the Bible, imagine how much work the rest of us could get done.
SpotWeld
If you think this is it, I’m sorry to say you are mistaken.
Tradition demands that this is the central panel of a triptych.
Given the internet popularity that has arisen you can be certain that a pair of flanking images will come up for this.
Since this central image is past/present the two new images will be a “good” future and an “evil” future.
(The one where the True Republicans get elected and the one where they don’t)
Ben JB
@MikeJ: Thanks for the snark.
ellaesther
@Ash: Palpatine.
cleek » Armageddon Days Are Here Again
[...] human heart But God didn’t build himself that throne God doesn’t live in Israel or Rome God doesn’t belong to the Yankee dollar God doesn’t plant the bombs for Hezbollah God doesn’t even go to church And God [...]
Alan
@Tattoosydney:
The cowering non-Christian immigrant is there. ZOMJeebus
freelancer
@SiubhanDuinne:
Jesus IS the Executive Branch, duh!
gizmo
And why isn’t the entire front page of Balloon Juice devoted to a celebration of the glorious Minnesota Twins victory tonight?
Patton
Remember that farmers are “[t]ruly the backbone of America.” Given that the agricultural sector made up a whopping 0.9% of the US’s GDP in Jan. 2005, how could it possibly be otherwise?
/snark
As the descendant of countless generations of farmers, as a Christian, and as a history major, I would just like to say that that man is so full of shit he could open his mouth and manure five fucking fields.
Xenos
You could call it peak kitsch, but as a clearly Mormon piece of work it does not really represent wingnuts as a whole. Whoever came up with the bald eagle with a tear that is gazing at the smoking World Trade Center – that has yet to be improved upon as an aesthetic and moral sin.
Brachiator
@General Winfield Stuck:
Out field dressing the moose that will be served at the Last Supper.
freelancer
@Penfold:
No, she sucks. This guy actually possessed some minuscule amount of artistic skill.
http://antiantiunderground.com.....hatter.jpg
9 years of Bush < 9 Months of Obama. Got it.
Penfold
@freelancer:
It’s all so clear to me now…
SiubhanDuinne
Go into the artist dood’s website http://www.mcnaughton.com, if you dare. He . . . what’s the word I want? . . . expounds. Plus and, he shares this tender autobiographical moment:
When I was very young I would imagine that someone would hang one of my paintings on their wall and a person from across a crowded room would say—“That’s a McNaughton!”
That is nothing but win. Is there room in these parts for a new tag? ‘Cause I think “That’s a McNaughton!” is a prime candidate.
Penfold
@freelancer:
That’s true. Though I still think it would be sweet if the lesbian lizard people from her “high art” had cameos in the chapel.
You should also see her play guitar. Someone, I think in the original S,N! comments, posted a link to her appearing on some 12th-rate imitation of American Idol for instrumental musicians on YouTube…it’s everything ou could wish for.
General Winfield Stuck
@Brachiator:
What a brazen hussy.
Midnight Marauder
You know, I came across that page a few hours ago, and I just froze in astonishment and disbelief. I tried to read a little of the text, but my eyes kept drifting upward and fixating on that picture. And especially looking at Lincoln. Just…kneeling there, arms extend like a presidential Tobias.
And then I saw George Washington, with his hand gently placed on Lincoln’s shoulder, with a random, modern day soldier…and he was black? And then I saw that he was standing next to Reagan…Reagan? Why is he so far back? Why isn’t St. Ronnie right next to Jesus, tussling that blessed little white child’s hair as he touches the Constitution AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE?
In the end, it just left me feeling like that union soldier in the far left corner. Weaping uncontrollably, unable to turn my eyes towards this catastrophic defeat—NAY, this holiest of holy tribulations.
What hath God wrought?
freelancer
@Penfold:
I saw that thread. That vid link of her playing was gawd awful. Just for comparison, whoever linked it, I believe, also linked to Rodrigo y Garcia just to contrast how the guitar is a musical instrument and not some hobby to dick around with like a Nintendo Wii.
In fact, I think I’ll link to them right now, Cover of Metallica’s Orion.
Zach
I don’t understand why they can’t include MLK Jr. but can include a black soldier who’s named King as a tribute to MLK Jr. I guess the point is that people look up to King for noble reasons only because they don’t know he was a godless (but ordained!), whoring, plagiarizing, Communist? Frederick Douglas is most definitely the modern wingnuts favorite kind of negro, though.
Also, there’s some incredible tension between the inclusion of Alexander Hamilton and the selection of tragic, antifederalist Supreme Court decisions below the weeping Justice.
Morbo
@SiubhanDuinne: That is a damn good idea, or at least an entry in the lexicon. Something to describe Wingnutty attempts at cultural significance. For example: “Remember An American Carol? That was quite the McNaughton!”
SiubhanDuinne
I messed up the link in #47. Should be http://www.mcnaughtonart.com.
Tee hee. I left out the “art.”
Svensker
@Xenos:
That’s when I started to get the sinking feeling that something was really wrong with this country….
freelancer
@freelancer:
Fucking broken link. Orion.
@SiubhanDuinne:
I just found my new catchphrase for a while.
The Sheriff's a Ni-
You can skip the whoring since Ben Franklin and JFK are included. Obviously the big J’s A-OK on extra-marital relationships.
FoxinSocks
“Fifty stars shine in the sky representing the states of the Union—some stars shine brighter than others”
That means you, Massachusetts!
Ash Can
Amended to add a touch of realism.
SiubhanDuinne
@Morbo 10:52 pm
Yes, that’s exactly the context I had in mind. And An American Carol is a primo example, thanks.
soonergrunt
@SiubhanDuinne: So did Mcnaughton.
Morbo
@freelancer: Linky no work, but youtube search does. Uhhh, bad…ass…
Bubblegum Tate
My friend emailed me this earlier. I was damn near convulsing with laughter in my cubicle. Poe’s Law definitely applies to wingnuttiness and not just fundamentalism.
Scott Rock
Restated, you need the parody, if only to rehabilitate your eyes. On the black soldier King (because MLK was, like, totally down with the military-industrial complex):
This made me spit up.
Ash Can
@SiubhanDuinne:
So did McNaughton.
ETA: Soonergrunt @ #61 wins. ;)
Dr. Squid
Ever notice that the white people claiming how the white race is so damn perfect are some of the ugliest fucks in existence?
Penfold
@freelancer:
That is a palate cleanser. I guess you would have to call the Bonsteel video “A McNoughton.
@SiubhanDuinne: ”
I’m throwing my hat in the ring on this new catchphrase thing, too.
Cain
@SiubhanDuinne:
Fixed!
cain
Cain
@SiubhanDuinne:
Fixed!
cain
freelancer
Funny, it’s almost like we tried to point this out to DougJ, and we knew everything about it that he’d flip out about. Nine Hours Ago. Better late than never, you kids have fun though, I’m going out for a while.
jon
@anonevent: Return of the King! That’s the tree of Gondor on his tunic, but where is Anduril? Where is the crown of Mithril? Why am I such a freaking nerd?
kommrade reproductive vigor
The black soldier named King to represent Dr. King is … well … words fail, really.
And then everyone would whip out flame throwers and torch the house and surrounding area.
cdmarine
I especially like the Emperor Palpatine. That’s a nice touch.
Corner Stone
@SiubhanDuinne: God damn I’m fucking choking!
soonergrunt
I cannot load the mcnaughtonart page—since there’s no art on the painting (which I can load for some reason) I’m probably not missing much in the actual category of ‘art.’ I wonder what other awesomeness, besides the whole “that’s a McNaughton!” thing I’m missing.
General Winfield Stuck
Aunt Millie Whitehead of the Kansas Church of the Pentecostal Jesus Beavers says that Dirty Fucking Hippie needs a hair cut.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@SiubhanDuinne: And a Lexicon entry. Also.
Original Lee
Why is everybody talking about Jesus holding the Constitution? Don’t you know that it’s up to the critic to explain what it is that the artist is actually depicting??!!
Clearly, it’s Thor with Yggdrasil on his chest, holding the Long Form Birth Certificate.
General Winfield Stuck
@Original Lee:
I just want to know if that kid wiped his booger on it.
Nutella
The first person so crazy that he was judged not guilty by reason of insanity was a McNaughton. See McNaughton Rule in Wikipedia.
Am I the only one who thought of that when I saw “That’s a McNaughton!”
Sarcastro
This just raises more questions than it answers.
Who’s Jefferson gonna brain with that shillelagh? Why’s the reporter chick interviewing the back of pregnant chick’s melon? Will John Jay ever admit his love for Abigail Adams? Does anyone but the judge know the time?
kommrade reproductive vigor
I will say that if this doesn’t become the cover for the Conserpedia Bible, there is no justice in the world.
freelancer (itouch)
@Nutella:
this. This-cubed! Combined w/ siubhanDuinne’s usage, I thinker have a winner.
Raincitygirl
Hmmm, I can see a grand total of two black men, plus one generically Asian “immigrant” man. Apparently there are not now nor ever have been any black women living in America (gosh, old Tommy Jefferson will be sad), nor any “immigrant” women. No WONDER the consumers of this type of picture are so against black and immigrant men: it’s clear that they have no choice but to seek out white women if they ever want to have kids!
So basically, everybody in this picture is white except for a grand total of three men. And never mind that Jesus would be more accurately portrayed by drawing a picture of an Ay-rab fella. No South Asians at all, and hardly any East Asians (also, the one East Asian portrayed is singled out as a heathen, even though in my city there is a Korean Methodist church, a Vietnamese some-kind-of-Protestant Church, and a Chinese Presbyterian Church all within walking distance of each other. And never mind the Catholic Churches in my area that have Masses in Tagalog and Vietnamese).
Even more strikingly, there doesn’t appear to be a single First Nations individual represented. Duh, it’s everybody ELSE who’s the immigrants, not them, and yet they’re not in the painting. I thought at first that the generically Asian “immigrant” guy might be First Nations, but then I discovered the caption that made it clear he was an “immigrant” (but not the good kind) and a heathen to boot. Maybe the artist is one of those people who thinks the real earliest North Americans all looked like Patrick Stewart (see: Kennewick Man) , possibly because the Solutrean Hypothesis was true. Trufax, honest!
http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19027/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solutrean_hypothesis
OriGuy
@Zach: The King estate has been rather aggressive about the use of MLK Jr.’s image. For the most part, they have gone after people who were trying to make money with t-shirts, posters, etc. From what I’ve read, they haven’t gone after people who used his photo for political purposes, not even a group of white supremacists. However, I can imagine a wingnut meme of “don’t use King’s picture or the family will sue you.”
MikeJ
Harriet Tubman is in there, and there are at least the black men. (Student, Frederick Douglas, King soldier)
Seqouyah.
General Winfield Stuck
@Raincitygirl:
In other words, your basic GOP tea bag unit.
MikeJ
Also, the unborn child of the harlot was probably sired by someone swarthy. Also.
margaret
And Lincoln appears to be channeling Al Jolson. Does that count?
General Winfield Stuck
Geesh, I must be dyslexic, I saw that as Rancitygirl and thought what a hot handle. Or, maybe it’s just my mind lives in the gutter.
gnomedad
@freelancer:
http://antiantiunderground.com…..hatter.jpg
I just about hurled at that one. I’m surprised it didn’t show him carrying off a TV.
gnomedad
@freelancer:
http://antiantiunderground.com…..hatter.jpg
I just about hurled at that one. I’m surprised it didn’t show him carrying off a TV.
Violet
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yes, please. New tag. New Lexicon entry.
This is the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. I wish the original site would load for me. Shall try again later.
SiubhanDuinne
@Nutella #80:
This is . . . actually unsurprising. But perfect.
@Raincitygirl #84:
Well, Harriet Tubman is there. But she’s way in back, in the dark shadows, kind of hard to make out, if you know what I mean.
Brachiator
@Raincitygirl:
First time through, I read that as the Soul Train Hypothesis.
SiubhanDuinne
(Test)
“Let the Eagle Soar”—It’s a McNaughton!
(/Test)
Roger Moore
@Raincitygirl:
Nah, they have Sequoya, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and a black Union Soldier hidden at the back of the
buspicture.Morbo
Check out this McNaughton
(Warning: Yes, it’s the Right Brothers)
Jeff
No, but I cannot wait for the headline that says, “This Is It.”
soonergrunt
What is this book, “the five thousand year leap”?
Never mind. I just read the Amazon blurb.
Wow. Just fucking wow.
Mrs. Peel
So has anyone figured out why he has Lincoln singing “Mammy”?
Dude should stick to painting Elvis on black velvet and dogs playing poker.
Dave C
Judging by his outfit, Jesus appears to be the King of Gondor.
Scott Rock
I do trust everyone here is keeping tabs on the self-proclaimed Wingnut Judgment Day?
Meanwhile, enjoy this McNaughton. Google!
Martin
Uh, Jesus. Duh.
General Winfield Stuck
Ah yes, The all purpose Jesus card.
Ash Can
Actually, it’s quite well done. You can barely see the black velvet background.
freelancer (itouch)
@Scott Rock:
And a new meme is born!
Raincitygirl
Okay fine, good point. But they don’t exactly make those other non-Aryan types easy to pick out in a crowd. And if you’ve got three black men (one shoved to the back), one black woman (ditto) and one First Nations man (ditto also, too), in comparison with a whole herd of Aryan looking folks, it’s still kinda pathetic. I mean, where’s Bobby Jindal? Or they could beef up the East Asian representation iwth a hot Chinese geisha chick in a hanbok. That’d be totes authentic.
I’m sorry, Gen. Stuck, but I’m either very tired or extraordinarily innocent, because I just can’t figure out out why that would be gutter-worthy. I know it’s never funny after some slow person insists that you explain the joke, but I’m intensely curious now!
Reason60
My favorite is the Asian representing Buddhism, looking- how did the artist put it- “with awe at Christ holding the Constitution”
Take THAT, 1st Amendment! BOO YAH!
Reason60
Tattoosydney
What I want to know is where, o where, are the hommosexuals and other perverts cowering before our lord jesus like they should be?
Did you not clearly see the College Professor and Hollywood Producer??
wasabi gasp
A commenter at Joe.My.God posted a painting of how the shit really went down.
Ash Can
@Reason60: What, the Freedom-of-Religion Amendment? Doesn’t matter; Buddhism isn’t a real religion.
/McNaughton
Citizen_X
@jon:
Actually, I thought it kinda looks like Cthulhu.
DougL
The only thing missing is the portrait hanging on the wall with young George Washington having just chopped down the cherry tree as the family’s pet tyrannosaurus rex looks on approvingly.
Chuck Butcher
@soonergrunt:
Oh no, that barely touches on Skousen. He was such a loon that even the hard right dumped him. If you didn’t know Glenn Beck was crazy finding out about his favorite author would convince you. These people are…I don’t know…such clowns. (think Steven King…and then think that as inept)
cs
Was trying to find a painting I once saw as a kid but sadly Google has failed me. The painting dates to the late 80’s and proves that peak wingnut has always been with us.
The image was of Christ on the cross, blood copiously flowing from his wounds. The blood flows across the painting, becoming an ocean, and across the ocean the blood becomes the red and white stripes of the American flag. And, springing to life due to the power of the blood, in one corner of the painting, there are 20-30 conservative christian leaders, such as Falwell and the LaHaye’s, and various Republicans, including RR of course.
Used to have a print of this but probably got lost 2 or 3 moves ago.
If anyone’s ever traveled to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and visited the Christ of the Ozarks complex, you’ve probably seen it.
Chuck Butcher
@MikeJ:
Thank you for that, if I’d have had to take that straight my eyes would’ve rolled up into my head – never to be seen again.
parksideq
@Midnight Marauder: THIS. I just lol’d for about 5 minutes straight. No really, I think I woke up my roommate I was laughing so hard.
cs
I shoulda been more persistent with the Google thingy. Here it is:
Travail of the Flag
Chuck Butcher
@cs:
Why would you do that? Are you still alright?
ellaesther
@wasabi gasp: Ok, that’s brilliant. Brilliant!
fliegr
My ex-girlfriend sent me a McNaughton postcard of Aaron Eckhart Jesus leaning between a clean-cut, suburban-looking couple and chatting with them, a hand on each of their shoulders. Her added caption: “So, you guys up for a threesome?” I needed some new undies after that one.
Robertdsc-iphone
That is hideous.
cs
@Chuck Butcher:
Growing up in Arkansas in a religious family meant I would go there nearly every summer for the Passion Play and to visit Eureka Springs itself.
Don’t make it back to Arkansas very often but when I do, I try to go to Eureka Springs every chance I get. Despite the 5 story Christ on the horizon, the town itself is one of the most laid-back tolerant places in the state, if not the country.
And the Christ of the Ozarks is the perfect place to take your new girl/boy and snog for a while. Makes the sinning a little extra lovely.
General Winfield Stuck
@Raincitygirl:
You do realize your asking an idiot to explain himself. To my juvenile mind, rancity is sorta like down and dirty as it is close to rancid, like the music group. Kind of wild and uninhibited, if you will. Or, hot. Gutter is a relative term to placate, in case baby jeevus reads Balloon Juice and gets weepy from sex talk. Never hurts to cover all your bases, just in case:-)
MikeJ
And everybody loves sporty Jesus.
wasabi gasp
The Last Round
General Winfield Stuck
@wasabi gasp:
So the King of Kings goes the dark brew. Cool!
Chuck Butcher
@cs:
Ah, I see
I’m afraid Mike Huckabee is just about all I need to know about Arkansas, that and a pass through back in the mid-70s that encouraged me not to do such a thing again. (1959 Suburban, very long very much hair, very not Confederate Party of Republicanism attitude – you get the idea)
SiubhanDuinne
@cs:
Ho. Lee. Shit. That is some fine McNaughton you got there.
Brett
The geography’s a little weird, but it looks like they are standing in the ashes of the Library of Congress.
cs
@Chuck Butcher:
Things are different there now, sorta. Depends on where you go.
At any rate, I highly recommend a weekend trip to Eureka Springs. The place reminds me, both in architecture and in culture, of a version of San Francisco put under a shrink ray. The town is almost entirely victorian buildings dotted across several incredibly steep hills, and is full of bars, galleries, bookstores, and ghosts. The place is rather gay friendly and full of eccentrics of any and all sexualities.
cs
@Chuck Butcher:
Should add: Arkansas also produced Bill Clinton. The state is full of contradictions.
Aunt Moe
Simply breathtaking. I am stupified – and certain that when I awaken in the morning, I’ll be sure I dreamed it.
SiubhanDuinne
@MikeJ #124:
Okay, I’m seeing Baseball Jesus, Soccer Jesus, and Football Jesus. I am not finding Synchronized Swimming Jesus. Please fix.
freelancer (itouch)
@cs:
So…you’ve met Sen. Mark Pryor, I take it?!
Scott Rock
@MikeJ: Jesus Tittyfucking Fucking Christ…Baseball Jesus...
Scott Rock
@MikeJ: Jesus Tittyfucking Christ…Baseball Jesus...
arguingwithsignposts
Oh. My. G0d. thanks for the link to the snark. this so much reminds me of the mormon paintings I saw in SLC in their “history” center a few years ago.
RedKitten
Is it just me, or does that depiction of Satan bear more than a passing resemblance to Ann Coulter?
General Winfield Stuck
Hot of the presses. New Libby video.
Ash
Wait, did you guys know that it was Brown v. Board of Education that actually started that whole separation of church and state thing? Gosh darn, wingnuts teach me something new and wonderful every day!
arguingwithsignposts
Listening to Maddow interview Rick Berman. My esteem for her as a journalist grows every day.
Martin
I thought I would touch up a birther version.
I got the long form and Orly in there. I’m thinking cheerleader Malkin where Lincoln is, and crying Beck instead of Ben Franklin.
This painting really isn’t nearly wingnutty enough.
Chuck Butcher
@arguingwithsignposts:
I like KO, but Maddow flat out impresses me. I don’t know that Berman did himself any favors, all I came away with was a desire to slap his face.
General Winfield Stuck
@RedKitten:
Yes, I think so too. She doesn’t well though.
arguingwithsignposts
@Chuck Butcher:
agreed. I wish KO would spend more time actually confronting the opposition in interviews, although I’m not sure they would agree to go on his show. Maddow has her facts ready at least. I wish she would be a tad more confrontational, but that would probably drive the wingnuts away.
RedKitten
@arguingwithsignposts: The nice thing about Maddow is that she is better-informed than pretty much all other television journalists combined.
Mind you, that’s also a very depressing fact, but there you go.
freelancer (itouch)
@RedKitten:
I was thinking a hooded Maynard James Keenan, but that’s kind of what he goes for. How’s little Samuel?
arguingwithsignposts
BTW, I think Maddow provides an excellent example of “fair treatment” and also an unfailing viewpoint. She has a great way of standing for her viewpoint and yet allowing the opposition to have their say. I wish more journalists would do that instead of the constant “he said-she said” reporting.
Chuck Butcher
@arguingwithsignposts:
I don’t think so. Her style works because it exudes reasonableness and still gets to the point of the issue. They don’t get to slide their crap unchallenged, even if it is low-key rebuttal.
I do fire and rock throwing on my blog because I want to get people worked up, but that only works with the choir. If you want to persuade the undecided or unsure you don’t go all hammer and tongs – you’ll just scare them. Oddly, my wife who is nearly as left as I am won’t watch Rachel.
RedKitten
@freelancer (itouch): He’s doing great. He’s pretty much sleeping through the night now (tonight notwithstanding). I’ve got a few new photos of him at my url, but will continue to periodically send John photos to post, to complete the Tunch/Lily/Samuel cuteness trifecta. :)
freelancer (itouch)
@arguingwithsignposts: This. 100%. Even when interviewing someone on her side, she immediately fact checks and then still asks hard questions. She is, to me, one of my few personal heroes.
Calming Influence
Corporate Communism @ 5:20. This is a great frame.
arguingwithsignposts
@Chuck Butcher:
I agree. My main qualm was that she doesn’t stand up for herself as strongly as she could. It’s a judgment call, obviously. Sort of like Obama. I wish she’d push back harder, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right decision. I do like her use of awesome facts and the use of a lot of time on topics nobody else on TV is spending time on (like ACORN).
It is an American tragedy that Wolf Blitzer or others can’t seem to spend the same amount of time on these topics (although Ratigan is starting to get there).
MikeJ
And yet the villagers will tell us there is no difference between Maddow and Limbaugh.
freelancer (itouch)
@MikeJ:
yeah well every self-described dittohead claims rush as the same save for the complete lack of critical thinking skills and all-encompassing void of history and/or logic and logical fallacies
Ripley
“That’s a McNaughton!”
“Yeah, I been eatin’ too much fiber.”
Flush.
Jacob Davies
Hmm, that’s Thomas Jefferson standing behind Jesus, the same Thomas Jefferson who wrote The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth AKA the Jefferson Bible, a version of the New Testament that omits all supernatural elements from the telling of the story.
I’m sure he’d be just fucking thrilled to be depicted standing behind a deified Jesus.
JackieBinAZ
This is my favorite bit of Jesus kitsch. He loves the little children…
freelancer (itouch)
@Original Lee:
hahaha!
Via danielewski:
Peter J
There’s no explanation for the handicapped child either. Maybe the painter feels that the two are alike?
freelancer (itouch)
@Peter J:
You mofos forgot “Satan”.
General Winfield Stuck
@freelancer (itouch):
Everyone knows Satan has a liberal bias.
Mouse Tolliver
Awesome! Now I finally have a companion for my portrait of Jesus opening up a can of Rapture on everyone’s asses.
auntieeminaz
@General Winfield Stuck: Priceless. Libby is too cute for words.
MikeJ
Who would have thought religion would crash planes into buildings?
freelancer
@MikeJ:
Hoocoodanode?
Also, Google is a barcode today. Kind of appropriate considering Cole’s post earlier, and Taibbi’s timeless prose on the Peasant Mentality:
In this time of national crisis though, it is imperative, our presidents have said, to go on vacation. Take out that home equity loan, but above all else, keep shopping and buy more shit. Your great-grandchildren will thank you for it.
Tattoosydney
@Reason60:
Indeed. Silly me. I also have my doubts about that LIEberal media reporter… she looks a saucy wench who’d give most things a go.
Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » That Glorious Day When Jesus Founded America
[...] more classically liberal than it was under British rule, but the story of Jesus. Oh, and also, Glenn Beck’s favorite book. That [...]
That Glorious Day When Jesus Founded America | Blog of the Moderate Left
[...] more classically liberal than it was under British rule, but the story of Jesus. Oh, and also, Glenn Beck’s favorite book. That [...]
Xenos
@Mouse Tolliver: That is truly awful. It is also wrong – raising the dead and the rapture are supposed to be separate events a number of years apart. You would think these people could get their own religion right once in a while.
Ambergris
I sure hope it’s not peak wingnut, I have pre-ordered several tons of popcorn for the 2012 primaries.
Jeebus, Flying Spaghetti and the American Revolution : Galt Gone Wild
[...] I don’t recall reading about this version in Daniel Boorstin’s books. He must have been a liberal. Via Balloon Juice: [...]
SiubhanDuinne
@JackieBinAZ #156: That wins the thread. So awful in so many ways. I love it.
Calouste
When I looked at that first I though “Mr. Hollywood” was Todd Palin.
And btw, 18 people in the foreground, and all but two of them non-Hispanic whites. In the reality of the United States, that ratio is about 12-6 rather than 16-2.
No Hispanics in the picture at all.
aimai
God -damn. How did I miss this thread? I went to bed last night at eleven and got up at six and I still didn’t log on until the the thread was 174 comments long.
I’d like to advance a new theory (perhaps one day to be as well understood as Godwin’s law)—freelancer up above sucessfully puts into block quotes the same Taibbi post I did on an earlier thread. I’m not sure what causes this and it definitely may be occuring in threads shorter than infinity. But perhaps it is the case that in any thread on the slavish stupidity of the right wing, as the topic of peak wingnut is raised, the potential that any commenter will need to resort to Taibbi on the peasant mentality gets very high?
aimai
AkaDad
Has she ever explained to you why she hates gay people?
Lee
Sheppard Smith pwns some Republican on healthcare.
Link
kay
Is that a judge in the foreground with his head in his hands and his papers spread all over?
Or is he a minister?
Maybe a member of the church choir?
I can’t tell my black-robed players apart.
That’s a little creepy and disturbing, in any event.
Svensker
@cs:
A pastor friend of mine says that the Christian Right has devolved to biblical idolatry with its U.S./flag worship. That’s a pretty potent Exhibit A for his thesis.
geg6
@kay:
According to the “artist,” it’s a Supreme Court justice holding his head in his hands in shame at the activist rulings he’s made.
Notorious P.A.T.
@Penfold:
oh. my. goodness.
Woody
I predict that, by a 5-4 margin, the mackerel-snapper majority on the “Opus Dei” SCROTUS will uphold the “right” of the State to impose Xian religious symbolatry on “public” spaces, AND deny standing to those offended by the symbols. Which will mean the only to cleanse the secular State of those ‘preferred’ images will be with dynamite or backhoes…
Case to hear oral arguments today…
p.a.
Peak wingnut is just a theoretical concept; it’s not like absolute zero, where there is some sort of limiting factor. There’s always room for more stoopid.
Bob (Not B.o.B.)
@p.a.:
Unfortunately, I think peak wingnut will have arrived when a bunch of people get blown up.
ppcli
@SiubhanDuinne:
Ooooh! That’s a great idea. “That’s a McNaughton” is such a great tagline that I already can’t believe the blog went years without it.
Surly Duff
So much awesomeness is one photo it is hard to even take it all in.
I do love the list of Supreme Court decisions the judge is shamed by. Glad to see Plessy vs. Ferguson isn’t included. Hate for anyone to be shamed by the institutionalization of slavery. That isn’t nearly as bad as Congress regulating interstate commerce.
Also, notice how the lawyer greedily counting money while the businesswoman is simply praying. Jesus also gave us capitalism and we should all be thankful.
R. Porrofatto
Standing behind Mr. Hollywood, Satan is obviously pitching him an idea for a screenplay, while swearing that he’s only working the Prince of Darkness gig for media exposure—he really wants to direct.
El Cid
A minor thing on Taibbi and the “peasant mentality”—it’s only applicable to a few of the peasants. Karl Marx famously dismissed the peasantry as a “sack of potatoes”, but it doesn’t mean that that’s what peasants actually end up doing. Mao seemed to be able to accomplish quite a lot with peasants, and it was later peasants who would pay the maximum price for the political needs of the cities.
jibeaux
I loved the snark one, where the Founding Fathers’ quotes about religion are in the front (I mean, Thomas Jefferson?!?) and tiny faces in the back are “wait, he’s an actual real live Trinity-believing Christian, what’s he doing way back in the back with the black people?” I lol’ed. Also the one about the pregnant woman pointing at the father of her child, who’s trying to pay her off. I think it was on this very blog that someone described something, it was probably a troll, as having lots of layers—“like a retarded onion.” So apropos!
kay
@geg6:
Thanks. I always feel the War On Judges is one of the scariest aspects of religious fundamentalism.
It’s disconcerting that they’re portrayed as “lawless” by all the various fundamentalist religious sects. Ya know, to the non-fundamentalist world-wide majority, it’s just odd.
Comrade Darkness
@MikeJ: because, optimally, all school teachers should have barely made it through college. After all the professors are the dark lord’s servants.
Comrade Darkness
@SiubhanDuinne: As opposed to them actually saying: “That’s a McNaughton Defense”. The artist hears what he wants.
r€nato
OK, if there is anybody here who thinks this same sort of “mythologization” that’s being done to the Constitution and FF here, did not also happen with the Bible and Jesus… please raise your hand.
Comrade Darkness
@Brett: i was noticing that the smoke hadn’t quite cleared yet. Destroying the past, especially the documents, so you can rewrite anew is a grand tradition in this artist’s neck of the woods, so that symbolism works well.
Well, I guess I’ll have to give the artist credit for leaving something for the viewer to discover for themself. Someone needs to explain “art” to this guy, in general.
JenJen
You know how I know we’ve reached Peak Wingnut?
Because ever since I first saw this thread last night, all the way until five seconds ago, I still haven’t been able to witness Peak Wingnut Theorem: Exhibit for myself. Not even once. So it must be true!!
Aziz Poonawalla
@jon @Citizen_X – I think it’s actually the World Tree Yggraddsil. Hows that for some subconcious syncretism?
r€nato
actually, this artwork is interesting to me in the light of the historical use of art as religious instruction prior to Gutenberg. It is entirely in that tradition, though it is exceptional for its wholesale revision of history.
In fact, this piece reminded me very much of Luca Signorelli’s “Antichrist” panel in Orvieto.
ppcli
@Nutella:
Excellent observation. Maybe there should be a dialectal variant of the tagline for artwork that is truly peak wingnut (or perhaps I should say: within epsilon of peak wingnut, since peak wingnut is unreachable): “That’s a M’Naughton!”
Reserved only for material so wingnutty that you question the artist’s grip on even the most rudimentary aspects of reality.
celticdragon
Hear, hear!
Motion seconded!
Comrade Darkness
@Aziz Poonawalla: I’ve noticed that about Xtianity in general: All your pagan symbols are belong to us.
celticdragon
Exactly.
celticdragon
FTW!
matoko_chan
I think Peak Wingnut is going to be when mormon doctrine completely colonizes the evangelical christian doctrine that is the current platform of the GOP….it has to be a stealthy colonization, because a lot of evangelicals hate mormons worse than satan.
Mormon Glenn Beck’s 912 Project is wholly informed by Cleon Skousen’s pamphlets.
The mormons are some seriously crazy mo’fos.
Their rituals and liturgy are stolen from the Freemasons that stole them from the Egyptians.
Beck is a stealth mormon….but the best thing that could happen for us is if civil war breaks out between the mormons and the evangelicals.
So the sane half of America should encourage mormon infiltration of the GOP, so that the GOP devolves into religious civil warfare.
It should be Epic.
;)
matoko_chan
Think of war of the gargantuas....Romney would be the brown gargantua….either Palin or Huckabee would be the green gargantua, depending who gets the nom.
matoko_chan
Yessss….my theory is that we will reach Peak Wingnut sometime during the 2012 election campaign.
Either the mormons and evangelicals will be able to unite behind a single candidate or a religious war will break out between them over control of the party and the presidential nom.
I predict religious war.
;)
Bubblegum Tate
Welll, I had all afternoon and evening to laugh at this painting, and I did just that. So I wake up this morning, and guess what? It still cracks me up. This is really something above and beyond the usual crazy.
Comrade Scrutinizer
@matoko_chan:
Could be worse—-could be the effin’ Scientologists.
geg6
@Bubblegum Tate:
I have to agree. Just when I’m pulling out the razor blades to kill myself over our fucked up economy and those who fucked it up, I think of this and just laugh my ass off. Thank FSM for wingnut unintentional comedy.
GranFalloon
Not even sure where to start. This has some interesting implications, given the infallibility of Christ versus the myriad amendments. For example, the 3/5 Rule? That’s got Christian love written all over it.
Other odd inconsistencies . . . Like the farmer being the “backbone of America” while also being the group that receives, per capita, more government handouts than any other group by far. The college student eager to attend college to learn of the great advances in America society – presumably to be taught by the liberal professor who dare reads The Origin of Species? Moreover, re: the above, how does he reconcile the infallibility of Christ with the fact that Susan B. Anthony – also featured on the dais – fought against the injustice inherent in the Constitution that refused to allow women the right to vote?
I also like Ronnie elbowing John Jay out of the way. More of a patriot.
matoko_chan
This is very emblematic of Mormon iconographic style.
It shows the increasing influence of mormonism in the GOP.
Beck is a mormon, and possible even more influential than Rush.
The 912 Project is wholly informed by the pamphlets of crank conspiracy theorist Cleon Skousen, a mormon too crazypants for even the LDS leadership…so we are seeing increasing Mormon influence.
Dr. Manzi told me that winning elections in America is a process relying on coalition building…that is how the libertarians, socons, and neocons hooked up. The GOP is now wholly a white christian party, and we will either see the mormons and the evangelicals form an alliance, or the party will spectacularily selfdestruct.
;)
Comrade Darkness
@Comrade Scrutinizer: They are less far off than you think. Right down to the guiding alien planets. You know the place where you wake up after dying and are married to all those wives you would have married while living (in order to make you holy enough for heaven in the first place) but someone changed the rules mid-stream, so you can’t, so you get them later, if you qualify, which you qualified for by spirit marrying them, or something.
That’s what I honestly like about this painting, it captures not only the blunt-force revisionist fervor, but also the inevitable circular logic traps. The earnest naïveté of the execution is just icing.
ChrisB
@MikeJ: Can you replace Baseball Jesus with a Catholic priest? It would seem a perfect fit.
Also, is there a MMA or wrestling Jesus?
kay
@matoko_chan:
Glenn Beck promoted Romney heavily back before Beck was a huge hit, during the GOP primary. I haven’t seen it mentioned, but it happened.
I thought it was odd and a little risky for Beck’s “brand” at the time, that he would so transparently back one GOP candidate while ostensibly presenting himself as an “independent” and ant-government.
I’m curious if he’ll reiterate that support in 2012 now that he’s the leader of the 9/12 groupies, and what that might mean for Romney, as far as forcing Romney far right to appeal to Beck’s followers.
Should be interesting.
matoko_chan
Beautiful! Yes, they are so…....gormlessly sincere. I could envision a devils handshake between the scientologists and the mormon/evangelicals, just like between the libertarians and the socons.
Shell
But she’s standing on the right hand of Jesus. So maybe there’s hope for her.
matoko_chan
kay….i don’t think a lot of Beck’s followers have realized that he is mormon yet. It should be very interesting. Tpaw is an evangelical xian, and it sure looks like he is running.
Cain
@Scott Rock:
Oh boy. On the other hand, the guy definitely has talent. I like the good use of colors and the expressions on all their faces. If he was less wingnut I’m sure he could easily be a pretty good commercial painter.
So in other words, I did like the picture.. go figure. :-)
cain
kay
@matoko_chan:
What got my attention was that Beck was promoting Mitt Romney. Romney is just a classic “say whatever it takes to get elected” weasel, so I thought it was interesting that Beck (or anyone, really) would go out on a limb for him. Beck/Huckabee is a much better fit. Flat tax, populism, religious fervor, etc.
Who the hell feels passionately about Mitt Romney? Almost no one, right? Well, Glenn Beck did. It didn’t make sense to me, at the time.
If the connection between Beck and Romney is whole or partly Mormonism, it starts to make sense.
scarshapedstar
I see I’m not the first to bring this up, but I was honestly surprised that I couldn’t find a smoking World Trade Center & crying eagle anywhere in the picture. Maybe I have to cross my eyes? It’s gotta be there somewhere…
Also, I think it would have been better to have Osama standing next to the professor instead of that weak-looking Satan figure.
matoko_chan
kay….yeah.
That also explains why Beck hasn’t gone all out gaga on Palin and and why Doughy Pantsload is defending Beck.
The Corner on Madness is all about Mitt for prez.
K-lo deplored the evangelical attacks on Mitt last year.
What’s their game?
a Palin/Romney ticket of Jesus Synthesis?
How is the GOP going to create an alliance between evangelicals and mormons in time for 2012?
Surly Duff
Where are the lines indicating where to fold this picture so it turns into a smiling Barak Obama holding a Koran?
anna missed » Blog Archive » uncategorized #2
[...] got one good post in the uncategorized category, I couldn’t resist jumping on the bandwagon. Doug J. at Jon Coles blog is calling it the “Sistine Chapel of early 20th Century wingnuttia”, with a commenter [...]
tamied
@r€nato: Where are the rollover descriptions?
Comrade Darkness
@tamied: comment 3 has the two links you will want for this. Definitely worth the exploration. Both versions.
Catsy
@General Winfield Stuck: I dunno, personally I find “rain city” a lot hotter than “rancity”. But then, I love rain.
There’s a reason I live in the PNW, and it ain’t just the high sanity:wingnut ratio west of the Cascades.
gocart mozart
@Surly Duff:
Don’t mean to nitpick but Plessy = institutionalization of segregation. I think you meant Dredd Scott, but point taken.
croatoan
No problem with Bush v. Gore, either.
gocart mozart
Also, why is Lincoln doing an Al Jolsen impression? Mamie, how I love ya, how I love ya Mamieeeee.
anon
This blog has been hosting a haiku contest on this painting for a week or so. 370+ entries so far. So, so many belly laughs. Additional contributions of wit and mockery are welcome.
Surly Duff
@gocart mozart:
Nope good nitpicking point. My rage and sarcasm clouded my brain and I mixed both of those cases up, but you still got my point. Of course, I think both are representative examples and should both be included.
I need to make points after I get my coffee, not before.
alexinoki
I wish they wouldn’t sully my uniform by painting it into this crap.