Whenever Rich Lowry writes this, I hear people blowing the dust off NR’s actual Civil Rights era editorials http://t.co/qo6c41U7aA
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) January 2, 2015
Not just open, but gaping! Rich ‘Starbursts’ Lowry explains it all for you his readers:
… The movie’s stars showed up for the New York City premiere with “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts, and held their hands up for photos. One of its producers, Oprah Winfrey, says of the film, “It is here for a reason in this moment.” The actor who plays Martin Luther King Jr., David Oyelowo, calls the parallels with Ferguson “indisputable,” and the rapper Common, who plays activist James Bevel, pronounces, “Obviously, the story took place in 1965, which is almost 50 years ago, but we know that it’s happening now.”…
Whatever you think of the merits of voter-ID laws — often brought up to make the case that the struggle for voting rights is not over — they are not the least bit redolent of the Deep South of the mid-20th century. No one asks anyone to recite the preamble to the Constitution to get a driver’s license or some other valid ID…
As for policing, the worry in 1965 wasn’t ambiguous encounters or tragic accidents. It was beatings, or worse. It was whips and forced march by cattle prod. It was the violence of police who were the oppressive instruments of a lawless authority.
The protesters who faced off against the police in Selma didn’t shout abuse, although they would have been amply justified; they didn’t burn down local businesses; they didn’t randomly fire guns, or throw rocks or stones. The difference between demonstrators in Selma and Ferguson is the difference between dignity under enormous pressure in a righteous cause and heedless self-indulgence in the service of a smear (that Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown as he surrendered)…
@daveweigel Lowest moment was when magazine said Birmingham church bombing perhaps done by a "crazed negro": http://t.co/0bZHeFmHOz
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) January 2, 2015
@daveweigel One of my favorites: When National Review slammed "the ludicrously named 'civil rights' movement' — that is, the Negro revolt."
— Eric Kleefeld (@EricKleefeld) January 2, 2015
@daveweigel @EricBoehlert Read the comments section of the piece to get a flavor of the perspective of his readers on the subject. OMG.
— John Hentschel (@jchench) January 2, 2015
Mike in dc
“Why do all these racists keep voting for us? ” is the new “Why do these homosexuals keep sucking my dick? “
Rafer Janders
Thank god that’s no longer a problem…..!
Tokyokie
I read a few of the comments at TRO. But I can only take so much of racist assholes insisting that they’re neither racists nor assholes.
Derelict
@Mike in dc:
It’s more like, “We keep saying racists things, and we keep doing racist things, and our party is working very hard to keep Blacks from voting. So we can’t understand why anyone would call us racist–especially since we haven’t said ‘ni**er’ out loud in the last couple of months.”
Aimai
@Derelict: anyways if its not done below mason dixon, while whistleing dixie, it doesnt count.
Zam
Everyone knows you’re not racist unless you openly declare yourself as one. Until then you are just pointing out how terrible and lazy those black folks are, and maybe they don’t need rights until they meet your standards for earning them.
KG
@Tokyokie: well, it seems they dispute the claim of racism, but the few I read seem to embrace the asshole label
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Pierce is already on it, and there is no dust on his copies
IIRC Christopher Buckley was asked to resign from his mostly ceremonial position on the NR board when he announced his support for Obama in ’08.
Yatsuno
You know, you’re the real racist for talking about this Anne Laurie.
Bystander
Just read on joe god that Donna Douglass has passed away. Douglass played Elly May on The Beverly Hilbillies. She was 81.
I’m guessing Elly May was a role model for Sarah Palin. Only connection I’ve got to between Lowry and Douglass.
Howard Beale IV
@Aimai: Outsourced to Tom Lehrer
Amir Khalid
@Bystander:
No way. Elly May Clampett and her kin may not have been the most sophisticated people in Beverly Hills; but, Jethro aside, they weren’t stupid, and there was never a mean bone in any one of them.
Botsplainer
@Howard Beale IV:
You olds gotta quit referencing Lehrer – those all go flat with everybody under 65 and with all who are not from the coastal northeast…
Bubblegum Tate
The comments are…holy shit. The biggest debate they’re having is whether William F. Buckley really did say his famous quote about the natural inferiority of black people. Besides that, it’s mostly settled that the only racists in the world are black people (specifically Obama, Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, and, now, Oprah).
PS: I also love how Lowry says that “MLK and his forces descended” on Selma. Really? His “forces” “descended”? That’s just fantastic.
Frankensteinbeck
@Aimai:
I’ve been using the rule ‘If it’s what a racist would do who’s smart enough not to use the word nigger, then it’s racism.’ The Obama years have made it abundantly clear to me that the benefit of the doubt is not only not deserved, it’s a huge part of the problem.
satby
@Botsplainer: well, this old still thinks he hit the target, and so do my 29 and 32 year old sons.
Mandalay
Eric Garner and Michael Brown and Tamir Rice would be longing for those good old days.
Heh – Lowry thinks things have changed. If you made this stuff up nobody would believe it.
Anne Laurie
@Yatsuno: Yes, but people like Oprah Winfrey!
AshWing
Sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to buy the National Review, fire everyone, and replace them with contrarians (aka liberals), thus ensuring decades worth of “even the conservative National Review” from the punditry.
But then I realize that this sort of thing only works in one direction.
Villago Delenda Est
@Amir Khalid: Contrast with Lowry and the rest of the National Socialist Review crowd, who are made entirely of mean bones.
Botsplainer
@Mandalay:
Had it been up to Lowrey’s literal and ideological predecessor Buckley, nothing would have changed and those uppity nigras would have gotten their heads busted like they clearly deserved.
Cacti
The worst thing about NRO’s civil rights record wasn’t just that they favored second class citizenship for racial minorities, they even went so far as supporting apartheid-style government in places where black people were a numerical majority.
As Gore Vidal said upon learning of William F. Buckley’s demise: “RIP WFB – in hell”.
Hungry Joe
Paraphrasing the Less-Than-Divine Miss Sarah: Hey, GOP — how’s that outreach to African-Americans thingy workin’ out for ya?
MattF
@Derelict: More like “Haven’t said n*****r since leaving the club this afternoon.’
dedc79
@Bubblegum Tate: Yes, one would think the “forces” that “descended” would more appropriately describe the state and local police who gassed and clubbed the peaceful marchers or the lynch mob who murdered James Reeb.
Citizen_X
You mean, like shooting people dead?
JustRuss
@Cacti: Wow. So the the minority, in order to “live by civilized standards”, is permitted to resort to violence? I am in awe of the inconsistency of NR’s rhetoric….even by the standards of today’s conservatives that’s impressive.
Citizen_X
@Bubblegum Tate:
What, just because those words had his name on it, and were in his magazine?
Next, I suppose you’ll tell me that Ron Paul was responsible for the racist shit with his name on it that appeared in his newsletter.
dr. luba
@Mike in dc: That was my first thought, too. What is wrong with us?
Cacti
What National Review actually said following the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, that took the lives of four black schoolgirls:
William F. Buckley was a thoroughly repugnant human being.
Mike in dc
It feels like the GOP teased an end to the Southern strategy in 2004-2005, when Mehlman apologized for doing it in the past…then regressed shortly after it became clear that Obama would be the Dem nominee in 2008. I can only imagine how the party will pander more openly to misogynists if and when Clinton Is elected.
dedc79
I made the mistake of skimming the comments. Here’s a real gem:
And because it’s NRO, when someone posted a reply correctly pointing out the racism of the above commentt, the reply was removed in “moderation” and the original comment was left alone.
lethargytartare
@Botsplainer: I am both under 65 and not from the northeast. Also a Tom Lehrer fan.
Though it does occur to me now that my dad was from Connecticut. Damn you, Obama!!!!
SiubhanDuinne
@Bubblegum Tate:
The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold
elmo
@Botsplainer: I’m 48, I’m from Southern California originally, and I know every word of every song Tom Lehrer ever wrote. Now get off my lawn!
Bubblegum Tate
@Citizen_X:
Well, yeah. But really, the argument some of them are making is “I’m subscribed to NR and therefore have access to the archives, and I can’t find that quote, but liberals seem to reference it a lot. If I put those two things together, it seems as though it’s a quote made up by liberals to smear the great William F. Buckley.”
It’s pretty fucking amazing–especially when contrasted with the other strong view presented in the comments: “Buckley was right!”
Anne Laurie
@Mike in dc:
They seem to have spent 2014 doing test runs. If/when HRC announces her candidacy, expect to read many mealy-mouthed explanations about ethics in
gamingpolitcal journalism between the raw obscenities…Howard Beale IV
@Botsplainer: I got exposed to Mr. Lehrer at the age of 16 in 1976 courtesy of Dr. Demento and I was born and raised in da midwest.
Botsplainer
@lethargytartare:
OK, I stand mildly chastened. I can’t help it – I react to Lehrer in much the same way as I react to Russell Brand or Kathy Griffin.
MattF
@dedc79: That’s just precious. Telling people they need to be disciplined is good practice for a career in soft-core porn.
Mandalay
The Palace issues a very carefully worded denial::
I think that they are arguing that the idea that any impropriety is involved when the Prince has sex with minors is untrue; the Prince can do whatever he wants so there cannot be any impropriety.
elmo
@JustRuss:
Not once you realize that “civilized standards” = “white rule.”
MDB
@dedc79:
If you are referring to the “Hi, I am a Black Guy…..and as one who has been black his entire life…..” reply to that bullshit first post…then yeah…that was me. It was deleted almost as soon as I finished posting it.
Howard Beale IV
@Botsplainer: I could give two shits about Kathy Griffin, but I dare say that today’s Russel Brand is getting close to being this generation’s Tom Lehrer if he could channel his comedic talents in that direction.
SiubhanDuinne
@Cacti:
/Ernestine Tomlin
Full metal Wingnut
Adoption group is coming with the cat! I’m nervous and excited. Never had a cat because my mom was allergic. Hopefully he likes it here and remembers me from earlier this week.
Bubblegum Tate
@Anne Laurie:
Blammo!
dedc79
@MDB: Yep, that was the one. Well since I never got to reply over there, i’ll just say over here that I thought it was great.
That guy (and most of that commentariat) is beyond reach, sadly.
Baud
@MDB:
I can’t believe an institution that once advocated for white minority rule would delete uncomfortable comments.
Are you sure you’re not the real racist?
Cacti
@dedc79:
It’s a hoot watching them scrub the comment section of verbatim, but racist as shit quotes actually cribbed from articles published in National Review.
Pointing out how NR reacted to the Civil Rights movement in real time is apparently a violation of forum rules. LOL
Howard Beale IV
@Bubblegum Tate: There is the possibility that NRO scrubbed some of WFB’s more uh, colorful quotes from their archives for precisely that reason.
raven
You guys ever see this ?
Thiland rocket fest
Villago Delenda Est
@JustRuss: They should not be the slightest bit surprised or astonished that with attitudes like that, they are dealt with in kind.
MattF
@Cacti: Yeah, well. ‘Conservative’ means respect for tradition– which in this case means ignoring their own history.
Brendan in NC
I’m all for forcing them to change the name of the magazine to National Disgrace
That would look perfect in Weigel’s tweet: The Real Lesson of Selma, by Rich Lowery, National Disgrace
MattF
@raven: Ooooh. Aaaah.
satby
@Full metal Wingnut: good luck!!
Gin & Tonic
@raven: That’s very cool. I remember a very small version of those, like maybe 2″ diameter, as a firework when I was a kid.
Mike in NC
National Review is shit to be sure, but pales in offensiveness to stuff like the American Spectator (AKA American Sphincter).
raven
@Gin & Tonic: Ain’t it!
Howard Beale IV
@Full metal Wingnut: Congratulations on becoming owned by a cat. Wonderful creatures. Don’t be surprised of every now and then they start acting like they’re not breathing, they’re more than likely coughing up the ubiquitous hairball.
Full metal Wingnut
@satby: Thanks! I’m just worried I’ll accidentally misread his body language and set him off. Just me worrying about everything.
Full metal Wingnut
@Howard Beale IV: Good to know!
TR
Of course the conservative NR was opposed to the civil rights movement. They were all about defending the old order and never ever ever stood by political figures who demanded certain rights boldly.
Remember when MLK announced at the March on Washington that “extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue”? That kind of rabble-rousing and rationalizing away law breaking went against their very core!
Pogonip
@Bystander: She also played the beautiful girl on the Twilight Zone who was having plastic surgery to become ugly on the planet of pig-faced people. There was another actress under the bandages, a voice actress, and they were going to dub in her voice over Donna Douglass’s at the end, but DD’s performance was so good they decided not to bother.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Full metal Wingnut:
Congrats! Just keep in mind that he’s going to be nervous, too, and don’t push him too hard to be friendly right off the bat. Just hang out with him in a non-pushy way and let him come to you.
My late great Boris was part Russian Blue and the sweetest, most devoted cat ever, so I think you’ll enjoy your new buddy!
danielx
@Mike in dc:
Today’s win for the intertubes.
Pogonip
@Full metal Wingnut: If you provide regular meals and a clean litter box, he’ll be happy. When he arrives he will either inspect everything immediately, or he’ll sit under a chair for a while, thinking it all over, and then inspect everything. Either way, don’t interrupt the inspection; it’s very important to cats that they THOROUGHLY inspect. (If cats were people, they’d always get their damage deposit back.). After the inspection is completed, then he’ll be ready to get acquainted.
For some reason, dogs are much more casual about inspection; a quick sniff and they’re satisfied.
lurker dean
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): Good point. Each of our three cats spent the first few days under the bed in the room we had set up for them. Cats don’t like change and are very territorial, so going to a new place scares them. You could be lucky and your cat may not be that way, but it’s nothing to worry about if he/she is. But they snap out of it after they figure out there isn’t a tiger hiding around every corner, lol. Congratulations!
lurker dean
@Pogonip: @Pogonip: Wow, I just saw that last night at the end of the Syfy marathon, but didn’t realize that was DD.
Just One More Canuck
@Full metal Wingnut: the best part of having a cat (or any pet) is learning about their idiosyncrasies – we got a new kitten a few months ago – her favourite thing to do with one of her toys is to dunk it in her water dish and then carry it around the house
Pogonip
@lurker dean: We’ve never had one think it over that long. There are rooms to be inspected! Ours always thought it over for a night, at most, and then couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.
Bubblegum Tate
@Howard Beale IV:
I’m sure that’s the case.
Villago Delenda Est
@Mike in NC: American Spectator is not above inventing stories out of whole cloth and passing them on as actual reporting.
American Sphincter is certainly an accurate characterization of them.
Villago Delenda Est
@Howard Beale IV: Reminds me of Art Robinson accusing Peter DeFazio of “slandering” him when DeFazio quoted Robinson verbatim from Robinson’s own book.
Full metal Wingnut
@Pogonip: He’s inspecting. I had to pick him up to stop him from running after the dude who dropped him off and his little heart was racing. My friend just said to ignore him for a little while so as not to freak him out.
And now he’s hiding under the coffee table. I have food and toys and catnip! Here kitty kitty kitty!
Pogonip
@Full metal Wingnut: Leave him alone and he’ll come out when he’s ready. Cats have to think it all over before they make a move. If you want to brighten his life while he’s still thinking, drape a sheet over the table so he’s in sort of a little cave. He’ll appreciate that. And don’t look directly at him–that’s like saying, “Hey, wanna fight?”. Should you catch his eye, blink slowly and look away (translation: “Let’s be friends, or at least, not enemies.”).
Pogonip
@Full metal Wingnut: And enjoy this time while it lasts. Sooner than you think, he will be walking across your face at oh dark thirty, snickering to himself when you wake with a start.
Kass
I need kitty advice, and this is the best spot! We adopted a new kitty from a small shelter about four months ago. He is eating, and likes being brushed, but won’t budge from the one spot in our dining room that he likes. Maybe we let him out of isolation in one room too soon? He does no exploring and isn’t curious, won’t hop into a box, etc. We are not pushing him, just trying to be loving and show there’s nothing to be afraid of. Does he smell our previous cat, whom we sadly lost in April? I’m beyond wondering if he likes us or not. I love him, and I hope he will ” come around” someday. Any comments from cat experts? Thanks, from a lurker.
Full metal Wingnut
@Pogonip: Oops. Been making too much eye contact with the poor bugger. His eyes are just so pretty (russian blue). He rubbed up against me and let me scritch him and then promptly ran back under the couch. He keeps doing that and then going back to hiding. Progress?
Pogonip
@Full metal Wingnut: Yup. Stop looking him in the eye till he gets used to you. Right now, between the skritches and the looks, he doesn’t know if you’re a lover or a fighter.
LWA (Liberal With Attitude)
@Cacti:
In the words of Newt Gingrich- “Anyone who quotes words I spoke is lying.”
Howard Beale IV
@Pogonip: Yep-that’s what happened when I brought home Ozzie-took 3 days before he came out of his shell, even though he hid under my bed and purred for two days before that.
SWMBO
@Bystander: Nope. Ellie May was kind to animals and self effacing. Complete opposite of Caribou Barbie.
Howard Beale IV
@Full metal Wingnut: Yep. Let him come out on his own schedule.
Citizen Alan
@Bystander:
Ellie Mae Clampett was kind and gentle to animals and was able to tame bears with nothing but the warmth of her affection. The Satanic Harpy from Wasilla gets her jollies by shooting endangered wolves from the safety of a helicopter.
Citizen Alan
@Amir Khalid:
re: The Clampetts
Eh. Hard to tell, since they were a family of endearing Confederate sympathizers who never encountered a single black person in all of L.A. during the show’s entire run. Sort of like how Bo and Luke Duke could be considered the heroes in the only Southern town of any size that had absolutely no black people living in it.
Citizen Alan
@efgoldman:
Ellie May (to my recollection) never wore short shorts. That was Daisy Duke, which is why they’re called that. Ellie May actually dressed like a guy most of the time except for the few rare occasions where they forced her into a dress for plot-related reasons.
Origuy
@Howard Beale IV:
I’d say Tim Minchen is already there.
lurker dean
@Kass: hmmm, never experienced that. it could very well be the smell of your previous cat, but it also may be that you have a somewhat shy cat. i would post again in the next open thread when were bear or some of the other cat experts are around.
Central Planning
@Botsplainer:
My current 17YO, when 13YO, would sing Lehrer’s Elements song to anyone who would ask him. At one point he had the piano memorized too.
Old indeed. Please imagine me looking over my reading glasses saying that. :)
J R in WV
@Kass:
Kass,
We’ve had cats, 2 or 3 at a time, for a long time, and I’ve not seen that behavior.
But I’m not a cat expert by any means, even so I can tell you it isn’t an emergency, and suggest you try this site: http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/
She knows a lot about cats, and can inquire for things she isn’t familiar with.
Best of luck with your little kitty, and don’t worry about it yet, especially if he’ll purr for you. One suggestion, you could put a chair with a towel over it ot give him a little privacy. He might like that.
Hal
One of the things I’ve seen over and over again the past few months: conservatives using the civil rights movement to criticize Ferguson protesters. Lets ignore the fact that MLK’s quiet dignity still got him shot in the face, or the many people who died, were beaten, had dogs sicked on them, blasted with fire hoses. What matters most to white people like Lowry is that no one acted out of sorts. Even in the face of massive institutionalized racism, abuse and multiple unnecessary and even criminally libel deaths, black people are still supposed to be quiet and dignified.
rikyrah
@Hal:
Tell it Hal.
notorious JRT
@Amir Khalid:
Word
Emily68
@Bubblegum Tate
Bubblegum Tate says:
January 2, 2015 at 6:21 pm
.
@Howard Beale IV:
There is the possibility that NRO scrubbed some of WFB’s more uh, colorful quotes from their archives for precisely that reason.
I’m sure that’s the case.
:
Go to the library and look at the old bound copies, or maybe microfilm.