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You are here: Home / Politics / Where Have I Heard That Before?

Where Have I Heard That Before?

by John Cole|  April 16, 200912:24 pm| 97 Comments

This post is in: Politics, Republican Stupidity

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Via Sullivan, this Tom Maguire quote about the benign DHS report:

Uh huh – the problem with this DHS study is not that they are threatening extra-Constitutional surveillance and interrogation of people; it is that they are coming very close to attempting to criminalize non-violent political dissent. That is deeply problematic even if they do it with all the proper warrants.

The last time we went down this “criminalization of dissent” road, it was the defense trotted out during the DOJ hiring affair. Before that, it was reeled out to defend the US attorney firings. And before that, it was during the Valerie Plame affair. I’m prepared to call bullshit.

The DHS report does nothing of the sort- it isn’t criminalizing dissent, it is merely pointing out what we all know to be true- in this time of economic unease and with the ascent of an African-American President, right-wing extremism is something we should be concerned about. That isn’t even remotely near the same thing as the DHS making it illegal for K-Lo to compete with Jonah Goldberg for the stupidest right wing talking point of the day or for Michelle Bachmann to see if she can outdo herself every day.

In fact, as you can tell, both are still completely free to do just that.

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Reader Interactions

97Comments

  1. 1.

    Fencedude

    April 16, 2009 at 12:29 pm

    It feels really weird to defend DHS.

  2. 2.

    Wisdom

    April 16, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    John Cole said:

    blah blah blah

    Shorter: It’s OK when Democrats do it.

  3. 3.

    lib4

    April 16, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    Let me make it bumper sticker simple for the brain dead RW pundits et al who dont understand the point of the DHS report

    The government is going after the Tim McVeigh’s NOT the Tim LaHaye’s

    Got it…end of story……

  4. 4.

    sgwhiteinfla

    April 16, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    John Cole

    Its worth pointing out that the DHS report was based on a 2008 FBI report

    http://mediamatters.org/items/200904160006?f=h_top
    .
    Oh and the title of that FBI report?
    .
    "White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel since 9/11,"

  5. 5.

    Jamey

    April 16, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    John. Stop reading Sully. If not for your own sanity, then do it for us, the readers.

  6. 6.

    Dennis-SGMM

    April 16, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    Forget about all of this other crap, it’s time they investigated the means used to make the right-wingers forget the years 2001-2008.

  7. 7.

    John S.

    April 16, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    I’m prepared to call bullshit.

    You had me at ‘Tom Maguire’.

  8. 8.

    dmsilev

    April 16, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    @Wisdom:
    A picture of your screen-name belongs in the dictionary under ‘Irony’.

    -dms

  9. 9.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    April 16, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    DHS is still a stupid idea, but criminalizing dissent is the latest wingnut reason to hit the fainting couch. You might want to ">throw the Texas governor into the mix:

    "There’s a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot."

    It appears Perry got that part wrong as well. The reporter did some homework and had this:

    He said when Texas entered the union in 1845 it was with the understanding it could pull out. However, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point if it wanted to but not the right to secede.

    But then no one could have known that a Republican governor of Texas wouldn’t do his homework (or maybe just couldn’t do it.)

    BTW go read Matt Taibbi’s latest takedown of the teabaggers. He’s got some choice words for Malkin:

    However, this move of hers to spearhead the teabag movement really adds an element to her writing that wasn’t there before. Now when I read her stuff, I imagine her narrating her text, book-on-tape style, with a big, hairy set of balls in her mouth. It vastly improves her prose.

  10. 10.

    kay

    April 16, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    @Fencedude:

    Some horrendous and scary abuse of power is probably coming out re: Chertoff’s DHS. Right? That’s been the pattern.

    Either that or Napolitano is to Obama as Reno was to Clinton, in right wing loony land. Poor thing. I like her.

  11. 11.

    Gold Star for Robot Boy

    April 16, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    Wisdom, as a troll, you suck.

  12. 12.

    My Prius rolls on dubs

    April 16, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    The DHS report does nothing of the sort- it isn’t criminalizing dissent, it is merely pointing out what we all know to be true- in this time of economic unease and with the ascent of an African-American President, right-wing extremism is something we should be concerned about.

    Wait… Conservatives have racist tendencies? Since when?

    Shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

  13. 13.

    gwangung

    April 16, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    @Wisdom:

    Don’t be an idiot. You can do better than that.

  14. 14.

    jake 4 that 1

    April 16, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    @Dennis-SGMM: Shock treatment. Just take one black guy with a funny name, elect him President and Bzzzzzt! The air is heavy with the smell of fried grey matter.

  15. 15.

    NonyNony

    April 16, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    I’d be a lot more sympathetic to Tom Maguire’s argument if we hadn’t had various right-wing extremists in the 90s that performed such acts of "non-violent" dissent as blowing up a Federal building and blowing up abortion clinics.

    This report that they’re blathering on about is nearly non-controversial from what I’ve been able to read. It amounts to "be on the lookout for crazies who are plotting the next Oklahoma City". Thats it. The thing that Maguire and Malkin and all the rest who are shreiking their heads off about this should ask themselves is "why do I read this and think ‘they’re talking about me’?" They’re not talking about you, you egocentric jackasses. They’re talking about people who are going to use violence as a form of dissent. It’s their fucking JOB to find these people (who, in our world today, are known as terrorists) and stop them. Preferably after they’ve done enough illegal stuff to get them convicted but before they actually kill anyone.

    I’m not one to defend DHS – wasting our goddamn time and money on stupid color-coded systems for "terror alerts" and issuing stupid Orwellian rules on liquids on planes and other nonsense has not exactly made me their number one defender. But get real – we have a history of right-wing terrorism in this country that dates back to at least the formation of the KKK. Our law enforcement agencies SHOULD be paying attention to those folks, instead of wasting their time monitoring non-violent pacifists like the Quakers.

  16. 16.

    Michael

    April 16, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Now when I read her stuff, I imagine her narrating her text, book-on-tape style, with a big, hairy set of balls in her mouth. It vastly improves her prose.

    *snort*

    That was beautiful prose on America’s immigrant hating anchor baby.

  17. 17.

    sgwhiteinfla

    April 16, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Great news, OLC memos to be released.

    http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/secret-interrogation-memos-to-be-released/

  18. 18.

    AL

    April 16, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    The DHS sucks, but after reading about McVeigh, Elohim and the rest of the right-wing nuts in this country, I am glad that the crazies are being monitored. I doubt they can be stopped if they want to do something terrible, though.

    Also, while I am reluctant to use this line of reasoning, if the DHS came out with a report that said that Muslims in America were being recruited by extremist groups, would the GOP be the first to praise the report in a "SEE? SEE? I TOLD YOU!" sort of way?

  19. 19.

    Napoleon

    April 16, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    Just remember, when Palin was directly asked during the campaign by Brian Williams if blowing up abortion clinics was terrorism she did not answer the question.

  20. 20.

    Tonal Crow

    April 16, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    When these teabaggers get together and contribute $100,000,000 to the ACLU, I’ll consider whether their professed concern for the 1st Amendment might be sincere. Until then, their long and vile record of cheering the suppression of dissent compels me to call propagandistic bullshit.

  21. 21.

    Comrade Kevin

    April 16, 2009 at 12:59 pm

    @gwangung:

    @Wisdom:
    Don’t be an idiot. You can do better than that.

    That’s pretty typical of his comments, so I doubt it.

  22. 22.

    Oliver Willis

    April 16, 2009 at 1:02 pm

    It also sounds like Tom DeLay bitching about the "criminalization of politics".

  23. 23.

    edmund dantes

    April 16, 2009 at 1:02 pm

    Well we all know it’s not the Neo-Nazis and other loud right wing nuts you have to worry about, it’s the quiet ones like the Quakers. The real dangerous types are always the peaceful quiet ones.

  24. 24.

    SGEW

    April 16, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    @sgwhiteinfla:

    Let it drop.

    Another document expected to be released this afternoon is a Justice Department memo written August 1, 2002. The memo, written by John C. Yoo and signed by Jay S. Bybee, two Justice Department officials at the time, is a legal authorization for a laundry list of proposed C.I.A. interrogation techniques.

    Smell the smoke from that gun, motherfuckers.

    Levenworth or bust.

  25. 25.

    Tonal Crow

    April 16, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    @Wisdom: Joined the ACLU yet?

  26. 26.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    @NonyNony:

    Right.

    To me it works like this: The people whinging about "criminalizing dissent" are the same people who would cry "Negligence!" if something tragic happened (a la Timothy McVeigh and OKC) and we hadn’t looked at this possibility.

    These are people who only understand the gotcha aspects of anything, big or small. F- ck them. Due diligence requires this look at the possibilities.

    Fortunatley, now we have a president who won’t look at a warning like this and then sneer "Okay, now you have covered your asses." We fired that sumbitch in November.

  27. 27.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    Aside, if the edit comment thing isn’t going to work, why don’t you guys just turn it off? Get it fixed and then turn it back on.

    It does not work correctly, at all.

  28. 28.

    Wisdom

    April 16, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    Tea Parties draw over 250000, and not one smashed window at a Starbucks.

    Janet and Barack are going to have their hands full.

  29. 29.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    April 16, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    @ John Cole:

    DHS making it illegal for K-Lo to compete with Jonah Goldberg for the stupidest right wing talking point of the day

    I’m all for freedom of speech, but damn….. that’s tempting.

    @The Grand Panjandrum:

    Now when I read her stuff, I imagine her narrating her text, book-on-tape style, with a big, hairy set of balls in her mouth. It vastly improves her prose.

    Dude….. that was uncalled for.

  30. 30.

    Joshua Norton

    April 16, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    This coming from the same group who said the war protesters should all be rounded up, sent to Gitmo and/or shot. Cry me a river, wingnut whackos.

  31. 31.

    Volum

    April 16, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    Oddly enough, Fox News’ Shepard Smith debunked all the hysteria on his show:

    http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/shepard-smith-blows-dhs-picking-tea

  32. 32.

    Fencedude

    April 16, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    @Wisdom:

    250000 in nearly 400 locations.

    Call me when they manage to get half that many people in one place at one time.

    Also you seem to not understand the difference between a protest and a riot.

  33. 33.

    Joshua Norton

    April 16, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    250000 in nearly 400 locations.

    That wouldn’t even make a decent small city Gay Pride celebration. In fact you get more wingnut whackos than that at Gay Pride celebrations.

    Maybe if their corporate sponsors pay for a few hot chiseled dudes in leather they’ll draw bigger crowds next time. Now that they know what "teabagging" REALLY means.

  34. 34.

    AnotherBruce

    April 16, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    Tea Parties draw over 250000, and not one smashed window at a Starbucks.

    Yeah, and no federal buildings were blown up either.

    Congratulations wingnuts.

  35. 35.

    El Cid

    April 16, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    Good thing no oppressive government was in place before Obama to consider liberal and leftist protest some sort of dangerous criminalized dissent such that Quakers and vegans were spied on, protesters were corralled into distant "free speech zones" away from the targets of their protests, journalists were arrested despite their media access passes, and protesters were arrested and investigated for possible terrorist connections.

    Good thing that no liberals or lefties were screaming repeatedly for the last 8 years that the right wing worship of Executive authority and unwarranted surveillance would someday be in the hands of a non-right winger.

    And it’s not like the same DHS also just recently completed a simultaneous study of the forms of possible left-wing extremist movements and violent threats.

    No, no, no, this is all just about Black Hussein Arafat Hitler Stalin Mao Pol Pot Obama X silencing Rush Limbaugh from telling da troof and the people really committed to freedom are right wingers who screamed for the last 7 years YOU’RE EITHER WITH’US OR AGIN’US.

  36. 36.

    Michael G

    April 16, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    I know this is off-topic, but there’s a very timely and important article by serious conservative writer George Will about the evils of jeans.

  37. 37.

    Zifnab

    April 16, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    @Fencedude: Sugar Land, Texas (the old town of Tom DeLay’s) was pretty jumping. It’s no small thing to get several hundred folks together for a political protest. Most political maneuvering in that town is as closed-door and exclusive as possible.

    It’s definitely a sea change when a rally like that would even be considered in a highly conservative right wing bastion town. They usually look down their noses at that kind of thing.

    It’s not the coming out of the "Silent Majority" by any stretch, but it is a reversal of attitudes. The GOP is getting much more energized than it was under John McCain.

  38. 38.

    Zifnab

    April 16, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    @Joshua Norton:

    In fact you get more wingnut whackos than that at Gay Pride celebrations.

    No you don’t. You’re confusing guys passing by on the street throwing slurs to people who specifically show up to counter-protest.

    This was, for conservative activism, a bigger thing than we usually see.

  39. 39.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    @Wisdom:

    250k at 400 locations? Hell, that’s not a good turnout for a well promoted forklift rodeo.

  40. 40.

    Fencedude

    April 16, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    Considering that "Conservative Activism" is very nearly an oxymoron, yes, it was in fact relatively impressive.

    Still a complete drop in the bucket, comparatively. Especially considering how much airtime it got on the run-up

  41. 41.

    Zuzu's Petals

    April 16, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    Which makes me wonder all over again why you have Maguire on your blogroll, John. I’ve never known him to promote honest discussion about anything, and the comment section over there is a real cesspool.

  42. 42.

    gwangung

    April 16, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    Considering that "Conservative Activism" is very nearly an oxymoron, yes, it was in fact relatively impressive.
    .
    Still a complete drop in the bucket, comparatively. Especially considering how much airtime it got on the run-up

    I think those are fair statements to make. And if they build on this and not remain defensive, smug and self-satisfied, it might mean something.

    Too many wingnuts are crowing that this showing tops anything ever done by the left–which is patent nonsense.

  43. 43.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    What strikes me about these Tea Parties is that there is no coherent message coming from them.

    I defy any pol to take one of those tea parties and turn it into any definable political action.

    "I hate to pay taxes!" is not exactly something that is going to resonate with people who are worried about their jobs and their health insurance and hoping that somebody can get things back on track.

    Especially when the cost of stimulus is less than the cost of doing nothing, in terms of revenue over time.

    Grover Norquist’s insane dream is in big trouble.

  44. 44.

    Krista

    April 16, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    Janet and Barack are going to have their hands full.

    Why, yes. Yes they are. When 0.8% of the population gathers together for poorly defined protests with an incoherent message, that is DEFINITELY cause for the President to lose sleep at night.

    Asshat.

  45. 45.

    KG

    April 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    250,000 people, out of the total US population of 304m comes out to… let’s see, carry the one… .00008% of the population.

    Yup, lot to worry about there.

  46. 46.

    TenguPhule

    April 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    The GOP is getting much more energized than it was under John McCain.

    Methane will energize a corpse too, briefly.

  47. 47.

    KG

    April 16, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    ok, either Krista or I messed up the math. (this is why I’m a lawyer)

    (edited, I apparently can’t read today)

  48. 48.

    Zuzu's Petals

    April 16, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    @Zifnab:

    One thing that I’m sure helps is the fact that it is a deliberately unfocused message. It’s people’s chance to vent at …oh, "the left," Democrats, that Kenyan in the White House, taxes, and the general unfairness of their lives.

    A woman who passed me on her way to the local teabagging event was telling her friends, "I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it any more!" Indeed.

    By the way, here are the pics I took on a brief stroll through the teabagging party in my town. I also posted ’em on a late night open thread, but those threads move fast.

  49. 49.

    Bill Teefy

    April 16, 2009 at 1:51 pm

    @Wisdom: Hey the Tea Bag didn’t outdraw American Carol in its first weekend and it was in less theatres, but it was a noble effort to gather together everyone on your side for a day. And the fact that such huge numbers gathered in so many different locations without any violence (well I think there was one punch thrown in Philly) is a testament to the age of the crowds.

    I smell WIN! for conservatives, or should one say, people who were protesting the horror of deficit spending, the black hitler, social security, medicare, Amtrak, etc. because not all of them were actually conservatives.

    But you should check your numbers as Fox was promoting a events in over 700 cities. Maybe the real number was more like 300,000 teabaggers. W00t!

  50. 50.

    Woodrowfan

    April 16, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    To be fair to the wingnuts, it’s hard to stay on message at protests. I saw a fair amount of off-message signs at anti-war protests, everything from freeing Mumar (or whateverhisname is, the copkiller in Philly) to legalize hemp to 9-11 twoofers…

    On the other hand the anti-war protests were protesting a real war, the teabaggers were protesting non-existent tax hikes..

  51. 51.

    liberal

    April 16, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    @Zuzu’s Petals:

    I’ve never known him to promote honest discussion about anything…

    Agreed. T. M. is consistently dishonest.

  52. 52.

    TenguPhule

    April 16, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    It is that they are coming very close to attempting to criminalize non-violent political dissent.

    Calling for secession, revolution, behind enemy lines & uprisings does not count as non-violent.

    Fuck the Bachmanns with a spiked metal dildo and move on.

  53. 53.

    Krista

    April 16, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    250k at 400 locations? Hell, that’s not a good turnout for a well promoted forklift rodeo.

    Especially considering the hypocrisy — these are the same people who always dismissed the anti-war protesters as a small bunch of rabble-rousing hippies who weren’t at all representative of actual public sentiment.

    The teabaggers made up a tiny fraction of the numbers that the anti-war protests had. And yet, they’re the ones who are representative of this giant grassroots movement that should be causing the President a great deal of alarm?

  54. 54.

    Zuzu's Petals

    April 16, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    @Zuzu’s Petals:

    Dang.

    Here’s the link:

    Teabags Across America (Sacramento Version)
    h/t Rachel Maddow

  55. 55.

    TenguPhule

    April 16, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    The teabaggers made up a tiny fraction of the numbers that the anti-war protests had. And yet, they’re the ones who are representative of this giant grassroots movement that should be causing the President a great deal of alarm?

    Apparently the difference is all in how much news-time they get.

    Also, DFH only count as 1/10000th of a "Real American" or something.

  56. 56.

    Dr. Squid

    April 16, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Of course Tom didn’t complain about "criminalization of dissent" when protesters were preemptively arrested in St. Paul last August.

    Tom: If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about. I heard that shit from your kind incessantly since 9-11. I really don’t give a crap about how you feel now that you’re hearing it.

  57. 57.

    Joshua Norton

    April 16, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Tea Parties is that there is no coherent message coming from them.

    CNN had a protester on who kept screaming that "Obama was a Fascist!" When he was pressed to explain why he was claiming Obama was supposedly a fascist, he couldn’t make any further sensible argument than to scream "because he is!".

    The peasants are revolting!

    They certainly are.

  58. 58.

    Zuzu's Petals

    April 16, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    @Woodrowfan:

    True. But in this case the unfocused rage seemed to be the intent of the organizers.

    For instance, when they tried to promote protests just against the stimulus ("Porkulus!") package a couple of months ago … not much of a turnout.

  59. 59.

    Legalize

    April 16, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    According to Nate Silver (i.e. "Wisdom’s" link) teh teabaggers drew 3,000 people in Cincinnati yesterday. Then candidate Obama drew between 10 and 15,000 in the same city in October, 2008. He drew 20,000 in Cincy in November. So what have we learned here today? Well, I’ve learned that Barack Obama is 5 to 7 times more popular in a traditionally GOP-leaning area than a bunch of wingers too stupid to realize that the president’s policies are designed to help them. I doubt that "Wisdom," and those like him learned anything at all.

  60. 60.

    Michael

    April 16, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    "I hate to pay taxes!" is not exactly something that is going to resonate with people who are worried about their jobs and their health insurance and hoping that somebody can get things back on track.

    Lets be fair here – they want good PR. Even Fox News would have abandoned them had they come out and announced what they really wanted to say – which is "I hate having a n***** in the White House".

  61. 61.

    TenguPhule

    April 16, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Tom: If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.

    But they have done many things wrong and they know it.

    That’s why they’re worried.

  62. 62.

    Zuzu's Petals

    April 16, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    @liberal:

    Something I admired about Cole in his days as a Republican – even though I wasn’t commenting then – was his interest in an honest discussion of the issues. Not saying there weren’t opinions, but he kept it honest.

  63. 63.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    Hey wait a damn minute!

    Didn’t the right just say that we are overreacting to the economic situation …. that the malls are packed?

    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm…….

  64. 64.

    SLKRR

    April 16, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    @Michael G:

    I know this is off-topic, but there’s a very timely and important article by serious conservative writer George Will about the evils of jeans.

    I like how he still managed to work Burke into it there at the end. Burkean Blue Jeans for all! Next week’s column: "T-shirts of Satan."

  65. 65.

    Dennis-SGMM

    April 16, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    If you divide the number of protesters by the number of things they were protesting you get about one hundred protesters per issue.

  66. 66.

    DB

    April 16, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    Aren’t these the same people who wanted the NTY editor executed for a puff piece on Cheney’s vacation home (with Secret Service permission)?

    Yes, they are.

  67. 67.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    For men, sartorial good taste can be reduced to one rule: If Fred Astaire would not have worn it, don’t wear it. For women, substitute Grace Kelly.

    So says George Will.

    Fine, if somebody will pay my $750 a month dry cleaning bill, I will dress like Fred Astaire every day.

    Jeans are ubiquitous because they are sturdy, and they are wash and wear. Not because people are silly.

    In fact, for $1500 a month in dry cleaning stipends, I will dress like Grace Kelly.

  68. 68.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    April 16, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    @Wisdom:

    Tea Parties draw over 250000, and not one smashed window at a Starbucks.

    Yeah, it was all ponies and puppies yesterday.

  69. 69.

    Cyrus

    April 16, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    @Woodrowfan:

    To be fair to the wingnuts, it’s hard to stay on message at protests. I saw a fair amount of off-message signs at anti-war protests, everything from freeing Mumar (or whateverhisname is, the copkiller in Philly) to legalize hemp to 9-11 twoofers…

    Sorry for yet another “our nutcases aren’t as bad as their nutcases” argument, but at least at left-wing protests the off-message signs don’t go all the way to internal contradictions. They’re unfocused so they don’t accomplish much of anything, and varying flavors of revolutionaries wind up arguing with each other about whether capitalism has to fall before sexism, but they all would agree with each other that both laissez-faire capitalism and sexism are bad.

    Here, though, they seem to be objecting to the budget deficit just as loudly as to taxes. This would be like people with “Free Mumia” signs standing side-by-side with people with “Fry Mumia” signs.

  70. 70.

    TenguPhule

    April 16, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    In fact, for $1500 a month in dry cleaning stipends, I will dress like Grace Kelly.

    And double that to stop? :P

  71. 71.

    Krista

    April 16, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    For men, sartorial good taste can be reduced to one rule: If Fred Astaire would not have worn it, don’t wear it. For women, substitute Grace Kelly.

    Nonsense. If jeans were good enough for Katharine Hepburn and Princess Diana, then they’re certainly good enough for me.

    But, I’d hate to offend George Will’s sensibilities, which appear to have been frozen sometime around 1957, so the next time I run to Wal-Mart for some toilet paper, I’ll be sure to wear a day dress with a torpedo bra, a girdle and stockings, and a fur coat. And a hat.

    Who the fuck is he, Andy Rooney? He, Andy, and John McCain should get together and have a "get off my lawn!" party.

  72. 72.

    Bill Teefy

    April 16, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    Shorter Will: These jeans DO make my ass look fat.

  73. 73.

    gwangung

    April 16, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    @Bill Teefy: FTW!

  74. 74.

    Napoleon

    April 16, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    @Krista:

    I’ll be sure to wear a day dress with a torpedo bra,

    Great, I will have the visual with me the rest of the day here at work.

  75. 75.

    smiley

    April 16, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    Kinda OT, kinda not. First I heard about this was when it was advertised on the Glen Beck radio show earlier this week. Scary.

  76. 76.

    Blue Raven

    April 16, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    Mr. Will, if you wish me to dress like Grace Kelly, I implore you to apply your clearly superior mind to the issue of orthopedically correct high heel shoes. My podiatrist and I are both of the opinion that my wearing high heels on a daily basis is asking for trouble, what with my weak arches and ankles.

  77. 77.

    Blue Raven

    April 16, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    WTF? I mention a foot doctor and orthopedics and get moderated?

  78. 78.

    Xanthippas

    April 16, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    Sign me up as giving a shit when they start conducting illegal surveillance and arrests of right-wing protesters. That is, assuming they can find enough right-wing protesters to spy on and arrest.

  79. 79.

    kth

    April 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    Fixed version:

    For men, sartorial good taste can be reduced to one rule: If Steve McQueen would not have worn it, don’t wear it (e.g., bowties outside of formal wear). For women, substitute Ronnie Spector (or Chrissie Hynde or Emmylou Harris or Lauryn Hill or any suitably cool woman).

  80. 80.

    Ash Can

    April 16, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    I too think Bill Teefy nailed it @ 72. Will tried a pair of jeans on, looked at himself in a three-way mirror, burst into tears, and went home and wrote that column.

    The fact that fashion advice is being handed out by someone who needs only a propeller beanie to complete his own look is yet further proof that irony has died, been cremated, and had its ashes stomped into the ground.

  81. 81.

    Mustard is Evil

    April 16, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    Were these not the same whingenuts that spent so much time, lo those years ago, suggesting:

    Dissent (anti-war) = "aid and comfort to the enemy" = treason

    Don’t bother answering; I know the answer already. Obviously, they don’t.

  82. 82.

    justcorbly

    April 16, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    If the report had been about Muslims and/or brown people we would not have heard a peep from the right.

  83. 83.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    April 16, 2009 at 6:35 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Do I hear Five Thousand?

  84. 84.

    Jrod

    April 16, 2009 at 7:35 pm

    That Will article is a real winner:

    Denim is the infantile uniform of a nation in which entertainment frequently features childlike adults ("Seinfeld," "Two and a Half Men") and cartoons for adults ("King of the Hill"). Seventy-five percent of American "gamers" — people who play video games — are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote. In their undifferentiated dress, children and their childish parents become undifferentiated audiences for juvenilized movies (the six — so far — "Batman" adventures and "Indiana Jones and the Credit-Default Swaps," coming soon to a cineplex near you). Denim is the clerical vestment for the priesthood of all believers in democracy’s catechism of leveling — thou shalt not dress better than society’s most slovenly. To do so would be to commit the sin of lookism — of believing that appearance matters. That heresy leads to denying the universal appropriateness of everything, and then to the elitist assertion that there is good and bad taste.

    Let’s just leave aside that this is coming from a guy who wears bow-ties. His idea of "juvenile" seems to be "new-fangled stuff that I don’t understand." Christ, Fox has been running animation for adults for over twenty fucking years, and this bozo goes on about it like King of the Hill was a show of goofy animals teaching lessons about sharing. Then he suggests that universal suffrage is evil, and that franchise should be granted based on the voter’s hobbies.

    Just come out and say it, Will. You want to go back to allowing only property-owning white males to vote. You hate the popularity of jeans because you want strict delineation between the high-class worthies and the low-class shit workers. How can you tell them apart by immediate sight if the classes aren’t wearing their proper uniforms?

    Fucking wanker. And this is America’s favorite pundit! Puke.

  85. 85.

    El Cid

    April 16, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    You’re either With Us or You’re With the Terrorists. Make up your mind, neo-Confederate tax whiners.

  86. 86.

    Fencedude

    April 16, 2009 at 7:45 pm

    @Jrod:

    Seventy-five percent of American "gamers"—people who play video games—are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote.

    Fuck you Will, fuck you.

    Also jesus, what a way to an entire segment of the population, dumbass.

  87. 87.

    JWW

    April 16, 2009 at 7:45 pm

    John,

    You yourself just made a very stupid response.

    The DHS report does nothing of the sort- it isn’t criminalizing dissent, it is merely pointing out what we all know to be true- in this time of economic unease and with the ascent of an African-American President, right-wing extremism is something we should be concerned about.

    As if no other person in America could have dissenting thoughts other than somebody right or leaning right, and as for the African-American part you are, what I would call a wingbat.

  88. 88.

    Jrod

    April 16, 2009 at 8:26 pm

    Sure, it’s just a coincidence that the right-wingers ramped up the crazy after a black guy got elected. It’s not like the US has a long history of race-based terrorism.

    As if no other person in America could have dissenting thoughts other than somebody right or leaning right

    It’s a DHS report, not a DHS musing on various possibilities which may or may not occur. It’s a report on violent threats, not dissent. Maybe you should learn to read before you try to write.

  89. 89.

    JGabriel

    April 16, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    @SLKRR:

    Burkean Blue Jeans for all!

    Bell Bottoms for the Burkean Bells!

    .

  90. 90.

    JWW

    April 16, 2009 at 10:01 pm

    Jrod,

    Maybe, just maybe you don’t know how or why such assessments are made. It is well beyond your scope so I won’t embarrass you. Your mom told you not to touch the stove, it is apparent you did not listen.

    The right was complaining the entire Bush administration about spending. The Bush spending was above and beyond, the Obama administration is beyond absurd and leads not to a fix but to an ownership.

  91. 91.

    Jrod

    April 16, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    A retard like you talking about what’s beyond my scope is fucking hilarious. Using that as an excuse not to back up any of your poorly defined points is just typical.

    Your lil’ lungs is too small to hot box with me, son.

  92. 92.

    SFAW

    April 17, 2009 at 1:22 am

    The right was complaining the entire Bush administration about spending.

    Well, I guess if you restrict the scope to "spending on anything even peripherally related to center or left favorites" (e.g. education).

    But spending in general? Not so much

    Maybe, just maybe you don’t know how or why such assessments are made. It is well beyond your scope so I won’t embarrass you.

    Please enlighten us as to how or why such assessments are made, since you apparently work for I&A.

    But I understand your skepticism in general, because it’s patently obvious that all the complaints about the Islamocommunofascist, not-born-in-America, where’s-the-white-wimmin-at, antiChrist known as Barack HUSSEIN Osamabama have been coming from the left.

    And besides, Teh One has had 87 DAYS!!2!, and the Economy still isn’t fixed, so I’m a-gonna go protest my tax cut!

    Etc. etc.

  93. 93.

    liberal

    April 17, 2009 at 10:40 am

    @JWW:

    The right was complaining the entire Bush administration about spending.

    Really? The right was complaining about how we blew $1T in Iraq and Afghanistan, or about how the military budget even apart from the wars exploded under Bush’s watch?

  94. 94.

    liberal

    April 17, 2009 at 10:46 am

    @Zuzu’s Petals:

    Something I admired about Cole in his days as a Republican – even though I wasn’t commenting then – was his interest in an honest discussion of the issues.

    I came to this blog after JC’s "conversion" (IIRC, it was the Schiavo nonsense), but many people have mentioned this, and the level of honesty is still there.

  95. 95.

    b.

    April 17, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Next step: "It was that illegal discrimination by the DHS and DOJ that made them blow up government buildings and shoot ATF agents."

    – Orwell got it wrong. Room 101 is empty.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. William K. Wolfrum Chronicles » Blog Archive » Conservative cries of victimization over DHS report is one huge lie, or stupidity of the highest order says:
    April 17, 2009 at 9:45 am

    […] Maguire via John Cole via Sully: Uh huh – the problem with this DHS study is not that they are threatening […]

  2. Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Oh For Goodness Sakes says:
    April 20, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    […] At issue is I apparently forgot to include Sullivan’s link to Maguire in the blockquote in this post I made the other day about the fauxtrage regarding the DHS report. […]

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