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Glenn Beck Loses Dispute Over Parody Domain

CuteSteveJobs writes "Glenn Beck fought the law and the law won. Parody website DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com attacked Beck using the same straw man arguments Beck himself is famous for: 'We're not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990 — in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder ... Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?' Beck didn't see the humour and tried to have the site shut down. He sued the creator on the grounds the site 'violated his name as a trademark.' But in a sudden outbreak of common sense, WIPO rejected Beck's complaint finding the site 'can be said to be making a political statement,' which is a 'legitimate non-commercial use' of Beck's name. But after winning, the owner voluntarily handed Beck the domain anyway. Still, it's comforting to know that satire — the only weapon politicians and talking heads fear — is still safely in the hands of the public where it belongs."

1,172 comments

  1. DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com

    1. Re:DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be new here.

      This is common knowledge. The answer is yes.

    2. Re:DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      False! It was a boy.

    3. Re:DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com by darkpixel2k · · Score: 2, Funny

      DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com

      Do you realize how much of a pain in the ass it is to subscribe to the mailing list?
      WeHateKDawson-request@list.DidKDAWSONRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com

      71 characters...

      Screw the mailing list.

      --
      There's no place like ::1 (I've completed my transition to IPv6)
  2. icing on the cake: by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    tell beck why the results of his arrogance is now something he has in common with barbra streisand. he'll love the comparison

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:icing on the cake: by WED+Fan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So if someone set up a similar site in your name it, you'd rest with the decision that it was parody and legal?

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    2. Re:icing on the cake: by WED+Fan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Just because this is Glenn Beck, and there is almost a syndrome about the Beck/Limbaugh/Fox hatred going on right, doesn't take away from the vile level to which some people stoop to personally destroy someone.

      If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal.

      Maybe I'm wrong, but I do look for a certain level of intellectual honest on /. After all, this isn't the Huffington Post.

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    3. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If I was a public figure, yes. It's part of the price of fame, and of free speech. You like free speech, right?

      I find it particularly appropriate that this happened to Glen Beck, who uses the same tactics of making people refute completely bogus accusations.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    4. Re:icing on the cake: by SOdhner · · Score: 1, Insightful

      So if someone set up a similar site in your name it, you'd rest with the decision that it was parody and legal?

      Absolutely. I would look at it, decide it was parody, and take one of two actions depending on the circumstances:

      1. Ignore it entirely, hoping that without any attention it will go away (and knowing that any attention I give it is still serving it)

      2. Publicly laugh about it and act like a good sport (if I think people are going to see it either way) so that I'm at least seen as someone who can take a joke.

    5. Re:icing on the cake: by nomadic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Irrelevant. The question isn't whether it provokes outrage, it's whether it was legal. Glenn Beck and his fans are all perfectly entitled to be enraged, but Beck shouldn't try to abuse the system in order to shut the website down.

    6. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After all, this isn't the Huffington Post.

      Correct, HuffPo isn't 90% Javascript.

    7. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It would be in just as poor taste, but yes it should be legal.

    8. Re:icing on the cake: by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes. People would be furious about that. So what? That would have no bearing whatsoever on whether or not it was legal. I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    9. Re:icing on the cake: by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I wouldn't be happy about it -- but I would be smart enough to know that the site is parody, it is entirely legal, and attempting to make it go away will only draw more attention to it. I had not heard anything of the unconfirmed rumors that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990 until he tried to disappear it (although he STILL didn't deny the rumors -- why could that be?)

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    10. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You tell me. I just registered DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderWEDFanFromSlashdotIn1990.com.

    11. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depends whether I was in the public eye every day (i.e. a public figure) making analogous accusations of other people (i.e. that there was satirical value in making a similar comment). If not, then it would simply be malicious.

    12. Re:icing on the cake: by Icegryphon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.

      I want one of those broad brushes.
      Where did you get yours? Ace? HomeDepot?

    13. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They do not drool on camera, just foaming, unless the drool is cleaned up in post production.

    14. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But would that be parody? The point is that Beck uses this kind of argument all the time.

      DID [random notable (typically) lefty] do [something for which there's no evidence and which no one's previously accused them of]? Now, I'm not saying they have... but if not, why don't they deny it? (wink wink)

      DOES [so-and-so] have a secret agenda to [whatever]? Look at these random symbols that have no bearing on what I'm talking about... does this symbolize some dark agenda? Makes you think, doesn't it?

      While the details may be offensive in this instance, turning the structure of his argument back at him in a patently over-the-top manner to expose the weakness of that form of argument is the ESSENCE of parody. Your example isn't parody, as it's not relevant to anything.

      ... and if Michelle did gang-bang a college football team and get pregnant, more power to her.

    15. Re:icing on the cake: by LanMan04 · · Score: 1, Funny

      Have you watched the show? The GP is correct in his assumption.

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
    16. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It takes a broad brush to paint a neck red. Seriously, Anyone who listens to Glenn Beck gets zero respect from normal, educated Americans. The man is a traitor, a bully, and an idiot. He wants America to fail so that he can say, "I told you so." He wants you to fail so you'll blame Obama. Glenn Beck is a subhuman poo flinging primate.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    17. Re:icing on the cake: by houghi · · Score: 3, Funny

      It is not that broad. It applies only to the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans. The other retards who call themselves Glen Beck fans are not implied.

      It could even be argued that it implies that there are other people who are Glenn Beck fans and not drooling retards.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    18. Re:icing on the cake: by Foolicious · · Score: 4, Informative

      I admittedly don't know anything about this case. I haven't even RTFA! But on reading your post, I do wonder what the difference is between using and abusing the system. He tried and lost. That would suggest no abuse at all, just use.

      --
      Please don't use "umm" or "err" or "erm".
    19. Re:icing on the cake: by onefriedrice · · Score: 1

      It doesn't look like he did abuse the system, unless I'm missing some fine point. He thought he had a case (obviously, or he wouldn't have filed), so he tried it in court. He lost. That seems to be the way system is supposed to be working.

      --
      This author takes full ownership and responsibility for the unpopular opinions outlined above.
    20. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      You sir, are a typical liberal bigot

    21. Re:icing on the cake: by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      If the site was a parody then it would IMO piss me off because it is simply rude and inappropriate, but I would love for it be legal (she is a public figure to her own dismay).

      If it were a parody that was set-up to specifically show the absurdity of rhetoric she frequently used I would not even be offended by the site itself. Especially if she traded in loudness and happy publicity on top of flimsy rhetoric.

      So your example is similar, but not the same.

      Much more accurate would be www.didmrmooreeatyourchildrenafterglennbeckrapedthemwithhimwatching.com (God I hate him, and I'm quite liberal)

      And then painted a picture of him as a Glenn Beck rape watcher, and baby eater using the same techniques he uses in his documentaries. This I think even the rabid liberals could see the point of (though the flat out crazy ones would deny it was a fair parody).

      I guess my point is that the site went beyond parody into satire even. This makes it even more important that it is legal, and probably goes into the consideration too (along with how public a figure the target is, and how strong the attack).

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    22. Re:icing on the cake: by quangdog · · Score: 1

      Traitor, bully, and an idiot? Wants America to fail?

      I dunno - as a normal, educated American I'd like to see your sources, please.

    23. Re:icing on the cake: by AlecC · · Score: 2, Informative

      Agreed. The adjudicator noted that he was making no judgement as to whether the website was defamatory: that judgement was left for a US court.

      --
      Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
    24. Re:icing on the cake: by plague3106 · · Score: 1

      Stop with straw man arguments; the OP isn't a public figure, so there's nothing to parody that would serve a public good. Glen Beck on the other hand is a very public and very polarizing figure, parody is one way to show people what a dunce he is.

    25. Re:icing on the cake: by WillDraven · · Score: 4, Funny

      there are other people who are Glenn Beck fans and not drooling retards.

      [Citation needed]

      --
      This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
    26. Re:icing on the cake: by jipn4 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Being entitled to being enraged is obviously not a legal question but a moral one. Did Glenn Beck have a moral entitlement to being enraged? I don't think so, given his history. That's the point of that domain, after all.

    27. Re:icing on the cake: by tayhimself · · Score: 1
      http://rawstory.com/rawreplay/?p=4129

      Videos like these?

      I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.

      I want one of those broad brushes. Where did you get yours? Ace? HomeDepot?

    28. Re:icing on the cake: by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2, Funny

      Glenn Beck is a subhuman poo flinging primate.

      Hey, hey, HEY... Not fair - to subhuman, poo-flinging primates. My stuffed Gorilla is very nice, though I believe he would target his poo at Glenn - and the Fox News "commentators" in general - but that's his First Amendment right...

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    29. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't be furious about the obama link... why should I?

    30. Re:icing on the cake: by Garrett+Fox · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't say it was automatically abuse of the system to sue over the site. On the face of it, it seems to be a slanderous/libelous accusation intended specifically to smear someone in public, so there was a legitimate case to be made against it.

      --
      Revive the Constitution.
    31. Re:icing on the cake: by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The problem isn't that Beck and Limbaugh are conservative. It is that they are intellectually dishonest. William F. Buckley was conservative as hell, but you had to admire his intellect, education and ability to present a cogent argument. Beck is a buffoon who uses every logical fallacy in the book. As soon as Limbaugh says, "I don't just make this stuff up;" you know he's just making it up.

      --
      Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
    32. Re:icing on the cake: by ArcherB · · Score: 2, Informative

      If I was a public figure, yes. It's part of the price of fame, and of free speech. You like free speech, right?

      I find it particularly appropriate that this happened to Glen Beck, who uses the same tactics of making people refute completely bogus accusations.

      Glenn Beck shows actual video of people saying outrageous things and THEN asks them to respond. Sorry, but this website does not have a video of Glenn Beck killing a young girl. Until they get one, your comparison is not a fair one.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    33. Re:icing on the cake: by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 1, Insightful

      >It could even be argued that it implies that there are other people who are Glenn Beck fans and not drooling retards.

      Unlikely as that may seem to anyone who has ever met a Glenn Beck fan.

      --
      Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
    34. Re:icing on the cake: by Garrett+Fox · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He's a sign of how much of an ideological split we have in this country, that we have certain people flinging accusations of treason against those who question our new overlord. (Or who ask crazy questions like "Where in the Constitution do the feds get the power to...?") The same people also have a tendency to be rude to the point of vileness. I've seen this twice personally with people I'd respected.

      --
      Revive the Constitution.
    35. Re:icing on the cake: by Killer+Orca · · Score: 1

      I like beck. Perhaps you are too educated for your own good.

      I hate this new trend of people who are too "intellectual"; like it is somehow bad for you! When did being smart in the U.S. become associated as a negative trait. Illustrated aptly here http://miscellanea.wellingtongrey.net/2008/10/05/elect-a-president-just-like-me/

    36. Re:icing on the cake: by plague3106 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      So you admit you're an idiot!

    37. Re:icing on the cake: by nomadic · · Score: 3, Informative

      It doesn't look like he did abuse the system, unless I'm missing some fine point.

      He brought this to the WIPO, which is intended to resolve intellectual property rights, not defamation torts. A proper use of the system would have been to file a defamation action in a US court of general jurisdiction.

    38. Re:icing on the cake: by drcln · · Score: 5, Funny

      I Googled it, there are't any.

      http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=glenn+beck+fans+who+are+%22not+drooling+retards%22&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

      there are other people who are Glenn Beck fans and not drooling retards.

      [Citation needed]

      --
      your gravity fails and negativity don't pull you through
    39. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Sure it is. Glenn Beck takes quotes completely out of context, for one thing. For another, the birth certificate question. It was answered. Te birth certificate was shown. The doctor who delivered Obama spoke up. The newspaper that printed his birth announcement showed their records. Yet Beck blathered on, asking Obama to prove something that had already been proven.

      The comparison is more than fair.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    40. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dear LanMan,

      By definition you are among those followers as you have watched the show.

      T Wilgork

    41. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it's here

      www.thecelebrityautopsy.com

    42. Re:icing on the cake: by jaygridley · · Score: 1

      Looks like just use to me.

    43. Re:icing on the cake: by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you are too educated for your own good.

      What does it mean to be too educated?

      Are you implying that there is merit to remaining ignorant?

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    44. Re:icing on the cake: by jaygridley · · Score: 1

      What does Glenn Beck have to do with Obama failing in the first place?

    45. Re:icing on the cake: by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Its not just a US thing. Being too intellectual has been a focus or slander alot of places in the last 120 years. Vietnam during the war, Cambodia, Germany from before the First World War until the end of the Second, Pre and post Revolution Russia, post Revolution China.

      And in the US its not just been the Right, in the 60s the Left was against business and intellectuals like McNamara. Anti-intellectualism seems to have started in the US in the 17th century and in Europe with Cato the Elder.

      Go back farther and there have been anti-intellectual movements into the Classical period.

    46. Re:icing on the cake: by Hatta · · Score: 5, Funny


      I like beck. Perhaps you are too educated for your own good.

      That's right citizen. Ignorance is strength.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    47. Re:icing on the cake: by sjmacko29 · · Score: 2

      It takes a broad brush to paint a neck red. Seriously, Anyone who listens to Glenn Beck gets zero respect from normal, educated Americans. The man is a traitor, a bully, and an idiot. He wants America to fail so that he can say, "I told you so." He wants you to fail so you'll blame Obama. Glenn Beck is a subhuman poo flinging primate.

      Ah, yes... Another liberal who is above the fray. And, for the record, I am not a Beck fan. After reading your post, however, I may become one.

    48. Re:icing on the cake: by LandDolphin · · Score: 1

      Taking a wild guess: Since we became a Democracy and the majority of our citizens have been either uneducated or under educated.

      --
      Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
    49. Re:icing on the cake: by operagost · · Score: 1

      You're an example of why Beck has that silly red phone on his desk. Instead of providing rebuttals to his concerns regarding Obama's appointments and the activities of the Fed, Anita Dunn and the President himself execute personal attacks on their detractors.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    50. Re:icing on the cake: by Kozz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.

      I want one of those broad brushes.
      Where did you get yours? Ace? HomeDepot?

      I can only hope that "fans" of Glenn Beck are sort of like pro wrestling "fans" -- They enjoy the performance, knowing deep down that it's not authentic.

      --
      I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
    51. Re:icing on the cake: by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This sort of satire has a rather long history, and has long been protected (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hustler_Magazine_v._Falwell ).

      Beck is an infantile baby. Don't want this sort of attention, get a job as an accountant or burger slinger. Otherwise, shut up and take it.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    52. Re:icing on the cake: by nomadic · · Score: 1

      On the face of it, it seems to be a slanderous/libelous accusation intended specifically to smear someone in public, so there was a legitimate case to be made against it.

      Yes, in a US COURT...not before an international tribute designed to resolve trademark and copyright issues.

    53. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever since Bush got some votes* for "being the kind of guy you'd like to drink a beer with, not that smarty-pants Gore", there's been this wave of anti-intellectualism in this country, oddly enough manufactured by the right-wing elite to convince ordinary schmucks that their opposition consists only of an elite has nothing in common with them.

      I work at a college campus. The professors are just like anybody else: when they get out of work on Friday they go to the bars, hit on men/women, and bitch about the Yankees just like everyone else.

      *Less than 50%

    54. Re:icing on the cake: by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No offense, and I know Glenn Beck fans. I like Glenn Beck fans. I've watched Fox. I really don't believe that conservatism is the politics of stupid. I -- you know, I think it's being hijacked.

      With that being said, you are a Glenn Beck fan. You are saying, "That's a broad brush" And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not a drooling idiot

      And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being a drooling idiot, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    55. Re:icing on the cake: by Jimmy_Slimmy · · Score: 1

      I do not think the action of him filing shows that he thought he had a case, but I do think your saying so shows something.

    56. Re:icing on the cake: by operagost · · Score: 1

      You still have stuffed animals? It's okay. I know an anarchist who still sleeps with Pound Puppies, although his wife isn't too fond of the situation.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    57. Re:icing on the cake: by Entropius · · Score: 1

      Why?

      If I say I eat shit and find it tasty you're very correct to say I've either got broken taste buds or am a little screwy in the head.

      Glenn Beck is like this.

    58. Re:icing on the cake: by tayhimself · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah I wish this country made a sharp turn away from federalism. Then the "red states" in the middle could wallow in their economic mediocrity while the blue states would be able to power ahead and have money to provide necessary government services.

    59. Re:icing on the cake: by LandDolphin · · Score: 1

      Yes,

      Glenn Beck would have provided more weight to his style if he would have laughed at this and then denied killing a girl. He could than tote about how he has no problem denying things that are not true.

      --
      Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
    60. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.

      I want one of those broad brushes.

      Where did you get yours? Ace? HomeDepot?

      Ah, one of Beck's drooling retards resents being called a drooling retard.

    61. Re:icing on the cake: by Omestes · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Is there such a thing as "too" educated? I don't see how this is possible.

      But then again I find people slandering other people over being "intellectuals" to be rather silly. i'd rather be an intellectual than its opposite, ignorant. There also is a huge amount of irony in this, the people who are slandering other people for being "educated" are doing so for almost wholly political reasons. The politicians on the left are "intellectuals", but they ignore the fact that the "home grown" politicians are the right have roughly the same level of education.

      G.W. Bush, for example, was a Yale grad, with roughly the same level of education as the evil intellectial Clinton (either of them). Obama actually has LESS time in the crusty halls of Ivy League academe as G.W. Bush.

      I never see how being an ignorant yokel could be a point of pride. Its like America aspires to be back in highschool, where picking on nerds, just because they like books more than football, was a great passtime.

      Ignorance and stupidity is not a positive character trait.

      --
      A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
    62. Re:icing on the cake: by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you are too educated for your own good.

      Brilliant! That should be his show's motto.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    63. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 3, Informative

      You are right that Beck would have been wiser to ignore the website, and respect their right of free speech.
      Even dickheads like the KKK have that right to smear other people.

      As for Beck's show, I think it's worth watching. I would not have known that Mr. Jones wants to take my money and give it to Indians ("give them the wealth") or that he believes whites are poisoning blacks ("dumping their pollution in black neighborhoods") or tat he used to be not just Obama's right hand man, but also a communist. ----- I would not have known about the ACORN scandal where they advise their customers to cover-up illegal prostitution houses, and file false claims with the IRS. ----- I would not have known that Obama's Communication Director considers Mother Teresa and Chairman Mao her favorite philosophers, and that she admire how Mao overthrew the Democratic Chinese government.

      Beck may be a nitwit but he's the only one revealing what's happening behind closed doors.
      NBC, CNN, and the rest certainly don't discuss these things.
      MSNBC goes so far as to edit video of a black man carrying a rifle, and then saying he's a "white racist".
      link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYKQJ4-N7LI

       

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    64. Re:icing on the cake: by Dishevel · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I like Glen Beck. He is highly entertaining and I agree with some of his views. He did this all wrong though. He should have just laughed at them and got on about his life. After all. He is rich, has a TV show and a fairly good looking wife.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    65. Re:icing on the cake: by lxs · · Score: 1

      oops, modding error, posting to undo.

    66. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Go ahead then. If you want to make yourself stupider, Beck will certainly do the trick. No one on the left even comes close to his level of sleaze, lies, and viciousness. On the right, though, there is a whole stable full of such creatures.

      Find me one liberal commentator who pitches frothing, raging hatred like Beck does, and I'll eat my words.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    67. Re:icing on the cake: by Sancho · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If we could trust politicians to be honest and honorable, I'd completely agree with the sentiment.

      Unfortunately, they cater to industry interests (in exchange for kickbacks and whatnot) over just about anything else. So electing an elite just means that they'll be better at serving their own interests.

      Of course, someone "just like me" is probably an elite who's good at appearing like the common man. I don't think that Mr. Smith can get to Washington these days, much less hold the highest, most powerful position in the country.

    68. Re:icing on the cake: by jahudabudy · · Score: 5, Informative

      Except he didn't sue for libel in the applicable court system, presumably b/c he knew he would lose. He tried to get WIPO to grant him ownership of the site based on trademark infringement. B/c the site name included his name, which he has apparently not even trademarked. Strikes me as a desperate attempt to censor something he didn't like, but knew was perfectly legal.

      --
      ...sometimes, in order to hurt someone very badly, you have to tell that person terrible lies. - PA
    69. Re:icing on the cake: by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      He's a sign of how much of an ideological split we have in this country, that we have certain people flinging accusations of treason against those who question our new overlord. (Or who ask crazy questions like "Where in the Constitution do the feds get the power to...?") The same people also have a tendency to be rude to the point of vileness. I've seen this twice personally with people I'd respected.

      The other day I heard on (I believe) Beck's radio show (but it definitely wasn't Beck hosting) that someone had written a letter to their congresscritter asking how did the government have the right to enact the Health care legislation. The reply was along the lines of that as per the constitution the government has the right to do certain things such as making for the well being of the people, levying taxes, controlling interstate commerce etc It was a very fair and reasonable reply pointing out the legalities of the government's powers. The host of the show then spun that around to be "there you go folks, the government is planning to TAX YOU!!!!!!! in order to enact Health care". And the "TAX YOU!!" was repeated several times. It was really quite sad and pathetic to listen to, but scary as well given how many other people were listening to this rant and how much the FUD was going to take root.

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    70. Re:icing on the cake: by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "Just because this is Glenn Beck, and there is almost a syndrome about the Beck/Limbaugh/Fox hatred going on right, doesn't take away from the vile level to which some people stoop to personally destroy someone."

      By "some people", are you referring to Beck/Limbaugh/Fox?

      "If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal."

      Such a domain would be unlikely to result in a similar lawsuit and I don't agree that people would be furious over the outcome.

      "Maybe I'm wrong, but I do look for a certain level of intellectual honest on /. After all, this isn't the Huffington Post."

      You will find at least as much as you offer, but you apparently have a sense of humor.

    71. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1
      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    72. Re:icing on the cake: by Abreu · · Score: 1

      Michelle Obama is not a pundit famous for her strawman attacks

      --
      No sig for the moment.
    73. Re:icing on the cake: by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Tribunal I meant, not tribute.

    74. Re:icing on the cake: by sjmacko29 · · Score: 1

      Did you have blinders on and earplugs firmly inserted during the Bush years? Olbermann called Bush a fascist, and called for his resignation... repeatedly. Do you need more? You only called for one.

      Would you like salt or pepper with your words?

    75. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A very good example. You can just BET that if [www.didmich...egnant.org] WAS registered that the FBI, Secret Service, IRS, et.al. would be ALL OVER that individual.

    76. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>>>I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.
      >>>
      >>>I want one of those broad brushes.
      >
      >The GP is correct in his assumption.

      No he isn't. I watch Glenn Beck and I'm not outraged. Every website owner has a right to free speech, even those lacking basic manners, or haters like the KuKluxKidiots. I'm not outraged when the First Amendment's law reigns supreme

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    77. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's hard to prove a negative.

    78. Re:icing on the cake: by steveb3210 · · Score: 1

      If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal.

      Maybe I'm wrong, but I do look for a certain level of intellectual honest on /. After all, this isn't the Huffington Post.

      Your totally missing the point of the satire - if you apply the kind of logic that Beck uses on his show, you can make anyone seem guilty of anything.. The joke doesn't make any sense if you try to apply it to other people..

    79. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I admittedly don't know anything about this case. I haven't even RTFA! But on reading your post, I do wonder what the difference is between using and abusing the system. He tried and lost. That would suggest no abuse at all, just use.

      If that were true, why does a concept such as SLAPP exist?

    80. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>Anyone who listens to Glenn Beck gets zero respect from normal, educated Americans.

      I'm educated. I have two Bachelors Degrees, one Masters degree, and an IQ of 135. I watch Beck. I'm also a fan of Jefferson, who had an estimated IQ of 160, and I'm sure would also enjoy Beck's "question boldly" show theme. Jefferson argued that the Tenth Amendment was the most important amendment, because it blocked the central government from going out of control and turning into a tyranny.

      Government is meant to be challenged, authority to be held accountable, and the people to be informed.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    81. Re:icing on the cake: by otopico · · Score: 1

      Hatred breeds hatred. Ol' Glenn has no problem doling out faulty arguments to defame the people he fears, but when someone has the gall to do the same to him, he cries like a spoiled child and has his lawyers abuse a process because they know they couldn't win in an actual court.

      See, when Beck does it, he is trying to destroy someone. The parody site wasn't, it was using a classic joke to point out that Beck is very often the textbook example of paranoid madness screaming about how the people he doesn't like eats babies and kicks puppies. Not because they do, no, but because Beck lacks the intellectual ability to construct an argument that doesn't rely on logical fallacy. What next, calling the people he hates Hitler, oh wait, he already does that.

      The reason people would be outraged of someone created a website with a name like www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org is simple, but since you don't seem to get it, I will explain it to you:

      See, Michelle Obama doesn't ask why someone, lets say... Michelle Malkin, doesn't deny that in 1990 she, Malkin, gang banged the Cincinnati Bengals, got pregnant and had an illegal abortion on the moon. Not that Michelle Obama believes Malkin did, but if she was innocent, wouldn't Malkin state her innocence?

      See the difference, Beck does make outrageous claims like that, and sadly, a lot of small ignorant minds fail basic thinking and take those claims as truth. That is why there was a parody site, and that is why so many people thought it was funny. No one believed Beck raped anyone, let alone a child, but to see him and his supporters take offense, that is comedy gold.

      If you can't grasp that simple concept, then I fear I wasted my time posting, but that is the risk we must take to at least try to improve our world.

      Even if that means Beck and his minions might call us names. After all, it is the only ammunition they have, well that and tea bags.

    82. Re:icing on the cake: by ubrgeek · · Score: 1

      Nah. He didn't hyphenate poo-flinging primate ;)

      --
      Bark less. Wag more.
    83. Re:icing on the cake: by jadavis · · Score: 2, Informative

      Beck is a buffoon who uses every logical fallacy in the book.

      You can attack Beck all you want, but he plays video and audio that nobody else finds, so he doesn't need credibility. Generally, it shows some pretty troubling stuff said by people in the federal government, many of whom are close to the president.

      And before you say "out of context," this stuff is pretty bad, and often played with plenty of context, and often that context is the same person saying similar things throughout their career.

      He doesn't like the current administration. But we need people like that who have incentive to find problems and report them to the public. Do we want the president hiring a bunch of leftist radicals like Van Jones? Maybe you do and maybe you don't, but don't you think that people should know when it happens, if they do care?

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    84. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      Hello.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    85. Re:icing on the cake: by otopico · · Score: 1

      You tell him brother! These innylektuals are always tryin to tell us that the world is older the six thousand years and that there really ain't no magic pant wearing wish givin super dude that live in an invisible city is the sky.

      Bunch of smarty pants with their book lernin and reedins!

    86. Re:icing on the cake: by daem0n1x · · Score: 1

      If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal.

      It's fun, also. Go ahead.

    87. Re:icing on the cake: by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Informative

      You still have stuffed animals? It's okay. I know an anarchist who still sleeps with Pound Puppies, although his wife isn't too fond of the situation.

      I have several (and I'm 46). My wife and I couldn't have children and she had pet allergies, so we got stuffed animals. They loved to give her hugs and kisses and play in her underwear drawer. She died of a brain tumor in January 2006 (after 20 years together). I cherish my memories of us and our stuffed animals.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    88. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 0

      Government is meant to be challenged, authority to be held accountable, and the people to be informed.

      None of which Beck does. Show me when he questioned anything the Bush administration did. Fox News is a propaganda arm of the Republican party.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    89. Re:icing on the cake: by Schadrach · · Score: 1

      There's a certain irony to it though, as Glenn Beck uses precisely the same tactic with quite some frequency: "I'm not accusing of — in fact, I think he didn't (so my mentioning it clearly isn't slander, as I make no claim this statement is true)! But I can't help but wonder ... Why won't deny ?"

    90. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      </sarcasm>

      God I hate it if people forget the closing tags.

    91. Re:icing on the cake: by Xtravar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, you know, America could use an opposition party that uses rational arguments rather than MAKING SHIT UP. Don't tell me about how Obama is from Kenya, or how he's going to kill old people. Tell me about how his policies will actually affect this country negatively.

      And nobody's saying anything - or if they are, they're being drowned out by noise. I shouldn't just assume that there's absolutely no down side to the health care reform bill, but that's what I'm left to believe. Republicans are doing a terrible job spreading their ideology. It makes me wonder whether the Republican party was supplanted by loons on purpose to get Democratic agenda passed. But if that were the case, the Democrats would be moving faster than molasses, I'd think.

      --
      Buckle your ROFL belt, we're in for some LOLs.
    92. Re:icing on the cake: by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 1

      Now there you go with all your references and facts. You intellectuals weren't quite superior enough to us salt of the dirt people, so you had to go and invent those hyperlinks, just to make yourself feel better, and to make us salt of the dirt people feel even saltier and dirtier.

      Well I am onto your tricks, Mister Smart E-Pants. I may be just dirty salt to you, but you have to get up mighty early to eat my worms.

      And that's what you liberals do, isn't it? Eat my worms? Eat the worms that belong to me? Yes, of course. You want to redistribute my worms to poor people who don't have any worms. It's a good thing I get up fucking early! Like an early bird I am, to watch my worms!

      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
    93. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 0, Troll

      And? Bush was a complete failure and should have been impeached. That isn't nearly the same thing that Beck does. That's being honest. Olbermann said what he wanted done. Beck lies and implies and calls names and never backs up anything with facts. Olbermann is an actual journalist, not a propaganda mouthpiece of the Republican party like Beck is.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    94. Re:icing on the cake: by Schadrach · · Score: 1

      Grah! /. removes >< even when set to text mode.

      I tried to say "I'm not accusing <non-Republican> of <abhorrent act> — in fact, I think he didn't (so my mentioning it clearly isn't slander, as I make no claim this statement is true)! But I can't help but wonder ... Why won't <non-Republican> deny <abhorrent act>?"

    95. Re:icing on the cake: by jadavis · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck takes quotes completely out of context, for one thing.

      Example, please? People say outrageous things, and then use "out of context" like a magic wand, without ever explaining what the context is.

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    96. Re:icing on the cake: by kfaroo · · Score: 1

      I fully agree with parent. It would be nice if we could actually have intelligent debate on television instead of this bogus, polarizing crap. I do not like to listen to MSNBC either for the same reason. I apologize for the vagueness of the example I am providing here but I think it illustrates the point: Some time ago Mr. Beck talked about a group that was going door to door in some Northeastern state and promoting the use of energy efficient lightbulbs. The claim was that the energy savings would be the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road. Mr. Beck's objection to this was: "I know, how about instead of taking cars of the road, we keep them on the road, with 200,000 American workers who use them to commute to and from work".

    97. Re:icing on the cake: by daem0n1x · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the Holy Inquisition.

    98. Re:icing on the cake: by tuxgeek · · Score: 1

      Perhaps Sam36 is merely suggesting that only uneducated Neanderthals watch Beck's show.
      Just an observation

      --
      "Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
    99. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Just because this is Glenn Beck, and there is almost a syndrome about the Beck/Limbaugh/Fox hatred going on right, doesn't take away from the vile level to which some people stoop to personally destroy someone."

      You mean people such as Beck/Limbaugh/O'Reilly?
      Remember that abortion doctor who got killed after O'Reilly spend some time make choice remarks about the man?

      Besides, parody/satire is not destruction.
      Parody is perfectly legit, and if Beck can't take it it's because he is small minded man.

      "www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org"

      There is no basis for such parody towards Michelle Obama.

    100. Re:icing on the cake: by nschubach · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or set up a flag@whitehouse.gov email that your constituents can use to report anyone speaking ill of you or your policies for "further education"...

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    101. Re:icing on the cake: by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're obviously not in contact with reality, and you (and your friends) are not fooling anybody anymore.

      When that sentence is pronounced to a Glenn Beck fan, the correct moderation is +5 Insightful. Make it happen.

      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
    102. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      As for Beck's show, I think it's worth watching.

      Beck may be a nitwit but he's the only one revealing what's happening behind closed doors.

      You, sir, are a moron of the highest order. This revelation explains much of the drivel you post to this site.

    103. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I was on that football team, and I am furious!

    104. Re:icing on the cake: by Cruciform · · Score: 1

      What vile level? They were using his own underhanded commentary style to show how reprehensible his actions are.

      If Michelle Obama were going on TV every day and insinuating people were terrorists, liars, and rapists, using his type of commentary there'd probably have been a site for her as well.

      Except she isn't. So try again.

    105. Re:icing on the cake: by StopKoolaidPoliticsT · · Score: 1

      About a decade ago, they put a new traffic light in my town... the rich people that live and vacation on the lake got sick of having to wait a stop sign when they wanted to leave, so they petitioned the state highway department (it's an intersection involving a state road). Some engineer said "sure, we can do that" and they promptly erected a traffic light.

      What the engineer, in all of his brightness, failed to consider, is that the intersection is on a blind curve on a steep hill which gets very slippery when it rains, snows or ices over. Year after year, cars coming down the hill end up sliding through the intersection, ending up in the ditch, hitting other cars, etc. Going up the hill, people spin their wheels and get stuck, impeding the traffic behind them and sometimes even sliding backward into them, because they lose all traction when they have to come to a dead stop and then begin to accelerate anew.

      See, on paper, it seems fine. It's just an intersection, so put up a light like you do at any other intersection... but the engineer failed to use any common sense - something many overly intellectual people are deficient in because they rarely encounter the real world. Book smart as he may be, his action has plagued our town ever since. Fortunately, nobody has died yet, but there has been tens (hundreds?) of thousands of dollars in damage over the years because of his choice and at some point, someone probably is going to die. Despite repeated petitions by the community, the state refuses to change the intersection now since it would cost more money and some bureaucrat that authorized it would have to admit he was wrong.

      So, what it all comes down to, is there are different types of ignorance people are prone to. Some may not know how quantum physics work, others may not know how relationships work and some people can't foresee why putting a light on a steep hill near a blind curve is a bad idea. Nobody can know everything and we shouldn't pretend that anyone does, despite how many degrees they have. Sometimes the stupid people know things that the intellectual elite are too smart to see for themselves, especially when they are so smug and falsely secure in their knowledge that they begin to think everyone else is beneath them.

      --
      Stop Koolaid Politics
    106. Re:icing on the cake: by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 0, Troll

      LOL! its the blue states that are so successful, eh? I wish I could still find that citation, but over last years elections I saw a map broken down not by state, but by precinct. The vast majority of the country was red, with only a few of the major cities in blue. It also had a break down of how much government welfare went to red vs blue states, how much government housing there was, and the average income. Red states were better in every regard.

      Even without the citation, take a look at how great the democrats have done in areas like detroit (falling apart more every day) or seattle (crime skyrocketing), southern california (rampant unemployment), new york (do i even need to say anything here). With out fail, blue leadership has been killing all our major cities.

    107. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your argument doesn't make alot of sense. If Michelle Obama went around the media accusing people of being promiscuous, then yes, that website would be satire. Right now, it just doesn't make sense (nothing to do with political sides).

    108. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 0
      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    109. Re:icing on the cake: by jackspenn · · Score: 1

      If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal.

      I'm not convinced people will answer your question honestly, perhaps the best thing to do is a real world test since the domain is available.

      You gotta love the fact that the President wants to take his time and get all facts before declaring this a terrorist attack, when the shooter Hasan was contacting a known terrorist online, shouting "Allah Akbar", gave away his processions in advance, smuggled the guns on base, spoke out that Muslims should rise up against the occupiers and then ... killed unarmed soldiers.

      Yet, the same President had no problem saying "I don't know - not having been there and not seeing all the facts - what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two that the Cambridge police acted stupidly".

      I mean seriously, he can't say "I don't have all the facts, but number one, everyone of us has a right to be sad and angry and number two even without all of the facts, the evidence is overwhelming that Hasan is a terrorist, a traitor and a murder."

      --
      Respect the Constitution
    110. Re:icing on the cake: by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 1

      Aint it great how playing recorded video of people talking about the wonders of socialism can be construed as hate mongering? All he is doing is showing what these people actually have said. Its not his fault Anita Dunn almost worships Mayo.

    111. Re:icing on the cake: by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 1

      Well played, sir!

      And why exactly hasn't Glenn Beck come to his fan's defense and denied that they are drooling retards? Why indeed...

      --
      If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
    112. Re:icing on the cake: by mcmonkey · · Score: 1

      He's a sign of how much of an ideological split we have in this country, that we have certain people flinging accusations of treason against those who question our new overlord. (Or who ask crazy questions like "Where in the Constitution do the feds get the power to...?") The same people also have a tendency to be rude to the point of vileness.

      You're either with us or against us, right?

    113. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymusing · · Score: 1

      You know, Beck is just begging someone to set up a few new web sites:

      • DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1991.com
      • DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1992.com
      • DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1993.com
      • ... and so on

      What's one site? And I'm sure we can get creative. DidGlennBeckDanceNakedAtAGayBarIn2002.com?

      --
      Liberal? Conservative? Compare perspectives at Left-Right
    114. Re:icing on the cake: by Chyeld · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I think this calls for a website...

      www.areallglenbeckfansdroolingidiots.com

    115. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Impressive creds for someone who acts like a 6 year old most of the time.

      BTW actual smart people know that IQ is bullshit.

      You do *read* slashdot, right? Or you're just here to post meaningless platitudes about sticking it to the man?

      Turn the TV off dude.

    116. Re:icing on the cake: by slim · · Score: 1

      Great story, but you forgot to tell us the level of education of the guy (more likely committee) who decided to put the lights there.

      You don't need to be an engineer to commission an traffic light.

      Knowing the limits of your expertise is part of being educated.

    117. Re:icing on the cake: by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 1

      I think what you fail to mention is that every place where a rabid anti-intellectual movement took hold went down the tubes very quickly.

      All communists countries in the last 50 years with an equivalent of China's cultural revolution experienced this. As for Germany in the interwar period, I think you ought to revisit your sources a bit. While it wasn't a hotbed of intellectual activity, there was no hounding intellectuals - just intellectuals who said the wrong things, with the serious issues only coming after 1933. And we know how that ended.

      Again, anti-intellectual movements are indeed nothing new. But they are a sign of things going down the drain very quickly.

      --
      Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    118. Re:icing on the cake: by deKernel · · Score: 1

      Apparently you have never listened to his program then.

      The two biggest issues that come to mind that Glenn HAMMERED the Bush administration on was amnesty for illegal aliens and the then the initial bailout bill. If I had more time, I would think of a few more.

    119. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal."

      Sure, they would be furious, but unlike Glenn Beck supporters, they would not have to acknowledge (if Glenn Beck supporters can be made to acknowledge any form of reality) that Michelle Obama didn't go around making wild accusations against people, which she claims not to believe, BUT has to wonder why those people don't deny the charges, and is getting suspicious that maybe there is something to those charges after all.

      I may be wrong, but I think that is a strawman argument supporting a strawman argument in court about a public personality who habitually uses strawman arguments.

      I didn't realize you could stack straw that high.

    120. Re:icing on the cake: by rantingkitten · · Score: 1

      You know, Hannity tried making that same point last night on his show. He was getting into how everyone can attack Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter, but if anyone said anything like that about Michelle Obama, they'd be crucified. Blah blah blah double standard.

      Here's the thing. It's not a double standard. Michelle Obama is, to the best of my knowledge, a wholly decent person who doesn't make a spectacle of herself or try to be controversial. Slagging her would be pointless and make you look like a complete jerk. And you actually want to compare the behavior of idiots like Glenn Beck to the behavior of Michelle Obama? Are you serious? Do you not see the difference in what they do and how they act and what they say and how they treat others?

      Ppeople like Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, et al, make their careers out of being rude, offensive, outright insulting, machete-mouthed assholes. They and name-call everyone who doesn't agree with them, they write lengthy diatribes insulting anyone who doesn't agree with them, they host or appear on talk shows bad-mouthing and screaming -- literally -- at anyone who doesn't agree with them. This is not a matter of opinion; these are facts. It's how every one of them makes a living -- by being ill-tempered, loud-mouthed, vicious, and insulting. It's how they get ratings and sell books.

      Then they cry because someone did it right back to them? They whine about "double standards"? They want to be demeaning, lying jackwipes but have total immunity from anyone insulting them? Give me a break.

      They chose a business that puts them squarely in the spotlight, and they chose to be as outrageous as possible during their time in that light. Screw 'em if they can't take what they dish out.

      --
      mirrorshades radio -- darkwave, industrial, futurepop, ebm.
    121. Re:icing on the cake: by LanMan04 · · Score: 1

      I was talking about the "drooling retards" part, not the "outraged" part. /hugs

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
    122. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I watch Glenn occasionally... but mostly to laugh at him. He has some serious, serious issues and should perhaps seek mental help.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    123. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      Yeah! These people and their learnin! Thinkin that education and intelligence are more important than KNOWIN Yer CUNTRY IS IN DANGER FROM THE EVIL SOCIALISTS!!!

      They won't teach ya that in yer fancy college.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    124. Re:icing on the cake: by nschubach · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There are people on both sides that would like that very much. This includes people who were fighting for a more logical approach to health care by allowing the states to come up with their own systems instead of voting in one giant massive system that's untested. I happen to be one of these people... though I tend to fall more in the Libertarian side of the square as opposed to left or right (blue or red.) IMHO, the Federal government was setup as a check to the state governments where the people voted in representatives that could override decisions made by the states in intent. In practice, and thanks to the fade of States rights, it's been lost.

      Or are you one of those people that think only Democrats can think of notable solutions and all other ideas will never work? That somehow "the red states" will fall and the "progressive blue wonders" will reach the utopia of mankind through social programs and abolishment of individual success?

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    125. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You're not exactly the greatest citation of "not a drooling retard," my friend.

    126. Re:icing on the cake: by nschubach · · Score: 1
      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    127. Re:icing on the cake: by kthejoker · · Score: 4, Funny

      How can you like a man who raped and murdered a young girl in 1990?

    128. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I doubt that the engineer failed because he was Too Intellectual... indeed, he likely failed because he was... ... ... LAZY and didn't bother to think his project through.

      Or you can claim he was too smart and I will laugh at you.

      Either way works for me.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    129. Re:icing on the cake: by nschubach · · Score: 1

      I am sure that the drooling retards who call themselves Glenn Beck fans are outraged about this decision.

      I want one of those broad brushes.
      Where did you get yours? Ace? HomeDepot?

      I can only hope that "fans" of Glenn Beck are sort of like pro wrestling "fans" -- They enjoy the performance, knowing deep down that it's not authentic.

      That includes Colbert, right? Or is it too obvious that he's on Comedy Central?

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    130. Re:icing on the cake: by StopKoolaidPoliticsT · · Score: 1

      But shouldn't a committee, a congress or cabinet if you will, be even brighter than just an individual? Yet, they still made a stupid decision.

      Only the most educated people, many of them without degrees, know that they have limits. Intelligent people, especially those that find themselves surrounded by other smart people, often forget they have limits. Who doesn't know at least one really smart person that consistently makes bad decisions outside of their field of expertise? Those who are educated in multiple fields are often more prone to believe they're educated in all fields...

      A day doesn't go by here on slashdot where someone who is (or thinks they are) some great engineer, programmer, scientist, or whatever shoves their foot in their mouth because they had to opine on something they actually know very little about.

      So yes, there can be such a thing as too educated if, by being too educated, you become oblivious to your own shortcomings.

      --
      Stop Koolaid Politics
    131. Re:icing on the cake: by kthejoker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Intellectualism is being used as a synonym for elitism, not intelligence.

    132. Re:icing on the cake: by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 1

      Really? The Nazis weren't anti-intellectuals? During the period "intellectual" meant Jewish or Bolshevik, look at the brain drain from Germany in the 20s and 30s to France, the US, UK.

    133. Re:icing on the cake: by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "It takes a broad brush to paint a neck red. Seriously, Anyone who listens to Glenn Beck gets zero respect from normal, educated Americans. The man is a traitor, a bully, and an idiot. He wants America to fail so that he can say, "I told you so." He wants you to fail so you'll blame Obama. Glenn Beck is a subhuman poo flinging primate."

      Have you ever watched or actually listened to Glenn Beck?

      While I'll happily admit, he gets a little 'goofy' acting on the air personally...the crying bit is a weird one, but, as for what he usually has to say, and the guests he has on to report things, seems pretty right on. I like that a news/talk host keeps digging and reporting on possible wrongdoing with the government. Heck, I like Beck because he doesn't seem to only go after the Dems....he was poking around and brought up things against the Bush administration...that was when he was on the Headline News (CNN spin off)..so, maybe you and many other didn't see him much then. But, really, I do look at him as more of a Libertarian, and not a strict Democrat Liberal or Republican Neo-con. I frankly don't understand when people try to throw him in with the likes of Limbaugh and O'Reilly...those two ARE pretty far right...and rant and shout so that no one can be heard over them.

      Beck doesn't seem that way.

      He has gone after what appears to be some disconcerting stuff in the Obama admin. The ACORN thing...their connections to the Dems and Obama directly. The Czars...people who have real power, but, where does it come from (not constitutional for most of them from what I can see)...and many of these Czars and advisors, they have said some VERY radical things over their careers, and I have to wonder why no other news media are following up on things like this? Is it because they are either scared of going against the current administration, or is it that they support their agenda? I mean, if the Republican adminstrations had had people in power/advisors to the president come out and say how they looked up to Mao for inspiration, we'd have seen every other news agency in the US screaming for someones head to come off.

      A good leader, knows he must surround himself with good advisors...so, in that case, I think it IS prudent to study and find out where a presidents advisors stand philosophically...and Beck has brought out published quotes, audio and video of many of the people closest to Obama saying some very radical things. What is wrong with that?

      I wonder why ALL the news organizations aren't following suit...this isn't stuff that is hard to find out from their records.

      I come from the point of view that I think our founding fathers came from, in that it is wise thing for an American to have a healthy distrust in his government at all times. It is our duty to be vigilant in our critique of our leaders, lest they try to do things which DO go against the constitution, which to extend their power beyond what they are supposed to have, when they might try to curtail our freedoms....etc. In earlier years, the press, ALL of the press did try to pick things apart and find things that weren't right. Why aren't they doing that now?

      I respect Beck because at least he appears to be trying. I don't see him as wishing for Obama to fail, but, I do see him as someone that questions what our leaders are doing, and what their thinking behind their actions is.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    134. Re:icing on the cake: by gmack · · Score: 1

      There is a point where someone can be educated but inexperienced. I see it all of the time from recent graduates who think they know how everything should work but have no actual idea how things work in the real world and then demand that everyone else change everything RIGHT NOW to suit how they think things should work.

      When I worked on a survey crew I could always spot a new graduate engineer: their plans were fantastic, everything perfectly drawn and lines all parallel or right angles but failed to take into account that very expensive things would need to move to accommodate the plan such as roads, hills etc. A more experienced person's plans would have the drawing slightly less "perfect" while fulfilling the appropriate requirements but at half the cost to implement.

      Communism is a fantastic example. In theory it's a completely fair economic system that benefits everyone equally. In reality it's fantastic ideals fall flat when faced with the most basic traits of human nature.

      It's all the classic education vs experience debate. It's not education that's bad. It's educated people that ignore reality that's bad.

      On the other hand, I've met people with no education and no experience who think they know how things should work anyways.

    135. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummm, when Beck was on CNN and had a regular radio show, he routinely took the Bush admin to task, and for constitutional matters.

      Maybe you should watch 1 show a week just so you know.

      Being uninformed, as you apparently are, is not a great part of your resume.

      BTW, I don't like Beck or Limbaugh, and I agree with the GP that government is not be trusted, no matter the party. The citizens should always how our government to account, in low esteem, in the highest suspicion. We should be ready to throw ALL the bums out at the earliest convenience. Yet, somehow, we've let THEM convince US that our individual reps are the only good ones.

    136. Re:icing on the cake: by Shatrat · · Score: 1

      You've apparently not been reading the news for the last....ever.
      California hasn't been able to pay for 'necessary government services' for a while now, and Texas has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    137. Re:icing on the cake: by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      To be fair, he did not say those who WATCH Glenn Beck. He said FANS OF Glenn Beck. There is a difference. I can certainly imagine someone watching his show for the same comedic reasons one watches people set themselves on fire on Youtube: People making asses of themselves is entertaining.

    138. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      Having studied Jefferson quite a bit, I have to say I think he would probably consider Beck a problem. See Jefferson believed, first and foremost in a united nation. If you look at his commentaries on the Constitution, it becomes obvious that it didn't meet all of his ideal goals, BUT it did meet the compromises necessary to get the damned thing signed.

      Jefferson held a lot of strong philosophical positions, but he realized that cooperation and compromise were necessary. Beck and the crowd that follow after him have no concept of cooperation or compromise. They see only their ideal and anything less than that ideal is evil. The viewpoint would be anathema to Jefferson.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    139. Re:icing on the cake: by tmosley · · Score: 2

      There is no doubt that more taxes are coming. What we're getting isn't so much FUD as it is FU.

    140. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. I am not a fan of government mandated healthcare... but for the GOP and people like Beck to claim its A MAJOR ATTACK ON OUR FREEDOM... when they supported the USA PATRIOT ACT and Presidential Signing Statements... is the height of hypocrisy. Same goes for the Tea Party. I've gone to a few of their rallies and their view is so completely skewed that I simply can't take them seriously.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    141. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Anonymous Shit said

      You, sir, are a moron of the highest order. This revelation explains much of the drivel you post to this site.

      Log-in and say that, so we can mod you down as the -1 Troll you are.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    142. Re:icing on the cake: by nomadic · · Score: 4, Informative

      Try again.
      Blue states support the red welfare states.

      Red states do pull ahead of the blue states in teen pregnancy rates, though, so you have that going for you.
      detroit (falling apart more every day)

      Oh, cherry-picking examples, are we? Detroit is failing because when an entire industry disappears seattle (crime skyrocketing)

      Still a lot safer than that reddest of cities, Dallas, in that reddest of states, Texas.

      new york (do i even need to say anything here)

      I think you do; I live in NYC and it's a pretty good place to live, even with the world economy like it is.

      With out fail, blue leadership has been killing all our major cities.

      That is the most profoundly ignorant statement I've read today. Have you ever been to a major city? Or do you just listen to what Glenn Beck tells you from the safety of your little suburb?

    143. Re:icing on the cake: by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      Now now, we don't know that he raped and murdered a girl in 1990.

      But he hasn't denied it.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    144. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      Hug rejected.

      I'm not buying into your belated back-peddle. You meant what you typed - that Glenn Beck fans are drooling retards AND outraged by the decision, in your opinion.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    145. Re:icing on the cake: by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      I disagree with your story. Clearly, the engineer in question didn't do ENOUGH thinking. I can easily see an uneducated person deciding to put a traffic light there with no second thoughts.

      I think "common sense" is a misnomer. Never in my life have I ever found something to be both sensible and common.

      What you have here is an example of laziness. Someone who didn't put in the time and effort to examine all the factors. Who didn't ask around for more information.

      And personally, I find uneducated people to be every bit as smug and condescending as the educated. I feel it is a human trait. I know plenty of people who value age-old prejudices over anything else because "It's just common sense that ($_RACE_OR_ETHNICITY) is ($_GENERIC_INSULT)."

      Long story short, no, there is no such thing as being "too educated." Because someone who trusts everything to go smoothly without taking into account all the variables has missed a large portion of their education.

    146. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      So did you watch Glenn Beck before Obama was elected, or just when he started to broadcast news that you agreed with?

      Typically I've found that people that love Fox News, O'Reilly, Hannity or Glenn Beck are big fans but only after the 2008 election campaigns started and they were looking for someone to smear shit all over the competition.

      Don't watch a news program just because it reveals "hat's happening behind closed doors.", watch it because it's actually fair and balanced.
      If that means you don't watch the BBC, MSNBC or Air America so be it, but don't Beck up as a shining example of investigative journalism when really he's just a sensationalist spreading the latest scare tactics to the mindless masses.

    147. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think you're confusing causation and correlation. Being educated has nothing to do with being a Cosmic Schmuck.

      The search for certitude - like the pretense of moral righteousness - appears to me as a medieval habit that should have vanished long ago. None of us knows enough to be certain about anything, usually, and none of us are nearly as 'moral' as we feel obliged to pretend we are in order to be acceptable to 'Decent' Society.

      If we are not totally stupid and blindly selfish on all possible occasions, we are about as bright and ethical as anyone in history has ever been. The greatest batters in the history of baseball all had batting averages well below 0.500, which means they missed more than half the time they swung. Medieval morality and theology have left us with the hypocritical habit of pretending batting averages close to 0.999 in both knowledge and ethics. (The Absolutists go around talking and acting as if their averages were actually 1.000 or sheer perfection.) On average, I think I score under Babe Ruth and I suspect you do, too.

      There thus appears to be a great deal of conceit and self - deception in the habitual poses of intellectual certitude and ethical perfection among the educated classes. It would appear more in keeping with honesty, I think, to recognize, as analogous to Murphy's Law, the unscientific but useful generalization I call the Cosmic Schmuck Principle.

      The Cosmic Schmuck Principle holds that if you don't wake up, once a month at least, and realize that you have been acting like a Cosmic Schmuck again then you will probably go on acting like a cosmic schmuck forever; but if you do, occasionally, recognize your Cosmic Schmuckiness, then you might begin to become a little less Schmucky that the general human average at this primitive stage of terrestrial evolution.

      Page 22 - 23
      Natural Law
      or Don't Put A Rubber On Your Willy PDF
      by Robert Anton Wilson

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    148. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Honestly, mod parent troll.

      How many people would actually be furious about a decision to protect free speech even if that speech slandered the presidents wife?

    149. Re:icing on the cake: by slim · · Score: 1

      But shouldn't a committee, a congress or cabinet if you will, be even brighter than just an individual?

      [hollow laugh]

      So yes, there can be such a thing as too educated if, by being too educated, you become oblivious to your own shortcomings.

      That would seem to me, is not educated enough. You fix it by learning humility, not by unlearning something.

    150. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I see this out and out lie all the time, yet, I never see anyone actually show a single time Glen Beck has done this! This tactic of the left is disgusting. It is amazing how uneducated the world has become since outcome based education, people hear some hate monger on a liberal blog state something, and they just blindly repeat it.

    151. Re:icing on the cake: by Maniacal · · Score: 1

      I'm kind of repeating another post I had here but I keep hearing the same thing over and over again. It would seem you don't know much about this person you hate so much.

      Anyway, Beck plays video, plays audio and reads text written by someone doing or saying something that "should" disqualify them from having a role in our government. Especially if that role gives them the ear of the President or gives them a hand in determining the fate of this country or its citizens. You have a right to call them outrageous claims but that title doesn't seem to fit if the person actually said or did what they are being accused of.

      So did the site have evidence of Beck raping someone? Some video of it? Maybe some audio or an article in which Beck said he did it? If not then the site isn't a parody of anything. Its just in bad taste. I would say the Michelle Obama thing would be in even worse taste because she doesn't really put herself out on the firing line like Glenn does and she seems like a classy lady and a good mom. But rape is a very serious issue and if that site was an attempt at a parody then it's in very bad taste.

      If you can't grasp THAT simple concept, then I don't care. This post wasn't a waste of time.

      --
      MG
    152. Re:icing on the cake: by tayhimself · · Score: 1
    153. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 0, Troll

      Yes well I'm both a watcher and a fan.

      I don't like where Obama (and Sarkozy and Conroy and Gordon Brown) are taking western civilization. It's as if they are trying to restore the monarchies/oligarchies that existed pre-1800, where the government (nobility) restricts and circumscribes the daily routines of its citizens (commoners) rather than allow true liberty, and I am a fan of anybody who challenges them.

      "And what country can preserve its liberties, if the rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?" - Thomas Jefferson. He also said, "I hope we shall crush in it's birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    154. Re:icing on the cake: by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      "get a job as an accountant or burger slinger"

      You seem to assume that Beck might be competent to do anything other than run his potty mouth, and sling mud at his superiors. Remember, Beck's mommy and daddy were afraid of swimming, so they stayed in the VERY shallow end of the gene pool. I suspect that they might even be brother and sister - though I've not uncovered any evidence to support that. ;^)

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    155. Re:icing on the cake: by Maniacal · · Score: 1

      Citation needed - Beck asked the "birther" question, it was answered, he moved on. Haven't seen him go back to it since it was shown. Do you have a link to Glenn pushing the issue after the birth certificate was shown?

      Maybe Glenn takes things out of context. I can't imagine what context the stuff he shows would be ok within but I haven't done the research so I'll assume he's done that. For the comparison to be fair in that way, the site would have to show a video or play audio, taken out of context, with Beck saying he raped a girl. Did it have that?

      --
      MG
    156. Re:icing on the cake: by Chyeld · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, what a folksy and absolutely bullshit story. Are you telling me that a stop sign would have made the difference there?

      An intersection is an intersection, the same problems you detail would have occured with a stop sign as well.

      Way to prove that you have a bias against both the rich and the intelligent without actually justifying shit.

    157. Re:icing on the cake: by anyGould · · Score: 1

      If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal.

      Maybe I'm wrong, but I do look for a certain level of intellectual honest on /. After all, this isn't the Huffington Post.

      I suspect the difference is that Michelle Obama (AFAIK) doesn't have a reputation for that sort of thing, whereas Beck has a reputation for throwing strawman arguments around.

      As a counterexample, I could see variations on www.howmanypeopledidclintonbanginthewhitehouse.org (Bill, not Hillary)

    158. Re:icing on the cake: by Boomerang+Fish · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not irrelevant if, (and I stress this is a hypothetical because we will never know until/unless someone tries it) had the cited personage actually been Michelle Obama, would the courts have rendered the decision the same way, and would the public opinion be similar (though likely with political affiliation swapped) or outraged?

      Admittedly I'm cynical, but having watched how certain media outlets handle certain people with kid gloves because they are black or because they are republican or because they are democrat or because they are christian or because they are whatever... (and this happens on both sides of the aisle, so don't get your panties in a bunch because I'm maligning your "objective" news source -- they all do this)...

      I honestly don't think the courts would have backed this, had it been MO, but I admit that's a feeling of mine, not something I'm claiming as a "fact". And I think, had the judges ruled the same way, some of the justices would see their death threat numbers go up...

      We as a nation are NOT objective and fair, and in all honesty, we don't even really try to be...

      --
      Huh?

    159. Re:icing on the cake: by Rycross · · Score: 1

      Well, lets be fair here. Vileness and poor discourse isn't limited to supporters of the current administration. The discourse was just as terrible with the previous administration, and the previous administration before that. Glenn Beck is hardly a high-standard in terms of excellent political discourse.

      Pretty much all the American news networks are bad, too. Well, lets not kid ourselves though, Fox (including the likes of Hannity and Beck) are particularly bad (and I don't blame the president from cock-blocking Fox either). But you're not going to get good facts and discussion from, say, MSNBC either.

      Libertarians, Republicans, Greens, Democrats, Socialists, Communists... in general, people who ascribe to a political philosophy tend to want an echo chamber rather than debate. I know of, myself, only a handful of people who I'd discuss politics with, and those are people who actually care to discuss facts. It always amuses me when advocates of one party claim that theirs is based on "fact logic and reason" while their opponents are irrational. Its a sure sign that the person claiming this is, in fact, irrational.

    160. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So you're upset by Healthcare, but you weren't worried when the government got permission to do wiretaps without a FISA order?

      You're angered by bank bailouts, but not by citizens being held without trial, or US entities breaching treaties and conventions that we signed as a nation (like the Convention Against Torture)?

      You are more concerned about TAXES then protesters being put in 'Free Speech Zones" that amounted to little more than cages?

      Jefferson would make his hand strong and pimp slap you for invoking his name with that sort of logic.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    161. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are apparently not an intellectual. The term intellectual infers different things based on the context. As in "you are a nut" is not an insult if you are indeed, a pecan. It's all in the context.

      The term intellectual is used to refer to educated people that are out of touch with "the real world", otherwise known as getting and holding a job outside of academia where tenure and unions guarantee employment and benefits.

      From wiki:

      The political views of intellectuals

      According to a paper by Robert Nozick at the Cato Institute, it is more common for intellectuals to have leftist political views than right-wing, arguing that intellectuals were bitter that the skills so rewarded in school were less rewarded in the job market, and so turned against capitalism, even though they enjoyed vastly more enjoyable lives under it than under alternative systems.[34] An analysis made by economist Fredrich Hayek states that intellectuals disproportionally support socialism or have socialist tendencies,[35] which is consistent with the fact that many modern intellectuals, such as Albert Einstein, have had socialist beliefs.[36] In general, most intellectuals in the United States have left-wing leaning political viewpoints.[37]

      Economic liberal and classical liberal views of intellectuals

      The economist Milton Friedman had a negative view of intellectuals, believing they were an enemy to capitalism because a majority of them held socialist beliefs:

      The two chief enemies of free enterprise are intellectuals on the one hand and businessmen on the other, for opposite reasons. Every intellectual believes in freedom for himself, but he’s opposed to freedom for others... He thinks... there ought to be a central planning board that will establish social priorities.[38]

    162. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I want one of those broad brushes.

      Where did you get yours? Ace? HomeDepot?

      Glenn Beck gave me my brush the same day the Obama administration's death panel killed my grandmother, forced me to be vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine and made me swear to join the Nazi party and Obama personally told me to my face that he hates white people, especially blond haired blue eyed ones like me.

      The brush he gave me paints the word "socialist" whenever you use it. Unless you paint an identical statement made by a republican, then it paints "genius"

    163. Re:icing on the cake: by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Doesn't change the fact that you think Glenn Beck, known nutjob, is worth watching, because he's pulling shit out of his ass in front of you and calling it someone else's.

      Go ahead and mod me down for trolling, I deserve it. Every one of you knows it's true though.

    164. Re:icing on the cake: by dummondwhu · · Score: 1

      Bravo. You've shown considerable aptitude in your ability to parrot liberal (especially White House) talking points.

    165. Re:icing on the cake: by Rasputin · · Score: 0

      > Or set up a flag@whitehouse.gov email that your constituents can use to report anyone speaking ill of you or your policies for "further education"...

      I'm pretty sure that was disabled as soon as Cheney left office.

      --
      "I once preached peaceful coexistence with Windows. You may laugh at my expense - I deserve it." Be's Jean-Louis Gass
    166. Re:icing on the cake: by Chyeld · · Score: 1

      A day doesn't go by here on slashdot where someone who is (or thinks they are) some great engineer, programmer, scientist, or whatever shoves their foot in their mouth because they had to opine on something they actually know very little about.

      For instance, you. Right now.

      People have been spewing shit about smart people all being idiot savants who need to shut up and listen to the 'dumb people' who actually know how the world works since before the story of Icarus. And it's just as wrong then as it is now.

      Being ignorant is never an admirable quality, and shunning knowledge under the assumption that "you are going beyond your limits" is asinine. If it weren't for people pushing their limits and being willing to take a chance at being wrong and failing we would all still be living in caves wondering where the next meal was coming from.

      What you really mean are "people in general have an inflated sense of their own competency and thus tend to misspeak about things they are not strictly knowledgeable about" which is true regardless of their education. Don't pretend the 'salt of the earth' are some how immune to this effect.

    167. Re:icing on the cake: by John+Whitley · · Score: 1

      You've completely missed the point: it's not whether the statement is infurating or outrageous, it's whether it's (protected) satire. Using Beck's own style right back at him is pretty much the definition of satire. In your example, the satire element is nonexistent.

    168. Re:icing on the cake: by 1alpha7 · · Score: 1

      " . . . take a look at how great the democrats have done in areas like detroit (falling apart more every day) or seattle (crime skyrocketing), southern california (rampant unemployment), new york (do i even need to say anything here). With out fail, blue leadership has been killing all our major cities."

      Detroit is the result of being dependent on one industry that is changing, not "the democrats". Seattle does not have skyrocketing crime. Southern California's "rampant unemployment" is no different than many other parts of the country, such as Florida, where I live. No, you don't need to say anything about New York; its a vibrant, successful city, one of the great cities of the World. "All our major cities" do not have uniformly Democratic leadership, nor are they failing.

      --
      Live to be Moderated
    169. Re:icing on the cake: by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      Colbert is obviously comedy, as he regularly breaks out in a small laugh when he's giving his bit, and is on Comedy Central. Beck pushes his agenda as truth, and is on Fox News.

    170. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      And the entire concept of "parroting talking points" isn't also parroting talking points?

      I mean, do people actually think about politics anymore, or just find their favorite group to hate?

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    171. Re:icing on the cake: by Abcd1234 · · Score: 1, Interesting

      ROFL, utter brilliance! Kudos, my friend. Kudos.

    172. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Come now AC, you ought to admit a large bit of the drivel on this site is due to that AC bloke.

    173. Re:icing on the cake: by StopKoolaidPoliticsT · · Score: 1

      A stop sign WAS already there on the north/south road that leads to the lake. The state road leads east/west and has the hill with the blind curve coming down it. Afterall, do you think there was an intersection with absolutely no stops? I mean, the people of my town are dumb and all but...

      The people leaving the lake bitched and moaned about having to wait for the traffic on the state road thanks to the stop sign and demanded the light. The local division of the state highway department approved it without public comment and installed the light without any consideration of what it would mean to put a stop light halfway up a steep hill with a blind curve.

      The smart thing to do would to have redirected the lake road to the bottom of the hill (a public road already exists there, but it would have to be extended to the lake road through a house or two) and put the light where it was 1) visible coming down the hill so people have adequate time to stop and 2) didn't force people going up the hill to lose traction when they have to stop.

      And for the record, I don't begrudge any rich people their money, though they usually have connections which they abuse to get what they want. I also don't have anything against smart people, though some smart people are often too arrogant and that blinds them to their own ignorance.

      But I'm glad you worked so hard to refute me instead of just impugning my character and calling me a liar based on, well, no facts of your own. Why, it's absurd to think that the rich can get what they want and the smart can do dumb things.

      --
      Stop Koolaid Politics
    174. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I think you might need to step back and seriously consider your perceptions. If you believe that he is honestly trying... GO look again... go stick your head in a different mindset for just awhile and think critically.

      Beck has charisma and makes a good stage show, but in the end, its an empty performance.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    175. Re:icing on the cake: by Leafheart · · Score: 1

      But then again I find people slandering other people over being "intellectuals" to be rather silly.

      Let me tell you, you have it easy there. Here in Brazil our president is uneducated (only finished high school), and he is PRAISED for that as a good trait for a president. And he goes on to slander his critics because they studied too much and are far from the people because of that. Which boils to: "I'm as ignorant as the mass and that makes me better than you.". Which is fucking insane.

      --
      --- "When you gotta do something wrong. You gotta do it right. (Fighter)"
    176. Re:icing on the cake: by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 1

      Ummm...no. Intellectual didn't mean Jewish or Bolshevik. It means someone highly educated whose primary job was to work his/her brain. There were plenty of those left, even under Hitler. They were just very, very careful what they said to whom, or they were in the favor of the party.

      Furthermore, I explicitly pointed out that hounding intellectuals who say the wrong things took a turn for the worse once the Nazis came to power - which still leaves the entire period between 1918 and 1933 as intellectually active.

      It's incredibly dangerous to assume the Nazis were anti-intellectual, because they weren't. On the contrary, they worshiped intellectuals - as long as those intellectuals droned on about Aryan supremacy and the Jewish Untermensch. What do you think Goebbels was, if not a consummate Intellectual?

      --
      Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    177. Re:icing on the cake: by StopKoolaidPoliticsT · · Score: 1

      Who said being ignorant was an admirable quality? Who said shunning knowledge was a good thing? Strawman much?

      I actually consider myself to be fairly smart, but I know my limits. Slashdot is rampant with people who think they know it all, like, oh, you for instance (see, I can play your infantile games too).

      All I'm saying is to question whether you really know something rather than assume your expertise in one area makes you an expert in all areas. Everyone is fallible, including smart people, even though they often think they aren't. The only people who should be looked down on, are those who would look down on the ignorance of others while ignoring their own. And yeah, uneducated people do it as frequently as educated ones do... But at least the uneducated ones have an excuse.

      Question everything... even your own dogma and assertions. The minute you stop questioning yourself, you start denying your ignorance.

      --
      Stop Koolaid Politics
    178. Re:icing on the cake: by Veretax · · Score: 1

      I've been watching beck for over two and a half years now. Since I discovered his show over on that other CNN network, headline news. And I don't always agree with him or rush or hannity, but he has brought a lot of things to light that the main stream networks have ignored. Especially this ACORN crap.

    179. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I think there's a huge difference between smart people doing dumb things and where this conversation started. ALL PEOPLE do dumb things... having more education generally just means that you're likely to have more information on some topics than a person that was not educated in that particular area. It neither increaes nor decreases the likelihood of a person doing something dumb.

      Like dropping a frog into boiling water (LOL)

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    180. Re:icing on the cake: by EvilStein · · Score: 1

      Even that might not work. Look into the case of Michael Savage and "savagestupidity.com" - Michael Savage sued over the domain name, and he lost.

    181. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Yes, but I'm not a public figure. I'd thank the person for my 15 minutes, let the police investigate to their heart's content and then move on with my life. If they found evidence that this indeed did happen I'd defend myself through all legal means.

    182. Re:icing on the cake: by Khyber · · Score: 1

      It's apparent you've never watched Glenn Beck, otherwise you'd not even need to be asking for an example.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    183. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      How come Beck quit CNN and moved to FOX?
      If I were him I would stayed at CNN.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    184. Re:icing on the cake: by Abcd1234 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You can attack Beck all you want, but he plays video and audio that nobody else finds, so he doesn't need credibility.

      Uhuh. Here, let me show you how Beck would quote you:

      So here's an interesting quote I found in some writings by jadavis:

      '"we want the president hiring a bunch of leftist radicals"

      Yup, you heard him right, folks. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying jadavis is a filthy, pinko communist. Heck, I *like* jadavis. But, let's face it, when you read something like this, it just makes you wonder, doesn't it?'

      In short, Beck is a filthy, stinking liar. Worse, he's been caught repeatedly, and he keeps doing it. Worst of hall, his idiot fans believe his bullshit.

      And yes, you read that right, I did in fact call you a fucking idiot.

    185. Re:icing on the cake: by IICV · · Score: 4, Insightful
      The best part of it is that when Glenn Beck's lawyers originally filed a complaint with the WIPO, the site's lawyer responded hilariously:

      Beck's skin is too thin to take the criticism, so he wants the site down. Beck is represented by a learned and respected legal team. Accordingly, it is beyond doubt that his counsel advised him that under the First Amendment to the United States' Constitution, no action in a U.S. Court would be successful. Accordingly, Beck is attempting to use this transnational body to circumvent and subvert the Respondent's constitutional rights.

      It's funny really - Beck is all for the Constitution, except when it's inconvenient for him. Then he appeals to those same transnational bodies he rails against on his show to get around it.

    186. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >>>So you're upset by Healthcare, but you weren't worried when the government got permission to do wiretaps without a FISA order
      >>>You're angered by bank bailouts, but not by citizens being held without trial...
      >>>You are more concerned about TAXES then protesters being put in 'Free Speech Zones"...

      Strawman argument. I didn't vote for Bush, and I thought his decision to go to war just because ~1500 people died was foolish, and I though the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act and other anti-liberty laws were even more foolish.

      Nice try though. You made the false assumption that because I oppose Democrats/Obama, I must automatically support Bush, but you were flat wrong. Never assume. I said I was Jeffersonian and that's what I meant.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    187. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Yes, hatred of the beloved B/L/F should be quashed as quickly as possible. but I do look for a certain level of intellectual honest(y)(sic) on /. and this makes you somehow more trustworthy and worthy of our consideration? Beck/Limbaugh/Fox "News Network" peddle fiction as "News" and expect us to kowtow to their insane crap. If they ever checked a fact before spewing it onto the public stage I would have a slight bit more respect for them. The fact that there are that many people out there that watch and believe this drivel saddens me no end.

    188. Re:icing on the cake: by dummondwhu · · Score: 1

      Thanks for coming by and adding to the discussion. Would you have preferred I phrase it differently? Would that change the original point? Would it help you get over the fact that the phrase accurately describes what happened here and what happens frequently elsewhere?

      If the shoe fits, wear it. Oops, there I go parroting figures of speech again.

    189. Re:icing on the cake: by tonycheese · · Score: 1

      But shouldn't a committee, a congress or cabinet if you will, be even brighter than just an individual? Yet, they still made a stupid decision.

      So... what you're saying is, the people in charge should be smarter than an average person, because that's just, you know, common sense. But, smarter people tend to ACTUALLY be stupider, so the people in charge should be less educated! But the people in charge have to be more educated, because they're in charge! But people who are more educated are stu - *head asplodes*.

    190. Re:icing on the cake: by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 1

      Al Gore is not just like anybody or everybody else.

      All politicians have some level of elitism. Most have never been white collar and certainly not blue collar. Is it any surprise people dislike politicians and feel they do not relate to them, or would vote for someone who also had a silver spoon, but at least seems more real?

    191. Re:icing on the cake: by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1
      Comparing "red state" to "blue states" is ridiculous. Apples have more in common with oranges than Utah has in common with New York. Cherry picking (uncited) stats proves nothing.

      Even within a states, comparisons are dubious: Austin, TX, is one of the safest cities in the country, but Dallas and Houston are among the most dangerous. How does your red/blue ideology account for that?

    192. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>I am not a fan of government mandated healthcare... but for the GOP and people like Beck to claim its A MAJOR ATTACK ON OUR FREEDOM... when they supported the USA PATRIOT ACT and Presidential Signing Statements... is the height of hypocrisy. Same goes for the Tea Party
      >>>

      Therefore we should sit on our ass and do nothing. No thanks. I will continue protesting.
      It has to stop. All of it. The Healthcare (eventual) monopoly, the Patriot Act, all of it must be repealed.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    193. Re:icing on the cake: by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 1

      They are planning on taxing people.

      Congress uses right for the well being to step in many areas in which they realistically should have no authority. Is there FUD? Of course. Is all of it unfounded? No.

    194. Re:icing on the cake: by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

      As for Beck's show, I think it's worth watching. I would not have known that Mr. Jones wants to take my money and give it to Indians ("give them the wealth") or that he believes whites are poisoning blacks ("dumping their pollution in black neighborhoods") or tat he used to be not just Obama's right hand man, but also a communist. ----- I would not have known about the ACORN scandal where they advise their customers to cover-up illegal prostitution houses, and file false claims with the IRS. ----- I would not have known that Obama's Communication Director considers Mother Teresa and Chairman Mao her favorite philosophers, and that she admire how Mao overthrew the Democratic Chinese government.

      Most of that is trivia even if it wasn't taken out of context. A someone who admires a commie? In the government? OH GOD NO! THE SOVIETS ARE BACK AND IN OUR GOVERNMENT! We would have had a bolshevik revolution on our hands had Beck not outed them.

      The ACORN thing, what do you mean you wouldn't have heard about it? It was all over the news. MSNBC, CNN etc didn't cover it? I can't say I watch cable news at all, so maybe, but I'm pretty sure it was even on an episode of southpark, it was everywhere. The stuff about the communism, sure, those other networks may not have covered them. Good for them, it's about as newsworthy to me as brittney's latest undergarment scandal.

    195. Re:icing on the cake: by Pranadevil2k · · Score: 1

      *Allegedly!*
      But I don't know.. he never has denied it :\

    196. Re:icing on the cake: by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

      Like this? http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2004/09/red_states_feed.html red states DO spend all the money blue states make.

      One of the countries biggest economies (California and New York) and consequently represent a good chunk of the nations gdp receive less money than many red states.

    197. Re:icing on the cake: by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 1

      What about when Beck is "lying and calling names" with the Republican party as the target? It does happen and quite often.

      Oh, but that's right, he's just their mouthpeace.

    198. Re:icing on the cake: by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      Oh, I know like any pundit/on air personality, they are out foremost to make a buck.

      But, from many of the issues he's brought up, I started poking around on my own to verify or disavow what he's said about many in the govt. right now....and I've found quite often, he brings up some very good points.

      Like I said, I saw him back on the Headline News channel, and he bashed Bush when that administration screwed up (and they did for sure)....I see Beck as not being particularly partisian, but, someone who is constantly questioning those in power, and I agree with doing that.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    199. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Probably MSNBC. They paint with them all the time, of course it could have been he just picked it up off the floor at Fox too.

    200. Re:icing on the cake: by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 1

      Your rhetoric is showing.

    201. Re:icing on the cake: by ak3ldama · · Score: 1

      You seem to assume that Beck might be competent to do anything other than run his potty mouth, and sling mud at his superiors.

      On the one hand they may be Beck's superiors, but to say that they (politicians/social servants) in general are superior to the rest of the public is so ridiculously wrong I can't even fathom a proper retort. I personally have seen the decline of competency among such, as well as the blurring line between those in government and lobbyists. One recent high profile example would be Tom Daschle, who we later found out was knee deep in the shit.

      The main issue of Beck being competent to do something else, however, appears very well grounded. I also have not uncovered any evidence to suggest that Becks parents are not brother and sister. He hasn't called me yet to say one way or the other.

      --
      "but money is the God of Algiers & Mahomet their prophet." - Rich. O'Bryen June 8th 1786
    202. Re:icing on the cake: by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think it was Christopher Buckely who once commented on the attack of intellectualism by the right during the elections last year. I can't seem to find the essay right now but here's what I remember. For him the roots of this attack is based in the general trend of where intellectuals go after college graduation. For the most part higher education was filled more by liberals than conservatives as the conservatives tended to go into business and Wall Street. That lead to an obvious bias in places of higher learning. The conservatives felt the need to counter this liberal intellectualism so that future generations of students would not be products of this liberalism. Somewhere along the way the "liberal" part was forgotten and right just attacked intellectualism. This however would put the GOP at odds with people like Buckely who were clearly intellectuals but not liberal.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    203. Re:icing on the cake: by BassMan449 · · Score: 1

      I don't have video references like commodore, but if you want an example of Beck questioning Bush and Republicans just look up his responses to Medicare Part D. Before you starting spouting off bullshit, look at the facts. Beck has commonly gone after the Repubs. Even now he often talks about how he trusts the Republicans less than Democrats because the Republicans say they are the conservative party but are anything but.

    204. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Have you actually watched the show. I'd have used worse terms but those will do.

    205. Re:icing on the cake: by BassMan449 · · Score: 1

      How can you honestly say that Beck never backs anything up with facts? If you had ever listened to his radio show you would know half the time he spends playing audio. The audio is quotes that people have said. How exactly is that not facts?

    206. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>See Jefferson believed, first and foremost in a united nation.

      Really? He worked for President Washington, but wrote letters back home to Virginia about how Washington was being poorly advised by Alexander Hamilton, whom he considered an enemy of liberty. Next he went-off and created the Democratic-republican Party, with the sole intent of unseating President Adams. And when he succeeded in that goal, he spoke of the "Revolution of 1800", and also said that from time to time the Tree of Liberty must be watered with blood.

      Jefferson was a divider not a uniter. Yes he compromised where necessary, but was more often inclined to stand firm. So much so that he and Adams became bitter enemies for almost thirty years.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    207. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Wow and that never happened in the previous administration to people that disagreed with their ideologues. Still don't make it right but I happen to agree with most of what he (the one who called Beck a traitor) said not necessarily the traitor part but Beck skirts that pretty close at times..

    208. Re:icing on the cake: by radtea · · Score: 1

      But shouldn't a committee, a congress or cabinet if you will, be even brighter than just an individual?

      Huh? No, of course not.

      Haven't you ever seen that crazy made-up "NASA funded" quiz that asks about how to rescue yourself from a crash on the moon, that purports to be a tool to show how much smarter committees are than than individuals? It's hilarious! Amidst radically under-specified conditions the "committee" result is a mish-mash of inconsistent assumptions and unphysical claims, my faviourite being that the recoil from a 45 calibre pistol is sufficient to be usd as a means of transportation. In individual, in the quiet of their own mind, can sit down and work out that that is nonsense, but it sure sounds clever in a committee, and if you stop and do the analysis the other bozos have moved on to the next point, so by the time you point out that the idea is stupid you're so far out of context that it no longer matters.

      Only someone with insufficient education or experience of the world would think a committee could possibly be smarter than an individual.

      That said, what education gives you is a discipline of mind that allows you to learn from your mistakes and from the world of others far more quickly and efficiently than any other form of experience. Only people who don't have it under-rate it.

      --
      Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
    209. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>>>I come from the point of view that I think our founding fathers came from, in that it is wise thing for an American to have a healthy distrust in his government at all times
      >>
      >>I think you might need to step back and seriously consider your perceptions. If you believe that he is honestly trying... GO look again..

      I find it strange you object to the notion of distrusting government, especially after recent history (World War 2, Cold War) and almost-daily reports about governments wanting to spy on internet usage. As for sticking my head elsewhere, I do watch Rachel Maddow at least once a week va msnbc.com's archives. I find her even more annoying then Glenn Beck. She seems willing to believe anything Obama or his Democrats tell her to believe, and I don't understand such blind obedience.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    210. Re:icing on the cake: by retchdog · · Score: 1

      It's easy to tell stories like this, but instead of elaboration and puffery, we need to consider the counterfactual: what would have happened if this engineer had not had as much education?

      It's quite plausible that he'd still have made the same stupid mistake, but under different auspices. Same outcome; different aesthetic.

      And your story completely veers off the point when you start talking about the state. That's just corruption, and low- to mid-level politicians are often (not always) poorly educated to boot.

      --
      "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
    211. Re:icing on the cake: by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Oh, he would have lost, no question. But at least it wouldn't be as big an abuse of the process.

    212. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Oh that, it's just his fondest wish if Beck himself can be believed!

    213. Re:icing on the cake: by sten+ben · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Example, please? People say outrageous things, and then use "out of context" like a magic wand, without ever explaining what the context is.

      Well, the first clip in parent's parent's comment is actually a pretty good example (mind you, I'm not from the US, so I might be wearing different spectacles). While he does provide some context in that he shows a big part of the speech, he neither seems to understand or acknowledge the context. He either wilfully ignores, or is ignorant of, what she is actually saying just to paint her, and Mr Obama, as communists.

      1: He is not listening to what she is saying. She actually says that Mao and Mother Theresa are her favourites for making the point she's making: "...but the two people I turn to most, to basically deliver a simple point..."

      2: It is actually quite interesting that they stop subtitling the video at the point where she starts explaining that your freedom is yours. That you can do what you want and don't have to follow dogma or preconception. That is the context that he is ignoring. I'd actually say that using Mao as well as Mother Theresa as an example is pretty smart. It shows that with freedom to take your own path comes great responsibility, take a wrong turn and forget the consequences of your actions and you may fall to "evil".

      3: Another quite essential part that he is missing is that normal people do not need to agree 100% with their "favourite philosophers", it is quite all right to pick and choose in most cases. And the point he makes about Mein Kampff in the end only reinforces that perspective (as well as making me shout "Godwin!" to further invalidate him.

    214. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People who hate glen beck think they will have better health care when the government runs it. But they still us UPS when they really really need to get a package somewhere. Nuff said.

    215. Re:icing on the cake: by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

      Even that might not work. Look into the case of Michael Savage and "savagestupidity.com" - Michael Savage sued over the domain name, and he lost.

      But, but, I thought Weiner hated trial lawyers and wanted to stop them. Now, he's using them??? I don't understand! Explain, please!

    216. Re:icing on the cake: by An+Onerous+Coward · · Score: 1

      California's problems stem primarily from Prop 13, which makes it nigh unto impossible to raise taxes (a very red state policy), coupled with a ballot initiative system that makes it easy for the people to pass laws demanding that the government allocate the budget in certain ways (a kinda blue state policy).

      I would call it a bipartisan train wreck, especially since Prop 13 puts vast powers into the hands of an otherwise irrelevant California Republican party.

      --

      You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!

    217. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      Well there was a good reason for that, literally half the country was waiting for Bush's impeachment. But Olberman never preached HATE the way the Fox network has. I'm just waiting for the first person to be killed and for the killer to give Limbaugh's proclamation of the left's march to socialism, or Beck's proclamation of President Obama's hatred of white people as his excuse.

    218. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 1

      Citation?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    219. Re:icing on the cake: by euxneks · · Score: 1

      G.W. Bush, for example, was a Yale grad, with roughly the same level of education as the evil intellectial Clinton (either of them). Obama actually has LESS time in the crusty halls of Ivy League academe as G.W. Bush.

      Nicely illustrates how much one of those degrees says about your education, doesn't it?

      --
      in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
    220. Re:icing on the cake: by gnud · · Score: 1

      Making the same point that some douche makes, does not make you a douche. Respond to his logic, not to his affiliations. Douche.

    221. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 1

      Parrots say things without understanding them. They don't arrive at conclusions based on logical thought. Kinda like Glenn Beck and his fans.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    222. Re:icing on the cake: by sbeckstead · · Score: 1

      There are an entire class of people hanging in lockers and with their underwear pulled around their necks that would swear there was an anti-intellectual bent in this country.

    223. Re:icing on the cake: by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 0

      It's already been posted for you.

    224. Re:icing on the cake: by WED+Fan · · Score: 1

      Ouch, how wrong you are. That was a much ballyhooed OBAMA initiative. Misguided. Actually, I think it became the primary example of misguided.

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    225. Re:icing on the cake: by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 1

      Er... Glen Beck has lambasted the Patriot Act on multiple occasions. He is not pro GOP when they do stupid things.

    226. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why conservatives are against a large overbearing federal government! Then the "blue states" can submit to forced charity, and the "red states" could maintain liberty and property rights. Problem solved!

      And I'll have you know, I'm enjoying the "economic mediocrity" here in the "red state" of Texas... How's the weather in California?

    227. Re:icing on the cake: by ak3ldama · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The one day I listened to his show he was talking about this...

      I would not have known that Obama's Communication Director considers Mother Teresa and Chairman Mao her favorite philosophers, and that she admire how Mao overthrew the Democratic Chinese government.

      I thought it was most definitely worth talking about, and spoke to the the people that Obama was choosing for his administration. That kinda shit should have had her fired in half a minute. She proceeded to say she didn't say it in any seriousness, and that it was funny. Admiring Mao is not funny.

      People like Beck are worth watching occasionally. You should not be so naive as to think he is not worth watching (or listening to, he is also on the radio). I am not saying you have to every day - just that sometimes it is worthwhile.

      --
      "but money is the God of Algiers & Mahomet their prophet." - Rich. O'Bryen June 8th 1786
    228. Re:icing on the cake: by spamking · · Score: 1

      I know nothing about Glenn Beck. What has he done that even remotely compares to being accused of rape?

      I think a person has every right to be "enraged" if something like being directly or indirectly accused of rape is published out on the web or via an form of media.

    229. Re:icing on the cake: by billcopc · · Score: 4, Funny

      Beck is an infantile baby.

      That's the best kind! Senile babies are an entirely different beast...

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    230. Re:icing on the cake: by Lost+Engineer · · Score: 1

      You're looking in the wrong place for reasoned opposition. I was watching CSPAN on Saturday, and the Republican Congresspeople were making very reasonable arguments against the bill: like the fact that we can't afford it, and the fact that it is likely to lead to higher unemployment. Actually it was the democrats who were fighting amongst themselves over whether the bill needed to specifically defund abortion.

    231. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 1

      I believe you have Rachel Maddow confused with the entire cast of Fox News talking heads. Fox only reports what the Republicans tell them to Report. Rachel reports what her critical thinking and reporting skills lead her to believe.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    232. Re:icing on the cake: by homer_s · · Score: 1

      but you weren't worried when the government got permission to do wiretaps without a FISA order?

      I'm sorry, but where did the parent poster say that he supported any of the things you accuse him of supporting? Oh, you're one of those people who just assume that just because I oppose the pepsi party, I must be with the cocacola party.
      How old are you?

    233. Re:icing on the cake: by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      So if someone set up a similar site in your name it, you'd rest with the decision that it was parody and legal?

      Well based on the argument, that his name is a trademark used for marketing, and the site should be shut down based on trademark infringement, then you would pretty much have go to along with it, because that's the way the law does and should work.

      But, no, you don't necessarily have to rest with that, but you will have to find another way to combat it. Like pointing out what a douche the site owner is for doing something like that. And this crazy idea has practically become a meme: check out all the comments on Digg (ugh) that reference Glenn Beck raping and murdering a girl in the 1990's. While you're there, see if you can figure out how many people without background knowledge have to wonder whether there is some basis for the questioning - it's ridiculous.

      It's bad enough using ad hominem attacks against someone just because you don't like what they say. But this goes way beyond what should be considered decent.

      Irregardless of the lack of civility and/or ultimate damage to reputation (intentioned or not) that the site may have caused, you can't argue with the legal decision in this case. It was correct.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    234. Re:icing on the cake: by ak3ldama · · Score: 1

      Just checked wikipedia, there it says she uses the word "irony", not funny as I had recalled. Still seems odd that he is one of the two people she looks to.

      --
      "but money is the God of Algiers & Mahomet their prophet." - Rich. O'Bryen June 8th 1786
    235. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Glenn Beck shows actual video of people saying outrageous things and THEN asks them to respond. Sorry, but this website does not have a video of Glenn Beck killing a young girl. Until they get one, your comparison is not a fair one.

      I don't understand, so you are saying that Glen Beck has shown video that has Obama saying he was born in Kenya and then asks him to respond? His questions about the legitimacy of Obama's citizenship are founded on some hard proof kept somewhere on youtube, and Obama is failing respond? You, sadly, are the reason this madman stays in business.

    236. Re:icing on the cake: by couchslug · · Score: 1

      Being ignorant is a point of pride for peoplw who are love the populist lie that common people have virtues. In particular, religious people hate education because it threatens their ridiculous superstition.

      Americans are savagely anti-intellectual, and I'm beginning to approve of the people who abuse and exploit their craven stupidity because they deserve to suffer. They deserve to be raped by their leadership, so they are. They deserve to be exploited by Wall Street, so they are.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    237. Re:icing on the cake: by An+Onerous+Coward · · Score: 1

      Fine. Then might I ask why George Bush doesn't show up on your list of world leaders trying to restore the monarchies/oligarchies? His administration was the one with the audacity to send Congress a bill that basically said, "Give ex-Goldman-Sacher Hank Paulson 700B, and no you don't get any say in how he divvies up the spoils." He demanded the Patriot Act, the warrantless wiretapping, etc. He emptied the national coffers to pay for tax cuts that mostly put money back in the pockets of the extremely wealthy. He was the one who joked about his "base" being "the haves, and the have mores". He oversaw an economy where the wealthy got an ever larger share of the national income even as the number of people in poverty skyrocketed.

      In short, he is a textbook case of economic royalism, and you admit that many of his policies reduced freedom. He deserves not only to be on the list, but to be at the top of it.

      I don't like where Obama (and Sarkozy and Conroy and Gordon Brown) are taking western civilization. It's as if they are trying to restore the monarchies/oligarchies that existed pre-1800, where the government (nobility) restricts and circumscribes the daily routines of its citizens (commoners) rather than allow true liberty, and I am a fan of anybody who challenges them.

      To the extent that the government responds to the will of the people, it is not the nobility. To the extent that the government responds to the will of the plutocrats rather than voters, it is a tool of the nobility. But it's a tool the plutocrats would happily let cripple and wither, because it has to make at least a show of being on the side of the citizens, and it could someday change its mind and actually start serving their interests.

      In other words, they would be delighted if government got out of the business of providing social safety nets, and restricted itself to enforcing whatever unfair contracts the powerful could compel the powerless into signing. Then they could pillage with absolute impunity, and remake the world economy into a machine entirely devoted to serving their whims while the invisible masses starved.

      You and Glenn Beck are both unwitting dupes whose constant deluge of anti-government rhetoric only enables the forces of privilege and excess, forces that quite honestly don't care about your freedoms. All they want is to wield power over others.

      --

      You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!

    238. Re:icing on the cake: by internic · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Game. Set. Match.

      --
      "You call it a new way of thinking; I call it regression to ignorance!" -- Operation Ivy
    239. Re:icing on the cake: by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 1

      The difference here is that Barbara Streisand was making a rational claim of privacy. It was legally wrong, and the distinction has to be be made, it was a rational claim.

      The reason why this distinction has to be made is the fact that it has to be made very clear, Glenn Beck has never made a rational claim in his life.

      --
      Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
    240. Re:icing on the cake: by MozeeToby · · Score: 1

      ...I am a fan of anybody who challenges them.

      Where 'them' was a list of liberal leaders around the world. His assumption was quite valid IMO.

    241. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree he's an ass. But is he really a baby-like baby?

    242. Re:icing on the cake: by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Then might I ask why George Bush doesn't show up on your list of world leaders trying to restore the monarchies/oligarchies?

      I can answer for him. George Bush is no longer a world leader. You need to get over the past, because you are currently fixated on it. Your hatred for George Bush really is no longer relevant. You might even have to actually come up with some real reasons to support your views, now! Scary, isnt it?

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    243. Re:icing on the cake: by MozeeToby · · Score: 1

      Oh? So he has video of a US senator working with terrorists? It seems that may have been news worthy to mention.

    244. Re:icing on the cake: by Pranadevil2k · · Score: 1

      Your search may have been quick but... did you actually watch the clips?
      In your first clip, Glenn acts as a presidential apologist implying as though his hands are tied by the international court with a single sentence mentioning Bush in the entire interview. This is not a criticism of Bush, but of international policy and specifically the treaty in question overriding our national sovereignty.
      Glenn Beck is not even remotely involved with the second clip. It is a C-span broadcast about an op-ed piece censored by the Bush administration.
      Third clip is a criticism of liberal news media putting negative news about the Bush administration on front pages while negative news about the Obama administration goes further back.
      In clip number 4, the only thing Beck says is that he didn't support the PATRIOT act until the provision was added that gave it an expiration date - there is no direct criticism of Bush and Beck gives a mostly positive opinion of the PATRIOT act.
      Clip 5 is from fox news not CNN, and doesn't have anything to do with George Bush - it's about the Cash for Clunkers government program website.
      Clip 6 is fear-mongering about the possibility of a militia group uprising from disenfranchised Americans. He criticizes President Clinton saying something about trying to shut down a radio station, but nothing about Bush or even about the Bush administration.
      Clip 7 is another condemnation of the liberal media. No mention of Bush.
      Clip 8 is about Beck's dislike for moveon.org and his support of the Iraq war effort. No criticism of Bush or his policies.
      Clip 9 looks like it's also from fox news, and does not mention Bush or any of his policies.

      So of all those links only 2 and 4 even remotely skirt your point, the others may as well have been rick-rolls. You certainly made a point, but I don't think it's the point you wanted to make. Did you just look at the titles and assume there would be something in there that applied to your argument, or did you figure that nobody would take the time to actually check your links? :P

    245. Re:icing on the cake: by gnud · · Score: 1

      Well, I agree that a parody incorporating rape is in bad taste. It would perhaps have been better if they asked why he did not deny rumours of public nudity, or something really silly, like having sexual desires towards turtles.

      I'm not an American, and not that familiar with Glenn Beck. So, I did a quick youtube search, and found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i50NmDI5bK4 as the first non-parody hit - here he shows footage of a democrat explaining why he thinks you need a policy shift. Then mr. Beck states, with no further explanation, that if politicians were not corrupt, the change would not be needed. Seems like a leap of faith, at the very least.

      Also, I know several right-wing politicians in favour of variable tax rates based on income, and I don't think they'd like being called marxists. I'm not sure Marx would be happy with the equal sign either, but that's a different story altogether.

    246. Re:icing on the cake: by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      "On the one hand they may be Beck's superiors,"

      That was indeed my meaning. Most pimple faced teens serving burgers at McDonalds are Beck's superiors. He would have some difficulty finding a real peer among them. ;^)

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    247. Re:icing on the cake: by saintlupus · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hug rejected.

      I just read that, and in my head, it was Dwight Schrute's voice. I'm pretty sure that he is now the Official Voice for your posts.

      Thanks!

    248. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is tremendously ignorant. Clinton was a Rhodes scholar. Obama went to law school and was the editor of the law review. That is NOT the same thing as Bush going to business school.

    249. Re:icing on the cake: by moeinvt · · Score: 1

      " . . . red states DO spend all the money blue states make."

      I'm glad that you see this as a problem.

      "(California and New York) . . . receive less money than many red states."

      The question you should be asking is not which state "receives" more or less money, but where that money came from to begin with. Allowing the Federal government to confiscate massive amounts of wealth and then simply redistribute it to the states is a wasteful and ridiculous system. The people of California, New York, and the other 48 states would be much better off if the Federal government was about 1/4 of its current size. Then, a lot of that money would never leave the state to begin with! Let the blue states solve their blue state problems and the red states solve their red state problems and get big brother out of the "mandate" and "grant" and "earmark" business entirely.

      Please do your part to support the state sovereignty movement and limit the power of the Federal Government to engage in such blatantly destructive policies.

      http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/

    250. Re:icing on the cake: by WNight · · Score: 1

      If Michelle Obama was widely known for their kind of thing, people would probably laugh.

      Like they do at Beck.

      Because he is. (... known to be that kind of ass.)

      Did he get gangbanged by a football team? I guess I could see it... if not he'll deny it. (With proof this time, we let him off on that murder he probably committed in the 90s too easily.)

    251. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who doesn't know at least one really smart person that consistently makes bad decisions outside of their field of expertise?

      The problem is the badness of those decisions, or the lack of "Common Sense," only really becomes clear in retrospect. The accomplishments of your neophyte all amount to telling people why something went wrong, not ever to implementing the solution. "Arm hurts when you swing it that way? Well, any idiot knows not to swing his arm that way."

      What's your noob's solution to the evil traffic light: put back the stop signs? Is this so people don't feel so bad when they slide through the intersection they can't stop at? Or is it to encourage them to blow off the stop in order to have momentum to get up the slippery hill? I suspect your old-man glasses have filtered out all the problems under the years-old system.

    252. Re:icing on the cake: by Judebert · · Score: 1

      Because the statement was in present tense, and Bush is clearly no longer in a position to lead any country anywhere?

      Seriously, the knee-jerk judgments have got to stop, or we're not going to get anywhere. We really need rational discussion.

      --

      For geek dads: Contraction Timer

    253. Re:icing on the cake: by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      To be fair Michelle Obama is just a wife and probably an air head. But what she isn't is loud mouth lying cunt. Generally when you act like a prick, people are quite happy to see karma shit all over you.

      Glenn Beck is a two faced shit stirrer. Quite frankly should consider himself lucky. I'm waiting for the day when someone knocks the shit out of him. I'll masturbate to that news footage.

    254. Re:icing on the cake: by Icegryphon · · Score: 1

      I love you so much.
      You are like a nice warm fuzzy sweater of history lessons for people.
      Sadly people just never learn. ;_;

    255. Re:icing on the cake: by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

      So Anita Dun saying that Mao is one of her favorite philosophers makes her a communist? Does that make you a communist? Either way its hardly outrageous.

      Van Jones calls Republicans assholes? Like the Republicans haven't never done that > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5O5VY8saw

      Cass Sunstein believes in animal rights - I think that quote was taken out of context.

    256. Re:icing on the cake: by ta+bu+shi+da+yu · · Score: 1

      You seem to be missing the point. The Glenn Beck domain name is a parody of what the man has already said (and I quote: "Prove to me that you are not working with our enemies... and I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel" and also "I'm not saying that [Obama] doesn't like white people. but I'm saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist."). Your website isn't a parody, it's just an attack.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    257. Re:icing on the cake: by thuerrsch · · Score: 1

      In fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder ... Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?

      --
      most of what follows is true
    258. Re:icing on the cake: by WNight · · Score: 1

      Really? The Nazis weren't anti-intellectuals?

      Not half as much as others. the Khmer Rouge killed intellectuals (including, according to some sources, people who appeared intellectual such as those with glasses) not for what they did, but because they might be trouble.

      Pol Pot's goal was an agricultural communism and smart people weren't required for field work.

      Hitler on the other hand wanted rockets to flatten England with and liked the fruits of science.

      The Nazis got rid of many intellectuals, yes. Not because of the intellectual aspect, but as you mention, because they were Jewish, etc.

    259. Re:icing on the cake: by lgw · · Score: 1

      Oh come now, surely she must be a witch, otherwise she would never have been accused of witchcraft! Perhaps you're defending here because you're also a witch?

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    260. Re:icing on the cake: by modecx · · Score: 1

      Oh, it's ironic alright--in that she thought she was saying something insightful, when in reality she was loading the gun aimed at her toes. She may very well have a point, but you simply do not lightly use one of the most lethal dictators as a tool to illustrate a point. She tried and lost.

      --
      Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.
    261. Re:icing on the cake: by geekoid · · Score: 1

      yes. Of course I respect the rights of others and wouldn't even take it to court.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    262. Re:icing on the cake: by fafaforza · · Score: 1

      And what guarantee do you have that someone with some beef with you won't make such a site and have it indexed on Google, wich you being a lowly burger flipper?

      There are still laws about libel and slander, and even though the domain wasn't making any conclusive statements, the mere posing of the questions puts an image in one's mind, no different than a trail of an innocent person. They may be vindicated if they win, but their reputation is likely tarnished for a long while as the mere existance of such a suit causes people to make assumptions and conclusions.

      I'm not a lawyer, and someone will likely chime in with some allowance, but the domain still doesn't sit well with me. It's childish and insulting. Let Beck destroy his own credibly through, for example, comparing Obama to Hitler. He's doing a bangup job without anyone's help, so why bother in the first place?

    263. Re:icing on the cake: by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Beck and Limbaugh appeal to the anti-intellectuals because they share a common trait: dropping out of school. Not that somebody can't make it as a drop-out (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and yes, Rush and Beck), but being so brazen about your anti-intellectualism in the name of stirring up the populist opinion (in order to sell advertising) is pretty smarmy in my book.

    264. Re:icing on the cake: by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Generally, it shows some pretty troubling stuff said by people in the federal government that is only troubling after Glen Beck sets up his viewers with his bat-shit-insane editorial slant...

    265. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      It is absolutely relevant, especially if we're talking about the "direction" of the western world. The "direction" necessarily includes the past as well as the present.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    266. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I am not saying that we should do nothing. Let me clarify what I am saying. The people/groups I listed are creating extreme hyperbole because they are interested in POWER not in Freedom. There is NO legitimate way to support the statement by Rep Bohner that the healthcare bill is the :"greatest threat" to our freedom that he has ever seen. That is Bullshit.

      There is NO EXCUSE for the extreme exaggerations that fill the Tea Parties (and I am speaking as someone who showed up to the first three in my area because, I mistakenly thought they were sorta Libertarian, instead of just crazy). Health Care is like Nazi Death Camps. There will be Death Panels. Obama is from Bangkok (or wherever they want to claim this week). Obama is a secret commie/muslim/black panther who wants to enslave the white man.

      No... you don't get to claim thats patriotism. Not after those same assholes still get teary eyed when someone says W... not when they sat on their asses while the PATRIOT ACT passed. It's taking a piss on the Americans that died for real freedom, rather than the manufactured bullshit that these jerks are using to pretend righteous indignation.

      IF the tea party or Glen Beck made substantive claims... if they were focused on actual issues rather than bullshit fluff like Acorn... if they spoke about the reality of nationalized healthcare instead of imaginary eugenics and the nonsense that somehow healthcare will destroy democracy... then I would be right beside you defending them.

      But they don't. They don't make good arguments. They don't focus on real issues. They don't care about America, they care about getting the Dems out of office (much like the dems from the past 8 years... and they were full of shit too).

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    267. Re:icing on the cake: by sorak · · Score: 1

      If you want an example of a conservative organization slandering liberals in this way, you should probably watch Glenn Beck. Besides being accused of raping and murdering a girl in 1990, he also hosts a tv show in which he makes baseless accusations toward others in a style similar to the one parodied on this website.

    268. Re:icing on the cake: by dwpro · · Score: 1

      hah...hahhahahaha! seriously?

      --
      Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
    269. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I saw some of that... then I saw one of his bits on national healthcare.

      In the former, he seemed mildly upset. In the latter, he seemed about ready to explode. To me, that seems like some seriously confused priorities.

      Either that, or he just plays to his audience and doesn't give a shit either way, as long as he makes money...

      Or, at least, thats how it appears to me.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    270. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      There lies a large difference between his personal political philosophy, which he did not compromise and his actions as a publicly elected figure.

      That is, he might have campaigned heavily against Nationalized Healthcare... but once the people voted a pro-healthcare administration and congress in... he would have worked to find a compromise, giving what he felt he had to, and taking where he thought he could. A half a loaf of bread is better than no bread at all.

      Jefferson's view of government was from the people. As he once said, the Revolution had happened in the minds of the people long before it was a reality. The same for his party and election... it came from the people. His statement that the tree of liberty had to be watered with blood was directed to the People rising up if the government ignored the People.

      Consider though now and here. President Obama campaigned heavily on health care. The democrats campaigned heavily on health care. Almost every poll shows that the Majority WANT some kind of health care reform. The Will of the People beats the philosophy of the politician... if you learn nothing else from Jefferson you should learn that. I have little doubt that while he would have disliked the concept, he would have worked hard to find some kind of compromise, rather than simply stand in opposition and defy the electorate. He would have found a half a loaf of bread in that bill, rather than standing there with empty hands.

      Compared to the current crop of politicians... well none of them deserve to sit in the same building as many of the historical figures that once worked there. :(

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    271. Re:icing on the cake: by Bassman59 · · Score: 1

      You meant what you typed - that Glenn Beck fans are drooling retards AND outraged by the decision, in your opinion.

      How come Glenn Beck won't address the rumors that his fans are drooling retards? I mean, there's a very very very small chance that they are NOT drooling retards, but I want to know why Glenn Beck won't comment on whether his fans are drooling retards.

      'cause they are.

    272. Re:icing on the cake: by ryanov · · Score: 1

      There is at least ast much intellectual honesty on Huffington Post as on the rest of the mainstream media. I guess it's fun to make jabs and not back anything up, eh?

      Since you want to draw an analogy between this situation and the one you're proposing, perhaps you want to actually do your homework.

      The reason that this is funny or was even done to begin with is that this is Glenn Beck's own medicine. For example, showing a picture of Mao and saying that someone in the Obama administration takes all of her direction from him... and then moments later saying "if she didn't call to deny it, it must be true." The parody is "well, Glenn Beck is not denying that he raped and murdered a girl in 1990, so he must have." It's not funny in the case of Michele Obama -- she's not trying to pull the same shit on TV every day with impunity.

      Get it now? Thanks. PS: please read, then talk.

    273. Re:icing on the cake: by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      People say outrageous things, and then use "out of context" like a magic wand, without ever explaining what the context is.

      If you think I killed and raped a girl , then you are wrong.

      The italics are the context, and the non italics are the "out-of" part.

    274. Re:icing on the cake: by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I distrust government quite a bit... However, I don't ask questions about the Bilderburgers, or the Masons or the Priory of Scion or Bohemian Grove.

      Or Obama's secret Muslim/Kenyan birth... or 9/11 being a secret government conspiracy.

      I find MSNBC to be as unwatchable as Fox, personally. However, FOX is far more directly involved in political gaming than MSNBC.

      FTR - I tend to be a rational anarchist in the sense used by Heinlein.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    275. Re:icing on the cake: by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      It's very likely that I, not being a public figure, has a great expectation. That's been the trend of such rulings over the years. Put yourself in the public sphere, and yes, you surrender some freedom to sue over slander and libel.

      I have already given the link to probably the most famous case involving a public figure and satire. I'm sure you know about the Larry Flynt/Jerry Falwell battle in the Supreme Court, but at the end of the day, the freedom of speech, in this case to satirize a person, outweighs any particular rights an individual might have to protect themselves from it. The key test here is whether or not a reasonable person would actually believe that Glenn Beck killed anyone, much as Hustler's contention was that a reasonable person would not believe that Jerry Falwell's first sexual encounter was with his mother in an outhouse.

      You inadvertently provide the very reason that SCOTUS ultimately decided in favor of Hustler, and that is simply that notions like "makes me uncomfortable" are far too subjective a standard to limit that 1st Amendment guarantee. If either this parody site or Hustler, for instance, had attempted to pass off their stories as true (or, in short, libel Falwell or Beck), then most certainly there would be legitimate grounds to seek damages and demand a retraction.

      As with so many things, it is context that counts. The website in question could not possibly be mistaken save by the most irony-deficient individuals as anything but a parody and a satire. Therefore it is protected speech.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    276. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup, two people definitely make a trend.
      I know 2 people that owe me money, I guess everybody owes me money. Pay up Garrett

    277. Re:icing on the cake: by Falconhell · · Score: 1

      And the gold medal for the long jump to a conclusion goes to:

      Jackspenn.

    278. Re:icing on the cake: by Bassman59 · · Score: 1

      Texas has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

      Texas has an awful lot of people in jail.

    279. Re:icing on the cake: by sorak · · Score: 1

      I like beck. Perhaps you are too educated for your own good.

      And perhaps Beck is too uneducated for our own good.

    280. Re:icing on the cake: by Icegryphon · · Score: 1

      welcome to 4cha...er Slashdot.
      Where every post is a repost of a repost of a repost of a repost....
      It is reposts all the way down.

    281. Re:icing on the cake: by Elektroschock · · Score: 1

      Why does Glenn Beck wear a German uniform?

    282. Re:icing on the cake: by Omestes · · Score: 1

      Quoth the Wikipedia: "An intellectual is a man or woman who uses intelligence (thought and reason) and analytical thinking, either in a professional or a personal capacity."

      I don't see anything about a person's political beliefs in there. Though if you really want to read them in, it comes off rather badly (i.e. "the left is a bunch of intellectuals") for the side using it as an insult.

      I know it is a right-wing (not conservative per se) code word for "them".

      --
      A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
    283. Re:icing on the cake: by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      So the engineer gets to choose where to put the light? Somehow I don't think that's how it went down. Someone in a leadership role told him/her to do it and they did it. A single traffic light isn't really engineered so much as installed.

    284. Re:icing on the cake: by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      haha, that level of ignorance is impressive given that California and New York both of economies dwarfing the majority of the red states combined. Texas probably being the only red state capable of standing on its own due to incredible amounts of oil.

      The majority of the country was never red even when Bush won the presidency. If you recall Bush won by a small percentage each time winning twice as many states but getting less than half of the electoral votes because the majority of the population is in blue states.

      But of course this is all beside the point that Michigan was never a blue state and that Seattle has a great economy. Crime is skyrocketing everywhere, not just in blue states. Take a look at Cleveland, St. Louis, majorly red cities inside of red states and see how well the economy and crime states are doing.

      Also keep in mind that under a democratic governor California was wildly successful. Then the republican leadership deregulated the energy sector resulting in Enron and surprise surprise? Enron went bust and California has been in a downward spiral ever since. I do believe they will recover though even those more and more of them are moving into my state which is Arizona. Arizona is another red state who's economy is in the crapper with the state legislature forced to lease the capital building because they planned so poorly.

      You'll find that historically you're wildly incorrect. FDR brought us out of the depression and into a period of unprecedented growth. Admittedly Clinton got out of the way of a technology boom fueling the 90's despite Bush Sr getting us into an international conflict and cutting taxes creating a record deficit which Clinton not only reverse but created a surplus with.

      I would ask what red states are doing well? Alabama? Georgia? Kentucky? Kansas? Missouri? Sure, they each all have areas that are successful but they are not on the list of top economic earners by any stretch.

      Of course I come from Vermont which swings back and forth all the time because we don't care what party a person is with, we care about their message and that they follow through with their word. This is the reason I don't think we're heading for glory with Obama. Yes he's blue but that doesn't mean he's making sane choices when it comes to spending. Imagine what the country could have done with the trillian dollars spent on a pointless war that we needed not get involved with? I'm speaking of course of Iraq, we actually had reason to take out the Taliban.

    285. Re:icing on the cake: by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      I think a hybrid approach is the only way but you're right in that the states should be taking the initiatives. Of course Vermont did creating Dr Dinosaur to insure kids in the state. There is not enough funding for such a tiny state to do that for everyone although they are still managing to expand the program.

    286. Re:icing on the cake: by Boronx · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You are a strong data point for the notion that IQ doesn't reflect intelligence. Beck is a phony and a viper, as would be apparent to Jefferson or anyone with two neurons to rub together. And, in case you didn't notice, Jefferson lost his argument against a strong Federal Government more than 200 years ago, and it was finally buried for good in the Civil War.

    287. Re:icing on the cake: by Boronx · · Score: 1

      Those aren't reasonable arguments, since we can easily afford it, and since the Republicans have and will stand against any measures to stimulate job creation.

    288. Re:icing on the cake: by Rei · · Score: 1

      Yeah. Because that's what flag@whitehouse.gov was for. Clearly its stated purpose of trying to help the administration gather information about what misinformation was circulating about its policies was just a smokescreen. It was really the first step in targeting the proles to round up and force into re-education camps.

      Back on topic: some bad news, for those who haven't heard. The victim of the car wreck, tragically, was not Glenn Beck.

      --
      sed "s/SJW.*$/... never mind. I was about to say something stupid, and also, I'm a troglodyte./Ig"
    289. Re:icing on the cake: by Veretax · · Score: 1

      It was headline news, actually, he was on back and for with that lady Nancy Grace I think it was? As for why he chose to leave for Fox news? I don't know why. Could be Fox offered more money, I don't recall, but we don't even know that CNN wanted to keep him. While I like Glen Beck he is overly dramatic sometimes, and to the channel flippers of the nation, he does come off as nuts at times.

    290. Re:icing on the cake: by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Wow....way to miss the point there Chuck. The POINT of the entire thing was that Beck pulls the SAME SHIT all the damned time on his shows, just using words like "communist" and 'socialist" and "supporter of terrorists". That has been his SOP for years, because sadly enough there are plenty that will believe any damned thing he says. Just look at the case of the head teabagger at one of those "no free healthcare!" teabag parties that is now about to lose his home because he took a tumble down the stairs at the rally and, you guessed it, can't actually afford his medical bills because he didn't have health insurance.

      So someone who had seen Beck pull that same crap show after show decided to rub his nose in his own shit by rehashing an old Gilbert Gottfried joke. Using ones own tactics to parody their behavior is probably one of the oldest uses of satire there is, and it had to be outrageous because the WHOLE POINT is to shine a light on his douchebag behavior by showing how stupid that tactic is by going overboard with it. It is no different that only the times that Beck has said "Is (fill in the blank) a socialist? I don't know, but (event x) sure seems funny to me" etc.

      This is the same crap he has been pulling for years, and just shows while the little douche can dish it out, he sure as hell can't take it. And for the record I think BOTH the ultra right and ultra left are equally douchebags, hell they are both practically the same thing now. Both are for bigger government, more power for themselves, grafts, corruption, the only difference anymore is the right kisses the defense contractor booty and the left sucks the big media dick. Beck got chosen because he has been pulling that lame trick for years and finally got called out on it, that's all.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    291. Re:icing on the cake: by norminator · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck makes all kinds of attacks (including personal attacks that don't have anything to do with politics) against people on his for-profit radio and cable shows, using people's names. I don't see how this is much different, except that the website probably had fewer visitors during its lifespan than any of Beck's individual shows have listeners/viewers. If people have a problem with the things he says, he cites the First Amendment and complains about political correctness. Now, when this website comes along, he takes it up in an international court, to shut the website down based on IP law. So much for what he says about Free Speech and World Government. The next time I hear him say "I may not like what you say, but I'll defend to my death your right to say it", this is what I'll be thinking of. And he does use that quote to show what an upstanding guy he is.

    292. Re:icing on the cake: by norminator · · Score: 1

      I would not have known about the ACORN scandal where they advise their customers to cover-up illegal prostitution houses, and file false claims with the IRS.

      When has it ever been shown that ACORN has actually done that? I know of a couple of instances where undercover "journalists" have pretended to be running such houses, but I know of no instances where ACORN employees have actually helped someone who really was running such a house. This "sting" operation was pure entrapment, and I'm sure you'll find people in many impoverished neighborhoods who would help such people, whether the people in question are ACORN employees or not. Not to mention the fact that the people with the hidden camera went to a lot of ACORN offices and only had 2 where someone tried to help them.

      If employees from 2 different Target stores help me steal products, does that make Target corrupt? Furthermore, I'd be willing to bet that more sitting Congressmen (in either party taken separately) have supported brothels than ACORN workers.

    293. Re:icing on the cake: by BagMan2 · · Score: 1

      You're right, smart is better. We should just let the intellectuals make all the decisions for us so that we are less likely to screw up our own lives.

      Now, can you find a bonified intellectual who can tell me what health insurance I should buy (or maybe what to eat for dinner tonight)?

    294. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Detroit is not safer than Dallas. Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, DC and Philly all beat out Dallas for most dangerous (in that order). http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm

      Texas also happens to be pretty much the only red state that pays more in taxes than it gets back.

    295. Re:icing on the cake: by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      He tried and lost. That would suggest no abuse at all, just use.

      The fact he lost leans more towards abuse than if he won. Perhaps he knew he'd lose in court, but took the guy to court anyway because he had more money and expected the lawsuit to scare him into giving up his rights. That would be abuse. And the fact he lost indicates that he didn't have the winning side. So, if he expected to lose and persued it anyway, that would mean to me that he abuse the system.

    296. Re:icing on the cake: by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Let me get this straight.... I'm a little slow and dimwitted and shit.. so hold me hand here..

      You think that hatred for George Bush is relevant because of the direction that the current administration is taking us?

      Hatred of a PERSON is relevant to the policies of OTHER PEOPLE? Did I get that right?

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    297. Re:icing on the cake: by lennier · · Score: 1

      "people that think only Democrats can think of notable solutions and all other ideas will never work?"

      Er? That's a weird criticism to make.

      By definition, someone who believes a particular political philosophy (such as economic liberalism) is true does believe that ideas which contradict that philosophy (such as economic conservatism) will never work.

      Because, well, that's what "not true" means - "will not work".

      So to the extent that only one political party, such as the Democrats, holds to the political philosophy they believe to be true, of course they'll believe that only that one party will be able to think of solutions. That's required by logic. If Republicans are believing factually incorrect things, the solutions they come up with WILL NOT WORK.

      Why try to attack this with this weird vagueness?

      How about actually just saying what you mean: "the philosophy you believe in is WRONG and WILL NOT WORK and the philosophy I believe in is RIGHT and WILL WORK. Therefore I do not support the people or the solutions you propose, and I do support mine."

      And reserve the right to change your mind if you turn out to be wrong.

      --
      You are not a brain: http://books.google.com/books?id=2oV61CeDx-YC
    298. Re:icing on the cake: by SETIGuy · · Score: 1

      I watch Beck. I'm also a fan of Jefferson, who had an estimated IQ of 160, and I'm sure would also enjoy Beck's "question boldly" show theme

      I'm fairly sure Jefferson would find Beck to be whack-job nut-case conspiracy theorist whose "facts" rarely line up with reality. Beck doesn't "question boldly" where his right wing masters are involved. It's freaking amazing how all of Beck's economic views did a 180 on January 20th. On the 19th, bank bailouts were great. On the 20th, they are the road to slavery, communism, and totalitarianism.
      Jefferson would also be pretty disappointed how far down the road toward theocracy we've fallen. His biggest disappointment with Obama would probably be his religiosity.

    299. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why wouldn't this Limbaugh fellow simply have someone else make stuff up, so that he can quite correctly state he was not the one who made it up.

    300. Re:icing on the cake: by Draconius42 · · Score: 1

      IIRC, he didn't quit. His "contract was not renewed."

    301. Re:icing on the cake: by SETIGuy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ...the rich people that live and vacation on the lake got sick of having to wait a stop sign when they wanted to leave... Sometimes the stupid people know things that the intellectual elite are too smart to see for themselves

      Sometimes our biases are plain to see. For some reason, you seem to equate "rich" with "intellectual elite." I've known a lot of rich people, and I've known a lot of smart people. While there is some overlap between the two, I wouldn't say that it's large, or that intelligence, or even education, is a defining characteristic of the wealthy. The wealthy may be elite, but they tend not to be intellectual (e.g. our last president was definitely an east coast ivy league elite who was born to incredible wealth, but he wasn't an intellectual. Our current one is an intellectual, but was not born to wealth. Crazy, huh? Barak Obama has more in common with a poor suburban white man living in a trailer than G.W.B ever did. But that white guy is afraid of "eliteist" Obama, because he watches Glen Beck.)

      Off the top of my head, I'd guess either you don't know many rich people or maybe you have some interest in perpetuating the idea that wealth always is earned and is always deserved as the result of hard work. That, unfortunately, is the exception rather than the rule. I know high school teachers with 150 IQ and lawyers with IQs less than 100. I'm not sure I know an MBA with an IQ above 115. I know people who worked and invested their way into wealth, but I know far more people who were born into it, married into it, were in the right place at the right time, or were just really pretty. There's a better correlation between height and business advancement than there is with IQ. If you look good in a suit, you will go far.

      Any how, I'm one of those rich intellectual elites now, and I have nothing but disdain for rich NIMBYs who don't let their kids outside for fear of kidnappers and want a stoplight on every street corner. Please don't include all of the rich in with the few who happen to be intellectuals. And please, when Fox News is talking about the intellectual elites, understand that this is a bogeyman that they have developed that is there to make everyone think that "liberals think they are better than you" while hiding the fact that they (Fox News) are mouthpieces for the rich non-intellectual elites who want you to ignore them standing behind the curtain.

    302. Re:icing on the cake: by Smurf · · Score: 1

      Fascinating clip, even if unrelated to the parent post.

      Anyway, let's analyze it. MSNBC showed footage of a man carrying an assault rifle and a pistol in a presidential event in Arizona. An MSNBC commentator said that it was worrisome to have white people show up with guns at an event presided by the first black president. Some days later, a FOX commentator points out that MSNBC was dishonest because the footage of the man they showed actually corresponds to a black man, not a white one, but MSNBC never showed his face. And I agree, it is a sleazy move.

      Well, take a look at this CNN clip. It turns out that there were two men carrying assault weapons at that event. One of the was black, the other was not.

      In fact, there were several other people carrying guns in that event, by some accounts close to a dozen. You can see one of them, a white man, actually interviewing the black guy in this clip, 3:20 into the clip.

      So, although the MSNBC commentators were dishonest because they used the clip of the black guy, everything that they said still holds: white people were showing up with guns in various events where Obama was present (not only that event, but including it).

      Furthermore, note that both CNN and The Daily Show's clips are from August 18, while FOX's is from August 20, so by that time FOX had to know about the white men that were carrying guns, including an AR-15, at that exact same event. Unlike MSNBC's clip, the aim of FOX's clip is to show you the complete picture with all the facts, yet they omitted this fundamental information (and no, what the guy says at 0:50 does not qualify at all).

      Thus: yes, MSNBC was sleazy and dishonest, but in the end what we see is that FOX was far more sleazy and dishonest when they called MSNBC to account.

      I would love to hear what you have to say in light of this "new" information.

    303. Re:icing on the cake: by Smurf · · Score: 1

      Oh, one more thing:

      You showed an instance in which FOX calls out MSNBC for manipulating the information in a sleazy way (although, as I demonstrated above, it wasn't really so sleazy as the FOX commentator made it sound).

      Well, this kind of calling out manipulation by the media is far more frequent from the other side (the left denouncing the right). Olbermann and Madow show dishonesty by FOX and other right wing commentators pretty much daily. MediaMatters.org is a site pretty much dedicated to uncovering the dishonesty of FOX and the right. Even Jon Stewart and Colbert do it in a regular basis in their comedy shows (although to be fair occasionally they call out MSNBC and other left media too).

      If you realized how sleazy and dishonest FOX is, you would be ashamed to get your "news" from them.

    304. Re:icing on the cake: by stonewallred · · Score: 1

      Maybe, if my IRL persona was famous. If my IRL ID was not famous, it would not be legal.

    305. Re:icing on the cake: by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Seriously, the knee-jerk judgments have got to stop, or we're not going to get anywhere. We really need rational discussion.

      You must be new here.

      (And by "here", I mean our lovely planet. Would your people like to buy Florida?)

    306. Re:icing on the cake: by Myopic · · Score: 1

      Speaking of Glenn Beck, I heard that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990. Do you think that could be true? I know for a fact that he refuses to deny that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990.

    307. Re:icing on the cake: by Falconhell · · Score: 1

      Truth hurts eh C64?

      I'm not afraid to log in.

      What you sowed you have reaped.

    308. Re:icing on the cake: by Doctor_Jest · · Score: 1

      Still a lot safer than that reddest of cities, Dallas, in that reddest of states, Texas.

      Citations, please... I'd venture to say, you've not been to Dallas (perhaps not recently), but since it's in a "red" state, some folks consider it automagically worse off than the "blue" states, by their very nature. Must be all the guns, right? (I live in Dallas, btw, and do NOT feel that it is less safe than Detroit or Seattle... I'm a little confused, did you mean Detroit or Seattle in that pronouncement?) I've been to NYC, though... meh. It has a faint smell of, I don't know what... old perhaps? I can't put my finger on it... (Let's not even talk about the smells coming from Jersey...)

      That being said... I still often wonder why we aren't scrutinizing Olbermann and the like, because I've attempted a time or two to fact-check his (and Maddow's) assertions, and quite frankly, I've come up short in many ways, because of the subtle way he (like Glenn Beck and his pals) phrases things and paints the background information for you. I can't quite nail down the particulars, at least not the last time I tried. Heck, Maddow cited a movie as proof Republicans were union-busters (nice segue, but it didn't prove her point, and it made her look stupid, IMHO.) She has a knack for sarcasm that few men have, and I guess that appeals to some people, but it's not quite got the bite she thinks it does (that's just me of course.)

      I blame the corporatizing (is that even a word?) of the news. This lends itself to many an also-ran to counter the opposition's previous also-ran, and it frankly stinks on both sides. We are quick to smack the right-wing side because they happen to hold the highest # of eyeballs in the ratings race (at the moment), but it's both sides squeezing the life out of actual debate and reasoned thought. Our politicians wage soundbite wars over issues that really have no bearing on the day-to-day life of Americans, but it sells newspapers/commercial time. The politicians are no better than the pundits in regards to manipulating the discourse to favor fast quotes and "for the children" or "remember 9/11" style quips and proclamations.

      We need to turn them off... ALL of them... and start watching our news more carefully (that is letting go of CNN/FoxNews/and the network goons.) If we ignore them, they will get louder for a time, but they also will have to figure out why we left... and let's give them something to think about for a change. Because remember, even though some of us love Keith and Rachel, they're attached to a corporate entity that wants to fuck our internet in the ass(metaphorically, and sometimes literally), and wants to take our fair-use rights and flush them like yesterday's goulash. They _are_ the enemy. We need to remember that "they" isn't a political side, but ALL corporatist morons in the media...

      --
      It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
    309. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There needs to be a better mod for a post like this than 'informative'.

    310. Re:icing on the cake: by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      What does it mean to be too educated?

      When a stupid person takes lots of classes, they think they are smart. They are still stupid, but more confident. That is "too educated."

      Are you implying that there is merit to remaining ignorant?

      Someone who is stupid may be able to pass a class, but that doesn't mean they will be able to apply what they learn. You can take and pass a class and remain just as functionally ignorant as the day you went in. But you'll have a pedigree that means you can then pretend to be superior to those that are smarter and less ignorant than yourself.

    311. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not libel if it's true.

    312. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And matching quantities is not one of yours righy now.

      It SHOULD be "Ignorance and stupidity are not positive character traits." unless you want to reword it completely.

    313. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>Typically I've found that people that love Fox News, O'Reilly, Hannity or Glenn Beck are big fans but only after the 2008 election campaigns started
      >>>

      Typically I've found that people pull random "factoids" out of their ass, without any kind of proof other than they BELIEVE something to be true. FOX News has been the #1 cable news channels for over five years now (going back to 2004) according to Nielsen Ratings.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    314. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>MSNBC showed footage of a man carrying an assault rifle and a pistol in a presidential event in Arizona

      No let's be more specific. They showed a *repeating loop* of the man's waist. The entire footage, which was shown on CNN and FOX, shows the cameraman pan up and reveal the identity of the man as black. They even interviewed him and asked him why a black man is protesting a black president (because he believes in small government).

      So the question becomes: Why did MSNBC's editing room CUT the pan, and instead put the video on a loop, thus concealing the man's skin color? The answer becomes obvious when you listen to the overvoicing from the reporters - to hide the color of the man's skin, and mislead people to think he was a white man, and a racist besides.

      That's reminiscent of what propagandists did in former Eastern Europe.
      - They didn't blatantly lie.
      Instead they distorted the truth, with creative video edits and voiceovers.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    315. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      Yeah I watch Rachel Maddow at least once a week, and a lot of the things she accuses FOX of distorting, are not distortions. SHE'S the one who is deliberately not telling the truth.

      Final thought - People were carrying guns at Bush protests as well. It's not a black/white thing. It's an anti-big government thing. Anyway we need at least ONE organization that is pushing for Constitutional limitations and small government. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN sure as hell ain't doing it. All they talk about is expansion of government and how that's a "good thing"

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    316. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>Fine. Then might I ask why George Bush doesn't show up on your list of world leaders trying to restore the monarchies/oligarchies?

      I often do list Bush. In fact I just called him a tyrant ~15 minutes ago in a different article. Jeez. Stop being such a black/white minded person. The world is shades of gray and my particular shade runs toward Jefferson-Libertarianism. . I haven't liked any of our presidents since 1992, although I will say this about Obama. He's five times worse than Bush (that's about how much faster our national debt is growing - five times faster).

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    317. Re:icing on the cake: by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>To the extent that the government responds to the will of the people, it is not the nobility.

      An elected nobility is still a class-based society (they control us - the commoners), and antithetical to the foundational goals of the U.S. where all would be equal, and none above the Supreme Law of the land (people's constitution).

      Ever heard of "positive liberty"? It's the idea of using force to make you free. The two-word phrase can be shorted to a single word called "tyranny". See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV_LmK7_kxo&feature=related

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    318. Re:icing on the cake: by Jimmy_Slimmy · · Score: 1

      Actually, I would like to respond to your friendly question in more detail, but I am regret to say I am quite busy now, packing to move to Canada.

    319. Re:icing on the cake: by phlinn · · Score: 1

      "Federalism" - I don't think that word means what you think it means.

      --
      "Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny! Free men pull in all sorts of directions" -- Havelock Vetinari
    320. Re:icing on the cake: by JimFive · · Score: 1

      If this was: www.didmichelleobamagangbangacollegefootballteamandgetpregnant.org people would be furious with the decision that it was legal.

      I think the question would then be: Is this a parody? In the case of Glenn Beck, the site portrayed a style of presentation that Glenn Beck has used publicly on his show, with alterations to achieve the desired effect - practically the definition of parody. Has Michelle Obama publicly presented anything that is being parodied by your example? Not that I know of.

      This style of argument occurs all the time. In fact you are using it yourself by substituting your outrageous url in place of the equally outrageous url that the legal case was about.
      --
      JimFive

      --
      Please stop using the word theory when you mean hypothesis.
    321. Re:icing on the cake: by Asic+Eng · · Score: 1
      When comparing cities, it really depends on the size. For the cities above 250k people, according to Wikipedia Detroit has the highest murder rates in the US (46/100k). Dallas is far behind (16/100k) but still a lot worse than Seattle (4/100k).

      In the 100k-250k range, New Orleans is doing worst with 95/100k, in the 60k-100k range it's Gary, Indiana with 73/100k, and in the range 40k-60k the worst place is Irvington, NJ with 40/100k.

    322. Re:icing on the cake: by jadavis · · Score: 1

      The "out of context" defense. Predictable.

      I'm not buying it. Beck often plays long video or audio clips where the person just digs themselves deeper.

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    323. Re:icing on the cake: by Smurf · · Score: 1

      As I acknowledged in my post not once but twice, MSNBC was sleazy and dishonest.

      So the question becomes: Why did MSNBC's editing room CUT the pan, and instead put the video on a loop, thus concealing the man's skin color?

      Because they didn't have footage of the white men with weapons. They knew those white men were there, and that one also had an AR-15, but they didn't have the footage. And as I showed you, footage of those white men does exist, just not in MSNBC's hands. Nevertheless using that loop without clarification was misleading, sleazy and dishonest.

      (BTW, contrary to your claims, the clips showed by CNN and MSNBC are not from the same footage. But that's a moot point because I'm sure MSNBC's complete footage also showed the face of the guy; no reasonable cameraman would have omitted filming him. The FOX clip you linked to shows no video of the event at all, only a still.)

      That's reminiscent of what propagandists did in former Eastern Europe.
      - They didn't blatantly lie.
      Instead they distorted the truth, with creative video edits and voiceovers.

      In that case, what the FOX commentator did was reminiscent of what propagandists did in former Eastern Europe.
      - He didn't blatantly lie.
      Instead they distorted the truth, by omitting vital information like the fact that in the exact same event there were several white men with guns, one of them an AR-15.

      The message that someone who watches the MSNBC clip will take home is that there was a white man with an assault rifle at the event. Which is entirely true, although the man they saw on the screen was not that white man.

      The message that someone who watches the FOX clip will take home is that there were no white men with guns at the event, because the man on the screen was black. Which is essentially false, since those white men were there also (one of them with and AR-15), and FOX knew it.

      That by itself makes FOX's distortion of reality much worse than MSNBC's. Added to that is the fact that the whole point of FOX's clip is to set the record straight, to lay all the cards on the table because they were denouncing MSNBC's sin of omission (of footage). They can't do that if they in turn commit a sin of omission (of obviously vital information that they clearly had).

      But what shocks me most here is that even though I acknowledged MSNBC's dishonesty repeatedly and made my main point (FOX's dishonesty) perfectly clear and highlighted it in boldface, you deliberately decided to ignore my point completely, and tried to sweep it under the rug by making absolutely no reference to it whatsoever.

    324. Re:icing on the cake: by jadavis · · Score: 1

      only troubling after Glen Beck sets up his viewers with his bat-shit-insane editorial slant

      Obama hired Van Jones, who called himself a communist.

      To many people, it's troubling that the president is so comfortable with communists and other leftist radicals.

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    325. Re:icing on the cake: by Smurf · · Score: 1

      Yeah I watch Rachel Maddow at least once a week,

      ... good for you, that shows some willingness to at least listen to those with which you dissent, a priceless quality ...

      and a lot of the things she accuses FOX of distorting, are not distortions. SHE'S the one who is deliberately not telling the truth.

      True. But that is not much different from what FOX did in the clip you linked to: they deliberatedly did not tell all the truth, and instead withheld essential information.

      And what you said is true not only of Madow, but of all the left-wing media (and comedians) I referred to. But then again, most o those accusations against the right-wing media are in fact true.

      Maybe the least guilty of them is MediaMatters.org. Even though they do editorialize (a lot!), they always include the complete footage they are referring to, as to avoid being accused of quoting out of context. That's why Bill O'reilly hates them so much and rants about them every few months, but NEVER mentions them by name. He says it's because he doesn't want to send traffic to them, but if the information was as blatantly false as he claims the visitors would never return. No, he knows that the information posted there is frequently undisputable and that some of the visitors would actually realize that it is he who is lying.

      Anyway we need at least ONE organization that is pushing for Constitutional limitations and small government.

      That is your opinion, which you are certainly entitled to and which I absolutely respect.

    326. Re:icing on the cake: by Omestes · · Score: 1

      Straw-man much?

      I hate people who force things on me for "my own good" as much as the next guy, but I still find this a weak argument for idolizing ignorance. Barring support for anarchy, we need government, government needs to set policies, I'd rather these policies be set by intelligent people, experts, and people generally smarter than me.

      Also, last I checked, the non-intellectuals also wanted to force a bunch of things down MY throat "for my own good", such as laws based on their religion (which I do not follow or care about), laws based on their preferred morality, etc... These are the same morons who scream about the so-called "elite" doing the same thing.

      If I had to have something shoved down my throat, I'd rather it be by someone with some standard of education, or intellectualism, rather than some uneducated yokel who has no understanding of the world outside of his little hovel.

      To rephrase; You are sick; would you rather see a doctor with multiple PhDs and years of education, or would you rather go see your NASCAR watching neighbor who might, possibly, have a high school diploma?

      --
      A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
    327. Re:icing on the cake: by jadavis · · Score: 1

      "It shows that with freedom to take your own path comes great responsibility, take a wrong turn and forget the consequences of your actions and you may fall to 'evil'"

      Did she say that, or did you?

      You can interpret things to be benign when they are not at least as easily as you can interpret things to be dangerous when they are not.

      I think most people go through their lives without "turning to" people like Mao as a "philosopher". And certainly without calling someone like Mao a philosopher at all.

      You may not mind these things. You may appreciate the clever point that she was trying to make. But millions of Americans are troubled by the level of comfort that Obama and his administration have with communists, and the discomfort they have with capitalism.

      If there's important context left out that refutes that, I didn't see it in your post. I only see you putting words in her mouth after the fact.

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    328. Re:icing on the cake: by spun · · Score: 1

      I heard that too. Why would so many people say that if it weren't true?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    329. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, Glenn Beck sure has some thin skin!

      Oh wait, sorry, was that a RNC talking point I just used that was intended to insult Obama for attacking Fox News' lies?

    330. Re:icing on the cake: by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      So you admit to being a francophile pinko commie witch.

    331. Re:icing on the cake: by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      George W Bush was a C student at Yale, the home of the gentleman's C, where he was admitted as a legacy.

      Clinton was a Rhodes scholar.

      They may have had similar quantities of education, but they DID NOT have the same level of education.

    332. Re:icing on the cake: by Jimmy_Slimmy · · Score: 1

      Not really, but it is apparent you will admit to me being such.

      See you in Canada!

    333. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should really dig up that citation, because none of what you said is true.

      Most of that map that was red were large rural areas without many voters.

      here's a breakdown of federal aid by state - the top 8 are all red states, the bottom 15 are blue (16 counting DC).

      here is the median income by state. The 17 lowest are red states, the 9 highest are blue states (with the exception of alaska at #6)

      here are crime rates. It's generally a mixed bag, the 5 lowest are: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, N. Dakota, and S. Dakota, the 5 highest are: South Carolina, Tennessee, Nevada, Louisiana, and Florida. (DC is the highest).

      Detroit, and Michigan in general are certainly in a bad way, but Georgia and the Carolinas aren't far behind. Crime has dropped dramatically in major cities over the past 15 years, especially in New York. Today we're worried about meth in the boonies.

    334. Re:icing on the cake: by Smurf · · Score: 1

      Oh, I did not watch Tuesday's The Daily Show until now, so I missed this clip, which is extremely relevant to our discussion. Hannity's clip can be found on FOX's website. The switch starts at 1:30 (watch the foliage and the amount of people).

      Let me paraphrase you:

      So the question becomes: Why did FOX's editing room use footage of a DIFFERENT event? The answer becomes obvious when you listen to the overvoicing (sic) from the host and a guest that appears regularly in FOX's programs - the previous event had a higher turnout, closer to the numbers claimed in the voiceover.

      That's reminiscent of what propagandists did in former Eastern Europe.
      - They didn't blatantly lie. [or did they?]
      Instead they distorted the truth, with creative video edits and voiceovers.

      Now, you may claim that Stewart is "accusing FOX of a distortion that is not a distortion. HE'S the one who is deliberately not telling the truth." In other words, that TDS did a creative video edit to make it seem like FOX did something that they didn't do.

      Unfortunately for you that's not the case. The situation was so clear and embarrassing that Sean Hannity had to acknowledge it on air. He says that it was "an inadvertent mistake, but a mistake nonetheless". I hope that you are not so gullible as to think that it was indeed a mistake. This was as much a mistake as MSNBC cutting the footage to conceal a man's skin color.

      But of course distorting the truth in this way is not new for FOX. Here you have a brief compilation of several other instances in which FOX clearly used deceptive techniques such as "creative video edits and voiceovers" to push their agenda, every one of them as egregious as MSNBC's sleazy trick you linked to. Except that the main message in that case was true (white men with guns, one with an AR-15, were at the event), while in most (all?) of these cases the main message is the deceptive one (e.g., the event had a far less turnout than what the commentators claimed and the images showed).

      Of all the media in the present-day USA, FOX is the one that most frequently resorts to tactics reminiscent of what propagandists did in former Eastern Europe.

      I would love to see how you rationalize everything you said in your posts now. Really. I expect an answer from you.

    335. Re:icing on the cake: by sten+ben · · Score: 1

      Did she say that, or did you?

      I did. It says so quite clearly, the "I'd say..." part you know

      I think most people go through their lives without "turning to" people like Mao as a "philosopher". And certainly without calling someone like Mao a philosopher at all.

      Have you actually read Mao? Do you know what he wrote about? I haven't, but I'm not the one calling his philosophical credentials into question.

      But millions of Americans are troubled by the level of comfort that Obama and his administration have with communists, and the discomfort they have with capitalism.

      That is relevant context for your feelings and opinions, but not for that clip. It doesn't make ignoring what she is saying correct. Ignoring that is ignoring context.

      If there's important context left out that refutes that, I didn't see it in your post. I only see you putting words in her mouth after the fact.

      So you don't think that what she is actually saying matters? That she is trying to make a point about choice? Those are her words. That is worthless context compared to the fact that she calls Mao a philosopher? What she says after they quit subtitling doesn't matter?

    336. Re:icing on the cake: by coaxial · · Score: 0

      This is perhaps the best satire I've ever seen on /.
      +infinity

    337. Re:icing on the cake: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Y0ur F4ce is the best satire on slashdot!

      +infinity^2

  3. The problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is that this type of *personal* attack is odious. Whether or not you agree with Beck at least he isn't resorting to this type of slime.

    1. Re:The problem by NiceGeek · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because Beck never does that....oh wait.

    2. Re:The problem by Neuroelectronic · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You must not be familiar with the Glenn Beck Show.

    3. Re:The problem by shoemilk · · Score: 1

      So what do you suggest? www.GlennBeckRanARedLightIn1990.com? The problem is that satire, in order to be effective, needs to be outlandishly extreme yet plausible. Eating babies is wrong and offensive, like the idea of Glenn Beck raping and murdering a girl in 1990.

      No, Glenn Beck is worse because he gets people to believe false things do to his orating "style". Making a false statement a question, repeating it several times, then slightly denying it, is extremely dishonest and anyone who makes a living off of doing so deserves to be berated.

      Also, a little history lesson for you. The site owner didn't just pull the title out of the air. It was a meme first, and the meme was based off of this clip

    4. Re:The problem by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck *personally* attacks people in this exact manner all the time -- this site is simply a commentary on that. It is in no way an accusation -- nobody seriously believes that Glenn Beck may or may not have raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    5. Re:The problem by tsm_sf · · Score: 1

      nobody seriously believes that Glenn Beck may or may not have raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      He did what? That bastard!

      --
      Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
    6. Re:The problem by DavidTC · · Score: 1

      nobody seriously believes that Glenn Beck may or may not have raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      Although he really needs to come out and deny it, or people will continue to question it. The American people need answers.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    7. Re:The problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does Glenn Beck really love horses in an intimate way? Inquiring minds want to know!

    8. Re:The problem by ArcherB · · Score: 1, Informative

      No, Glenn Beck is worse because he gets people to believe false things do to his orating "style". Making a false statement a question, repeating it several times, then slightly denying it, is extremely dishonest and anyone who makes a living off of doing so deserves to be berated.

      Um. No. Glenn shows actual video of people saying "telling" things. See THIS video from Glenn Beck's show (about 4:15 in). Or maybe THIS video (2:13 in). Glenn doesn't use his own "oratory style". He lets these people do it for themselves. He then asks people to research it for themselves.

      Then again, if you ever bothered to watch his show, you'd know this. Instead, you sit here on Slash and regurgitate things you've heard from other people who have never seen the show. Kinda what you are accusing Glenn of doing.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    9. Re:The problem by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 1

      nobody seriously believes that Glenn Beck may or may not have raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      Although he really needs to come out and deny it, or people will continue to question it. The American people need answers.

      And lets not forget about the pigs. He has not, as far as I know, denied having carnal knowledge of his neighbor's Poland China sow.

      --
      Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
    10. Re:The problem by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

      He did what? That bastard!

      Wait, so Glenn Beck killed Kenny???

    11. Re:The problem by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      nobody seriously believes that Glenn Beck may or may not have raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      Although he really needs to come out and deny it, or people will continue to question it. The American people need answers.

      This whole thing is so unfair. Honestly, it's unamerican to try and make someone deny their involvement in sexual assault or a homicide - I mean, just look at the fifth amendment!

      All you Glenn Beck haters out there should stop asking him to deny that he raped and murdered that girl in 1990. If he denies it, he's just playing into the hands of the "law and order" liberal latte-drinking factinistas.

      Stop hating Beck's freedom to refuse to refute accusations, or incriminate himself, because that's what terrorists do, and you're raping our children with your words.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    12. Re:The problem by ZekoMal · · Score: 1

      And when you catch someone stuttering, it makes for great comedy. Actually, it makes up a good 90% of Jon Stewart's jokes; nearly out of context comments. Except Stewart is trying to be funny. Beck is doing the same thing, and then touting it as fact. And I have watched his full-of-shit show, where he preaches dogmatic lies and words things in such a way that you wonder if he even likes America. Hell, if you watch a straight week of his show, you'd honestly believe that he wants to send all of the liberals, all of the college educated, and all of the non-Republicans to little camps. His oratory style is terrifying, because it is only suited to satire and comedy. You're fucknut insane if you believe otherwise, and since your name has been peppered all over this topic religiously defending Beck, I feel 100% confident in saying that.

    13. Re:The problem by Sancho · · Score: 1

      By the way, here's a neat trick: you can append #t=XmYs to jump straight to X minutes, Y seconds in a youtube video.

      For example, instead of telling people "about 4:15 in", you can link to:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwaM0JJGbfM#t=4m15s

      By the way, what's the difference between being radical and having radical views?

    14. Re:The problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can't do you tube right now, but which of those videos is of Obama saying he was not born in America? No one said that he is always wrong. If people get busted for saying things they should not have then so be it. But he does use that straw man attack from time to time to imply falsehoods.

      The bottom line is that if people *truly* want objective information then they will have to be smart enough not to rely on others to filter information for them. They will have to get off their asses and look themselves. They will also have to have a rational mind (unfortunately this is not as prevalent in the US as it should be) to be able to look at both sides of an argument and not just gravitate to any preconceived notions they already have. The problem with the media in the US is that it is all about the dollar. Whomever can buy up (hi Rupert) all the media outlets and force them to report what the buyer wants them too can control what does and does not get reported. This is a sad state of affairs, and is proof positive that the "private sector" is not fit to run all aspects of society.

      In short, people should realize that the Glenn Beck show (as well as Fox News) is no more real news than the likes of the Daily Show or the Star Jones Show. They should be considered for entertainment purposes only.

    15. Re:The problem by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 1

      I listened to Beck. Before he had his own TV show, before he was popular like Limbaugh. There is no viewpoint for him that isn't too inflammatory for the sake of being inflammatory, nor is there a connection that is too tenuous that he won't bring it up.

      He doesn't inform, he brings up snippets and ties them to Terrorism, Childporn and the downfall of the American Way of Life. Regardless of context, or of indication to the contrary. He's worse than Savage, in that sense. And I never thought that was possible.

      As for the two videos you listed, I didn't see anything quoted in your first video. Certainly not around the point you indicated. Merely speculation on what someone might do. The second video is completely pointless, and Beck's analysis completely misinterprets the point that was made in the speech. These aren't people saying "telling" things, these are non-stories and complete false-hoods. That's why I don't listen to Beck, and am astounded that anyone turns to him for anything other than to see poo-flinging in action.

      --
      Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    16. Re:The problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > See THIS [youtube.com] video from Glenn Beck's show (about 4:15 in)

      This was some person spouting off about all sorts of scary stuff that we "will" see... Hardly someone indicting themself.

      What was your point again?

    17. Re:The problem by tsm_sf · · Score: 1

      Raped and killed, apparently. I'm having a hard time keeping up with his rape/murder spree.

      --
      Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
    18. Re:The problem by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      And I have watched his full-of-shit show, where he preaches dogmatic lies and words things in such a way that you wonder if he even likes America.

      Example, please.

      Hell, if you watch a straight week of his show, you'd honestly believe that he wants to send all of the liberals, all of the college educated, and all of the non-Republicans to little camps.

      That's your opinion. I asked for examples.

      His oratory style is terrifying, because it is only suited to satire and comedy.

      Again, opinion. We need facts, not opinion.

      You're fucknut insane if you believe otherwise, and since your name has been peppered all over this topic religiously defending Beck, I feel 100% confident in saying that.

      And since you are the one that provides no FACTS and only insults, I can assume that you are truly "fucknut insane". You truly hate a man and attack him relentlessly to the point of making stuff up for reasons that not at all based on FACT, but opinions. Since you have no facts on which to base your opinions, you spout them as if they are fact, which just makes you hate more, which leads to more falsehoods, then more hatred, and the cycle grows to where you are now.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    19. Re:The problem by ZekoMal · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, let me look up examples for you, since you apparently forgot how the INTERNET (I have caps lock too, it's rather sensationalist, non?) works. It's cute that you get green under the gills when I don't instantly respond to you in the middle of my own post, like you're expecting a chat log or something.

      I'll give you one example. For now. I'm sure one is not enough because you are a Beck-fanatic, which means that you'll require an example from every day out of the year since he first touched television to prove that he's fucknut insane.

      http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200611150004

      "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' " Beck added: "I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."

      Or, in simpler terms: Beck considered this man to be a terrorist assisting Osama Bin Laden...because he was Muslim. And he worded it in that sleazy way that he always words such blatant comments. If you'd like I can find some more from your network darling, though. I'm sure you do need me to, as you are fucknut insane. And I do hate this man, because he delivers his opinions at the same rate as fact, and he leads his fans to relentlessly pursue anyone who disagrees with him.

    20. Re:The problem by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      The way I see it as Beck asking the questions that are not exactly PC, but everyone was thinking, and giving Rep. Ellison a chance to answer those questions in person and clear the air. It becomes pretty clear when you show the ENTIRE thing, and not just a single snippet. (BTW, isn't that what so many Beck haters accuse him of; taking things out of context?)

      ELLISON: How you doing, Glenn? Glad to be here.

      BECK: Thank you. I will tell you, may I -- may we have five minutes here where we're just politically incorrect and I play the cards face up on the table?

      ELLISON: Go there.

      BECK: OK. No offense, and I know Muslims. I like Muslims. I've been to mosques. I really don't believe that Islam is a religion of evil. I -- you know, I think it's being hijacked, quite frankly.

      With that being said, you are a Democrat. You are saying, "Let's cut and run." And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."

      And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.

      ELLISON: Well, let me tell you, the people of the Fifth Congressional District know that I have a deep love and affection for my country. There's no one who is more patriotic than I am. And so, you know, I don't need to -- need to prove my patriotic stripes.

      BECK: I understand that. And I'm not asking you to. I'm wondering if you see that. You come from a district that is heavily immigrant with Somalians. And I think it's wonderful, honestly, I think it is really a good sign that you are a -- you could be an icon to show Europe, this is the way you integrate into a country. I think the Somalians coming out and voting is a very good thing. With that --

      ELLISON: I'd agree with you.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    21. Re:The problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That you Glenn? You're pretty active on this thread.

      I mean, I don't really think that ArcherB is really Glenn Beck, but isn't it interesting that I'm the only one asking these questions? Why won't you deny that you are the Glenn Beck that raped and murdered a young girl in 1990?

      As an aside, when did you decide to stop beating your wife?

      And yes, I have seen the show (and thought my head would explode from all the logical fallacies).

    22. Re:The problem by ZekoMal · · Score: 1

      Or, to rationalize this even better:

      "Ok, no offense, and I know white guys. I like white guys. I've been to white churches. I really don't believe that white guys are racist...what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not a member of the KKK."

      The hyper-paranoid aggressive minorities might agree that every white man could theoretically be in the KKK, but is it not outrageous? Or maybe you're missing something.

      It's perfectly rational to offhandedly state that you have a gut feeling that someone is a terrorist because they are in the same religion as the terrorists. According to you and Beck, anyway. Furthermore, if you justify it by stating how much you like that particular group, it's not even offensive. But you are a Beck-apologist, and I'm certain that if every guest to go on his show opened with how silly it is that they believe Beck is a Nazi member of the KKK you'd be foaming at the mouth over the liberal-intellectual-Kenyan-socialists taking over our country.

    23. Re:The problem by DavidTC · · Score: 1

      You are correct. Glenn Beck certainly has the right to refuse to speak about any crimes he has committed, or even may have committed.

      He is innocent of all rapes and murders until proven guilty in a court of law, and these attempts to basis the jury pool in advance of his indictment are despicable.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    24. Re:The problem by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but that's simply not the case. Not being American, about the only thing I know about him is that there's a suggestion that he may have raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. I just assumed this he had been accused of this and it was the equivalent of DidOJSimpsonMurderHisWife.com. It strikes me as at least vaguely plausible.

      So I might, at some time, be persuaded to avoid something that he's associated with due to unfair implied accusations. There is at least some hypothetical harm here.

    25. Re:The problem by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 1

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFkpEduQJZo&feature=related

      Watch this video and then come back and tell me that these 'attacks' on Glenn Beck are unfair. This whole controversy is to draw attention to these sorts of outrageous tactics by throwing them back in his face. It is absolutely, 100% INTENDED to cause him harm, but it is going about it in a way that is completely protected by the U.S. Constitution. Citizens of free countries need to have a way to fight back against public figures such as Beck, and satire is an extremely effective weapon in our arsenal. So in short, yes, if this is effective it will harm Glenn Beck, as it rightly should.

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    26. Re:The problem by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 1

      Hey, wait a minute there, hoss. We aren't saying that he did rape and murder a young girl in 1990. We are just asking questions here.

      No offense, and I know right-wing talk show hosts. I like right-wing talk show hosts. I`ve been to gay bars. I really don`t believe that Fox News is a network of child rape/murder. I -- you know, I think it`s being hijacked, quite frankly.

      With that being said, Glenn Beck is a right-wing talk show host. He is saying, "Let's rape and murder children" And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with him, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you did not rape and murder a young girl in 1990."

      And I know Glenn Beck didn't rape and murder a young girl in 1990. I`m not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990, but that`s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFkpEduQJZo&feature=related

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    27. Re:The problem by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      This is sort of my point. What Glenn Beck does is unfair. The fact that he uses this tactic doesn't make it fair.

      Now, perhaps he deserves this sort of attack. Sounds like he does but all I really wanted to point out is that it does cause harm. Deserved? Maybe. But so implausible as to be obviously satire? Not at all.

  4. handing back the domain FAIL by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They should have handed the domain to someone who could have done even more with it, say AdBusters. Glenn Beck is evil and must be destroyed... not literally of course, but he must be combated intelligently (as in this example!) which is the only way to take away his power. Actually snuffing him would make him a martyr and that would be disgusting.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by ravenshrike · · Score: 4, Funny

      It is highly debatable whether ripping off Gilbert Gottfried material can be considered at all intelligent.

    2. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by BeansBaxter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What? Someone modded you INSIGHTFUL? Ok its slashdot but still. Glenn Beck is evil? He must be destroyed? I think your post highlights an absolute fear of free speech. And for that you are modded insightful. Yes I'm in the wrong forum when talking about freedom and yes slashdot users have a bias which ruins its credibility. I don't fault the poster as much as the modders. Just a joke. Oh and on topic glad that freedoms were up-held and I love Beck's stuff. He cracks me up and makes me think.

    3. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by spun · · Score: 1

      Wow. Glenn Beck makes you think. So, uh, does coffee put you to sleep?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    4. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by BeansBaxter · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yes when I listen to someone who brings in different ideas and viewpoints I'm willing to consider them against my own philosophies and put them into perspective. I'm not closed minded but I know myself and don't fear the words and ideas of others.
      I've been listening to beck for 8 years now. Not religiously just when I get a chance. He is inflammatory on purpose. He does things to make his audience uncomfortable. It really is a brilliant mix and highly entertaining. He is a flawed human and happy to tell you so. He doesn't hold himself up as a model of perfection or anything else just an entertainer who likes to comment on politics with a "conservative" slant. He isn't a Republican booster despite others claiming such. But really you'd have to listen to understand any of that. I enjoy his show even when I disagree with his views.
      I've never drank coffee so I have no idea what affect it would have.

    5. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      What? Someone modded you INSIGHTFUL? Ok its slashdot but still. Glenn Beck is evil? He must be destroyed?

      I believe in people's right to free speech. That doesn't mean I believe in their right to be free from Consequences. Glenn Beck says things he knows are lies and deliberately uses logical fallacies in order to whip idiots up into a froth, with predictable negative consequences, solely in a [largely successful] bid for relevance and thus profit. You have a right to say what you like, not to be free from repercussions.

      I don't fault the poster as much as the modders. Just a joke.

      Perhaps I was modded up for saying that making a martyr of him would be a terrible thing. Or maybe it was someone who understands that the slashdot moderation system is broken, and thought I was funny but didn't want me to lose karma in the inevitable battle of moderators.

      I love Beck's stuff. He cracks me up and makes me think.

      It seems to me that any quality thought produced from listening to Beck is incidental, kind of like how the schematic for the circuit to practically produce A/C power appeared fully-formed in the mind of Nikola Tesla while reciting a poem.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by floodo1 · · Score: 1

      How exactly is labeling Glen Beck evil equivalent to fearing free speach?
      It's exactly because we (Beck included) have free speech that he can say the retarded things that he says which serve to highlight his evilness. I mean imagine someone exercising their right to free speech and proclaiming that they believe that all babies should be killed; people wouldn't be fearful of free speech if they called him a baby-hater.

      --
      I KUT J00 M4NG!!!
    7. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They should have handed the domain to someone who could have done even more with it, say AdBusters. Glenn Beck is evil and must be must be made fun of...

      There, fixed that for you. He's a buffoon who takes himself far too seriously, and manages to impress himself far too much with the strength of his own anger. For a man like that, the most appropriate response is ridicule.

    8. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      Wow. Glenn Beck makes you think. So, uh, does coffee put you to sleep?

      Maybe he just means that Glenn Beck forces him to think the things Glenn Beck tells him? It's the only parsing of the sentence that makes sense.

      And I'll agree with the GP, Glenn Beck definitely makes me crack up - I can feel myself cracking up every time I watch a clip of his show. I'd watch more often, but I can't afford a regular supply of anti-psychotics.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    9. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by operagost · · Score: 1

      Drinkypoo is evil and must be destroyed... not literally of course, but he must be combated intelligently (as in this example!) which is the only way to take away his power. Actually snuffing him would make him a martyr and that would be disgusting.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    10. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Drinkypoo is evil and must be destroyed... not literally of course, but he must be combated intelligently (as in this example!) which is the only way to take away his power.

      I welcome the challenge. Any power I have here has been granted me on the strength of my opinions, and I have more where those came from.

      See how that works?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by Velorium · · Score: 1

      He doesn't hold himself up as a model of perfection or anything else just an entertainer who likes to comment on politics with a "conservative" slant. He isn't a Republican booster despite others claiming such.

      Well if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

    12. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by BeansBaxter · · Score: 1

      I believe in people's right to free speech. That doesn't mean I believe in their right to be free from Consequences. Glenn Beck says things he knows are lies and deliberately uses logical fallacies in order to whip idiots up into a froth, with predictable negative consequences, solely in a [largely successful] bid for relevance and thus profit. You have a right to say what you like, not to be free from repercussions.

      At what point was he free from consequences? If anything I think he is much more exposed to consequences than any network news organization. I'd describe them exactly as you describe Beck. I've never said they must be destroyed. But I guess when the Bill of Rights gets in the way we'll lets just ignore it.

    13. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by Jeremi · · Score: 1

      I love Beck's stuff. He cracks me up and makes me think.

      [Thinking is] what a great many people think they are doing when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. ~William James

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    14. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I'd describe them exactly as you describe Beck. I've never said they must be destroyed.

      I advocate destroying them by making them irrelevant. My primary weapons are rational discourse and rhetoric (when applied judiciously it is a useful tool... okay, sometimes I miss my mark) which depend on the same First Amendment rights to which they are entitled, and with which I do not advocate interference.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:handing back the domain FAIL by edonaldson · · Score: 1

      for those that didn't see Gottfried roast Bob Saget, here's the video link

      Gilbert Gottfried roasts Bob Saget

  5. .. so he's not immune to his own riddicule :D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Proves a nice point!
    good news

  6. Has the real question been answered? by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Has Glenn Beck denied having raped and murdered a young girl in 1990?

    If not, why not?

    1. Re:Has the real question been answered? by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Has Glenn Beck denied having raped and murdered a young girl in 1990?

      If not, why not?

      I'm not saying he did or anything, and I think he didn't, but I think that many of the readers will wonder why he has yet to deny these rumors.

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
    2. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Inda · · Score: 2, Funny

      Being British, I have not heard of Glenn Beck. After reading the Slashdot summary, I now believe he did rape and murder a young girl in 1990. Does someone want to tell me different?

      --
      This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
    3. Re:Has the real question been answered? by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      And why does he keep avoiding the issue?

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    4. Re:Has the real question been answered? by DavidTC · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Glenn Beck almost certainly did not rape and murder a young girl in 1990. However, with people raising the issue, he should step forward and deny that he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. I mean, the man has a TV show, a very public forum to state that he didn't raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. He could open tomorrow by saying that he didn't rape and murder a young girl in 1990.

      Instead he's now suing people who say he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990! I don't think this allegation is true for a second, but seriously, people, that doesn't look good.

      In case you honestly don't get the joke, this is one of the many ways that Glenn Beck operates. He will explicitly state rumors, over and over, to assert he doesn't believe in them, but the Democrat involved, usually Obama, should deny them. So someone figured out, hey, he should have a rumor of his own to deny.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    5. Re:Has the real question been answered? by slim · · Score: 1

      Being British, I have not heard of Glenn Beck.

      Remember a few weeks ago there was all that outrage that the neocon Tory MEP Dan Hannan had been slagging off the NHS on American TV?

      That was on the Glenn Beck show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpda3l2ri0Y - guaranteed to raise your blood pressure.

    6. Re:Has the real question been answered? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck almost certainly did not rape and murder a young girl in 1990.

      Unless, by some very weird twist of serendipity ...

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    7. Re:Has the real question been answered? by realityimpaired · · Score: 5, Informative

      As a Canadian, I don't really get the reference, either. But as near as I can tell, from reading the posts on this thread, he's one of those ultra-conservative blowhards who makes his living by indirectly accusing people of committing outrageous acts. He's the kind of person who'd go on the radio saying something like "I'm not saying Tony Blair is a sheep-shagger, but why hasn't he denied calling the vet to his home under 'suspicious' circumstances last Tuesday at 3am?" As a rational thinker, you know that he's just spewing BS, but you're forgetting that Beck's audience is largely American. They haven't demonstrated any rational thought, as a nation, since proving in 1776 that they had no clue how to make tea. ^.~

      It reminds me of McCarthyism... Joe McCarthy used to ask people pointed questions that included veiled accusations phrased as statement of fact. "Tell me, Inda, Why do you hate America?". Not "do you hate America"... in the phrasing of the question it's assumed that you hate America, and he's not asking you for a yes/no, he's asking for an explanation of why.

    8. Re:Has the real question been answered? by nine-times · · Score: 1

      I think Glenn Beck has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who rapes and murders young girls... or young women... I don't know what it is.

      Now of course I'm not saying that he rapes people; I'm saying he has a problem. He has a... this guy is, I believe, a rapist.

    9. Re:Has the real question been answered? by kalirion · · Score: 1

      They haven't demonstrated any rational thought, as a nation, since proving in 1776 that they had no clue how to make tea. ^.~

      Hey, have you ever made a cup of tea the size of Boston Harbor? I thought so....

    10. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but you're forgetting that Beck's audience is largely American. They haven't demonstrated any rational thought, as a nation, since proving in 1776 that they had no clue how to make tea. ^.~.

      As long as its not a Canadian audience eh? They havent demonstated any rational thought since ... well ever...

      asshat!

    11. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Graff · · Score: 1, Troll

      But as near as I can tell, from reading the posts on this thread, he's one of those ultra-conservative blowhards who makes his living by indirectly accusing people of committing outrageous acts.

      Actually, if you catch his show you'll see that he actually directly accuses people and even backs it up with evidence. I'm not a fan of his, he's a bit too confrontational for me, but whenever I do catch it he seems to have a pretty solid backing for what he is talking about. I'm sure that there's plenty of hyperbole involved, there always is with political pundits, but he certainly seems no worse than other such media personalities from all ends of the political spectrum.

      That being said, the people who made this website are probably technically in the right but they are certainly morally in the wrong. When you attempt to smear someone with guilt through association or by asking a suggestive question all you are doing is proving that you can't argue intelligently. This is doubly true when you claim you are doing it to give someone a taste of their own medicine. It's not a valid form of argument, either argue your case rationally or don't bother the rest of us with these antics.

    12. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Maniacal · · Score: 1

      Even though you're a Canadian you can still see Beck on YouTube or other sites and can form your own opinion. What you've gathered from reading the posts in this thread is not correct. Well, he is a conservative blowhard, but not really "ultra". Beck wouldn't call Tony Blair a sheep-shagger unless he had video of Blair shagging sheep, audio of him saying he likes to shag sheep, or text written by him claiming his love for shagging sheep. He doesn't make unfounded claims though he's been known to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I like watching him and I like him calling people out and holding them responsible for their actions. You just need to take him with a grain of salt and see past the emotion.

      In America, we aren't expected to have to prove our innocence unless there's someone providing evidence to the contrary. In this case there's not. It's an unfounded rumor. He doesn't need to deny it but he should do a better job of ignoring it.

      --
      MG
    13. Re:Has the real question been answered? by nine-times · · Score: 1
    14. Re:Has the real question been answered? by schon · · Score: 1

      Instead he's now suing people who say he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990!

      Actually, no, he's not. He's suing people who are asking why he won't deny that he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. Note that these people (like you and me) don't believe he did rape and murder a young girl in 1990 - they just want him to set the record straight and deny these hideous allegations.

    15. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazing, you have absolutely no idea who the man is, nor ever heard a single word from his mouth yet just a hint of him being on the other political spectrum causes you to launch into an angry, hateful tirade. Step back and ask yourself, "Why do I have so much hatred for others who don't agree with me?"

    16. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually Glenn Beck is one of those conservative blowhards who show video and audios of people who associate themselves with the president saying things like "Chairman Mao is my favorite political leader" and whatnot and then asking why these people are in the White House.

      It's sort of like making something up that's completely false then asking why, only he usually has 30 minutes of documented proof to back up his random often wild and ridiculous accusations.

    17. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You shame Canada with your response.

      With the entire internet at your disposal, you've made your judgment on Glenn Beck based on posts on an unrelated, liberal-leaning website? You "can tell" he's an "ultra-conservative blow-hard" without ever having read his books or watched his show? That's rather presumptuous.

      I don't like Glenn Beck's show myself, but I certainly don't pretend to know a thing about him. I also don't accept as objective or verifiable fact comments made about him on Slashdot.

      Here's some more food for the crap you pass as thought through your ignorant Canadian ass: McCarthy was a politician, Glenn Beck is an entertainer. If you can't see the difference between the two you're as stupid as you are smug.

      As one last point of correction, if you're making some kind of veiled, cheeky reference to the Boston Tea Party, that happened in 1773.

      The next time you decide to post somewhere, please preface your remarks with "as an ignorant jackass" or "as an unprincipled moron", rather than shaming the rest of the Dominion.

    18. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Moas · · Score: 1

      "They haven't demonstrated any rational thought, as a nation, since proving in 1776 that they had no clue how to make tea. ^.~" You mean like lining up in Red Coats in a straght line, saying, Ready...Aim...FIRE!!! and wondering why they made such good targets? BTW tea is for sissies. Coffee!!!! no sugar or cream. Now that'll put some hair on your chest.

    19. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Why do you hate America?"

      The best way to combat those kind of questions is to return with a question "Why do you ..." and keep doing so. The attacker ends up explaining why they are an idiot.

      "Why do you think I hate America?"

    20. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Pranadevil2k · · Score: 1

      To give you an example of what this guy does...
      He had a congressman on his show who was the first Muslim elected to congress in the US, and asked him to prove that he was not a terrorist. The clip of this interview is on the gb1990.com website.

    21. Re:Has the real question been answered? by DavidTC · · Score: 1

      That is a good point. Why doesn't he want people asking those questions?

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    22. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a Canadian who occasionally watched CNN Headline News for, well, actual news, yes, I know who Glenn Beck is. He's that [expletive deleted] dingbat who clogs the airwaves with his poorly-informed blowhard political commentary, along with that other [expletive deleted] of a similar vein, Nancy Grace, who does the same thing for the murder/kidnap/voyeurism-of-the-day event. Time was, you could watch that channel any time of the day or night and within 30 minutes get a sense of the day's news from a U.S. perspective. But Headline "News" is now a joke. Worse, they repeat both of these shows more than once a day. Headline News is bundled in the cable package I have, so I'm actually paying for this crap.

      Having watched enough Glenn Beck to know his style and what he typically rants on about (it's kind of like watching a car crash scene -- hard not to look sometimes), I have to say that Jon Stewart parody was so hilarious I almost fell off my chair laughing. For those Canadians who do know who Glenn Beck is, but tried to follow the U.S. link that other people cited and found they were blocked (darn licensing agreements), here's the equivalent link for the Nov. 5 episode on Comedy Central, which distributes The Daily Show in Canada.

    23. Re:Has the real question been answered? by jbeach · · Score: 1

      The fact that be doesn't even answer, implies that he at least doesn't have a problem with girls being raped in murdered. Or little boys. Or alien goatsucking fiends. Or alien goatsucking fiends being wrongly imprisoned for rape and murder that could just as easily have been committed by Glenn Beck. Now of course I'm not saying that he did. But his silence on this important topic **and** alien goatsucking fiends...isn't that interesting? I'm just say that it's interesting, you know? (I can has cable show now?)

      --
      The Invisible Hand of the Free Market is what punches workers in the nuts.
    24. Re:Has the real question been answered? by realityimpaired · · Score: 1

      You mean like lining up in Red Coats in a straght line, saying, Ready...Aim...FIRE!!! and wondering why they made such good targets? BTW tea is for sissies. Coffee!!!! no sugar or cream. Now that'll put some hair on your chest.

      Yeah... 17th century military tactics do leave a little to be desired... but they were more about the show than the actual killing, as muskets aren't exactly accurate weapons, or long range weapons, and battles were a spectator sport right up until the Boer war.

      As for coffee putting hair on my chest, um, eww, no thanks. Tea, please. Hair on my chest would be... wrong, on so many levels. But that does explain why Americans are so petulant on the world stage... if your women drink coffee....

    25. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the Boston Tea Party was in 1773 not 1776.

    26. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They haven't demonstrated any rational thought, as a nation, since proving in 1776 that they had no clue how to make tea. this from a nation that has socialized medicine where if you want some thing taken care of you come over here to have it done. if that is what it means to demonstrate rational thought i'm glad we haven't demonstrated it.

    27. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've somehow managed to completely miss the entire point of the domain in question. The entire meme about Glenn Beck raping and murdering a young women in 1990 was a joke created to parody Glenn Beck and his questioning of a Muslim guest on his show.

      Glenn Beck asked the guest something along the lines of "Prove to me you are not an enemy", simply because the guest was Muslim. So, they were pointing out your entire point of: "When you attempt to smear someone with guilt through association". That is the entire purpose of the meme.

      To reiterate so that you understand fully: The meme is a joke whose purpose is to point out that Glenn Beck uses incorrect logic and arguments himself. It is not an attempt to give someone a taste of their own medicine, or at least, that is not how it started. No one is seriously trying to allege that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young women in 1990.

      Although, from what I have heard a lot of people saying, Glenn Beck may have raped and murdered a young women in 1990. Why isn't he denying this?

    28. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Graff · · Score: 1

      You've somehow managed to completely miss the entire point of the domain in question. The entire meme about Glenn Beck raping and murdering a young women in 1990 was a joke created to parody Glenn Beck and his questioning of a Muslim guest on his show.

      And you somehow managed to completely miss reading my entire post. Did you read this part of my post?

      When you attempt to smear someone with guilt through association or by asking a suggestive question all you are doing is proving that you can't argue intelligently. This is doubly true when you claim you are doing it to give someone a taste of their own medicine. It's not a valid form of argument, either argue your case rationally or don't bother the rest of us with these antics.

      If Glenn Beck did it then it's a weak argument. This website is also a very weak form of argument. I don't condone any use of this kind of fallacy, if you want to present facts then present facts, if you want to be a moral coward then your argument is useless to anyone.

    29. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read your entire post, and even addressed the exact line you bolded above in my comment here:

      "It is not an attempt to give someone a taste of their own medicine, or at least, that is not how it started. No one is seriously trying to allege that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young women in 1990."

      What you fail to understand is that the meme is not an argument or an accusation. It is a joke that you seemingly fail to get. It is called parody, and that is all it is.

      Now, the fact that you take it seriously and feel the need to defend Glenn Beck against these "accusations" is hilarious. No one except an absolute idiot takes the parody site seriously or actually thinks Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      But, as I said, I have heard a lot of people saying that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. So many people are asking about it that there might be some truth to it.

    30. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Draconius42 · · Score: 1

      One example, years ago. Usually taken completely out of context.* That he has apologized for again and again. Everyone says stupid stuff sometimes, get over it. *He was speaking more to the general atmosphere of uncertainty that was prevalent at the time. Did he actually believe Keith Ellison was a terrorist? was he actually suggesting that? NO. He was simply trying to explore the thoughts that lots of people were having in the back of their minds that no one wanted to be politically incorrect enough to voice. All that aside, it was a stupid move and a bad idea, which he admitted before AND after doing it.

    31. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Graff · · Score: 1

      What you fail to understand is that the meme is not an argument or an accusation. It is a joke that you seemingly fail to get. It is called parody, and that is all it is.

      Now, the fact that you take it seriously and feel the need to defend Glenn Beck against these "accusations" is hilarious. No one except an absolute idiot takes the parody site seriously or actually thinks Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      Oh, I get the "joke". It's not really much of a joke to begin with, it's really a commentary on Glenn Beck's style. I guess de gustibus on whether or not it's a good one.

      I'm definitely not defending Glenn Beck, in fact I believe I condemned him for using those sort of arguments along with putting down the website as a rather poor commentary on Glen Beck's style.

      But I guess you can paint me with that broad brush you're wielding because you think I don't "get it". Hey, it's a free country, go for it Mr. Anonymous Coward...

    32. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Graff · · Score: 1

      Yeah... 17th century military tactics do leave a little to be desired... but they were more about the show than the actual killing, as muskets aren't exactly accurate weapons, or long range weapons, and battles were a spectator sport right up until the Boer war.

      Erm, that's exactly the reason they would line up like that. If your troops have inaccurate smoothbore muskets then the best tactic is to line everyone up and you all fire in the same direction. With this line of fire it doesn't matter if the ball veers off target a bit, on average you will clear everything in front of you.

      The British were amazing good at just this, in fact their lines were often several men deep so that the front men could drop to a knee and reload while the line behind them fired over their heads. Anyone facing the British in a straight-out battle were often massacred with these tactics. Many nations of this period used similar weapons and tactics.

      Of course the Americans didn't use the same weaponry or tactics. They had newer rifles that had rifled grooves which shot more accurately and had a better range. They also would do ambush and retreat tactics (which relied on this accuracy), picking off the British bit by bit and attacking their supply lines rather than the main group of troops.

      Of course when the Americans got caught out and forced into a straight fight they were usually steamrolled but eventually they were able to wear down the British. It helps that the British were fighting across an ocean and the Americans were fighting in their own backyards. Also, the Americans had a bit of assistance from France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic.

      Basically times were changing and the British didn't change quickly enough. If the war had been fought just a little bit earlier the Americans wouldn't have had as many rifles and the British tactics would have been much more effective.

    33. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he generates heat, pointless emotion, mindless easy outrage in service of a cause. of course, its all lies and smears, but what does that matter?

    34. Re:Has the real question been answered? by TeethWhitener · · Score: 1

      ...Glenn Beck has exposed himself...

      Couldn't resist.

    35. Re:Has the real question been answered? by camazotz · · Score: 1

      If we're ragging on Glen Beck's specious argumentation, why turn around and do it to Americans in general? There are a few of us who don't go in for that nonsense, after all! A very, very small percentage, it seems....but I still hate getting lumped in with them.

    36. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Pranadevil2k · · Score: 1

      Ah but nobody really believes Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. It's only a rumor, and the website is only there to inform people that there's a rumor about Glenn Beck raping and murdering a young girl in 1990.

      The example I gave was the best and closest example to what the website is making fun of. After watching -several- clips of his show I have seen him do it many more times. At one point he kept a 'white house hotline' phone on his set so the White House can call and claim the things he was saying isn't true. "They aren't calling, so it must be true."

    37. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Moas · · Score: 1

      LOL!!!

    38. Re:Has the real question been answered? by Darby · · Score: 1

      He doesn't make unfounded claims though he's been known to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

      You are a bald faced liar with no integrity or ethics whatsoever.

      Beck is known *primarily* for being a rabidly anti-American fascist liar. You know the whole birther movement where a bunch of slack jawed idiots are walking around claiming Obama wasn't born in America? That was due to Beck repeating that blatantly obvious lie. That is a completely unfounded claim and typical of the lies and fascist propaganda which is Beck's entire stock in trade.

      If you want to be that dumb and make that much of a disgrace of yourself by pretending that he's anything but a rabid liar and despiser of America, go ahead, it's your reputation, but please don't waste everybody's time with your ignorant, idiotic bald-faced lies.
      Nobody who pays any attention at all doesn't know Beck is nothing but a blatant scumbag liar.
      And now everybody knows that you are nothing but a scumbag liar yourself.

      Seriously, dude, you're a fucking douche and a liar. It's pathetic that you would have actively chosen to represent yourself as the scum under the bottom of the barrel, but everybody now knows exactly what you are.

      What a fucking douche you are and what a fucking tool. You have proven those facts absolutely with a lie that blatant and obvious.
      Please go kill yourself before you drag our once great nation any farther down into the idiotic douche land people like you and Beck are creating. What a disgusting piece of shit have proven yourself to be.

  7. This is an attack on the teabaggers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I think it's pretty clear that this is an attack on the teabaggers, which have the left terrified, particularly after our huge victory in NY-23. We're going to take back this country, you see, for FREEDOM. For INDIVIDUALISM. For NO BIG GOVERNMENT.

    Yea, I know that you guys call us "teabaggers" meaning it to be a pejorative, but like the term "yankee", we've made TEABAGGER our word and we now use it with PRIDE.

    1. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Brad+Mace · · Score: 4, Informative

      particularly after our huge victory in NY-23

      The one where you got a democrat elected instead of a moderate republican? Or is my satire detector off?

    2. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      "moderate republican? "

      More like Republican that was more liberal than the Dem.

    3. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by ravenshrike · · Score: 1

      No, I think it was the one where we got a virtual unknown candidate to get within 4% of winning, even though the bitch he took out endorsed the opposing party although she was nominally running under 'republican'. If Hoffman had run an entire campaign the probability that he wouldn't have won would be slim to none.

    4. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by DaHat · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually at the end of the day NY-23 was actually a strategic win for the Republicans, despite what is perceived as a tactical loss.

      Don't forget that because an actual Democrat (in name and in beliefs) now has that seat, he will be far easier to beat by an actual conservative in 2010 than a 'Republican' (in name but not in beliefs) such as Scozzafava would have been.

    5. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by spun · · Score: 2, Interesting

      From the wiki article on the race:

      New York's 23rd congressional district has historically been one of the most Republican districts in the United States. Most of the area in what is NY-23 has not been represented by a Democrat since the 19th century. A large portion—including the largest city, Watertown — has not been represented by a Democrat since the 1850s. In parts of the district, the last non-Republican Representative was a Whig.[7]

      BOOYA, bitches! You just lost a district that you owned for over 150 years! Sweet.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    6. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by thebheffect · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And in the end, nothing of any significance will change. So continues the failed experiment of big government and big bureaucracy..

    7. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by DavidTC · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wow! You got a virtual unknown conservative candidate within 4% of winning in a district that has elected Republicans since the 1880s!

      And, honestly, you would have probably succeeded this time if the voters were not still entirely rejecting the right and everything you stand for. So there's that comfort.

      Maybe next year, you'll actually manage to replace a Republican or two from, say, Utah! Assuming they're still electing Republicans over there.

      You're exactly what the Republicans need, people kicking them in the head from behind because they suddenly are voting exactly the way they've always voted WRT to spending. Makes them honest. Honest and unconscious.

      All of us here on the left are rooting for you.

      --
      If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
    8. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by WillDraven · · Score: 1

      The people in this area wanted X so next year it should be easy to have them pick Y? What?

      --
      This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
    9. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Velorium · · Score: 1

      Explain to me just how enabling the Patriot Act (Signed and not vetoed by Bush might I remind you) is NOT big government.

    10. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by DaHat · · Score: 1

      You heard me... just as say... Hillary Clinton likely wanted Obama to loose in 2008 so that she could run again in 2012 without having to fight an incumbent of her own party in a primary race.

      You need to look at the numbers.

      In the end Scozzafava got 6,976 votes despite having dropped out of the race, which is a few more than the 4,593 vote margin between Owens and Hoffman.

      Given that NY-23 like plenty of other districts have the option for some forms of early voting (absentee being the most common)... more than a few votes would have been cast for Scozzafava before her withdrawing, votes that very likely would have gone to Hoffman.

      More so remember that Hoffman was fighting a major uphill battle against two far more well known and better funded opponents... and rose from relative obscurity to claim 45.2% of the vote in only about a month (of being known)... with a bit more time and/or Scozzafava never being on the ballot for the general (as would have happened had there been a primary), Hoffman almost certainly would have done far far better and be a Congressmen today.

    11. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's about security and defense, which is not big government since by definition, it's one of the two things we republicans are good at.

    12. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by MeatBag+PussRocket · · Score: 2, Insightful

      which begs the question who put that lady in as the Republican candidate? i mean, did she just walk in off the street and nobody noticed?

      i mean doesnt the Republican party (ANY PARTY) choose its own representatives? i find your post disingenuous to a fer high degree, sir. i fear the only one you may be deluding is yourself.

      --
      i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
    13. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Sancho · · Score: 1

      Ooh, they lost a district because their vote was split. That's not exactly a win, it just further solidifies the need for the Republican party to unite, and it illustrates the dangers if they have a rift.

    14. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by L0rdJedi · · Score: 1

      Moderate Republican? Are you kidding? She was not a moderate, no matter what the media might try to make you believe. Go take a look at her positions for yourself. The choice was between a Democrat and Republican, but they were essentially the same. Which is why the Conservative only lost by 4 points. Maybe next time the RNC will actually endorse a Conservative candidate instead of a Democrat with an R by their name.

    15. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by spun · · Score: 1

      The Republicans lost a district that hasn't been held by a Democrat for 150 years. That's a big deal. A referendum on the Republican party, even. less than 20% of Americans identify as Republican. The party has lost all credibility, and only angry whiter southerners vote Republican these days.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    16. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Sancho · · Score: 1

      My point is that conservatives got the majority, when you combine the Conservative and Republican votes (which normally wouldn't be split.) This isn't a sign that NY-23 is becoming more liberal, it's a sign that conservatives screwed up.

      That said, the numbers were much closer this time than in the past few elections, which might indicate a more liberal trend.

    17. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love how liberals, in maddening denial, think their losses are victories.

      In New Jersey, the incumbent democrat senator in a perpetually blue state using tens of millions of his own money and with the personal endorsement of the president, loses the election by a wide >5% margin.

      In New York, a completely unknown and unsupported independent comes within 4% of winning (and would have won if 6% of voters didn't vote for the official republican candidate that dropped out). Basically, the Democrat had the combined efforts of two campaigns in his favor compared to the conservative independent, and yet still barely lost and only by unlucky circumstance.

    18. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by DaHat · · Score: 1

      You know, I rather enjoy people calling one of my posts disingenuous or accusing me of deluding myself... all the while demonstrating that they are not thinking the whole matter through fully.

      While it is true that members of a party tend to decide who leads the party or represents them within it... just like in the American electoral and political system, it's not always a direct system, nor are representatives bound to go the way those that put them there would necessarily want.

      In the case of Scozzafava, she was given the nomination not by the local voters, or even state voters, but by party leadership in the state and while there are pockets of strong Republicanism/Conservativism in the state of New York, the larger party in that state is not one of them, so they selected someone they thought would best represent their 'moderate' views, rather than an actual conservative as the voters in the 23rd wanted both in past and in future (given the rapid movement towards support of Hoffman).

    19. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by spun · · Score: 1

      In New Jersey, the incumbent democrat senator in a perpetually blue state using tens of millions of his own money and with the personal endorsement of the president, loses the election by a wide >5% margin.

      Democratic Senator?!? Really? Oh my fucking God you are stupid.

      Here's the facts. The Democratic governor of New Jersey was wildly unpopular before the election. Everyone expected Corzine to lose. He came closer than anyone expected. Virginia has, since the 70s, voted for governor the opposite of whichever party controlled the White House.

      So, you picked up two governor's seats. Governor's are local politicians and governor's races are based on local, not national politics. In the only upset of this election cycle, you lost a national spot in congress that you have held for 150 years.

      Face it, the Republicans are not making any kind of a comeback anytime soon. This was your chance to start building momentum for 2012, and you blew it. The people reject your hate filled message.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    20. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      particularly after our huge victory in NY-23

      The one where you got a democrat elected instead of a moderate republican?

      The one where the democrat deceitfully running as a republican was outed so that democrats have to run as democrats. The one where the conservatives successfully put forward a candidate with conservative values rather than accept a liberal pretending to be a conservative. The one where the parties were made to be actually different, so we can have a real two party system instead of a defacto one party system.

      Sure, it wasn't an electoral victory, but that's only part of the picture. In a democracy you do have to build up numbers but not at the expense of principles. Why be concerned over another party winning when your candidate would have supported all your oppositions policies anyway. It was a political victory, unless you think the parties ought to be indistinguishable, meaning you have no real choice in an election.

    21. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And if the Dem wins in 2010, he'll *really* get the shit kicked out of him in 2012. It only makes sense!

    22. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by MeatBag+PussRocket · · Score: 1

      To me, (and i'll readily admit i'm not a political scientist) though, it seems that this still points to a larger problem in American politics. Representative Democracy is fundamentally flawed. if your assertion that her campaign was not in line with the desires of her constituents is accurate, then the system is broken and no longer reflects the will of the people. Essentially what you're saying is that the people of this district wanted to elect a candidate that did not exist because the invisible hand of representation selected for them somebody that was undesirable. As a result the nominee was somebody the people opposed.

      Thomas Jefferson is called for here: "A little revolution now and then is a good thing."

      Honestly, i dont have any political affiliations whatsoever, i think politics in general is a sham and just about the most hypocritical thing ever devised, so please dont misconstrue my comments as a personal attack or an attack on a party or belief system. Truth be told I feel the founding fathers would be quite dismayed at the "more perfect union" that has somehow managed to gerrymander, muckrake and lobby its way into existence.

      --
      i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
    23. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      Of course the Republicans (or rather Fox News) screwed up. The district is firmly conservative, always has been and still is. This is why it is not a great win, bug a big loss for the idiots from the Tea-party HQ at Fox, who through their actions lost the conservative a seat.

      Personally though I appluad their willingness to support 3rd parties, too bad it turns out badly nearly everytime one appears.

    24. Re:This is an attack on the teabaggers by left00coaster · · Score: 1

      Anonymous pride? Hmm, I don't know, seems like an oxymoron to me.

  8. Ah, satire by truthsearch · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think this internet meme was the best satire of Glenn Beck, until Jon Stewart joined in the fun.

    1. Re:Ah, satire by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 1

      "Sorry, videos are not currently available in your country"

      Well, at least I can still watch Glenn Beck.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    2. Re:Ah, satire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The chalkboard. Wow. "Purity of Essence". Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

      While I'm at it, I should point out something that Jon Stewart failed to mention: that Karl Marx also didn't deny that he did the things that Glenn Beck didn't deny. Coincidence???? I don't think so!!!

    3. Re:Ah, satire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  9. Precident-setting? by Sockatume · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Handing back the domain after the decision strikes me as a way of setting a precident protecting such usage of a public figure's name, while gracefully ending the joke when it's done what it's supposed to. Well done.

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
    1. Re:Precident-setting? by EasyTarget · · Score: 1

      Yeah... And it makes a good point, because if a tosser like Beck had 'won' he's have revamped the site and made it even nastier. Unfortunately that is a good illustration of the point that the illiberal elite are obnoxious, and the only way to stop them is by doing something terminal to them. Decent people, when they see a man is down, stop putting the boot in. Someone like Beck just keeps going and loves it; a large part of the illiberal mindset is devoted to lording over and damaging the 'weak', it's how such people get their kicks.

      --
      "Oops, I always forget the purpose of competition is to divide people into winners and losers." - Hobbes
    2. Re:Precident-setting? by DynaSoar · · Score: 1

      Handing back the domain after the decision strikes me as a way of setting a precident protecting such usage of a public figure's name, while gracefully ending the joke when it's done what it's supposed to. Well done.

      The precedent was set several times more than a decade ago. Persons tagged as major spammers and usenet kooks were parodied mercilessly by the renegade white hat group SP(UTU)M and others. If and when they ceased being a problem they were removed from public listings of problem makers, parody and satire materials removed, and a public announement to these ends and acceptance of their agreement (we never made it a 'surrender') was made. The result was just as you said. In one case a group hijacking a newsgroup for warez use was given their own clear channel, in another a person ceased using a spambot, and both changed sides, publicly crediting the way the end of hostilities was handled.

      --
      "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
    3. Re:Precident-setting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      tiny detail: they handed control of "GlennBeckRapedAndMurderedAYoungGirlIn1990.com" to Beck.

      They immediately set up "DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com" which is still up and running.

      I for one think the whole deal hilarious.

    4. Re:Precident-setting? by Okonomiyaki · · Score: 1

      Yes but also, Beck will now have to periodically renew the domain to keep it from falling into the "wrong" hands. So, every year or so his credit card statement will bear the words "didglenbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1990". Something about that makes me smile.

  10. I wonder... by nine-times · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1991.com taken?

    1. Re:I wonder... by gatekeep · · Score: 1

      Nope, it's available :) $ whois didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1991.com [Querying whois.verisign-grs.com] [whois.verisign-grs.com] Whois Server Version 2.0 Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net/ for detailed information. No match for domain "DIDGLENNBECKRAPEANDMURDERAYOUNGGIRLIN1991.COM". >>> Last update of whois database: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:15:08 UTC

    2. Re:I wonder... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I bet if enough of us check its availability through GoDaddy, they will put an ad parking page on the domain. (They claim that didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1991.info is the "best value", BTW. Just 89 cents!)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:I wonder... by jank1887 · · Score: 1

      i'm sure it is now

    4. Re:I wonder... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      YoudidyourMomnine-times.com is still available!

    5. Re:I wonder... by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Well shoot. I guess Glenn Beck really *did* win a big victory in getting didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1990.com, since there aren't that many variations on that domain name that could work. It's so catchy and easy to type. It's not like you could just make it didglennbeckrapeandmurderagirlin1990.org or didglennbeckrapeandmurderayoungboyin1989.net.

  11. For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Beck

    And the allegations of rape and murder seem to be the internet equivalent of small-town gossip, which might have a seed of truth or might be an elaborate attempt by his political opponents to a smear campaign.

    Any Americans care to extend the info on this controversy for all us non-Americans?

    --

    ---
    "The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
    1. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by corbettw · · Score: 4, Informative

      Beck is famous for attacking politicians (especially Obama) by "asking questions". So some internet smart asses used his own style against him. Turns out he doesn't like it when the shoe's on the other foot.

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
    2. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by MagicM · · Score: 1

      Read the site. You'll know everything you need to know.

    3. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Trev311 · · Score: 4, Informative

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Beck

      And the allegations of rape and murder seem to be the internet equivalent of small-town gossip, which might have a seed of truth or might be an elaborate attempt by his political opponents to a smear campaign.

      Any Americans care to extend the info on this controversy for all us non-Americans?

      Glen Beck is a radio talkshow host and a TV showhost on FOX News. He is very conservative and has been in the news for making some... missteps in his commentary that have made him come off as not extremely intelligent. The allegations are a parody of his style of reporting, which follows a similar logic(Example: the president hasn't denied that he was born out of the us, so if it isn't true why hasn't he?). So the point isn't to say if he actually did rape or murder anyone, but to draw attention to the flaw in his logic. Glen Beck just made it worse by drawing so much attention to the website and the entire story.

    4. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 5, Informative

      Glenn Beck, to this day, repeats the lie that Obama was born in Kenya. He asks, if he was born here, why doesn't he prove it? Obama has, of course, but Beck acts as though he hasn't. So someone decided to apply Glen Beck's own tactics against him, by forcing him to deny ridiculous allegations over and over again.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    5. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's a loud-mouthed right-wing pundit. The "did he rape and murder a young girl in 1990" is just what the summary says it is. It's a parody of the kind of straw man arguments he uses all the time in his shows-- "Now I don't think soandso did suchandsuch, but the troubling question is, why haven't they denied it?"

      Now I don't think Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. That would be a horrible thing, and I'd hate to believe that of a pillar of the community such as Mr. Beck. And yet, the troubling question remains: did Glenn Beck rape and murder a young girl in 1990? And if not, why doesn't he deny it?

    6. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Glenn Beck is a "talking head" on Fox News which many feel leans far to the right (Republican) side.

      He often uses phrases like the one posted in the snippet on the main page, "We're not accusing [NAME] of [RANDOM NEGATIVE RUMOR] — in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder ... Why won't he deny that he [RANDOM NEGATIVE RUMOR]?"

      He tries to play it off as not having an opinion while trying to manipulate a lot of the gullible people that don't know to take what he says with a grain of salt.

      Beck didn't really rape and murder someone in 1990 (..or did he? he hasn't denied it yet), and someone made a satirical website showing just how ridiculous it is when Beck does that and turned it around on him.

    7. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by IICV · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's a parody of what he does when he reports "news". He makes ridiculous statements, but phrases them such that when people call him on his bullshit he can say "I'm just asking questions". He'll then badger people about neither confirming or denying his "questions" - and they won't confirm or deny them because the questions are not even wrong.

      That's the point of this site - it's just asking a question, did Glenn Beck rape and murder a young girl in 1990? Obviously he didn't, but why won't he confirm or deny it? That's interesting, isn't it?

      The worst part is that he actually has a TV show on Fox News. If you look on YouTube, you can find some of his spiels. They're pretty horrible, and yet somehow Americans still watch him. He sounds like that crazy homeless dude on the corner, except he's wearing a suit and he's in a television studio.

      (this same sort of thing was tried with Ann Coulter, because she does the same shit. Unfortunately it didn't go anywhere because people actually believed she was a transsexual.)

    8. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As I understand it, and I am American, the site 'text' in question used the same methodology that Glen Beck used in questioning Barack Obama's place of birth. Not insinuating that Obama isn't a Natural American, but by raising the question of clarification on behalf of those who think and claim that he isn't. The website in question, merely used the same methods that Beck employs, routinely, to 'throw the mud back in his face', so to speak.

      So, some 'smart guy' set up the site as intended, Beck proceeded to fight it at the WIPO, queuing a Streisand Effect, and it was appropriately 'laughed' out of court.

      The roots of this whole thing, go back to a Fark.com thread several months back, which probably had something to do with Beck's absurdity to begin with. It has now become a failed Internet meme, and placed on the shelf with all the others.

      p.s. if any of this is inaccurate,

      / you are now dumber for knowing this. :)

    9. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      Any Americans care to extend the info on this controversy for all us non-Americans?

      While not an American (I just live here), I have heard Beck on the radio quite a bit (you can hardly miss him given that the local talk station has his show on 6 days a week*). IMHO Beck's program is so chock full of logical fallacies that you're brain would voluntarily cause an aneurism if you tried to deconstruct his "arguments". In addition pretty well any one who calls into the show and shows a modicum of intelligence but disagrees with him (or points out the error of his ways) gets cut off pretty quickly. The website in question was just turning the tables on him in a manner in which he had to respond to and couldn't duck and go to a commercial break.

      * And in a bizarre set of circumstances the 6th show of the week is just a repeat of one the previous weeks shows. I assume that the station does so because it is cheap programming and they hope that no-one will notice that it isn't live

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    10. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      Oops "you're" instead of "your" for a change

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    11. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by ZekoMal · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Basically, Glenn Beck is on Fox News as one of the many opinion guys they have. He throws out wild accusations but gets away with it by saying "I'm not saying it's true, but isn't it odd that I'm the only one asking these questions?" He's done so many crazy things (comparing Jesus to Hitler back when he was on CNN, for example). He's so batshit crazy that he makes Bill O'Reilly appear to be a sensible man. It's absolutely terrifying, moreso when you realize how many people religiously watch his show and consider it to be 100% fact.

      The controversy is just someone parodying him by making a wild accusation and then covering it with a batshit crazy question.

      ...He also cries loudly at random intervals on his show. I highly advise you try and find some Glenn Beck vids. http://vodpod.com/watch/1409182-colbert-mocks-crazy-eyes-beck-with-doom-bunker-segment There's one off of the Colbert Report that gives you an excellent example, in fact.

    12. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by blueg3 · · Score: 1

      If Obama doesn't want to be criticized, maybe he should trademark his name like Beck did.

    13. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not gossip, it's not true. Everyone acknowledges that it isn't true. The parody is of Mr. Beck's style of interview/oratory wherein he simply "asks questions." However, the questions themselves are framed in such a way as to cast guilt, even though he will innocently exclaim that they're "only questions" and what's the harm in questions, right?

      An example: "Was President Obama born in America? I'm not saying one way or another, I'm just putting the question out there. But was he? And why doesn't he respond to me and say he was?" In this example the viewer is given doubt about President Obama's country of origin, even though Mr. Beck has only asked the question. It's ridiculous because such a thing is easily proven, and ridiculous that he can create doubt by insinuating that the President's failure to respond to a TV critic is somehow suspicious (instead of completely expected).

      The author of the website (with credit to Gilbert Godfried in Bob Saget's roast) is doing the same thing. He's only asking a question, but demonstrating that even if you are only asking a question, the question itself can be harmful, which is something Mr. Beck ignores when he's on air. I would also like to reaffirm that no one seriously thinks Mr. Beck harmed anyone, the question was mimicking Gilbert Godfried's routine, and the content of the question is irrelevant to the point.

    14. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Nomen+Publicus · · Score: 1

      The typical reaction of a bully.

    15. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      re Crying .. SNL did Beck in segment on 11/7/09 and they had him down pat

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    16. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Jesus to Hitler back when he was on CNN, for example"

      Did you even listen to him on that? He makes damn good point about how people react when they are desperate and hungry. Pointing out the "differences" between Jesus and Hitler. How both were charismatic both used it for good and the other for evil.

      At least I have listened to Air America and NPR.

    17. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by canajin56 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nobody is saying he's a rapist and a murderer, they're just pointing out that he's never denied.it. He attacked an Arab-American senator, saying that they've never gone on record stating they aren't a terrorist, and never really presented any solid proof they aren't working for Al Quaida, so basically the website is operating under the assumption that if he can give it, he can take it.

      --
      ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
    18. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      do you mean conservative or contraditoryative...he is a racist, extremist coward, he's a horrible representative of what America is all about and he is just a f*cking c*nt and should be taking off the air.

    19. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anubis+IV · · Score: 1

      There isn't a real controversy: this one is fabricated, which is the whole point of the parody.

      Essentially, Beck is known by one political side in the US for attacking his opponents and challenging them to refute his claims. Sometimes the claims are true, but oftentimes they're not quite true. Even so, they might be true, so he challenges his targets to refute the claims, just for the sake of clearing their name, regardless of the veracity of the claim.

      Anyway, if you check the site, it points out the origin of the "raped and murdered a girl in 1990" as being the Bob Saget roast, where Gilbret Gottfried used it as a joke. After that, someone over at Fark used it in reference to Beck. Essentially, it's just taking what he does a step further, but doing it for satirical effect, rather than as a serious accusation against his reputation. It's turning the tables on him with something that's intentionally over-the-top, and then asking him to refute it, just to point out the danger in what he does.

    20. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 1, Insightful

      So he's a conservative, then.

    21. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      He is very conservative

      Actually I think he considers himself Libertarian rather than conservative, although his leanings are conservative

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    22. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...He also cries loudly at random intervals on his show. I highly advise you try and find some Glenn Beck vids. http://vodpod.com/watch/1409182-colbert-mocks-crazy-eyes-beck-with-doom-bunker-segment [vodpod.com] There's one off of the Colbert Report that gives you an excellent example, in fact.

      Last Thursday's Daily Show had Stewart, completely in character, run through an entire segment, touching off every element of Glenn Beck's "argument" "method", nearly without warning, getting more and more irrational as the segment went on, breaking into hilariously fake crying, and making wild accusations against Beck's own appendix for causing him (Beck) so much grief and pain, linking it to a grand liberal socialist communist left-wing conspiracy that, of course, it's odd that only he was questioning.

      Hilarious stuff. Wish I had a link to it handy...

    23. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by dcollins · · Score: 1

      "Any Americans care to extend the info on this controversy for all us non-Americans?"

      Glenn Beck is jaw-droppingly insane and has a distressingly large and devoted following here in the U.S., every day on radio and TV. I was just saying the other day that he (and his ilk on Fox News TV) are giving me this very unpleasant "Weimar Republic" vibe here in the U.S. these days.

      Watch one or two videos on YouTube of the guy. Here's just the first that popped up for me:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szlLM5lCNJg

      --
      We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
    24. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Comatose51 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "He is very conservative"

      I'm a liberal but I think it's an insult to conservatives to call him that (seriously, there are intellectual, reasonable conservatives). He's just crazy. The best way to describe him is to call him a very successful television troll. I don't think he really has a position. He just want to get people riled up and attract as much attention to himself as possible.

      --
      EvilCON - Made Famous by /.
    25. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 0, Troll

      Liar.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    26. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by idiotnot · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actual Malice. You might do well to familiarize yourself with the concept.

      The question here is whether the claim is so absurd that no "ordinary person" would believe it to be true.

      But other issues still exist, ones that I know the /. crowd finds despicable -- trademarks, copyrights, etc. etc.

      As for his questions of Obama, and his administration officials, yes, it's yellow journalism. Still, clearly, he's unearthed a few issues the mainstream media has been loathe to touch (Van Jones, etc.). The question is whether the things he's unearthed matter or not.

    27. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obama: Marxism and the Art of Media Manipulation

    28. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by ttroutma · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck is not a birther.

    29. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because you hate doesn't mean someone is a liar. Glenn Beck has not said that Obama was born in Kenya. If you're going to call someone a liar, please provide the proof. You can't because you won't find it. It's interesting on Slashdot, where most everyone is flaming Glenn Beck, that a lie is marked as interesting and the truth is marked a troll. Yup, all of those claim of stupid Glenn Beck listeners really rings true doesn't it. NOT!

    30. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by ravenshrike · · Score: 0, Troll

      Difference being that there is one bit of evidence that Obama could produce which would shut people up about it, which for some reason he has yet to do. Whereas the 'accusation' against Beck is entirely non-disprovable seeing as he didn't have a camera watching his moves 24/7 during the year of 1990.

    31. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Glenn Beck is a "talking head" on Fox News

      Wrong part of the anatomy there buddy. Neck? Try lower. Bellybutton? No, lower. Penis? Oops, wrong side.

      That's right. Glen Beck is a talking asshole.

    32. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 2, Interesting

      No, he is an entertainer, there is a bigger market pandering to the right on Fox than there is pandering to the left on CNN/MSNBC/etc because the market is saturated with left leaning commentators and entertainers.

      Now he is an adherent to Mormonism through conversion after a rough patch, so yea, as many newly converted are, he is extra hyper about his religion and whatever world view he has now.

      I'm a moderate Conservative and personally he and Limbaugh disgust me.

    33. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Cheile · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck (and the whole of the Fox News Network actually) has made a career out of presenting "questions" that are highly inflammatory and have no right answers. In addition he vehemently denies attacking anyone, he's just asking questions and he's perfectly willing to have the person defend themselves... all they have to do is answer the question.

      For example, when talking to a Muslim Democrat he asks questions along the lines of "Now I think you're a good guy, but there are many Americans, hard working Americans, who look at you and think this guy is a terrorist. And I've got to say this is something that is on a lot of minds and worries a lot of people. People see you and wonder if you've got a secret terrorist agenda. What would you say to these people?"

      See... he's just voicing the concerns of the nation and all the Muslim has to do is prove that he's not a terrorist... And anyone with a shred of common sense understands that A) Glenn Beck is "expressing the concerns and fear" to create concern and fear and B) There is no way to prove a negative. Especially to the satisfaction of those who are convinced otherwise.

      The particular meme of Glenn Beck raping and murdering a young girl in 1990 came from a Gilbert Gottfried roast of Bob Saget.

    34. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, that's just not true. I've heard Beck regularly refute the Kenya (birther) claims, defending the President's US citizenship.

      He doesn't agree with Obama on policy issues, but he doesn't tolerate ignorance like this.

      He gets stereotyped as someone who engages in tactics like asking people to refute baseless accusations, but he's always got video/audio clips to back up his claims, which is more than can be said for the satirical URL.

      Case in point. Van Jones was on tape saying he was a marxist and a radical revolutionary -- it's an indisputable fact. Beck asked him to refute it if he had ever changed his mind. It was a relevant question because unless he had changed his mind, we had a marxist in the whitehouse. He never denied the claims, and instead resigned.

      Using someone's own words as the basis of an accusation is very different from what Beck is being accused of.

    35. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 1

      The US doesn't have enough odd fetish prostitutes to be the Weimar Republic, and no hyper inflation.

    36. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by operagost · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Yes. He made the grave error of not simply reporting what the Obama administration is feeding the media as fact. It's sad that a guy who claims he's a better alcoholic than a journalist is the one actually asking questions.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    37. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by operagost · · Score: 1, Informative

      The thing is, it's a known fact that the President spent most of his young life in Kenya and Indonesia, whereas the "girl rape and murder" meme is a totally fabricated attempt at satire that is even lamer (and far more disturbing) than when Google was gamed to return Whitehouse.gov as the top result for "failure".

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    38. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Danny+Rathjens · · Score: 1

      Glen Beck just made it worse by drawing so much attention to the website and the entire story.

      A lot more people - including myself - just learned his name. Isn't that exactly what talking heads want?

    39. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 1

      Sure, now he refutes the Birthers. Sort of. While saying, "But if he was born here, why doesn't he prove it?"

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    40. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by operagost · · Score: 1

      It's a parody of what he does when he reports "news". He makes ridiculous statements, but phrases them such that when people call him on his bullshit he can say "I'm just asking questions".

      Beck's show is not news. He says it is not news. It is opinion, like Olbermann's show. No one in the Obama administration ever had refuted anything. They don't even mention his name; they play game like referring to his and Hannity's time slots on Fox News. I don't think Beck reads every blog so that he can see that some guy refuted something he said.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    41. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      You are a liar. Obama has shown plenty of documentation. Every time he does, people like you lie and claim he hasn't. Doesn't change the truth, or what 99.999% of Americans believe.

      But let me ask you something, seriously, do you believe Obama was not born in America?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    42. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by BeansBaxter · · Score: 1

      You aren't allowed to listen to Beck and comment on this post. If you read above he is a hate filled idealist republican who picks mercilessly on Obama and gets his jollies off by lying to a group of idiots who hang on his every word. If you listen to the show and point out that isn't who he is well you will be ridiculed for being small minded and the forum won't understand at all how you can tie your shoes much less walk and talk at the same time.

    43. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spydabyte · · Score: 1

      He just want to get people riled up and attract as much attention to himself as possible.

      That's his job. That's all that FOX news does. That's what most "news media" does these days. Sadly, they use their skills at the detriment to us all.

    44. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by johnm1019 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      mod parent up! I wish the republican party could be taken back over by intellectual conservatives who actually believe in less spending. I don't care if Glenn Beck is a member of the Green party, he is just crazy.

    45. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you have a source for your assertion? I know Beck asks the question about Obama's birth certificate but do you have evidence that Beck still states that Obama was born in Kenya?

    46. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      (this same sort of thing was tried with Ann Coulter, because she does the same shit. Unfortunately it didn't go anywhere because people actually believed she was a transsexual.)

      ...Ann Coulter's not a transsexual?

    47. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by operagost · · Score: 0

      Hey mods: "flamebait" isn't a synonym with "I disagree".

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    48. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      (this same sort of thing was tried with Ann Coulter, because she does the same shit. Unfortunately it didn't go anywhere because people actually believed she was a transsexual.)

      Although I don't think she denies it, I find it very hard to believe that Ann Coulter is a transsexual.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    49. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by natehoy · · Score: 1

      I shouldn't, but, OK, I'll bite.

      What "one bit of evidence" do you think would shut people up about the matter of his country of birth once and for all?

      Isn't a birth certificate enough?

      Is there another piece of documentation that is required?

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    50. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by L0rdJedi · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Yes, he's asking questions based on what Obama himself has said. "Look at the people I surround myself with to determine my beliefs" is what Obama said during the campaign. He then named off a bunch of liberal, moderate, and conservative people. Now, as President, he has surrounded himself with people that either call themselves communists or look to communists for their political philosophy (Anita Dunn anyone?). That doesn't sound so safe any more. So now, taking the word of the President, he's asking "Do you really believe these things?" Even during the campaign "I think that if you spread the wealth around, it's better for everybody".

      If you really think that Beck is some extreme guy, then you aren't watching him, you're just watching the clips of him on YouTube. He may not be the smartest guy around (which he freely admits), but he talks to a lot of very smart people.

    51. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by L0rdJedi · · Score: 1

      Ah yes, pick an example that Beck rarely, if ever, talks about. In the nearly one year that I've been watching Beck, he's talked about the "birther" movement maybe 3 times for a few minutes at a time. Beck as well as Larry Elder, Rush Limbaugh, and the other commentator's, could care less if the President was born in the US or not (at this point anyway). Are there questions surrounding the "certificate of birth"? Yes, especially since you can't even use that to get a passport. Has Beck spent a significant amount of time talking about it? No. His focus is on this administration and its current actions, just like Slashdot's focus was on GW Bush and his actions during that administration, but now falls largely silent on the Obama administration.

    52. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by L0rdJedi · · Score: 1

      "He is very conservative"

      I'm a liberal but I think it's an insult to conservatives to call him that (seriously, there are intellectual, reasonable conservatives). He's just crazy. The best way to describe him is to call him a very successful television troll. I don't think he really has a position. He just want to get people riled up and attract as much attention to himself as possible.

      He's conservative to the point of being a Libertarian, which is essentially where he falls. If you don't like his positions, then you probably wouldn't agree with the Founding Fathers either (which he quotes all the time).

    53. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Glenn Beck, to this day, repeats the lie that Obama was born in Kenya. He asks, if he was born here, why doesn't he prove it?

      Name the date of the broadcast of either his TV show or his radio show when he made this claim? The place of Obama's birth is not an issue that GB has ever spent any time dwelling on.

    54. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by L0rdJedi · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck, to this day, repeats the lie that Obama was born in Kenya. He asks, if he was born here, why doesn't he prove it? Obama has, of course, but Beck acts as though he hasn't. So someone decided to apply Glen Beck's own tactics against him, by forcing him to deny ridiculous allegations over and over again.

      You are not watching his show. I can tell because what you say is a lie. He has never said that Obama was born in Kenya. He has referenced the "birther" movement a few times. I've been watching his show since February and he rarely talks about where Obama was born.

    55. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by L0rdJedi · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Nobody is saying he's a rapist and a murderer, they're just pointing out that he's never denied.it. He attacked an Arab-American senator, saying that they've never gone on record stating they aren't a terrorist, and never really presented any solid proof they aren't working for Al Quaida, so basically the website is operating under the assumption that if he can give it, he can take it.

      I think you're full of shit. I've been watching Beck for nearly a year and I can't recall a single time when he accused a senator of what you're saying he did. Got a source to back that up?

    56. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 1

      lol, "saturated". Because anyone who isn't spouting teabagger wharrgarbl is an ideologue for an opposite and equally polarized agenda.

      No, intelligent people don't suffer from "truth decay". They don't need the constant affirmation of their worldview. They just need a little satire every now and then to hold back the despair, the despair borne of the knowledge that no matter how far we've come, there will always be the same submissive morons trying to drag the rest of us down.

    57. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by psevetson · · Score: 1

      The Founding Fathers fell into several ideological camps (influenced by, among other things, their background as planters or merchants and/or soldiers, and their various religious backgrounds in Deism, Christianita, or Freemasonry). Which founding fathers does Beck quote? Jefferson? Paine? Franklin? Not Hamilton, I'm sure. Adams?

    58. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except for the fact that he doesn't.

      Beck is not a "birther" and has consistently ridiculed callers on his show who do try to bring it up.

    59. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by R2.0 · · Score: 1

      While I applaud the ruling, I believe your example - specifically, the Obama birth certificate - is a red herring.

      Lets look at this hypothetical situation.

      Big Company HR Dept: "Well, Mr. R2.0, we'd like to offer you a job here at Big Company. If you accept, please send a copy of your college transcript along with your acceptance."
      Me: "Why do you need that?"
      BCHRD: "Just to verify you're a graduate of Engineering School on the Side of a Frikkin Mountain."
      Me: "But I already said I was on my resume - I shouldn't have to produce a document."
      BCHRD: "Well, it is a formality, as we're sure you did graduate, but we do need to verify it, as the position requires a bachelors degree."
      Me: "I shouldn't have to prove anything - I already told you I have a degree If you don't like that, ask my references. You're making me jump through these hoops to prove this because you are prejudiced against people with decimal points in their names!"

      Now lets pause. In the real world, the conversation would stop here, with "Sorry Mr. R2.0, we'll be withdrawing our offer." But lets continue with the example.

      BCHRD: "We're sorry you believe that, but your situation is not unique. We request, and generally receive, transcripts from ALL our applicants. It has never been an issue before. May we ask why you do not wish to provide one? It's really a very simple process."
      Me: "But it's unnecessary. I've stated I have a degree, my references have confirmed it, and continuing to ask me can only eb explained by your punctuation bias."
      BCHRD: "Okaaaayyy. I'll need to talk to my superiors"

      A few weeks pass.

      BCHRD: "Well, I've heard back from my supervisors. Most are willing to accept your word; some even stated that they don't care if you don't have a degree, your resume is so impressive. But there is a very staunch group that takes the requirements very seriously, and are uncomfortable with your refusal to provide the documentation. I'll admit these people are NOT in favor of hiring you, that some of them unfortunately seem to be prejudiced against the punctuation-enabled, but the fact remains that the rules are very clear, and it would take 3/4 off all the company divisions to agree to change them."
      Me: "See, I told you bias was the only reason for this! But in the spirit of cooperation, I'll send the appropriate documents".

      Couple of days pass.

      BCHRD: "Mr. R2.0, we've received the scan of your document, and have some questions."
      Me: "What now - I thought this was over."
      BCHRD: "The problem is with the fact that you sent a scan of the document, and not an original."
      Me: "So - isn't that good enough for you?"
      BCHRD: "Normally it would be, but we have some problems. First, due to your previous objections to forwarding the document, some of the supervisors are INSISTING that a hard copy be produced. Second, we have some graduates of Engineering School on the Side of a Frikkin Mountain, and they state that the document doesn't look exactly like theirs. And finally, you scanned a copy of your course schedule and credits earned. While it contains much of the same information, it is NOT a transcript, and does NOT say if you actually received a degree."
      Me: "This is punctuationism! That's a private document - I'm not going to just hand it over! As far as I'm concerned, I've complied, and I'm showing up to work in January regardless of what you think your policy says. But again, to show how reasonable I am, I'll allow one or two of your supervisors to examine the original."

      More time.

      Me: "See, it's been examined and they say everything is OK."
      BCHRD: "Not exactly. The 2 supervisors who examined the documents happened to be very suportive of your employment hers, and all they will say is that the document is genuine. When asked about specific characteristics, they generally reflected that the questioner must be biased because they were questioning the examiner's motives."
      Me: "Well, here's the deal.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    60. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 1

      Not anymore. He was one of the first birthers. Now, he badmouths them, while continuing to use the same tactics of phrasing baseless accusations as questions.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    61. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Still, clearly, he's unearthed a few issues the mainstream media has been loathe to touch (Van Jones, etc.).

      It's pretty hard to claim that Fox News is not mainstream media. They have more viewers than the other major networks, after all. I do agree it's good to have a news station out trying to find things wrong in the world. I just wish it were a news station more professional than Fox News.

      --
      Qxe4
    62. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Ann Coulter looks mean. She looks like she would hit you over the head with a bat, the snicker at you for being such a wimp.

      Glenn Beck on the other hand looks like a big harmless teddy bear. He's the guy you would take drinking and could always be relied on to do something goofy. Also he always sounds sincere, and I think he probably is......he's just braindead. Ann Coulter is scary. Glenn Beck is not. That's why Glenn Beck is more popular.

      --
      Qxe4
    63. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (this same sort of thing was tried with Ann Coulter, because she does the same shit. Unfortunately it didn't go anywhere because people actually believed she was a transsexual.)

      Although I don't think she denies it, I find it very hard to believe that Ann Coulter is a transsexual.

      Although that would put a whole new perspective on the time "she" questioning of whether or not allowing women to vote was a good idea in one of "her" recent books!;)

    64. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      YeeHaw Jelte, why is it I've never heard your name mentioned in any of the arguements refuting holocaust denial? Could it be that your remaining silent on this debate mean that you infact don't think it happened? What is it that you aren't telling us? Now, I know there's no evidence either way, but the fact that you haven't released a statemnt denoucing holocaust denial leads us to ask some questions.

      ___

      Make sense now?

    65. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by radtea · · Score: 1

      The question here is whether the claim is so absurd that no "ordinary person" would believe it to be true.

      American politics demonstrates that the answer to this question is always, "No." There is no claim so absurd that a significant fraction of the American voting public won't believe it to be true.

      The question for Beck now is: "Why did Glenn Beck resort to going to an international treaty organziation in an attempt to suppress an ordinary American's First Ammendment right to free speech? Doens't Glenn Beck believe that the Constitution is the highest law, and that only people hate American want to subordinate it to international treaty obligations?"

      --
      Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
    66. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by R2.0 · · Score: 1

      "Obama has shown plenty of documentation."

      Links, please. Because I've only ever seen a scan of 1 document. I'd like to see the rest of them.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    67. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by adamchou · · Score: 1

      There's this great new invention called Google. You should try it out sometime.

    68. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by ejasons · · Score: 1

      He's conservative to the point of being a Libertarian, which is essentially where he falls. If you don't like his positions, then you probably wouldn't agree with the Founding Fathers either (which he quotes all the time).

      I wouldn't care if Glenn Beck were to match my political positions exactly. He is intellectually dishonest, which makes him (and, frankly, those who support him) pond scum, in my book...

    69. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      Liar.

      I'm not the OP, but here's a citation. Please provide a citation to back up your accusations.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    70. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by b4dc0d3r · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying you're an idiot, I'm just saying that if I wanted to find something about someone, I'd go to Wikipedia or Google or something. Most people would. Maybe you wouldn't, and that's fine. But from what I'm looking at, most people would probably characterize you as an idiot for failing to use these resources. I noticed that you have not, and continue to not claim to be a non-idiot. therefore, I have to ask, and all I'm doing here is asking questions, are you a world-class idiot, or just a locally famous one? And maybe I'm wrong, you could be a reasonable guy. But I think every one who reads this comment would agree, you pretty much look like a retard. Yet you continue to ignore the question and talk about other things like what this has to do with you an your country - that's a personal thing. I'm not here to tell you what to think, I'm not here to spoon-feed you predefined partisan rhetoric, I'm just looking at the information available and putting two and two together.

      We've had our 1-800 number at the bottom of the screen the whole time and you have not called in to refute anything I've said, so I suppose we can all step back and say "point taken". I wish you the best, thanks for being on the show today. Next up - why haven't you disclaimed communism? Are you secretly a communist?

    71. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Why hasn't Glenn Beck denied being a transexual? I mean if he wasn't he'd just say so right? It's time for someone to ask the tough questions here!

    72. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Say what you will about Beck but he's not a birther, I get the feeling none of you have watched his show.

    73. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you saying Jesus was unlike Hitler? I'm not saying it's true but he probably didn't like Jews very much.

    74. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      I've lived in Germany and in England, and they (like most Western societies) have their versions of Glen Beck. Once you wiki him, you know his ilk. Granted, Beck is a particularly nasty strain of illogical buffoon, but here in America, we go all out!

    75. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 1

      Are you seriously asserting that you think Obama was not born in the USA? Really?

      http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp

      Not that it will matter, anyone brainless enough to question whether the current president was born in the US, when his opponents in the campaign couldn't dig up anything substantial, is too freaking stupid to even argue with.

      So either you are stupid beyond belief, or you are trying to waste my time.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    76. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      He provided evidence that wouldn't get someone a driver's license in most states.

      He's provided a birth certificate and a SS card. That would get a drivers license in every state I know of. What state do you live in, and what other requirements do they have?

    77. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Stele · · Score: 1

      (this same sort of thing was tried with Ann Coulter, because she does the same shit. Unfortunately it didn't go anywhere because people actually believed she was a transsexual.)

      She isn't?

    78. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      troll what an excellent word for him

    79. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is a great precident indeed. Let the fun begin. I'll think I'll cybersquat a few public and private figures and not worry about legal recourse. Yay!

      Let's have fun!

    80. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I had to prove that I could drive too...

    81. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      television troll

      Also known (when they're on the radio) as shock-jocks.

      I agree with you. It is sad that the general population are not critical/forward-thinking enough to throw this guy off the airwaves in disgust. Perhaps he is just saying what they want to hear.

      The real question is, why do the general population want to hear the things he says?

    82. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Draconius42 · · Score: 1

      "The best way to describe him is to call him a very successful television troll. I don't think he really has a position." A: He's been on the radio LONG before TV. Somehow people always overlook this and act like he came into being when he started on Fox News. Not really that important, but still. B: You clearly never actually listen to him. He most certainly has a position that he believes in deeply, and isn't afraid to talk about it.

    83. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the entire point of this whole discussion is that, as you say, Glenn Beck has not said that Obama was born in Kenya. In fact, he has not said that Obama was born in Kenya in the same way that the owners of the site in question have not said that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a 13 year old girl in 1990.

    84. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      He attacked an Arab-American senator, saying that they've never gone on record stating they aren't a terrorist, and never really presented any solid proof they aren't working for Al Quaida, so basically the website is operating under the assumption that if he can give it, he can take it.

      Which was highly overrate, if you even bothered to listen to the question and response it made sense. Poorly worded, yes (Beck calling it possibly the worst worded question ever). But the senator knew what Beck was asking and gave a thoughtful answer. It was to the effect of "some people will be worried that there is a Muslim in the government, tell me why that isn't a problem." I don't see what the issue is.

    85. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/BASE

      Tell me how this will not lead to hyperinflation. No country since Zimbabwe has done this, and look where they ended up.

      How about you listen to the argument first?

    86. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree, he's crazy and we shouldn't call him conservative.

      That still leaves an open question: what do we call the people that readily associate with his show, absorb his way of thinking, allow him to be on FOX News, etc? Are they conservatives? Are they crazy?

    87. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Beck is famous for attacking politicians (especially Obama) by "asking questions". So some internet smart asses used his own style against him. Turns out he doesn't like it when the shoe's on the other foot.

      This is a good, clear explanation!

    88. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by R2.0 · · Score: 1

      "Obama has shown plenty of documentation."

      Links, please. Because I've only ever seen a scan of 1 document. I'd like to see the rest of them.

      At what point in those 2 sentences is any reference made to Obama's status as a natural born citizen? The GGP said that Obama has shown "plenty" of documentation. I have only ever "seen" (i.e. the reciprocal of "shown")one document, which does not fit the definition of "plenty of documentation". I asked for the GGP to provide the links where I might see the rest of the documentation he claimed exists. I did not call him a liar, nor did I dispute the veracity of the document in question (the one to which you linked).

      So either you are illiterate, or an asshole. Don't bother to answer - I have a pretty good idea which one it is.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    89. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by operagost · · Score: 1

      Neither is "Overrated" equal to "I disagree."

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    90. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 1

      Has there been hyperinflation yet?

      No, if anything there has been deflation. Zim's monetary policies lead to hyperinflation very quickly.

      So when hyper, or heck, regular, 1970s style inflation kicks in, I'll be worried.

    91. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      True, there has been price deflation (which doesn't really say much, prices are supposed to go down as we become more efficient, look at cell phones and computers).

      My question was how does this not eventually lead to hyperinflation? In the 1970s we didn't even inflate our currency that much and we had 20% interest. Now we have doubled our money supply and we are supposed to walk away from it? I doubt it.

    92. Re:For everyone who is going WTF who is Glenn Beck by spun · · Score: 1

      The documents, plural, I refer to include the birth announcement in the local newspaper and the doctor's personal statement, as well as the certificate.

      You are being quite disingenuous. There was only one reason to make the comment you did: to spread FUD. You want to add weight to the arguments of lunatics who think Obama wasn't born here, without the embarrassment of actually siding with them. Don't even try to deny it.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  12. Defensive? by canajin56 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not only, as they say, does he refuse to deny having raped and murdered a girl in 1990, but he tries to sue to get the story buried? That does not sound like the act of an innocent man! And, time and again, Glenn Beck has declined to use his show to publicly deny, on the record, that he routinely BBQs and eats babies, saying minorities taste the best, as some reports indicate*.


    *Well, just this one.

    --
    ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
    1. Re:Defensive? by icepick72 · · Score: 1

      That's a horrible domain name. I think anybody would try to get that website domain removed (and anything associated with it) if their name was used in it, whether or not they did anything.

    2. Re:Defensive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only, as they say, does he refuse to deny having raped and murdered a girl in 1990, but he tries to sue to get the story buried? That does not sound like the act of an innocent man! And, time and again, Glenn Beck has declined to use his show to publicly deny, on the record, that he routinely BBQs and eats babies, saying minorities taste the best, as some reports indicate*.

      *Well, just this one.

      That explains this web site glennbeckstoservebabies.com

    3. Re:Defensive? by TubeSteak · · Score: 3, Funny

      Thank you for that amazing show canajin56. On TV ToughGuys with TubeSteak, we're going to look into the shocking allegations that Glenn Beck routinely BBQs and eats babies, saying minorities taste the best. I have with me here in the studio Mbuutu, a cannibal from Africa who has BBQed and eaten minority babies, to discuss with us why colored babies taste better than white ones.

      -While I think that is funny on its own merits, the deeper joke is that I'm parodying Fox News' habit of having one showhost make an allegation, and later, having other showhosts "report" on the allegations. The day after, this leads to newspaper articles which are then quickly quoted by Fox News hosts as proof that there are merits to the allegations even though the articles are merely discussing what was said on TV the day before. I read a great article on the practice, but I can't find it.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    4. Re:Defensive? by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      That's a horrible domain name. I think anybody would try to get that website domain removed (and anything associated with it) if their name was used in it, whether or not they did anything.

      I agree completely. Whether or not Glenn Beck raped and then murdered a girl in 1990, he has every right to want to take down a website devoted to that topic.

      I, for one, don't find it at all surprising that he wouldn't want people out there asking him about a rape and murder that took place in 1990 in which he has not, to my knowledge, denied involvement.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    5. Re:Defensive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've read reports that Glenn Beck BBQs and eats babies!! That's outrageous! Why would he do such a thing? Somebody should ask him if he's stopped this awful practice yet!

  13. Let's take Beck out of the equation by mtrupe · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Let's say its any other commentator, for example, Rachel Maddow. This doesn't seem right. The argument on here goes "Well, Glenn Beck uses the same tactics."

    All the partisans on the 24 hour cable news networks use these tactics.

    1. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that if you said the same thing about Maddow it wouldn't be funny or satire, because she's not (afaik) so manipulative and doesn't use those tactics.

    2. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by mtrupe · · Score: 1

      I think she does. Okay, maybe not to the same extreme, but she does.

      For the record, I'm conservative, but I'm not going to go out of my way to defend Glenn Beck. As a conservative I generally find him to be embarrassing.

    3. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Show me one time that Rachel Maddow has forced someone to deny bogus and patently ridiculous allegations over and over again. Who else but Beck has repeated the Obama birth certificate lunacy for so long? No one.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    4. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Capt+James+McCarthy · · Score: 1

      Let's say its any other commentator, for example, Rachel Maddow. This doesn't seem right. The argument on here goes "Well, Glenn Beck uses the same tactics."

      All the partisans on the 24 hour cable news networks use these tactics.

      That is because news does not inform, news generates profits now days. Having CNN/FOXNews/MSMBC/etc force feed people an opinion that is associated with a fact is irresponsible IMO.

      --
      There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
    5. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by sammy+baby · · Score: 1

      I think she does. Okay, maybe not to the same extreme, but she does.

      Citation needed.

    6. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? Can you show the last time Beck has requested that Obama produce his birth certificate?

    7. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      A month ago.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    8. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, that's pretty specific. Good job.

    9. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by h00manist · · Score: 1

      I'm not going to go out of my way to defend Glenn Beck. As a conservative I generally find him to be embarrassing.

      Even conservatives THEMSELVES say *on the record* they want nothing to do with Glenn Beck and turn their back on defending him! Do his very own friends think Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990?

      --
      Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
    10. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Foolicious · · Score: 1

      Ha ha ha - did you...wait...sorry...ha ha ha...did...sorry...did you just say that a cable news show host is not manipulative? And then try to somehow hedge by using a silly (afaik)?

      --
      Please don't use "umm" or "err" or "erm".
    11. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      As a conservative I generally find him to be embarrassing.

      Isn't he technically libertarian? So you don't need to be embarrassed by him!

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    12. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      Wow, that's pretty specific. Good job.

      says the anonymous coward!

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    13. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      Should be easy to find an example of Rachel Maddow using those tactics, then. If she does. Which she doesn't, because she has too much class. Comparing Beck to MAddow is simply ludicrous, not only are they not in the same boat, they aren't in the same ocean.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    14. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by dada21 · · Score: 1

      Citations are here:

      http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/37540.html
      http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/38439.html
      http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/38040.html

      She's a shill, just like Beck is. No difference here, other than he likes to incite his listeners, and Maddow likes to make them think they're smart by pretending to be logical.

    15. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, that's pretty specific. Good job.

      says the anonymous coward!

      And these things have what in common?

    16. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Given that thirty Conservative senators voted against a gang-rape-prevention bill recently....

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    17. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Lew Rockwell is no better than Beck. Did you read the post you link to?

      "Tonight, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow had a sickeningly sycophantic interview with war criminal Madeline Albright about her new book on the creepy pins she wears. Is Albright a witch, or does she just look like one? One of her pins is a poisonous serpent. Ha ha ha."

      That place is a nest of Pro-Confederacy, anti-Jewish and OMG fascism lunatics. I think I started surfing it in 2000, then after 9-11 the crazy really kicked in there.

    18. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by glueball · · Score: 1

      Maddow has class? I didn't notice, what with all her revisionism history lessons and overinflated sense of self worth commentary.

    19. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      Maddow has class? I didn't notice, what with all her revisionism history lessons and overinflated sense of self worth commentary.

      Examples?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    20. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      As a conservative I generally find him to be embarrassing.

      Isn't he technically libertarian? So you don't need to be embarrassed by him!

      I'm a raving liberal, but I'm embarrassed by him on the grounds that he reflects badly on me as a human being.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    21. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Joe+Snipe · · Score: 1

      You have been asked several times to back up this statement, and have yet to fulfill this request. While the irony isn't lost on me, I was wondering if you could answer the question? I have searched for references to Glenn Beck speaking on the issue of Obama's Birth certificate, but I cannot find any. Do you have a source for this claim?

      --
      Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...
    22. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by glueball · · Score: 1

      Yes. To start, her revisionism about Herbert Hoover. Calling him (Dec 2008) the "Hoover is a political epithet in bad economic times because his response to the Depression (pause) was to first do nothing and then do stuff that made it worse."

      Funny, it's not true. He is set up in Maddows comments to continue the mythology that FDR was the savior of the depression when many (most?) economists believe he prolonged it.

      Back to Hoover. Hoover's response to the stock market crash in 1929 was to call for massive federal spending on public works, which is exactly what Maddow wants Obama to do.

      She repeated it in March, 2009.

      Next example, not so much her owning this revisionism but encouraging it (Oct, 2009):

      Maddow: Let me ask you about the statistic I attributed to you in my intro there - I know you have been doing some digging on this issue - of a Democrat joining a Republican filibuster. How, how unprecedented would a move like this be for Senator Lieberman?

              Hamsher: Well, we have seen a number of the other party cross overswell we remember the Dixiecrats joining the Republicans in the sixties on civil rights filibusters

      Ahem. Did she correct this? No. Why? It was the Democrats creating the problems with civil rights. Democrats voted against 80% of civil rights legislation since 1933. Majority of Republicans voted *for* civil rights legislation in 96%. And in the Civil rights bill of 1964, Republicans favored the bill 138 to 34; Democrats supported it 152-96. That looks like a higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats, no? But Maddow wouldn't let facts get in the way of her agenda.

      Next.

      Maybe less revisionism and more stupidity. In November, she denied the Constitution has a Preamble. Maddow said, in no uncertain terms, it does not exist. Hmmmm. Boehner (R-OH) was incorrect in his statement, he was quoting from the Declaration of Independence, but Maddow and her more intelligent than thou attitude should fact check.

      My 2nd grade niece can quote from the Preamble of the Constitution (We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, ...)

      So, what's her excuse for being so low in the ratings? Really, I'd like to hear her say it.

    23. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      Look harder. He was one of the first loudmouths to push the issue. He's since retracted his statements, and even badmouthed other birthers. But let's not get bogged down in details as to what Beck said when, we all know he uses the tactic of baseless accusations in many, many situations.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    24. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Joe+Snipe · · Score: 1

      we all know he uses the tactic of baseless accusations in many, many situations.

      It's not my responsibility to back up your accusations. That being said, I've done some research and have yet to find anything proving your claims. If you don't have any data to support what you say I am going to have to chalk this one up to more bunk.

      --
      Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...
    25. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      Chalk it up to whatever you like. The majority of patriotic Americans know Beck is full of shit and his supporters are loons. Nothing you can say can change that fact, just like nothing I could say could change your, uh, what do you use for central processing? A notochord?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    26. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      It's absolutely true. Hoover screwed things up, and FDR fixed things. Maybe in the minds of free market fanatics, it is different. Wearing blinders doesn't make the truth disappear, though.

      As for Maddow's low ratings, two things: first, we free thinking liberals don't need our opinions spoon fed to us. I barely watch her show myself. Second, frightened white men hate strong, smart lesbians.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    27. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Newander · · Score: 1

      cite examples.

      --

      Jesus saves and takes half damage.

    28. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Joe+Snipe · · Score: 1

      Your vitriolic rancor is truly distasteful. I've no doubt you are intelligent, it's just a shame you've used it to close up your mind so tight. FWIW I have no respect for Glenn Beck as a journalist or reporter, and you've managed to get on the same list for the same reason: making unsubstantiated claims and substituting insults in place of reason. Good day.

      --
      Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...
    29. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      There is no reasoning with Glenn Beck Fans. Might as well try to reason with baboons, you'll get the same result: primate feces thrown in your face. Reasoning with Beck fans simply gives them respect they don't deserve.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    30. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by glueball · · Score: 1

      UCLA disagrees with your facts on the depression.
      http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/FDR-s-Policies-Prolonged-Depression-5409.aspx

      So do others.

      I fail to see how Maddow spoon feeding her opinions with her brand of humor has anything to do with free thinking liberal. Does that mean I can make fun of people with Tourette's, Just Like Rachel? Can I call anyone who disagrees with me a racist?

      Strong women, lesbian or not, need not rely on scaring the white man if their ideals are just. That's the difference between second wave feminists and the victim-laden third wave feminists.

      Victim-styled liberals hate white men who understand history, perspective, and nuance and see past the false wisdom of the chattering carcasses put before them on cable news.

    31. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      "UCLA" does not disagree with my facts. Two (count them, two) scientists at UCLA disagree with my facts. Harold Cole and Lee Ohnian are right wing tools, bent on discrediting any 'liberal bias.' There have been numerous refutations of their conclusions since they wrote that paper. Here's one:
      http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009020603/fdr-failed-myth

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    32. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Draconius42 · · Score: 1

      Wow so gang rape is legal now? I was under the impression that it was already a crime.. go figure. Wow, those bastards for not supporting something with an emotionally-charged name.

    33. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      I can link to highly partisan articles too! http://mises.org/story/3448

      Just because GDP changed doesn't say anything. Government spending is included in GDP, regardless of the fact it does not create prosperity. I concede the point that when government dramatically increases spending, changes the price of gold, and price fixes goods, GDP will go up, and when you send millions off to war and into government jobs, unemployment will go down.

    34. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      You are the one who refuses to cite your facts, even on request, and then CONTINUE TO SAY THEY ARE TRUE. And then, after all this, you have the audacity to say "there is no reasoning with ." No reasoning indeed.

    35. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      Profit has always been necessary, reporters aren't exactly selfless volunteers. Profit means you are satisfying human wants with something limited in supply (which is a good thing). If you dislike the large audiences of opinion shows that reporting doesn't get, we can only blame ourselves. I also think bad reporting has turned people away, it seems like investigative reporting is a rare occurrence these days.

    36. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Of course gang-rape is illegal. The idea behind this bill is that the American government might not want to do business with the companies that try to prevent it's employees from availing themselves of said legal system when they are raped by their coworkers.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    37. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      Government spending creates prosperity. Many of FDR's projects created real value, like the electric companies or the arts programs.

      Oh, and the folks at Mises are lunatics. Mainstream economists continue to ignore them.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    38. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      Does it create more prosperity than if the people had used the dollars themselves? You are making quite the charge that government knows how to better spend money than the people do.

      Speak for yourself, I am not the one who linked to Campaign for America's Future. Mainstream economists not only failed to see what was happening but denied what was happening - Greenspan refused to admit there was a bubble until he was long our of the Chairman position, Bernanke wasn't much better! Now any old economist can say the markets will go up or down (you have a roughly 50% shot). Only the Austrians throughly predicted how and why the economy went the way it did (starting with the Fed, Fannie and Freddie, the housing bubble, and so on).

    39. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      Does it create more prosperity than if the people had used the dollars themselves?

      Quite possibly, yes. For example, the money we spend on law enforcement has a greater effect on prosperity than if we all spent our share of that tax money on private security companies instead.

      You are making quite the charge that government knows how to better spend money than the people do.

      No, he isn't.

      First, "how to better spend money" is vague and meaningless. If I have $300 to buy a new video card, and the government takes that money to pay for a tiny bit of highway, is that "better"? Not for me; video games make me happier than some road I may never drive on. But the segment of highway provides more economic benefit in the long run.

      Second, it's not always a case of the government having better things to spend the money on than the private sector -- in the case of stimulus during a recession, it may be that the private sector is irrationally unwilling to spend money on anything. If you're trying to get the economy moving, spending money on not-so-good things is better than not spending money on great things.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    40. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      No, he isn't.

      First, "how to better spend money" is vague and meaningless. If I have $300 to buy a new video card, and the government takes that money to pay for a tiny bit of highway, is that "better"? Not for me; video games make me happier than some road I may never drive on. But the segment of highway provides more economic benefit in the long run.

      Second, it's not always a case of the government having better things to spend the money on than the private sector -- in the case of stimulus during a recession, it may be that the private sector is irrationally unwilling to spend money on anything. If you're trying to get the economy moving, spending money on not-so-good things is better than not spending money on great things.

      Everything is subjective. Which satisfies more wants, voluntary exchange which profits two people, or tax money which profits one person at the expense of another? You are claiming that central planning could theoretically provide more benefit in the long run, as if tollways (public or privately owned) couldn't do the same thing.

      You are mistakenly thinking that spending dollars produces value, which isn't necessarily true. Voluntary exchange produces value because both people profit - not true when government spends money and forcefully buys things for people on their behalf. If people are unwilling to spend money, it means that prices are too high and need to come down. Wages need to come down, prices need to come down, so that savings and loans become more valuable. It is a myth to think that housing prices at a few million a house makes us more prosperous than housing prices at earth level, just because we might "spend more money." How high do prices need to go? Isn't the purpose of the economy to make processes more efficient, not less? It is what made the Great Depression last so long: wages being held artificially high (right from the start when Hoover told companies not to unemploy anyone or cut wages for exactly the reason you say), and prices being held artificially high, meaning no one could legally exchange for anything at market value.

    41. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      You are claiming that central planning could theoretically provide more benefit in the long run, as if tollways (public or privately owned) couldn't do the same thing.

      I doubt they could. We'd have a lot fewer roadways if they had to be built by private interests and paid for out of usage fees. We'd have a lot more property damage from fires if fire service were a private service provided only to paying customers (we tried that before). We'd have a lot more crime if police departments were replaced with private security guards.

      Voluntary exchange produces value because both people profit - not true when government spends money and forcefully buys things for people on their behalf.

      If people benefit from what the government has bought on their behalf, then yes, value is produced. Perhaps not as much value as if the money had been spent on something else, but if people were willing to do that, the government wouldn't have had to act anyway.

      If people are unwilling to spend money, it means that prices are too high and need to come down. Wages need to come down, prices need to come down, so that savings and loans become more valuable.

      And then things will be even worse. See the paradox of thrift.

      It is what made the Great Depression last so long: wages being held artificially high (right from the start when Hoover told companies not to unemploy anyone or cut wages for exactly the reason you say), and prices being held artificially high, meaning no one could legally exchange for anything at market value.

      Those are not at all the same as increasing government spending.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    42. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      I doubt they could. We'd have a lot fewer roadways if they had to be built by private interests and paid for out of usage fees. We'd have a lot more property damage from fires if fire service were a private service provided only to paying customers (we tried that before). We'd have a lot more crime if police departments were replaced with private security guards.

      That means that too many roads are not economically viable, perhaps. Who are you to say how many roads are ideal? As for maintaining security and liberty, that is unquestionably a legitimate government function (if ironic).

      And then things will be even worse. See the paradox of thrift.

      Which is throughly fallacious. When in doubt, apply common sense: That which cannot go on forever, will eventually come to an end. Are you really trying to imply that prices will spiral down to zero? Really? I mean, come on, you wouldn't buy a bazillion houses if they eventually were priced at $0.01 each? Total dollars may decrease, but by this point the dollar isn't a reliable measuring stick anyways: Lower prices serves to increase effective savings, not decrease them. There is always a floor, just like there is always a limit to how high you can inflate bubbles. Eventually people run out of money to continue inflating bubbles, likewise, eventually people have enough money to stop price deflation. May I direct you to the neumerous criticisms?

      Those are not at all the same as increasing government spending.

      It has to do with government propping up the banks, propping up wages with minimum wage, and just spending lots of money irrespective of how it will benefit the economy. It has to do with the fact that you cannot spend money on whatever you want: An economy satisfies things I want in return for things I have. If government is spending my money instead, it is sending wrong price signals, generating the wrong capital. We need to be building manufacturing plants, not roads, bridges, and houses, for instance. Spending works on the theory that you can take unemployed capital in one area and move it to another, but you cannot, capital is not homogeneous. Government spending is instead just exacerbating the problem.

    43. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      That means that too many roads are not economically viable, perhaps. Who are you to say how many roads are ideal? As for maintaining security and liberty, that is unquestionably a legitimate government function (if ironic).

      Now, hang on. Who are you to say how much fire protection or law enforcement is ideal? Maybe too much fire protection and law enforcement is not economically viable! Are you saying the government is better at spending your money (on police and fire departments) than you are? ;)

      Once you admit that some services are most effectively provided by a central government, you've lost the argument, because you've given up on your bedrock principle that government spending is always worse than private spending.

      Are you really trying to imply that prices will spiral down to zero? Really? I mean, come on, you wouldn't buy a bazillion houses if they eventually were priced at $0.01 each?

      By that time, my wages would have dropped to insignificant fractions a penny, if I even still had a job, so probably not.

      Eventually people run out of money to continue inflating bubbles, likewise, eventually people have enough money to stop price deflation.

      And in the meantime, everyone has become unemployed, hungry, and miserable because the economy has ground to a halt. No thanks! This is like arguing that a global plague is no big deal because it'll correct itself once the human race has been decimated.

      It has to do with the fact that you cannot spend money on whatever you want: An economy satisfies things I want in return for things I have. If government is spending my money instead, it is sending wrong price signals, generating the wrong capital.

      That's still better than sending the signal "everything is too expensive, please slash all prices and lay off all workers", which is what happens when no one spends that money.

      We need to be building manufacturing plants, not roads, bridges, and houses, for instance.

      We need to repair the roads and bridges that people drive on and businesses ship their goods on. That takes money.

      Spending works on the theory that you can take unemployed capital in one area and move it to another, but you cannot, capital is not homogeneous.

      No, it works on the theory that increased activity in one sector will spill over into other sectors. More money in the pockets of road builders leads to more money in the pockets of people who sell things to road builders, and more opportunities for people who use roads.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    44. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      Now, hang on. Who are you to say how much fire protection or law enforcement is ideal? Maybe too much fire protection and law enforcement is not economically viable! Are you saying the government is better at spending your money (on police and fire departments) than you are? ;)

      Once you admit that some services are most effectively provided by a central government, you've lost the argument, because you've given up on your bedrock principle that government spending is always worse than private spending.

      That is indeed a problem, hence my "ironic" remark. The answer is we cannot know for sure exactly how much is ideal (because there is no profit to supply economic calculation within government, and profit loses meaning when dealing with violence or the threat of violence), all we know is that liberty must be protected if we are to have a reliable economy at all. Roads on the other hand? Not so much.

      By that time, my wages would have dropped to insignificant fractions a penny, if I even still had a job, so probably not.

      What about all the savings? That didn't disappear. The money supply has not changed - someone has increased spending power. You will not identify who though. Someone is going to have money to spend, and in the mean time prices will come down until demand meets supply. What do you think would happen if every good cost 1/100th of the total money in existence? Clearly, if this were even possible, prices would have to come down, but into a death spiral?

      And in the meantime, everyone has become unemployed, hungry, and miserable because the economy has ground to a halt. No thanks! This is like arguing that a global plague is no big deal because it'll correct itself once the human race has been decimated.

      There is no evidence this happens at all. What is the first sector to collapse? Energy, manufacturing. The last sector? The service sector. If your theory were really true, wouldn't it be the other way around? If your theory was true, no one would be buying cell phones or computers: The prices are always coming down, yet it is one of the fastest growing sectors there is. The race to the bottom is a good thing, it increases wealth.

      No, it works on the theory that increased activity in one sector will spill over into other sectors. More money in the pockets of road builders leads to more money in the pockets of people who sell things to road builders, and more opportunities for people who use roads.

      Broken window fallacy: You are not seeing what another person was deprived of in the process. Where did that purchasing power come from? It came from someone who was going to save it (which would decrease interest rates by the way), to employ someone to build roads. Congratulations, you just made one less future sale of a television, one less loan to buy a car, one fewer person to make that television cheaper, all in one fell swoop. Again, while generally so, you cannot assume money is a reliable meter stick for wealth, you must look at money as a commodity good just like any other good.

    45. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      all we know is that liberty must be protected if we are to have a reliable economy at all. Roads on the other hand? Not so much.

      You think we'd have a reliable economy without roads? When was the last time you bought something and didn't use roads to either pick it up or get it delivered?

      What about all the savings? That didn't disappear.

      What savings? The average American had little or none to begin with, and with the economy in shambles, any savings they had would've been spent shortly after they were laid off.

      If your theory was true, no one would be buying cell phones or computers: The prices are always coming down, yet it is one of the fastest growing sectors there is.

      I have absolutely no idea what you mean here.

      Of course people buy cell phones and computers. Those things are getting cheaper relative to wages. But if everything goes down at the same time, that won't happen. And if wages go down sooner than the prices of the goods they want, they'll buy fewer goods.

      The race to the bottom is a good thing, it increases wealth.

      It may in the long run. But as they say, in the long run, we're all dead. Increased wealth 10 years from now is no help to anyone who's struggling today.

      Where did that purchasing power come from? It came from someone who was going to save it (which would decrease interest rates by the way), to employ someone to build roads.

      Money saved is money not spent, and that doesn't help the economy.

      As for interest rates, check your bank's rate sheet sometime. They're plenty low as it is. The Fed is practically giving money away, and it shows in what banks are willing to pay for savings (although, oddly enough, not in what they're willing to accept for loans).

      Congratulations, you just made one less future sale of a television, one less loan to buy a car, one fewer person to make that television cheaper, all in one fell swoop.

      Luckily, we have a progressive income tax, so the bulk of that money comes from people who would not have spent it on goods.

      Again, while generally so, you cannot assume money is a reliable meter stick for wealth, you must look at money as a commodity good just like any other good.

      Indeed. A recession is what happens when demand for money is too high: everyone hoards their money. To get things moving, you need to introduce more money (i.e. government spending) to satisfy that demand.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    46. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      What a specious line of reasoning. According to Mises, government regulation is anathema, and yet lack of regulation let Wall Street destroy the economy. It's a classic example of how the free market, left unregulated, benefits only sociopaths.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    47. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      Voluntary exchange is a nasty myth. When someone is starving, they will 'voluntarily' trade whatever they have for food. When someone has no shelter, they will do things they do not want to do in order to get shelter.

      Although an exchange may be voluntary, and benefit both parties, it may provide no net benefit because the exchange itself creates negative externalities. For instance, waste dumping or pollution. Back in the days of slavery, people engaged in trades that benefited both parties involved, but hurt others, namely the slaves. So, just because something is a voluntary trade does not make it right, and it does not mean the trade creates value.

      The free market fails to deliver optimal value in under conditions: externalities (both positive and negative), imbalance of information, and natural monopoly. In addition, there are no checks and balances in the free market. Once one has accumulated enough money, additional money provides no material benefit. What it does is let someone control other people. Money lets one use other people to gain more money, and thus more control over other people.

      When government's only function is protection of property, then it's only real function is protecting the haves from the have-nots. Is that how you see government, as protecting the rich from the poor?

      As for the depression, you cite a theory not held by most poeple, including most economists. FDR's policies fixed the depression, without him, it would have lasted much, much longer. That is why, in graphs of GDP, you can see things start to get better as soon as his policies were implemented. When the Republicans convinced him that the economy had been fixed, and he needed to stop his policies, the economy tanked again (1937-1938). When he started his policies back up again, things got better. And don't even try the "It was the war!" argument. It's ridiculous. If government spending on a war could fix the economy, then government spending on useful infrastructure can too.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    48. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      Voluntary exchange is a nasty myth. When someone is starving, they will 'voluntarily' trade whatever they have for food. When someone has no shelter, they will do things they do not want to do in order to get shelter.

      What a charge. I refuse to apologize for the system that has fed more people than any other country in history. I am sorry if we can't live in a happy utopia where there is no suffering, but fact is voluntary exchange maximizes prosperity, even if it cannot entirely eliminate "starving." Your argument is strictly an emotional one and not an objective one:

      When government's only function is protection of property, then it's only real function is protecting the haves from the have-nots. Is that how you see government, as protecting the rich from the poor?

      Except there is no evidence this happens either: the United States has this thing called Economic Mobility. According to a US treasury study, "ore than half of taxpayers (56 percent by one measure and 55 by another measure) moved to a different income quintile between 1996 and 2005." This isn't new, this is why we were flooded with immigrants during the Industrial revolution: even corporatist conditions were better than the heavily class-based society in other countries. Protecting "haves" from "have-nots" does, however, happen when you have a government heavily funded by special interests and corporations. That is not capitalism however, that is corporatism. You are condemning corporatism, and rightly so.

      As for the depression, you cite a theory not held by most people, including most economists. FDR's policies fixed the depression, without him, it would have lasted much, much longer. That is why, in graphs of GDP, you can see things start to get better as soon as his policies were implemented. When the Republicans convinced him that the economy had been fixed, and he needed to stop his policies, the economy tanked again (1937-1938). When he started his policies back up again, things got better. And don't even try the "It was the war!" argument. It's ridiculous. If government spending on a war could fix the economy, then government spending on useful infrastructure can too.

      Nice way to marginalize my argument, just claim that it isn't a popular theory, and then ignore the facts of the argument. Which economists said it was correct? The ones then who didn't see the Great Depression coming, the ones saying stocks have reached a "permanent plateau"? The ones today who couldn't explain how or even see the financial system would collapse? Never mind that it is one of the oldest theories, only practiced by such people as, oh, Adam Smith, Friedrich von Hayek (a Nobel winner at that), the founding fathers, and numerous modern people. Are you really trying to say that Hoover and FDR fixed the depression by, often unconstitutionally, imposing price controls, wage controls, so that you could not employ employees at the low cost, and then those unemployed people could not buy goods at the low price they wanted? Nice way to keep the depression going, mandate by law that people could not exchange goods. Take note, Hoover and FDR were both guilty of this (Hoover just felt constrained by the Constitution, FDR didn't care, he would sign an executive order without approval from Congress making gold illegal, or one sending Japanese-Americans to interment camps).
      Of course GDP goes up when the government spends money, by definition! That doesn't mean the economy is actually getting better, that doesn't mean our lives have become better or that more human wants have been satisfied, or more people have jobs, and is biased towards increasing prices, when in fact decreasing prices are what we want (decreasing prices that, for instance, feeds more people). I absolutely agree with your assessment of World War 2 for that reason.

      By the way, here is your answer (or at least one answer) to how prosperity/freedom and property rights work together and an intuitive explanation that I rather like (to a certain extent).

    49. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      You think we'd have a reliable economy without roads? When was the last time you bought something and didn't use roads to either pick it up or get it delivered?

      I never implied we would have an economy without roads. I never said I know how many roads are ideal. I said without the benefit of economic calculation, government does not know either.

      What savings? The average American had little or none to begin with, and with the economy in shambles, any savings they had would've been spent shortly after they were laid off.

      You know, the several trillion US dollars in existance. People are just going to horde it until US dollars are not accepted and they are worthless? No, they are going to spend those dollars once they value a good more than the asking price.

      I have absolutely no idea what you mean here.

      Of course people buy cell phones and computers. Those things are getting cheaper relative to wages. But if everything goes down at the same time, that won't happen. And if wages go down sooner than the prices of the goods they want, they'll buy fewer goods.

      So if goods are falling proportional to wages, people will buy. But if change in wages are proportional to change in goods, people stop spending money until their money is worthless and holding onto it is meaningless. I really don't think so, especially if the money is backed by a commodity. There is no example of a country forever being

      Luckily, we have a progressive income tax, so the bulk of that money comes from people who would not have spent it on goods.

      Luckly?!? Those are the people who spend and invest millions, billions of dollars on new products and innovations to make goods cheaper for all of us. Those are the people you want to tax?

      Indeed. A recession is what happens when demand for money is too high: everyone hoards their money. To get things moving, you need to introduce more money (i.e. government spending) to satisfy that demand.

      If demand for money is high, let's look to the demand curve and see what happens: The goods-price of money will rise (i.e. prices fall). Prices adjust themselves to reflect the new demand for money. You do not need government to take money from one person and give it to another, that is unproductive and does not reflect the combined human wants of the economy, merely the wants of special interests. At the very worst, it is a speculative bubble, and like all bubbles they must come to an end as we physically run out of resources to keep them running. Never mind that, like most bubbles, it is usually started by some sort of government action (like lowering interest rates to 1%, mandating that banks give loans with that new money to otherwise unqualified buyers, etc).

    50. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      I've volunteered quite a bit with Food not Bombs, and I can tell you that hunger is an issue in America. And it isn't just crazy homeless people, it's people who have to make a choice between medicine, heating, and food for their family. All while we throw megatons of perfectly good food out every day. I don't think the free market is doing as good of a job as you think it is.

      There is not as much mobility as you think. One study I read said it takes, on average, five generations for a family to move from the bottom percentile to the middle. The top 1% owns 38% of the wealth, and there isn't much moving in and out of the top 1%. That leaves 62% for the remaining 99% of us.

      Adam Smith is one of my favorite authors. Here's a few quotes you might not remember.

      # As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even for its natural produce.
      --Book I, Chapter VI, pg.60

      We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations of masters, though frequently of those of the workman. But whoever imagines, upon this account, that masters rarely combine, is as ignorant of the world as of the subject.

      --Book I, Chapter VIII, pg.80

      All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind.

      --III.iv.10

      Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defence of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all.
      --V.i.b.12 (Part II)

      What improves the circumstances of the greater part can never be regarded as an inconvenience to the whole. No society can be flourishing and happy if the greater part of the members are poor and miserable.
      --Chapter VIII.

      It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.
      --V.ii.ii.286

      Yeah, I love me some Adam Smith.

      I never said Hoover fixed the depression. Hoover screwed things up worse. FDR fixed the depression.

      Don't quote Mises at me. Mises is the last refuge of a loonitarian without an argument. Think for yourself and phrase your own arguments, or don't bother.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    51. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by spun · · Score: 1

      You replied to the wrong guy. But I'll take a shot anyway.

      You imply that price signals are the only way for anyone to know anything about the economy. This is untrue. With our telecommunications and electronics technology, we can find out anything we need to know about the economy and people's desires. More than price signals alone could ever give us.

      In fact, the problem with a free market economy is that, in itself, it has no way of knowing what people want. Only what they don't want. And you actually have to produce something and bring it to market to find out that people don't want it. That is horribly inefficient.

      You now the real reason we invaded Chile and deposed Allende? He piloted a computer system back in 1970 that collected more information about desires, resources, and production than any price signals could ever give. He was about to show the world how a democratic, non-totalitarian planned economy could really work. So we killed him and installed a brutal military dictator instead. Look up Project Cybersyn.

      Beyond a certain level, all wealth does is give a person greater control over other people, and a greater share of the fruits of other people's labor. Why should we voluntarily give up so much freedom and control over our lives to other people? Why should we allow the rich to take the fruits of our labor, simply because they have the capital? They have it because they stole it from us, not because they earned it.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    52. Re:Let's take Beck out of the equation by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      I never claimed there was no problem with food (that would just be foolish), I claimed we have the best system on earth, including the most charitable on earth - by far. People like you are what we need to help those truly in crisis, and hopefully lift those people up and make themselves self sufficient again.

      Those statistics are meaningless, really. It doesn't matter what the top people are making, standing alone or in proportion to anyone else (so long as they aren't gaining it from or using it to subvert the law, many do, that is wrong), what matters is everyone as a whole. So what if the rich are ten bazillion times richer than the lower quintile, they got that rich by providing goods limited in supply to a maximum number of consumers, there is nothing wrong with that. What matters is, like I showed, people are not locked into one economic class as you imply, and that standard of living rises as we can produce more goods with fewer resources.

      I am only countering your point that no one holds such a position. You respond by citing quotes that agree with you, so I don't get what point you are trying to make. FDR, as I claim, did not fix the economy, no one did until after World War 2 (and it wasn't a very good recovery at that). Sure, GDP may change, but that really doesn't say a whole lot, after all, government spending counts towards it, as do high prices, yet both things things are bad. These are exactly the policies that FDR used, policies that would increase GDP without doing much else.

      I just recognized an earlier question you asked from your journal. If you refuse to read the answer to that question, it isn't my problem. I can summarize the argument as property rights are not, in fact, exclusive to other rights, i.e. you have no right to build a jail around a person's home, and it offers some less extreme examples too. Regardless, it answers your question and I won't bother typing word for word from the article if I can just point to it. I have no problem reading competing works, I make it a policy to a balance of views from a variety of sources, why won't you?

  14. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The funny thing about Glenn Beck is that the only people more idiotic than his rabid fans are his rabid anti-fans.

  15. Fame + Morality + Condemnation = Scandal by rwv · · Score: 1

    I recall Jerry Falwell has a similar case and lost. When you make a living condemning HALF THE WORLD you ought to expect this sort of thing. Beck's opinions are usually heavily slanted towards big business and he frequently denigrates anybody who would try to slow down the economy with harmful regulation (sic).

    His book makes me laugh, as I feel that the title implies that it's a Howto guide for people to interact with him.

  16. Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-poke by ScentCone · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The "did he kill a girl" satire isn't as powerful as the satire Beck actually uses (about, say, the Marxist leanings of numerous Obama appointees who ... actually cite Marx, or Mao, or Chavez as heros, etc), because he trots out video tape to keep it topical. When satire - a la The Daily Show - is anchored to your target's actual utterances, foibles, gaffes, and poor judgement, it's a lot more potent.

    As for the "man, I sure hope I'm wrong on this" rhetorical technique: again, it's more effective when (as Beck has humorously done), he has a yes-the-White-House-Press-Office-knows-the-phone-number hot line, right to his studio, that he begs them to call, so that they can point out how the video taped comments of some of their idiots are wrong, or not meaningful. Obviously, the Whtie House doesn't want to take the bait, because then they'll have to actually talk about those idiots directly. But you know he's getting on their nerves when they refer to his time slot (rather than him, you know, he's "he that shall not be named") as being not actual news. Which is funny, since it's not positioned as such in the first place, any more than are, say, Keith Olbermann or Diane Rehm.

    Yes, it's important that we preserve the rights to be satirical snots as needed, and at whomever we think needs to be on the receiving end. So this is a good development, no matter what you think about any of the parties involved or their positions. The only scary development is the resurgent muttering, on the left, about the actually evil "fairness doctrine."

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  17. This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by spun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Glenn makes personal attacks of this very nature, so it is entirely appropriate that this was done to Beck. After all, if he didn't rape and murder a young girl, why doesn't he just prove it? Should be as easy as proving you were born in this country.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    1. Re:This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by megamerican · · Score: 1

      Glenn makes personal attacks of this very nature, so it is entirely appropriate that this was done to Beck. After all, if he didn't rape and murder a young girl, why doesn't he just prove it? Should be as easy as proving you were born in this country.

      They have certificates proving you didn't rape and murder someone in 1990? I seem to have misplaced mine... Uh oh.

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
    2. Re:This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by Fujisawa+Sensei · · Score: 2, Informative

      Glenn makes personal attacks of this very nature, so it is entirely appropriate that this was done to Beck. After all, if he didn't rape and murder a young girl, why doesn't he just prove it? Should be as easy as proving you were born in this country.

      They have certificates proving you didn't rape and murder someone in 1990? I seem to have misplaced mine... Uh oh.

      They also have government documents proving that people were born in the country

      .

      --
      If someone is passing you on the right, you are an asshole for driving in the wrong lane.
    3. Re:This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by L0rdJedi · · Score: 1

      Proving that you didn't do something is awfully difficult when no evidence of not doing something can possibly exist.

      On the other hand, when there's video of someone referring to their admiration for Chairman Mao, that's kind of hard to refute.

    4. Re:This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Glenn makes personal attacks of this very nature, so it is entirely appropriate that this was done to Beck. After all, if he didn't rape and murder a young girl, why doesn't he just prove it? Should be as easy as proving you were born in this country.

      Not supporting or defending either side here, but:

      Why should that be "as easy"?

      You are giving opposite kinds of comparisons.

        - Proving "he didn't rape and murder a young girl" would be attempting to prove a negative.
        - Proving "you were born in this country" would not, since you can provide the official certificate of live birth which has the signiture of the doctor who delivered you.

      The equivilent analogy you seek would be: "Prove you weren't born in Antarctica!"

    5. Re:This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

      why did glenn leave CNN for fox he was better at CNN

      Maybe because he hid the body of the girl somewhere at the CNN headquarters?

    6. Re:This was a parody of the Glenn Beck Style by Myopic · · Score: 1

      I read on the internet that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990 and apparently he refuses to deny it.

  18. So, Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    So, Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990.
    This is awful! Something has to be done about it!

  19. My domains are safe! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    BarackObamaHatesWhitePeople.com and ObamaEatsBabies.com are safe!

    1. Re:My domains are safe! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obama is half white.

      Personality-wise, he's as white as they come. He's what they would have termed an "Oreo" back in the '70s. He's like George Jefferson, only more of a buffoon and an asshole.

  20. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

    ... and why does the first link in the summary go to very very NSFW porn?

    Explain what SFW porn is, please.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  21. "Beck didn't see the humour" by John+Hasler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because there is none. Quit confounding parody and satire with humour. Both are often very unfunny (which is not to say they should not be protected: they should).

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
    1. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by N0Man74 · · Score: 0

      On the contrary, I find this to be quite funny, as do many of my friends. I think it's remotely possible that people have different tastes in humor.

      Or perhaps you don't think it's funny because you are a Beck sympathizer... or....

      Just where were *you* in 1990?

    2. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Rhesusmonkey · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck freaked out at a behavior in others that could be called his trademark style. Unless he's upset that they're moving in on his action, that's irony. I laughed just reading the summary, who made you the arbiter of funny?

      --
      You need more psychedelic art in your life. rhesusmonkey.deviantart.com
    3. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by digitig · · Score: 1, Informative

      Because there is none. Quit confounding parody and satire with humour. Both are often very unfunny (which is not to say they should not be protected: they should).

      I think that to count as satire or parody it does have to be funny, otherwise it's pastiche, reductio ad absurdam, tu quoque or something like that. And I think that instance was funny.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    4. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      All Beck had to do to make this go away was prove he didn't kill and rape or rape then kill a girl in 1990, how hard is this to do? Just show us the proof. Show the death certificate that says you didn't rape her

    5. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by blueg3 · · Score: 1

      Satire often is, but does not have to be, humorous.

    6. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quit confounding parody and satire with humour.

      Confound it! Quit conflating someone who doesn't know the difference between 'conflate' and 'confound' with someone who has anything insightful to say about humor!

      (Unless of course you *intentionally* meant to use 'confounding', in which case this becomes --heh, heh -- a parody of someone who is clueless about how satire and parody works. Whoa...!)

    7. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by digitig · · Score: 1

      I'm trying to think of an instance of satire that isn't humorous -- there's surely a tendency for at least a wry smile as one recognises what is being satirised.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    8. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Eil · · Score: 1

      Because there is none. Quit confounding parody and satire with humour. Both are often very unfunny

      The whole point of parody is to make it clear how absurd the thing being parodied really is. Satire and parody aren't very effective if they're not humorous in some way.

    9. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by tthomas48 · · Score: 1

      I was a bit confused by your post. But then I realized your spelling was not because you are British, but due to you being a medieval serf who beliefs that we're talking about essential body fluids. In that case you're correct. Neither satire nor parody is a (normal) bodily fluid.

    10. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by sorak · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. All death certificates now have a "Raped by Glenn Beck (Yes/No)" entry. Any entry marked "No" is taken to be a denial, which will be thoroughly investigated. Any entry marked "Yes" will be taken as evidence of guilt. Any invalid entry, such as illegible writing, invalid abbreviations, such as "N", entries left blank, or death certificates lacking this field will be interpreted as "Yes".

      In the case of people not yet dead, we will consider this "pending".

    11. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Graff · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. All death certificates now have a "Raped by Glenn Beck (Yes/No)" entry. Any entry marked "No" is taken to be a denial, which will be thoroughly investigated. Any entry marked "Yes" will be taken as evidence of guilt. Any invalid entry, such as illegible writing, invalid abbreviations, such as "N", entries left blank, or death certificates lacking this field will be interpreted as "Yes".

      Aaaaaaaand there's always someone who kills a joke by going too far. Congrats!

    12. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Draconius42 · · Score: 1

      Freaked out? Or quietly had his lawyers contest it? Don't exaggerate.

    13. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by Myopic · · Score: 1

      Look, to prove that it isn't true that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990, he needs to show us the videotape from 1990. I mean, the entire year, every moment of his life. What other standard could demonstrate whether or not GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990? To determinde whether or not GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990 we must have the tape, and the longer he withholds the tape, the more clear it becomes that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990.

    14. Re:"Beck didn't see the humour" by sorak · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. All death certificates now have a "Raped by Glenn Beck (Yes/No)" entry. Any entry marked "No" is taken to be a denial, which will be thoroughly investigated. Any entry marked "Yes" will be taken as evidence of guilt. Any invalid entry, such as illegible writing, invalid abbreviations, such as "N", entries left blank, or death certificates lacking this field will be interpreted as "Yes".

      Aaaaaaaand there's always someone who kills a joke by going too far. Congrats!

      Oh, that was too far...I didn't know you were offended by paperwork

  22. imitation is the sincerest form of flattery by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    that someone cared enough to go through all of the effort, its kind of an honor

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:imitation is the sincerest form of flattery by h00manist · · Score: 1
      --
      Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
  23. Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why do you bother? You are right but why make the effort?
    I swear that the people on Slashdot have pushed the art of bias to new extremes.
    To answer your question. No I am not furious that the decision was legal. And no I wouldn't be upset if the other URL was found legal.
    I an and would be furious that both exists and I am a little ticked that Slashdot puts it on the front page and NOT under politics which I have set to not show up on my front page of Slashdot.
    Yes it is good that it is legal it is bad that idiots create such crap and that other sites then give them free PR.
    BTW if you hate Glen Beck you do know this will only help him with his faithful don't you?
    Just so everybody can see the results of this action and understand just how STUPID it is I will explain it to you.
    Some Beck hater posts this website.
    People that HATE Beck will think it is funny.
    People that Love Beck will hate those that think it is funny,
    Beck takes them to court and doesn't get the site taken down.
    The people that HATE Beck still think it is funny.
    The people that LOVE Beck will see it as proof that the courts are biased and hate them. They will become more politically active and work harder for consertives to get elected.

    The result is this is preaching to the base and will do nothing but amuse one base and rally the other.
    End result more polarization which is exactly what WE DON"T NEED.
    For people like me that don't love or hate Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, President Obama, or NPR.
    We get anoyed that we have to see this stupidity.

    Of course why did I bother to make this effort since it will be unread or I will be modded down as a troll.
    PS. I bet Health Care will not pass. Both parties are expert at the art of active inactivity.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    1. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 1

      The result is this is preaching to the base and will do nothing but amuse one base and rally the other. End result more polarization which is exactly what WE DON"T NEED.

      Beck's base cannot be any more polarized, or rallied. They live in a fantasyland.

    2. Re:Why bother? by ArcherB · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Beck's base cannot be any more polarized, or rallied. They live in a fantasyland.

      I keep hearing things like this. I'm not necessarily a Glenn Beck fan, but I have seen his show and used to enjoy "Moron Trivia" from his radio show. The thing that I don't understand is that Glenn gets on his show and shows video of some member of saying something like, "I used to be a communist. Now I'm a radical communist." and people attack Glenn Beck!!??!! The only refutations of what Glenn Beck says are personal insults against him and his viewers. I have never seen anyone refute what Glenn Beck is actually saying.

      So, if you have a problem with what Glenn Beck says, refute it. Don't simply hurl personal insults as it only proves him right.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    3. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 4, Informative

      The thing that I don't understand is that Glenn gets on his show and shows video of some member of saying something like, "I used to be a communist. Now I'm a radical communist." and people attack Glenn Beck!!??!! The only refutations of what Glenn Beck says are personal insults against him and his viewers.

      Refuted.

    4. Re:Why bother? by Jeremi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I have never seen anyone refute what Glenn Beck is actually saying.

      That's the his entire M.O., is it not? First, Beck accuses you of beating your wife (or some similar calumny). Then he tries to get you to deny it. If you rise to the bait and do deny it, he now has video of you denying it, and can use that video to imply that whether you beat your wife or not is a legitimate question. If you refuse to dignify him with a response, he can go ahead and claim that because you refused to deny it, there must be something to the accusation. Either way, he wins.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    5. Re:Why bother? by Killer+Orca · · Score: 4, Informative

      There are much better examples, all on one handy page too! http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/personalities/glenn-beck/

    6. Re:Why bother? by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

      The only refutations of what Glenn Beck says are personal insults against him and his viewers. I have never seen anyone refute what Glenn Beck is actually saying.

      The problem is that a lot of his ravings can't be argued against since they are just bizarre conspiracy theories where he draws lines between things. They are the sort of conspiracy theories that would make Alex Jones and David Icke blush.

      Olbermann has a sort of analysis of Beck here, though he mostly just let Beck's insanity speak for itself. I thought it interesting, though, that Glenn Beck has a communist paperweight.

    7. Re:Why bother? by plague3106 · · Score: 1

      So, if you have a problem with what Glenn Beck says, refute it. Don't simply hurl personal insults as it only proves him right.

      Hurling insults at someone doesn't prove that they are right; it doesn't prove anything except that Beck is hated by some.

    8. Re:Why bother? by gurps_npc · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I herebey refute what Glenn Beck says.

      Glenn Beck has said: It's just that almost everyone who does believe in global warming is a socialist."

      Fact, the majority of american scientists -- over 90%, believe in Global warming. These are not socialist. Most are Democrats, but no, you don't get the right to tell other people what they believe. Deomcrats are liberals not socialists. We have the right to decide our own political affilialtion, you can't tell me I'm a socialist, anymore than I can tell you that you are a member of the NeoNazi party.

      More importantly, not all scientists are Democrats. Yes, 55% say they are Democrats, but 6% say they are Republicans. (2% say they are independent). The independent ones also believe in Global warming.

      (P.S. Republicans should be ashamed that so few scientists are Republicans. Yeah, I know the hole 'ivory tower' explanation, but frankly that might be enough to explain 20% or even 15%, but 6% indicates a serious problem).

      The main problem with Glenn Beck is not the content, but the delivery.

      That is I respect a man that says "I believe Obama is not an American Citizen" a lot more than I respect an asswipe that says "Isn't it interesting that Obama has not publicly denied being a Kenyan." The first man is simple ignorant, the second knows he is wrong, but wants to try an attack his opponent using dirty tricks based on a lie he refuses to stand up and state. The first man is a brave idiot, the second one is an intelligent coward trying to hide. I am proud to call the first a friend, but I would throw the second out of my house.

      Glenn Beck is a shmuck, not because of what he believes, but of how he presents it.

      --
      excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    9. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's a consertive? Effort?

    10. Re:Why bother? by ArcherB · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Refuted.

      From your link, final paragraph:

      But Beck has repeatedly said Jones is a communist. Present tense. Although we could not find a comment in which Jones explicitly said why he is no longer one, we found ample evidence that he now believes capitalism is the best force for the social change he is seeking. So there's truth to Beck's claim in that Jones was a communist, but it's apparent he isn't any longer, as Beck suggests. So we find the claim Barely True.

      So, they have video of Van Jones saying he IS a communist, but can't find anything with him saying he is NOT. However, he has said some things that don't sound like a communist, so we don't think he is. Therefor, Beck is liar!

      Did I summarize it right?

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    11. Re:Why bother? by sjmacko29 · · Score: 1

      The thing that I don't understand is that Glenn gets on his show and shows video of some member of saying something like, "I used to be a communist. Now I'm a radical communist." and people attack Glenn Beck!!??!! The only refutations of what Glenn Beck says are personal insults against him and his viewers.

      Refuted.

      Um... Your article is further proof that Van Jones was a communist. Your proof that Beck is wrong hangs on the fact that Van Jones hasn't given a recent interview claiming to be a commie? Seriously? Are you that blind?

      Is it OK on the left to be a former commie? Is it OK on the left to be a radical muslim in the U.S. military?

    12. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 3, Informative
      Did I summarize it right?

      No. You've obviously read the first paragraph, and the last paragraph, but there's good stuff in the middle:

      So Jones was a self-avowed communist. But is he still? The answer lies in the very same article. Even before the group disbanded in 2002, the Express article says, "Jones began transforming his politics and work..." According to the article, "He took an objective look at the movement's effectiveness and decided that the changes he was seeking were actually getting farther away. Not only did the left need to be more unified, he decided, it might also benefit from a fundamental shift in tactics. 'I realized that there are a lot of people who are capitalists -- shudder, shudder -- who are really committed to fairly significant change in the economy, and were having bigger impacts than me and a lot of my friends with our protest signs,' he said."

      And even better:

      "There will surely be an important role for nonprofit voluntary, cooperative, and community-based solutions," Jones writes on page 86. "But the reality is that we are entering an era during which our very survival will demand invention and innovation on a scale never before seen in the history of human civilization. Only the business community has the requisite skills, experience, and capital to meet that need. On that score, neither the government nor the nonprofit and voluntary sectors can compete, not even remotely. "So in the end, our success and survival as a species are largely and directly tied to the new eco-entrepreneurs -- and the success and survival of their enterprises. Since almost all of the needed eco-technologies are likely to come from the private sector, civic leaders and voters should do all that can be done to help green business leaders succeed. That means, in large part, electing leaders who will pass bills to aid them. We cannot realistically proceed without a strong alliance between the best of the business world -- and everyone else."

      In context, yes, Beck is a liar for saying the guy's a communist.

    13. Re:Why bother? by sjmacko29 · · Score: 1

      I'm not a fan of Olbermann or Beck... They are both nuts.

    14. Re:Why bother? by operagost · · Score: 1

      Wow... they don't do more than scratch the surface, do they? Isn't that the same speech where Jones shouted, "Give them the wealth!" If he wants redistribution of wealth, he's a communist. He doesn't have to declare it.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    15. Re:Why bother? by Jason+Earl · · Score: 1

      Really, you call that a refutation? Basically, the guy admits to being a radical communist. He spent years in the radical communist community. He then admits that while he still shares the ideals of the radical communist that he believes that the private sector is the only organization capable of actually solving the problems he believes faces the country.

      In short, his politics have not changed one iota. He just realized that he was wasting his time hanging out on the street corners with the other losers waving their damn signs.

      This may surprise you, but quite a few of your fellow Americans have real problems with the idea that someone like this might be in a position of authority over them.

    16. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Puhlease! That is political spin in and of itself. Look at current videos of Van Jones talking about redistributing wealth. He still has the ideology.

    17. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You don't know what "communist" means, do you? You do realize "believ[ing] that the private sector is the only organization capable of actually solving the problems he believes faces the country" is very strong evidence that he's not a communist, don't you?

    18. Re:Why bother? by Bemopolis · · Score: 1

      Is it OK on the left to be a former commie?

      Yes.

      Is it OK on the left to be a radical muslim in the U.S. military?

      Yes.
      Why, is it not OK on the right to allow American citizens the freedom of speech and religion guaranteed in the Constitution? Don't fret, I already know the answer to that one...

      --
      "I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
    19. Re:Why bother? by jadavis · · Score: 1

      If you refuse to dignify him with a response, he can go ahead and claim that because you refused to deny it, there must be something to the accusation.

      You forgot one thing: when he accuses people, he usually has some evidence. Often, it's video evidence of the person making some very troubling speech involving praise for Mao, Chavez, etc. For instance, what about Van Jones, who ultimately resigned in the middle of the night? There was plenty of evidence that he was a leftist radical.

      He also tends to accuse people on the public payroll, who have somewhat of a duty to the public to explain themselves when there is some basis for suspicion.

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    20. Re:Why bother? by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      There are much better examples, all on one handy page too! http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/personalities/glenn-beck/

      I read most of them, but let's skip to the "Pants on Fire" one
      The claim:

      John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, "has proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population."

      They say that Holdren never supported that position. You click on the link, and it takes you to THIS article. Here's an excerpt:

      We obtained the book to see exactly what Holdren, then a young man, wrote (or co-wrote). The book is just over 1,000 pages, and it clearly makes that case that an explosion in population presented a grave crisis. Although it is a textbook, the authors don't shy away from presenting a point of view. As the preface states, "We have tried throughout the book to state clearly where we stand on various matters of controversy."

      In a section on "Involuntary Fertility Control," Holdren and the other authors discuss various "coercive" means of population control — including putting sterilants in the drinking water. But they stop well short of advocating such measures.

      Of course, the book lists this as an example of a step that could be taken, but, of course, it has some problems. What did authors think the problems would be?

      "Again, there is no sign of such an agent on the horizon. And the risk of serious, unforeseen side effects would, in our opinion, militate against the use of any such agent, even though this plan has the advantage of avoiding the need for socioeconomic pressures that might tend to discriminate against particular groups or penalize children."

      Now, granted, the book does not endorse the idea, but does bring it up as a CONSTITUTIONAL option, should population control become an important enough need.

      And saying that this is a valid option and it is CONSTITUTIONAL, I think it's fair to say, "John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, "has proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population." Although, I will admit that "if the need becomes serious enough" should be added to the end of that.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    21. Re:Why bother? by CannonballHead · · Score: 1

      The funny thing is, everyone knows politicians talk out of both sides of their mouth... until we talk about a politician that someone likes. They "refuted" Beck by giving a quote by Jones that only serves to show that Jones contradicted himself.... but since some people want to believe that Jones was (1) a communist or (2) not a communist, they will take one of the quotes and see the other in light of the first.

      I take issue with more with the fact that the politician is dishonest than what he political system he adheres to. I'd rather have an honest communist than a dishonest not-sure-what-he-is(-and-probably-just-wants-power), I think.

    22. Re:Why bother? by Sancho · · Score: 1

      No True Communist Fallacy?

      I mean, I tend to ascribe to the "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck" philosophy of labeling things. I could claim to be a vegetarian, but if I'm at a steakhouse enjoying a prime rib, no amount of protesting is going to keep people from thinking that I'm a meat-eater.

      So yeah. It sounds like Beck's spouting things that aren't true. Maybe they were true at one time, and maybe not. Maybe Beck knows that they're no longer true, and maybe not. I'm not willing to say that he's a liar based on this one data point, because it's entirely possible that he's overlooking Van Jones' current record. But he does seem to be misleading his listeners, at least some of whom don't go out and check the facts.

      When you're a popular radio and TV personality, you have a responsibility to be honest. Using your status and power to influence people to agree with your agenda is abhorrent behavior.

    23. Re:Why bother? by sjmacko29 · · Score: 1

      Is it OK on the left to be a former commie?

      Yes.

      Is it OK on the left to be a radical muslim in the U.S. military?

      Yes.

      Why, is it not OK on the right to allow American citizens the freedom of speech and religion guaranteed in the Constitution? Don't fret, I already know the answer to that one...

      I think the families of the Fort Hood victims may have a problem with that. But... You go right on with your moral equivalency theory.

    24. Re:Why bother? by ArcherB · · Score: 1, Informative

      That's the his entire M.O., is it not? First, Beck accuses you of beating your wife (or some similar calumny)

      No, Glenn Beck would show a police report from your battered wife saying that she was beaten. Then she would play an audio of you saying that you have been known to smack women around from time to time. Finally, he would show a video of you beating your wife and THEN ask you to deny it.

      Don't take my word for it. Watch it in action:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhFk7lH0LmE&feature=player_embedded#
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP1-tGQzO_0&feature=player_embedded

      So while you IMPLY that Beck is making false accusations, if you ever bothered to watch the show, you'd know that be truly backs them up with honest to goodness video. Hell, you don't even have to watch the show. Just use Google and YouTube!

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    25. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 1

      I take issue with more with the fact that the politician is dishonest than what he political system he adheres to.

      Uhhh...huh? Paraphrasing: the guy says "I used to be a communist." Then he says in the same interview "after a few years of that my beliefs started change." Finally he says "now I believe the private sector is necessary and is the best way to solve these important problems." Where's the dishonesty?

    26. Re:Why bother? by dangitman · · Score: 1

      People that HATE Beck will think it is funny.
      People that Love Beck will hate those that think it is funny

      Yeah, so what? Those people are full of hate already. Difference made? Zero.

      The people that LOVE Beck will see it as proof that the courts are biased and hate them. They will become more politically active and work harder for consertives to get elected.

      Say what? That would be great... if only there were any conservatives in America left to elect. I don't see how watching Glenn Beck or subscribing to his beliefs makes one a conservative. Glenn Beck is anything but a conservative. He's a radical hatemonger.

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    27. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      politifact is a leftist "fact" page with an agenda.

      If they have evidence to substantiate these claims, let them contact Beck with it and make sure he goes with his promise to "Lead with his mistakes".
      To date, Beck has presented an awful lot of evidence to substantiate HIS claims. Their people check stuff for validity before anything goes on the air.

      politifact is not about the "truth". It's about furthering an agenda.

    28. Re:Why bother? by oldspewey · · Score: 1

      It seems you're suggesting the alternative is that right-wing kooks should be treated with kid gloves and never confronted lest they or their base become riled.

      Here's an alternative alternative: faulty thinking should be exposed by any and all means possible, and if people still choose to cling to that faulty thinking after it's been discredited, they should be actively marginalized. Parody is an awesome tool for this kind of thing.

      --
      If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    29. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting statistics can you tell me where you got them from?

    30. Re:Why bother? by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      "There's little question that Jones was an avowed communist."

      You have a strange definition of the word "refuted". Have I dropped into 1984? Perhaps I should be using newspeak about how this article is doubleplusgood?

      Jones joined the communist party, and perhaps now he's dropped out to join the Democrats, but that doesn't mean his core views have changed. I'm no longer a Libertarian Party member, having realized the LP has little hope of winning, but I'm still libertarian in my thoughts. I suspect Jones is also still communist in his thoughts..... especially when he talks about redistributing the wealth, and how the whites are trying to poison the blacks (with pollution dumped into black neighborhoods).

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    31. Re:Why bother? by Albanach · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You really think redistribution of wealth == communism?

      You are aware that even the Republicans will take your taxes and use them to fund the (albeit limited) US welfare system. Yes, even the republicans will take your money and give it to folk less well off.

      Some would call that fair. Others would call it society. You on the other hand apparently believe Reagan was and George W Bush is a communist.

      Remember that Social Security in the US is paid from current revenue. What you pay in is used today, it's not an investment fund. So when you turn 65, be sure not to claim any state support, or Medicare, lest you too become a communist.

    32. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Jones joined the communist party, and perhaps now he's dropped out to join the Democrats, but that doesn't mean his core views have changed.

      Except in the link which you apparently didn't read where he explains how his views changed.

      I'm no longer a Libertarian Party member, having realized the LP has little hope of winning

      Yeah, hard to run crackpot candidates.

    33. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is that people do refute it.... over and over again..... and people like you seem to ignore that fact. There is also the fact that idots like him spew so many outright lies that it would require a team of hundreds working full time to prove all the lies wrong. Its not like his words are close to the truth. It just takes a lot of effort to prove a statement false. Particularly when idiots like you will still believe that there is truth in what the man says.

    34. Re:Why bother? by JesseMcDonald · · Score: 1

      We have the right to decide our own political affilialtion [sic], you can't tell me I'm a socialist, anymore than I can tell you that you are a member of the NeoNazi party.

      No, no one can dictate the political labels which you choose to apply to yourself. However, if your actions are consistent with Socialism (or Neo-Nazism) then it is perfectly correct to call you a Socialist (or Neo-Nazi), even if that is not a label you would choose for yourself. There can be debate over what Socialism (Neo-Nazism) is (semantics), but for any specific definition you either are or are not a Socialist (Neo-Nazi), based on your beliefs—as evidenced by your actions—and not what you choose to call yourself.

      This is complicated by the fact that "Socialism" is a very broad term, having definitions ranging from "all property is completely controlled by the people via a democratic government" to "anything other than strict anarcho-capitalism", and depending on the context any of these definitions can be considered reasonable. This makes the value of the term "Socialism" for purposes of general political classification practically nil; practically everyone is Socialist by some reasonable definition of the term. To me (a strict anarcho-capitalist) the term is a negative one regardless of the definition you choose, but obviously not everyone feels the same way. If you want to advance the discussion at all you need to use a more specific term, or at least spell out your particular definition.

      --
      "The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
    35. Re:Why bother? by ArcherB · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well put. I don't agree with everything Beck says and there are times that he is truly wrong. You have pointed a couple out. Nice job.

      Now, my beef is that Beck seems to bring up things that no one else (in the media) seems to care about. You have a "Green Jobs Czar" that has openly said he was a communist. Beck showed the video. But, so what. So what if the "Green Jobs Czar" is a communists? What can he do? He then showed the video of the same guy (Van Jones) saying that green jobs goes well beyond just "green jobs".

      "[If] All we do is take out the dirty power system, the dirty power generation in a system and just replace it with some clean stuff, put a solar panel on top of this system. We don't deal with how we are consuming water, we don't deal with how we're treating our other sister and other brothers' species, we don't deal with toxins, we don't deal with the way we treat each other, if that's not a part of this movement, let me tell you what you'll have. This is all you'll have. You'll have solar powered bulldozers, solar powered buzz saws, and biofuel bombers and we'll be fighting wars over lithium for the batteries instead of oil for the engines and we'll still have a dead planet. This movement is deeper than a solar panel, deeper than a solar panel. Don't stop there. Don't stop there. No, we're going to change the whole system."

      The "Green Jobs Czar" wanting to change the whole system? My big fear of government regulation of things is that they will use it to try to control me and take away my freedoms. Health care is a good example. Here is Van Jones saying that the government should use Global Warming as a way to control me. That scares me. If Glenn Beck had not started investigating Van Jones, no one would have ever known BECAUSE THE PRESS DOES NOT ASK THE QUESTIONS!

      Then, of course, there is Anita Dunn, the White House Communications Director. She said, "The third lesson and tip actually comes from two of my favorite political philosophers: Mao Tse-tung and Mother Theresa -- not often coupled with each other, but the two people I turn to most to basically deliver a simple point which is 'you're going to make choices; you're going to challenge; you're going to say why not; you're going to figure out how to do things that have never been done before."

      Of course, no other media outlet reported on this. The only refutation that Beck received was that he took the quote out of context. HERE is a site that does just that. To prove the point, they showed the entire video of the relevant portions of her speech. They don't seem to notice the irony that the entire video they showed to prove that Beck took the quote out of context WAS FROM BECK'S SHOW!!!!

      So, while you may not like Beck's delivery, pay attention to the content. I wrote Beck as crazy several years ago when he would say conspiracy stuff like, "The government wants to take over the financial sector" and "The government wants to control the auto manufacturers". Now-a-days I watch the occasional show (when I'm home at 5:00) and get scared to death. He's like Alex Jones, except Beck is right more times that not and HE ACTUALLY HAS THE VIDEO TO BACK UP WHAT HE IS SAYING!!!! Where Alex Jones says, "I've seen the documents",
      Beck shows you the video, and it not only scares the crap out of me what Beck says, but the fact that the press ignores it almost makes me want to build a bunker!

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    36. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I an and would be furious that both exists and I am a little ticked that Slashdot puts it on the front page and NOT under politics which I have set to not show up on my front page of Slashdot.

      You're upset because it isn't under Politics?

      Is Glenn Beck a politician?

      What does this have to do with politics?

      Get a grip.

    37. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let me explain your error -- it's a meta-error.

      Your argument is rational, but it's premised on the belief that we have a functioning political system with a real "right" and a real "left" and that the struggle between them is legitimate and winnable by one side or the other.

      The "struggle" between "right" and "left" is a circus to amuse the plebes.

      Do you know who *always* wins the Super Bowl? The NFL!

    38. Re:Why bother? by Pros_n_Cons · · Score: 1

      Sorry. I fail to see how your link refutes him still being a communist. Why because he said so after 10 years in jail? He says he needs the business's money to invest in things like green jobs but how do they go about doing that? with laws to force them into cooperation. Is that capitalist? Sounds more like just using their money though government power. In a time of a terrible economy the gov shouldn't be dictating how companys should be run. Isn't that communism even if its under the guise of what we need it sets a bad precedent in my eyes.
      Companies would profit greatly from giving us a solar panel to make our energy needs self sufficient. Plugging in our cars to charge with no tax to pay on energy? id flipplin love it but i doubt gov would like all its tax revue from energy consumption go out the window. If they gov is involved they'll encourage things that tax us. Corporations will sell us things we can buy. Government is in the business of "renting" us energy since they dont build anything just tax it.

      --

      -- "of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller
    39. Re:Why bother? by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 1
      Did you even read your own link?

      Beck would have been on solid ground if he said Jones used to be a communist. Jones has been up front about that. But Beck has repeatedly said Jones is a communist. Present tense. Although we could not find a comment in which Jones explicitly said why he is no longer one, we found ample evidence that he now believes capitalism is the best force for the social change he is seeking. So there's truth to Beck's claim in that Jones was a communist, but it's apparent he isn't any longer, as Beck suggests. So we find the claim Barely True.

      So a wolf put on sheeps clothing. As I recall, Beck also asked repeatedly for Jones to expressly deny the charges, which he never did. Furthermore, I don't care how much you claim to change. I don't want anyone who used to be a communist anywhere near my government.

    40. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Refuted.

      From your link, final paragraph:

      But Beck has repeatedly said Jones is a communist. Present tense. Although we could not find a comment in which Jones explicitly said why he is no longer one, we found ample evidence that he now believes capitalism is the best force for the social change he is seeking. So there's truth to Beck's claim in that Jones was a communist, but it's apparent he isn't any longer, as Beck suggests. So we find the claim Barely True.

      So, they have video of Van Jones saying he IS a communist, but can't find anything with him saying he is NOT. However, he has said some things that don't sound like a communist, so we don't think he is. Therefor, Beck is liar!

      Did I summarize it right?

      Find a video of him as a child saying he's a child, then claim that he is a child, even though he's not well over the age of 21.

      Get it yet?

    41. Re:Why bother? by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      >>>Don't take my word for it. Watch it in action:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhFk7lH0LmE&feature=player_embedded# [youtube.com]
      >>>Anita Dunn Naming Mao Tse Tung as One of Her Favorite Philosophers

      I've had liberals tell me right to my face, that she never said it. Or she was joking. Or that she did say it seriously, but it's okay to admire mass-murderers like Mao or Lenin or Hitler, as useful sources for ideas.

      Isn't that what's called "cognitive dissonance"? People bending over backwards to try to explain away facts that challenge their brains' built-in views? It appears that way to me.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    42. Re:Why bother? by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If I had mod points, I would have modded you as insightful.

      You are absolutely correct that political polarization is what hurting this country (USA).

      I'll tell you how bad it has gotten. I listen to "All Things Considered", "Morning Edition", and "Marketplace" on my local NPR station. I think overall these are well balanced news shows especially when compared to CNN, FOX, and MSNBC. My self-proclaimed conservative coworker harasses me about my habit of listening to state sponsored radio. WTF?

      Now I consider myself a southern moderate conservative and yet have been accused of being a californian "bleeding heart" liberal because I don't agree with all the talking points that these "Conservative" shows spew out.

      Here is my problem with their logic:

      How can you be against a "totalitarian" government and support the suppression of the constitution in the name of national security?

      How can you not trust the government, and yet insist it intrude into the private lives of it's citizens (eg. Abortion, Gay Marriage, Government Wire Taps)?

      When it comes to health care, why is it that the majority of the people that I see who are against "socialized" medicine are of the age that receives Social Security and Medicare? I know this is a anecdotal observation on my part, but the GOP right-wing base is comprised of people who are old enough to qualify for both.

      It makes no sense... Well... okay I can crudely describe the modern definition of "conservative" and "liberal" as the following:

      Conservative - The portion that is wealthy likes to stay wealthy. The portion that is not wealthy, would like to be left alone and not pay any more taxes. They tend to drive up the deficit since they want the government to continue to spend money while not raising taxes. They believe they have more common sense than everybody else. They believe that if they imitate the wealthy that they may themselves become wealthy or at least their children will have a shot of being wealthy. They trust corporations, since corporations are a key component of the free market economy, and believe that any benefits that the corporations receive from the government may trickle down to their employees and whoever the employee does commerce. They pretend to be for individual rights as long as it is aligned with their beliefs. The powerful conservative trust the government to benefit corporations through the use of earmarks (pork spending) in the name of privatization (small government).

      Liberal - The portion that is wealthy would like to pretend that they are like average folk and care about the little guy. The portion that are not wealthy consider themselves activists in social causes. As a group, they are for increase taxes in order to support more spending. The unwealthy portion believe the wealthy should pay more taxes, while the wealthy portion don't plan on paying them anyway. They believe that they are smarter than everybody else. They tend to be alarmist when it comes to the environment or social issues. They hate corporations despite any benefits that they may have received from them. They pretend to be for individual rights as long as it is aligned with their beliefs. They trust the government to be a benevolent entity that should take care of its citizens to a fault, while at the same time believe that the government is out to get them.

      Thanks to polarization we can't compromise and have what I consider a more pragmatist government consisting of elements from both views which could be:

      Moderate - Both wealthy and unwealthy members consider themselves pragmatists. They consider themselves wise and try to be open to new ideas and listen to both "conservative" and "liberal" ideas. They are for individual rights and realize that while these rights are open to abuse it is still worth protecting. They believe in a free market tempered with government regulation. They understand that free market capitalism is the engine for society to advance, yet the government

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    43. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sort of refuted. IMO the politifact argument is not particularly convincing. Like, they clearly state that Van Jones was a radical Communist/Marxist for 10 years then slowly began to shift to the belief that a change in tactics was needed. This is not a convincing argument (for me) that he somehow stopped believing that Marxism is the ideal. Only that he felt that his previous approaches were failing and needed to change.

    44. Re:Why bother? by kthejoker · · Score: 4, Insightful
    45. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 1

      As I recall, Beck also asked repeatedly for Jones to expressly deny the charges, which he never did.

      Why the hell should he? He should have told Beck to go to hell, if he responded at all.

      I don't want anyone who used to be a communist anywhere near my government.

      I don't really care what you want. Fortunately, most people don't subscribe to your paranoia.

    46. Re:Why bother? by tmosley · · Score: 1

      Just because a communist can call upon the business community to act out of one side of his mouth while forcing them to do so out of the other through socialist and fascist means such as direct subsidy and increased taxes and regulation on competing industries doesn't mean that he's not a communist. It's called doublespeak, and politicians use it all the time.

    47. Re:Why bother? by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

      He also tends to accuse people on the public payroll, who have somewhat of a duty to the public to explain themselves when there is some basis for suspicion.

      That's where McCarthy focused his efforts. At first.

    48. Re:Why bother? by tmosley · · Score: 1

      One needs to understand that people can say one thing and do another. Van Jones talks like a slick politician when addressing people who hate communism (entrepreneurs), while practicing communism by implementing centralized economic planning.

      Honestly, one would think that people would understand by now that politicians will lie and/or say anything they need to to achieve their ends, no matter what the cost.

    49. Re:Why bother? by nschubach · · Score: 1

      To be honest, that doesn't say Jones' not a communist... it simply says: "I realized that there are a lot of people who are capitalists -- shudder, shudder -- who are really committed to fairly significant change in the economy, and were having bigger impacts than me"

      I read this as, "Even though I'm a communist, the other side is winning" and it looks to me like this person is taking on some of the tactics of the "capitalists -- shudder, shudder --" in order to improve their standing and push their agenda of "nonprofit voluntary, cooperative, and community-based solutions" He even mentions that "the changes he was seeking were actually getting farther away" so "the left need to be more unified, he decided, it might also benefit from a fundamental shift in tactics"

      Now, you will probably point to this qoute: "We cannot realistically proceed without a strong alliance between the best of the business world" to which I ask... who decides what's best for the business world? Communism isn't totally an economic model. It's partly a nationalist idea. You want your country to succeed and compete in the global market, and yes that's good for business, but he doesn't state how.

      It doesn't say he abandoned Communism. It just says he needed a change of tactics to further his agenda.

      Then again, I'm reading this from a third party viewpoint having only watched Beck one time (and been turned off by his religious fervency).

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    50. Re:Why bother? by CannonballHead · · Score: 1

      He never says he used to be, or that he actually changed his views. This quote, for example, appears to explain the "change" - but it's a change in tactics, not a change in political views:

      According to the article, "He took an objective look at the movement's effectiveness and decided that the changes he was seeking were actually getting farther away. Not only did the left need to be more unified, he decided, it might also benefit from a fundamental shift in tactics. 'I realized that there are a lot of people who are capitalists — shudder, shudder — who are really committed to fairly significant change in the economy, and were having bigger impacts than me and a lot of my friends with our protest signs,' he said."

    51. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No...

      Beck shows a video of a liberal saying they are a communist, or Mao is their favorite philosopher or how their ultimate goal is single payer but you know it will takes a good 10 years to sneak it through (in front of an SEIU crowd).

      When confronted with their loon remarks, they dance, claim it was "out of context", blame FOX etc. etc. Anything to deflect from what they said, because there really is no defense that doesn't expose them in a way that would seem rather (how shall we say) un-American enough to end their political career.

      Then the mindless followers carry on the attack in little forums like this with a bile filled hatred, baseless accusations and a wickedness the left is so well known for... all the while calling the right mean, racist, violent people for (heaven forbid) organizing and protesting government initiatives they believe have taken a dangerous turn extreme left.

      Don't worry though, the right will never get as crazy of those fun loving freaks at PETA, MoveOn, Code Pink, ACORN etc. etc. etc. The Left holds the patent on kook.

      That pretty well sums it up.

    52. Re:Why bother? by tmosley · · Score: 1

      So you don't think that communists will lie when it suits them? Perhaps Van Jones doesn't understand that his policies amount to central economic planning. Shutting down industries that compete with your chosen model, whether it is with guns or with regulations (same thing really, when you consider how regulations are eventually enforced) is NOT capitalism. It's authoritarianism.

    53. Re:Why bother? by nschubach · · Score: 1

      That doesn't make any sense... I'm sorry. How is denying that it happened make it an illegitimate question?

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    54. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's awesome! So, you change you position to actually believe more in capitalism and still get grilled for it? This is in fact a perfect example of crappy, nonobjective reporting. See, objective reporting tells the WHOLE story, not just the parts that support a non-argument. I'd be willing to bet that if I take Glenn's comments over the years and parse out parts of my choosing I could make him look like a racist, homophobe who does not believe in women's rights.

    55. Re:Why bother? by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 1

      So, let's get this straight. So you're saying if Van Jones doesn't deny he is a communist, he is one? Did you happen to read the article you're replying to? The one where Beck won't deny he raped and killed a young woman in 1990? Are you saying Beck did rape and kill a young woman in 1990 because he won't deny it?

      To be honest, the real point here is that Beck is trying to discredit a man by applying a label to him he doesn't like and playing down his actions. He's not interested in the situation on the ground, he's just trying to pull the same stuff Joseph McCarthy did.

      --
      http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
    56. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't care about Glenn Beck, I don't even live in America, but imagine if Jones had described himself as a "Nazi" or an "extreme Nazi". Even if he later appeared to have gone back on that position, would we not be justified in still being suspicious of him?

      "Maybe he is just pretending not to be a Nazi," we might say. "Maybe he still harbours some sympathy for Nazi ideals." We'd be even more suspicious if he never explicitly said why he had been a Nazi and why he had now turned his back on Nazi ideology, when previously he had been so fervently in favour of it.

      In that sense, whatever else we might think of him, Beck is doing a service by drawing attention to the extreme views of this politician, held at one time but never subsequently explained or denounced.

    57. Re:Why bother? by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      So, it sounds like my summary was spot on.

      Even the article itself labeled Beck as "barely true", whereas you call him a liar. Your own link goes against you.

      Besides, I'll Van Jones himself saying, "I am a communist" over an article saying he is not based on some pro capitalist statements he has made. The quote, "I realized that there are a lot of people who are capitalists -- shudder, shudder -- ..." shows that he is at the very least an anti-capitalist. Well, that and the open admission that he is a communist and all.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    58. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Refuted? LOL, yep and Robert Byrd had a change of heart, he only WAS a racists, not any more...

    59. Re:Why bother? by VxMorpheusxV · · Score: 1

      What I have always seen it boil down to is the fact that he lies. Not all the time, maybe not even most of the time. But on numerous occasions, he has outright lied or deliberately misconstrued the facts in a malicious fashion. I view this as problematic because there are viewers of his show who take everything he says to be true, and base some of their opinions on outright lies.

    60. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to advance the discussion at all you need to use a more specific term, or at least spell out your particular definition.

      Which is one of the things Glenn Beck, and political pundits in general, rarely do! He, and again most political pundits, are not interested in advancing the discussion, they just to want hear themselves talk as well as push their own views on other people.

    61. Re:Why bother? by jadavis · · Score: 1

      That's where McCarthy focused his efforts. At first.

      McCarthy (ab)used his powers as a senator; in particular, the power to subpoena anyone for any reason.

      Beck doesn't have any official powers.

      --
      Social scientists are inspired by theories; scientists are humbled by facts.
    62. Re:Why bother? by stuboogie · · Score: 1

      "In context, yes, Beck is a liar for saying the guy's a communist."

      Seriously???

      The text you quote does nothing to denounce Jones as a communist. In fact, the first section of text only states that he saw others (not self-proclaimed communists) making better progress on their goals than he (a self-proclaimed communist) and his buddies. This prompted him to change his tactics not necessarily his philosophy.

      The second section of text only shows he embraces "eco-entrepreneurs" and "green business leaders" to ensure "our success and survival as a species." Anything other than these necessary eco-technologies is where the "nonprofit voluntary, cooperative, and community-based solutions" come in.

      In summary, Jones saw he was not achieving his goals with protest signs, so he changed his methods not his goals. He is also willing to accept capitalism in a limited and focused capacity, but has not denounced his socialist agenda for the "important roles" in society.

    63. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your proof that Beck is wrong hangs on the fact that Van Jones hasn't given a recent interview claiming to be a commie?

      No, I think the proof lies in that Van Jones has given recent interviews which specifically say capitalists were having much more positive impact in the world than he was with his protesting friends. Did you read the article?

      Is it OK on the left to be a former commie?

      Dude, in my book it's ok to be a current "commie." Isn't freedom of expression, including criticism of the current government in favor of another system, specifically protected by the US Constitution?

      Is it OK on the left to be a radical muslim in the U.S. military?

      Giving guns to mentally unbalanced people is always a bad idea, and I'd be in favor of banning radical religious people from the U.S. military anyday. That includes radical Muslims but it also includes radical Christians. The challenge is, of course, in separating the religious from the radical religious.

      I'm not against you believing in whatever religion you care to, and I'm not against you choosing to believe none at all. When you start taking actions that hurt other people because of your religious beliefs (or lack thereof), you're dangerous, no matter the religion. And it's not like there hasn't been Christian terrorists.

    64. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Even without being a communist, here is another line that is just as disturbing

      VAN JONES: The white polluters and the white environmentals are essentially steering poison into the people of colored communities.

      Taken from March Power Shift '09

    65. Re:Why bother? by CMF+Risk · · Score: 1

      Sigh, really?

      http://mediamatters.org/research/200910160001
      Conservatives who have cited Mao

      And that piece on Van Jones? Play a lot of spooky music, put a grainy filter on the videos, and take a couple of quotes from an angry and radicalized past (if you had been arrested for protesting social injustice Im sure you'd be mad too) and somehow link them to the man's current line of work. Also, keep emphasizing that he was arrested at protests like it was because he was in the wrong, ignoring that lots of people are falsely arresting during protests because of our police-lite-state

      I didn't know anything about Van Jones before watching this video and to me he seems like a stand up guy who is a very ardent and very vocal supporter of human and civil rights.

    66. Re:Why bother? by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      If you look on Politifact at all, you'd see Obama, Pelosi, and Michael Moore listed with statements as not being true. The site may be slightly leftist, but definitely not to the extent of existing solely to further a leftist agenda.

    67. Re:Why bother? by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 1

      Not really. It just means that he realized the private sector is the only one with the money to lobby DC to get the policies they want established.

    68. Re:Why bother? by Terwin · · Score: 1

      Those sections you quoted look more like 'those nasty capitalists are getting more successes at promoting what we want than we communists are with our protest signs' and 'If we do not all help the eco-capitalists then we will all die'

      Neither one claims that Communism is wrong, but only that other methods seem to work better.
      Also, I would point out that Rush Limbaugh(and I have no doubt others as well) have repeatedly pointed out that many of those old Communists are now using the Environmentalism movement to achieve their earlier Communist aims.

      Put those together and I have difficulty seeing any evidence that this fellow is NOT a communist.

      Also, according to both Wikipedia and Marriam-Webster a lie is an attempt to deceive.

      So if the speaker is stating something that they truly believe, then it is not a lie, because there is no attempt to deceive, it is an attempt to inform using facts that may or may not match reality.

      Just as telling an Atheist that "Jesus died for Your sins!" is not a lie if the speaker believes what they are saying.

      Now, if this fellow were to publicly denounce Communism, that would be a different story, but identifying new means to achieve the same old aims seems like a pretty suspicious conversion to me...

      Hmm, looks like this Glen Beck is not on my local radio. Could be the reason I had no idea who he was.

    69. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow! That's a wonderful example of "cool-aid" drinking there. Your quotes don't even remotely suggest that he is not a communist. In fact, they suggest quite the opposite. They suggest that he is disposed to use capitalists to further his agenda, which he personally seems to view as something other than capitalist. I don't have a dog in this fight, as I've never seen Beck's show and I don't really know much of anything about this Van Jones character, but based on your arguments and quotes here in this thread, I'm fairly convinced that Beck is in fact speaking truth to power on this one and is in fact the victim of an unjustified and unsupported smear campaign. Somehow I don't think that was your intention, but that's what you accomplished.

    70. Re:Why bother? by locallyunscene · · Score: 1

      To answer your question. No I am not furious that the decision was legal. And no I wouldn't be upset if the other URL was found legal. I an and would be furious that both exists and I am a little ticked that Slashdot puts it on the front page and NOT under politics which I have set to not show up on my front page of Slashdot.

      Well it is under yro and that is an appropriate tag since it is about a ruling in a court case about satire and political free speech. If this were just about the website I might have agreed with you.

    71. Re:Why bother? by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

      I'm not a fan of Olbermann or Beck... They are both nuts.

      Well, yeah, true. I like Olbermann's ripping of Glenn Beck, but I look at it more as a "takes one to know one" kind of situation.

    72. Re:Why bother? by Cytotoxic · · Score: 1

      Remember that Social Security in the US is paid from current revenue. What you pay in is used today, it's not an investment fund. So when you turn 65, be sure not to claim any state support, or Medicare, lest you too become a communist.

      And you really think this ponzi scheme isn't going to collapse by then? I hope you are not planning to retire on your Social Security checks. Even if we hadn't just run up a trillion dollars of debt this year we would have required a 70% tax rate to support the peak of the baby boom while the nadir of the baby bust is working. I haven't seen any new estimates that get us through the peak, but with a half-trillion and growing annual debt service, I really don't see that number going down. In fact, the GAO projects debt service taking up over 1/3 of the entire US GNP while I'm in my retirement years. Not 1/3 of the budget, (it is already 10% of the budget), 1/3 of the entire gross domestic product. Holy Crap! For a really depressing read, head over to wikipedia's United States Federal Budget page for links to the relevant sites at the GAO.

    73. Re:Why bother? by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      Because the Fort Hood shooter Muslim'd his victims to death, right?

      No, wait, he shot them.
      Legally, it's perfectly okay to be a very strict Muslim in the U.S.

      What's NOT okay is shooting up people. Which is an act that is hardly restricted to radical muslims.

    74. Re:Why bother? by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1
    75. Re:Why bother? by liquidsin · · Score: 1

      i don't think it's fair to say "has proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population", even with your addendum, when "has written educational material on the subject of putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population" would have been much more honest. to state that he "proposed" those things is to make it sound as though he's presented it before officials for consideration, as in "made a proposal". i also don't see any backup for the claim of "forcing abortions" but i haven't read any of the links.

      --
      do not read this line twice.
    76. Re:Why bother? by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      Okay. Glenn says, "May I have 5 minutes where I am politcally incorrect [i.e. playing devils advocate] and ask some unfair questions." Congressman: "Sure go ahead."

      I see nothing wrong with it. He was *playing a role* and the Congressman gave permission to participate in the game. I do that myself sometimes where I'll say something ridiculous like "Women shouldn't be allowed to drive," just for fun and to see how people react. I don't believe what I'm saying, and neither did Beck. He even *asked permission* prior to doing it.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    77. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your refuted link determines that the claim is "barely true"... as in, "barely pregnant", I guess. I think your refuted link actually supports the previous poster.

    78. Re:Why bother? by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      P.S.

      Since Democrats are generally more intelligent than Republicans (in terms of IQ), I'm surprised you couldn't figure it out yourself. Maybe you did figure it out, nd even heard Beck say he's just playing devil's advocate, but would rather bash him than listen.

      i.e You are doing the typical unfair behavior the communists did in 1945-89.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    79. Re:Why bother? by Cytotoxic · · Score: 1

      Cool, I checked out your link. I don't follow this guy's show, so I don't know where he stands on any issues at all, so could be wrong. But it seems clear from the text of your link that this guy Beck has the opinion that "the Muslim community" has not done enough to condemn "Muslim Extremism". He also apparently has the opinion that the failure of the Muslim Community to vocally and visibly participate in opposing "Muslim Extremism" is very dangerous to the wider "Muslim Community", as he feels that there is a time coming when the anger with the extremists will be so great that the general public will no longer care about the distinction between "Extremist" and "Regular" Muslim.

      With this as a background, he speaks to a Muslim member of congress. Someone Beck is clearly labeling as "Muslim Community". With some prefacing of the moment, he asks him to act as a spokesman for the "Muslim Community" and loudly denounce "Muslim Extremism" in the same kind of stark terms used by "regular americans". He basically puts him on the spot and gives him a chance to loudly proclaim "I hate those dirty bastard terrorists", thereby showing the way for the "Muslim Community" to head of the coming backlash by "regular Americans" who will soon cease to care about "Extremist/Regular" variations of "Muslim" and see "Enemy".

      If this is the "I'm not calling you a murderer, but prove you aren't" stuff that people in this thread are talking about, then they are idiots. This conversation may be inartful and needlessly confrontational, but he is clearly not using implication to call the guy a terrorist. He is clearly arguing that he believes that the congressman and any other prominent Muslim has a duty to be loud in their support of the war on terror to avoid the kind of "All Muslims are Terrorists" belief from being widely held. I think it is abundantly clear from the quoted text that he is firmly on the side of "Keith Ellison is a loyal American" and is trying to lead him into taking a public stand that he believes will enhance Muslim/nonMuslim relations in the US.

      It is not clear from the text, but it doesn't seem that Beck succeeds in communicating his intentions to the congressman. It seems that his over-the-top language puts him on the defensive and as such he doesn't take the cue from Beck to make a stump speech about defeating the terrorists. My guess is that Beck expected him to jump at the chance to condemn the terrorists and differentiate himself and his community from the extremist views. That may have been a stupid expectation given some of the extreme imagery he uses, but I really don't think an honest reading can conclude otherwise.

      Of course, it could be that Media Matters didn't include the part right before where he says "watch me catch this traitorous Muslim terrorist on live TV. I doubt it though. It appears that the intention is to paint Beck in the worst light possible, and from what I can see of the text, there is no such "gotcha" game being played by Beck.

    80. Re:Why bother? by J+Cardella · · Score: 1

      The same goes for the base of MoveOn and DailyKOS None of the examples given so far in this thread speak of intellectual honesty and openness to debate. Not that I would expect it on Slashdot.

    81. Re:Why bother? by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 1

      As I recall, Beck also asked repeatedly for Jones to expressly deny the charges, which he never did. Why the hell should he? He should have told Beck to go to hell, if he responded at all. I don't want anyone who used to be a communist anywhere near my government. I don't really care what you want. Fortunately, most people don't subscribe to your paranoia.

      Its paranoia to pay attention to your government? Unfortunately, most people are as blind as yourself.

    82. Re:Why bother? by gnud · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well if he lies when it suits him, maybe he lied when he said he was a communist? Duh.

    83. Re:Why bother? by J+Cardella · · Score: 1

      This sounds exactly like Michael Moore.

    84. Re:Why bother? by gnud · · Score: 1

      My interpretation is that he thought communism was the right tactic to reach what he percieved as his goals - probably a more equal distribution of wealth or something. Then, he changed his mind, and now thinks he can reach those same goals through other means.

      Why on earth would communism be a goal in and of itself? I hope noone sees a free market as a goal in and of itself, but rather as the best known way to balance individual freedoms and societal growth and progress.

    85. Re:Why bother? by tomhudson · · Score: 1

      Hmm, looks like this Glen Beck is not on my local radio. Could be the reason I had no idea who he was.

      Hint: He's the guy who, when asked, wouldn't deny that he raped and killed a 10-year-old in 1990. He also hasn't publicly denied the latest rumors wrt. him being a scientologist, and being "into furries".

    86. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I'd give you another label to consider for your moderate views: Pragmatic Libertarian. From what I can tell, there is nothing moderate about your views. You seem to strongly oppose views from both of the dominant parties, so you place yourself in the middle. But where you have views, they are not compromise views.

      Based on your definitions of Liberal, Conservative and Moderate, I would also say that your self-definition of "moderate conservative" is inaccurate. Your views as written seem to place you center-left, particularly from an economic point of view. BTW, I love your parallel characterizations of Liberal/Conservative with "think they are smarter than everyone else" and "as long as it is aligned with their beliefs" It is largely based on these sentiments and the polemic against left/right intrusions on individual liberty that I offer you the label of Pragmatic Libertarian. I often use it myself. Based on your other comments, I'd say you'll find that your high tolerance for socialism will keep you from embracing the label.

    87. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Please take a look at the rabid Beck haters below.
      I don't know if they are right or wrong in what they are saying since I don't watch Glenn Beck and will not make the effort to study him. He is a freaking talking head folks.
      Anyway both sides are EXTREMELY polarized and live in fantasy land. I would say that a good 25% of the population think Obama is the second coming and another 25% think he is the Anti-Christ.
      And even if you are right do you think that this action did anything to make things less polarized? Did that website make anything better or change anybodies mind?
      I wish more people would start following one rule. "Do nothing that doesn't make things better."
      In this case the website was exactly as I described it. A way to rally both bases but not only changes nobodies mind but instead just reinforces what they already believe.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    88. Re:Why bother? by markets_cirpsy · · Score: 1

      Actually, I think Beck said he was an avowed communist, not that he currently was one. The definition of avowed is "openly declared as such" (first google result, and typical). I.e., I can be an avowed communist and anti-communist if I have avowed to both opinions in the past. "Avowed" explicitly refers to the past: it makes no sense to ask "is he still [a self-avowed communist]?" as the politifact page does.

      That said, from the quotes, it isn't clear that the guy isn't still a communist. When Beck says he is a communist (if he did say it, I don't know), I would take it as him expressing his opinion based on the available facts.

    89. Re:Why bother? by tmosley · · Score: 1

      Except that the policies that he has lobbied in favor of are socialist in nature. They argue for a top-down dictated approach toward forcing money into "green jobs" and out of "jobs" in general.

    90. Re:Why bother? by Jason+Earl · · Score: 1

      I suppose that if you believe that the defining characteristic of communism is their belief in centralized planning of the economy then no one is a communist. Even the folks in China don't believe in that particular red herring any more. The fact that the radical communists in the U.S. still believe in that claptrap demonstrates the lack of mental acuity in your average radical communist.

      Van Jones is somewhat less dense than your average militant communist here in the U.S. He has, after 10 years in the trenches, realized that he was using the wrong means to his proposed end. Of course, the fact that the Communist leaders in China came to the same realization decades ago still means that Van Jones is pretty slow on the uptake.

      I mean seriously, modern communism is all about encouraging certain kinds of private enterprise. You'd have to be living under a rock to have missed out on that fact.

      That doesn't change Van Jones' proposed end. He still wants to redistribute wealth. He still wants to bring down existing enterprises. He simply wants to replace current industries with his friends the "eco-entrepreneurs." He's also still a communist by any sane definition. If Van Jones is not a communist then neither are the Chinese.

      Either way, it shouldn't surprise anyone that he was a very controversial appointment.

    91. Re:Why bother? by butalearner · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Great post with one minor nitpick:

      Scientist's don't really believe in global warming so much as accept it. That is, the current evidence very clearly points to a trend of global warming, and there is evidence that it is bad. This is why scientists and people who think like them really are more intelligent than others: if the evidence changes, so will their acceptance of it. It is shocking how few people actually understand this.

      What isn't so clear is how much of an effect mankind has had on it, and how much power we have to stop it or at least slow it down. That's what is debatable. In my opinion we should be trying to head it off because it benefits us so much to do so. Using more alternative and/or renewable energy sources reduces both pollution and dependence on foreign oil. Sure it's expensive now but I'd rather spend that money here instead of pumping billions of dollars a day into the Middle East. The

    92. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      I have to say that I read that site. I seem some interesting bias in it. I would have put the liar lair pants on fire one as half true and that was from read the description.
      The H1N1 comment was fear mongering but it is true. "You don't know if this (the H1N1 vaccine) is gonna cause neurological damage like it did in the 1970s.".
      We don't know but in the world of risk assessment I would put not getting the vaccine as more dangerous than getting it.
      But vaccine fear is rampant on both sides these days.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    93. Re:Why bother? by tthomas48 · · Score: 1

      P.S. You know Health Care passed right?

    94. Re:Why bother? by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 1

      Well I intentionally gave both "conservative" and "liberal" unflattering definitions. I didn't want to be accused of favoring one extreme over the other.

      I'm glad you noticed the "smarter than" and "as long as it is aligned with their beliefs". My point being that they will tolerate you as long as you perfectly align yourself with their beliefs.

      I've been called a fiscal conservative and a social liberal, but I would like to think of myself (and others) as being too complex to label.

      I don't think of myself as a Libertarian, nor would anybody else for that matter. I'm for individual rights, but I'm also for government regulation.

      However, you did give me food for thought.

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    95. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      An awesome tool gets results. This gets no positive results so it isn't an awesome tool.
      I suggest that before you start looking down on others for faulty thinking that you check your own critical thinking skills.
      Parody can be funny and if well done can cause change. This was pretty tasteless and not well done at all if the goal was to inform. If the goal was self aggrandizement then it was very effective.
      I don't watch Beck or any talking head at all. Frankly most of the people that follow Beck and those that hate Beck seem to be just different sides of the same coin.
      Kid gloves? Yes I think people really should start treating each other with kid gloves. Maybe instead of venom and ridicule you respect and discussion was offered then both sides could learn and become more enlightened. Their is an old saying that a wise man can learn from a fool and fool can learn from no one.
      I would say that just from what you have written that you are not currently part of the solution.

      PS if you want Beck off the air STOP talking about him or watching him. If you really know he is so bad then you must spend a lot of time watching him. If you are so sure his wrong and have spent no time watching him yourself you are speaking completely out of ignorance and arrogance.
      As I said I don't know if he is good or bad because he is one of many people spouting political opinion I listen to none of them because I can think for myself.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    96. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      While my views differ a bit from yours. I tend to agree. The problem is the arrogance on both sides that is every where.
      I know people that think I am extremely liberal. I know liberals that think I am extremely conservative. I am think I am probably right where I need to be.
      There is no problem with people having right or left views. The problem is the bad manners and polarization that is happening.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    97. Re:Why bother? by pwfffff · · Score: 1

      Hello? Can anyone hear me? I got lost on the Internet and somehow I ended up here in the 1950s... McCarthy? Is that you?

    98. Re:Why bother? by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      I think I can summarize your post. People who hate Beck love science and reason. People who love Beck love logical fallacies and fanaticism. This isn't a right versus left issue, this is a sane versus bat-shit insane issue.

    99. Re:Why bother? by tburkhol · · Score: 1

      Really? An interview that starts with "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.'" You failed to hear the condescension and sarcasm in his explanation. He's using very careful language to imply that muslisms, by not condemning muslim extremists, are de facto supporting terrorism. Of course, we all know that muslim extremist is code for muslim terrorist. "Christian extremist" is never used. Instead we say "Christian fundamentalist," and talk about the IRA without mentioning Catholicism. Remember that Beck is not speaking to an impartial audience, but to one already primed to believe that all terrorists are muslims, and some who will confuse that with "all muslims are terrorists." You may also not appreciate that the interview is not just with "a muslim congressman" but with "the only muslim congressman." Try walking up to the only FLDS in the room and asking him loudly to condemn polygamy. If he does, everyone thinks he's just playing to audience. If he doesn't then he must support polygamy.

    100. Re:Why bother? by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Why am I not surprised that he didn't read the whole thing and came to an incorrect conclusion? I mean, isn't this the entire reason Beck has an audience in the first place?

    101. Re:Why bother? by g8oz · · Score: 1

      Did I summarize it right?

      No, but you did use Beck's style of argument. Selective and sneering. Good Brown Shirt, good.

    102. Re:Why bother? by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      (psssst...it's ok to be a current commie too)

    103. Re:Why bother? by QuantumPion · · Score: 1

      Luckily, Slashdot already has a great automatic, built-in political viewpoint filtering system. It goes from, on the Liberal side, to a maximum of +5 (there are many degrees of liberalism so it needs that many points). And on the Conservative side, simply the other direction, to -1. To see only liberal comments, set your filter to only show comments ranked at +5! And to see the conservative comments, set it to -1! Simple and reliable!

    104. Re:Why bother? by sorak · · Score: 1

      The problem with Glenn Beck is that he has taken dishonest journalism to a new low. His show is propaganda, and his conspiracy theories really are insane. Those statements may sound like insults, but that does not make them any less true. You can debunk him all day, but some people will never read it. So, parody is also useful.

      And this parody is particularly useful, because it succinctly, and humorously shows the flaw in the logic of Beck's show.

      I am amazed at how disreputable Fox News has become. I remember the days when Fox News tried to keep plausible deniability. Bill O'Reilly would repeat an incorrect statement for days, until someone corrected him on it on the air. He would then act surprised and stop repeating that statement. Sean Hannity would keep the statement and incorporate it into his recent list of Democrat evils, but he had Alan Colmes to provide the appearance of balance.

      Now, they are stating discredited conspiracy theories and literally just cutting words out of public talks to create the illusion of statements never made. So, no, they have no room to complain if a disrespectful website calls them on their own BS.

    105. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Health care passed the Senate and was signed into law by the President?
      Funny that isn't what this says http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/10/health.care/index.html

      If you mean passed the house yea but I doubt that it will pass the senate. As you can see the delaying action has started.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    106. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This isn't a fucking game you numbskull. How goddamn dense are you that you can't see what he is doing in that clip? Oh, thats right, its WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR.

    107. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Not really. The people that love Beck thinks he speaks for them and reenforces their world view sometimes with the truth and sometimes not.
      The people that hate Beck feel feel that he challenges their world view which he does. Sometimes with the truth and sometimes not.
      Those that love Beck on convinced that he is always telling the truth and those that hate him are convinced that he is is never telling the truth.
      You can swap Beck for Moore and it works the same.
      Both sides really are annoying as heck and both pretty dang foolish.
      What is worse both are sure they are the sane ones while both are as you put it bat-shit insane. The reason that both are insane is because they care way too much about what a talking head on a screen says.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    108. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you are socialist.

    109. Re:Why bother? by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Its paranoia to pay attention to your government? Unfortunately, most people are as blind as yourself.

      It's paranoia to believe (a) that there communists skulking around in your bushes and (b) that someone who subscribes to communist beliefs can hold no value as a person or help a government function, and should be dismissed completely without even looking at the person.

    110. Re:Why bother? by shermo · · Score: 1

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crucible

      Funny how the older I get the more relevant these old crusty works of literature become.

      --
      Insanity: voting in the same two parties over and over again and expecting different results
    111. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't cite politifact.com - it makes you look like an asshole.

      Here, let me summarize politifact.com in their own style:

      Anonymous Coward claims politifact.com is a left-wing news website that kisses Obama's ass and picks apart his opponents:

      The truth-o-meter says: Half-true. Because politifact.com points out some of Obama's unfulfilled promises they are clearly unbiased. The multiple layers of shit on their nose are also from multiple democrats so clearly, even if they were kissing Obama's ass, his ass was not the only one being kissed.

    112. Re:Why bother? by BoothbyTCD · · Score: 1

      Personally I would have to say that I want to help his faithful. I want everyone who feels that Glenn Beck is a reasonable source for rational opinion to have the opportunity to say so loudly and frequently. It is important that we are able to identify these people.

      --
      snig
    113. Re:Why bother? by phlinn · · Score: 1

      So if George Will told people he wasn't a conservative since he's not a member of the conservative party, that would be just fine? Socialism isn't just a party, it's a collection of ideas. A number of prominent democrats do appear to hold some of those ideas. Heck, Obama even put the means of production in the hands of the workers when he bypassed normal bankruptcy law to give the UAW control of GM.

      Regarding Global Warming in particular, it amuses me to see people hold up scientists as a group, but selectivly say 'but you are not a climate scientist' on the other when someone does disagree. Do you have a cite for that 90%, and is the percentage the same for climate scientists as it is for other groups? Is that 90% the number who believe it's happening, or the number who believe it's caused by human activity?

      --
      "Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny! Free men pull in all sorts of directions" -- Havelock Vetinari
    114. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who the hell is Anita Dunn and why does anyone other than you and Glenn Beck care? Is she some cheerleader of all liberals who we're all supposed to love and agree with at all times?

    115. Re:Why bother? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Nice. So you want mandatory identification of those that you do not think correctly....
      That is so enlightened and open minded of you.
      I mean what could possible go wrong with that idea?

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  24. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Whalou · · Score: 1

    Explain what SFW porn is, please.

    Here's a sample of SFW beastiality: http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/9c89/

    --
    English is not this .sig mother tongue...
  25. its fair turn around by circletimessquare · · Score: 1, Insightful

    beck/ limbaugh/ fox traffic in lies, propaganda and demagoguery. to point lies, propaganda, and demagoguery back at the crap flingers is to merely use their own tactics against them

    i am not aware of michelle obama engaging in smears and vindictive hysterical FUD against people she dislikes. but of course, that doesn't stop the likes of beck and limbaugh from pointing smears and propaganda at people they dislike for ideological reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the accusations they throw at people

    that someone should point the same bullshit at them: exactly where is the hypocritical rule written that people who fling mud can't have mud flung at them?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:its fair turn around by schnikies79 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Two wrongs don't make a right. Be the better person and refrain from it.

      Using the same tactics makes you an asshat just like the other guy.

      --
      Gone!
    2. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In a case like this, sometimes it's using the same tactics that exposes the former for how idiotic his methods are in the first place.

      Parody is exactly that. Aping what is being done to show the ridiculousness of it in the first place. I don't suppose you thought the Jon Stewart 11/3 project episode made him more of an asshat...

    3. Re:its fair turn around by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 5, Funny

      I agree with that statement 100%. However, the point of this website was not to fight fire with fire, but to fight fire with satire. That is something altogether different. However, one could legitimately ask if this kind of humor is lost on its intended audience as it requires something of an ability to objectively evaluate arguments, rather than simply agree with everything that person A says. Thus the real effect of such satire may just be preaching to the choir, while enraging those predisposed to defend Beck.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    4. Re:its fair turn around by ArcherB · · Score: 3, Funny

      beck/ limbaugh/ fox traffic in lies, propaganda and demagoguery.

      Funny. The

      numbers

      show just the opposite. You can bitch and moan all you want, but numbers don't lie. So if the numbers don't lie and you are saying the opposite... what does that say about you?

      Do you have something against a news network that actually gives those that you disagree with a fair shake?

      (Granted, commentators like Hannity are NOT news. But as far as the actual NEWS goes, Fox NEWS was by fair the most "fair and balanced" of any network, at least in regards to the last election. Like I said, numbers don't lie.)

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    5. Re:its fair turn around by realityimpaired · · Score: 1

      Using the same tactics makes you an asshat just like the other guy.

      Unfortunately, the people in his target audience don't seem to realize this. I see the same thing in general with American politics... admittedly, it's an outsider's view, but I, for some odd reason, expect my politicians to tell me why I should vote *for* them, rather than why I should vote *against* the other guy. The kind of shitslinging that happens in US politics on average is, frankly, insulting. They don't seem to credit me with the intelligence to be able to see through the lies and slander to the fact that they haven't actually made any convincing argument as to why I should vote for them in the first place. I'd rather decline my vote than vote for somebody I don't support.

      But most people don't read it that way. When you're dealing with a population that's not aware enough to realize that they're being insulted, you need to resort to the tactics that are actually working. You may end up conveying the wrong message, but if that message is similar enough to the one you're actually trying to send out, then it can be chalked up as a win.

    6. Re:its fair turn around by shoemilk · · Score: 1

      I wasn't in the country for the last election, so I honestly don't know. Would you mind providing links to back your assertion that Fox's coverage was the most fair and balanced?

      Considering as it is now, you haven't made any links. By not having any links, it makes me wonder why you would make up a story about fox being fair and balanced. What is it that you're hiding by not producing links to numbers that prove things are fair and balanced? I'm not saying that I don't believe your assertions, I just find it suspect that you don't try to back them up.

    7. Re:its fair turn around by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But as far as the actual NEWS goes, Fox NEWS was by fair the most "fair and balanced" of any network...

      But the organization as a whole works as one machine. What Fox NEWS is very good at is reporting the rumors started by the Fox "commentators* - "...some people say..." - and those *commentators* are very good at talking about that *news* - "...it's been reported...". Rinse and repeat.

      There should be no misconception that the entire Fox News organization is a propaganda machine for Rupert Murdoch and the Republican party. They are "fair and balanced" only up to the point that it conflicts with these two entities. To paint a broad stroke, anyone who cannot see that is deluded.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    8. Re:its fair turn around by AlamedaStone · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Limbaugh and Beck are both "entertainment", obviously.

      Of the "news" designated portions of Fox News, I challenge you to link a single clip of one minute or more that can reasonably be called either fair or balanced. Full disclosure: I don't believe it is possible.

      Also, I don't have any idea what numbers you are referring to. Saying "the numbers prove you wrong" with no reference to what numbers is as absurdist as saying "the letters display pink daisies after the end!" It has no meaning.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    9. Re:its fair turn around by operagost · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Here you go. The total lack of criticism for Obama at MSNBC is disturbing. I'm sure now you'll make the argument that McCain is a baby-eater and he deserved more negative coverage.

      Unfortunately, it seems like most people get their opinions from SNL skits and Jon Stewart.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    10. Re:its fair turn around by Sancho · · Score: 1

      Now you're being shortsighted. I'm only posting this because I think it's important that we remain level-headed when discussing politics.

      Full disclosure: I'm a moderate who leans liberal socially.

      Fox News news casts have reported on many non-partisan issues. It's not only possible that they've reported on things in a fair and balanced way, it's incredibly likely. If you amend your statement to talk about reporting political stories in a fair and balanced way, I'd be much more inclined to agree with you.

      That said, I think that Limbaugh and Beck are entertainment in much the same way that David Koresh was entertainment to his followers. Limbaugh and Beck both have fans who blindly believe anything they hear from their media personality. Rush's followers were even called "dittoheads" at one point (I don't know if this moniker is still in use.) To me, that makes them more than entertainment. My fear is equivalent to the fear that many people have of their children seeing something dangerous on TV and trying to mimic it. Even if it's just entertainment, the fact that people believe it without thought is scary and dangerous.

    11. Re:its fair turn around by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      I wasn't in the country for the last election, so I honestly don't know. Would you mind providing links to back your assertion that Fox's coverage was the most fair and balanced?

        Considering as it is now, you haven't made any links. By not having any links, it makes me wonder why you would make up a story about fox being fair and balanced. What is it that you're hiding by not producing links to numbers that prove things are fair and balanced? I'm not saying that I don't believe your assertions, I just find it suspect that you don't try to back them up.

      Sorry, I screwed up the HTML and the link turned into a quote. HERE is the link.

      http://www.journalism.org/node/13436#fn1

      (in case I screw it up again)

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    12. Re:its fair turn around by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      Also, I don't have any idea what numbers you are referring to. Saying "the numbers prove you wrong" with no reference to what numbers is as absurdist as saying "the letters display pink daisies after the end!" It has no meaning.

      Here are the numbers:
      http://www.journalism.org/node/13436#fn1

      They show that Fox was very balanced in the previous election.

      Here is deeper analysis:
      http://www.journalism.org/node/13307

      AS for the commentators, when was the last time you saw a true conservative on Keith Olbermann's show? I've seen plenty of Liberals on O'Reilly's.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    13. Re:its fair turn around by dmartin · · Score: 1

      Just to add a little to the parent.

      The point is not to insult or get down on the level of "the other side". The point is to take an absolutely ridiculous statement (such as Glen Beck being insinuated of raping and murdering a little girl, but not actually accusing) that no reasonable person would actually believe, at least based on that "argument" alone. Instead the aim is to point out that using such techniques chave no logical or rigorous foundation.

      So when a video is shown of the Nazi's goose-stepping down the promenade during a monologue on universal healthcare, after which Beck claims "now I am not calling the healthcare facist, but it makes you think", hopefully people will remember that the logical content of this argument is practically nil.

      One of the best ways of showing that the logic of an argument is wrong is to start from things everyone knows to be true, apply the same series of steps and see if you get a result that is demonstrably false. In which case their is either a problem with one of the steps, or one of the things "everyone knows" is false. The hope (vain though it may be) is to show Glen Beck's fans that the method of argument often employed on his show can be used on anything, regardless of its real world validity.

    14. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because The Conservatist is any less biased? Don't be disingenuous.

    15. Re:its fair turn around by tekrat · · Score: 1

      How about you read the conclusion? According to the article you're linking to CNN provided the most balanced coverage, not FOX. Or... did you screw up the link again? Or, do you just not know how to read?

      --
      If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    16. Re:its fair turn around by daem0n1x · · Score: 1

      In primary school, one day the teacher told us about Jesus and the "turn the other cheek" thing. When I got home I asked my mother about it, because I was pretty confused.

      She told me: If someone slaps you, slap him twice, and twice as hard. That way he won't bother you anymore.

      I believed her then. So many years later, life has proven her right.

    17. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fox News wins lawsuit for the right to present lies as truthful news.
      This gives those they disagree with a fair shake how?

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Akre

    18. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two wrongs dont make a right, but... three lefts make a right!!

    19. Re:its fair turn around by kthejoker · · Score: 1

      First, nobody really cares about the news wing of Fox News. Anyone can read a 3-graf bit about a car bombing in Mosul or a new ambassador to Sri Lanka. So, why are you even discussing it?

      What everyone sees at Fox News is the commentators, the opinion sections. And they see that their version of "fair and balanced" (equal time for both sides) is not the same as Fox News's version of "fair and balanced" (a conservative counterweight to what they perceive as a generally more liberal media.)

      Go read the things Pat Buchanan, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Andrew Napolitano, Ann Coulter, Susan Estrich, Judith Miller, Grover Norquist, et al write in the Opinion section of Fox News's websites. Now try to find even a semblance of a liberal equivalent to that there.

      Fox News has tried to take this weird high road of saying their station itself is "fair and balanced", when clearly what they meant when they kicked it off was "we are balancing ourselves against Meet The Press and MSNBC and the New York Times, etc." Which is a perfectly legitimate position.

      The problem is I think they've bastardized it terribly by becoming a mouthpiece for the Republican Party even at its most wrongheaded, and I don't see nearly enough independent thinking, compromise, or moderation on their part. I don't agree with everything the Democratic Party does, and I let my Congressman (Mr. Ron Paul himself) know. But the whipping in line of a media outlet by a single party is really impressive, nobody at FOX News is ever off-message - and that's precisely the problem. There's no inner debate, not even a hint of "well, maybe we're wrong, maybe there is more than one side to this, maybe it's not black and white", and without that, I think calling Fox News "fair and balanced" is a farce.

      There are plenty of liberal equivalents to this, of course, but they're just little blogs and DailyKos and The Progressive and the like. None of them are on cable TV. None of them have the weight of Rupert Murdoch and News Corp's prodigious checkbook behind them. That's why we laugh when hear what FOX News has to say. You can be biased, you can even be transparent in it, but if you're big business, don't expect people to just nod their heads uncritically.

    20. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Y'know, generally when one links to "the numbers" that supposedly prove their point they check whether their evidence is in favor of their argument or not...

      From your 1st link (since the 2nd doesn't mention Fox at all, but is instead about the general tone of media coverage of Obama):
      "Things look much better for Barack Obama—and much worse for John McCain—on MSNBC than in most other news outlets. On the Fox News Channel, the coverage of the presidential candidates is something of a mirror image of that seen on MSNBC.

      The tone of CNN’s coverage, meanwhile, lay somewhere in the middle of the cable spectrum, and was generally more negative than the press overall.

      On the evening newscasts of the three traditional networks, in contrast, there is no such ideological split. Indeed, on the nightly newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC, coverage tends to be more neutral and generally less negative than elsewhere. On the network morning shows, Sarah Palin is a bigger story than she is in the media generally."

      So your "proof" actually notes that Fox is amongst the most biased of the news outlets, along with MSNBC, and in contrast with everybody else.

      "Did I summarize it right?"

    21. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The difference is that Glenn Beck did not accuse anyone of a felony with no evidence what-so-ever to back it up. Glenn Beck at least presents his claims with some factual evidence to back up his positions. This "satire" was borderline slander.

    22. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Repost of http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1438172&cid=30048692 in reference to the same link

      Y'know, generally when one links to "the numbers" that supposedly prove their point they check whether their evidence is in favor of their argument or not...

      "Things look much better for Barack Obama—and much worse for John McCain—on MSNBC than in most other news outlets. On the Fox News Channel, the coverage of the presidential candidates is something of a mirror image of that seen on MSNBC.

      The tone of CNN’s coverage, meanwhile, lay somewhere in the middle of the cable spectrum, and was generally more negative than the press overall.

      On the evening newscasts of the three traditional networks, in contrast, there is no such ideological split. Indeed, on the nightly newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC, coverage tends to be more neutral and generally less negative than elsewhere. On the network morning shows, Sarah Palin is a bigger story than she is in the media generally."

      So your "proof" actually notes that Fox is amongst the most biased of the news outlets, along with MSNBC, and in contrast with everybody else.

      "Did I summarize it right?"

    23. Re:its fair turn around by scot4875 · · Score: 1

      So I took a look at those numbers, and I honestly don't think they prove anything, and here's why:

      If you remember the lead-up to the election, what was Obama campaigning for? Hope and change. For the most part, he ran a positive campaign, making claims about what he was going to do as president. I don't watch TV, so I can't really speak to any negative spots that may have run, but during debates I really don't recall him harping on the shortcomings of McCain all that much other than linking him to Bush's policies.

      What did we have out of the McCain/Palin camp? Well, we had the lie that was Joe the Plumber and all of his easily refuted claims. We had Palin accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists." (Note also that she used the Beck tactic of, "we just want to know what you were doing, so why don't you acknowledge this statement, even though it's utter BS? We won't use your reaction to smear you, honest.") We had McCain saying that "the fundamentals of the economy are good" as the Dow was in the middle of a 50% plunge, with record numbers of home foreclosures and huge financial institutions on the verge of collapse. We had coverage of town hall meetings with Palin and McCain where their constituents shouted out "terrorist!" and "socialist!" while the candidates egged them on.

      In light of that, there was a lot more negative to report about the McCain camp than there was about the Obama camp. If you run a negative campaign that relies on easily refutable material, expect to have negative coverage. According to your links, even Fox had twice as much negative coverage of McCain as they did positive coverage. In the end, Obama's campaign promises may have just been empty words, but at least they couldn't be verified or disputed until after he had already been elected. You can't do much negative reporting on "hope and change" unless you're arguing for the status quo.

      --Jeremy

      --
      Jesus was a liberal
    24. Re:its fair turn around by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      How about you read the conclusion? According to the article you're linking to CNN provided the most balanced coverage, not FOX. Or... did you screw up the link again? Or, do you just not know how to read?

      Strange. The closest thing I can find to that is this quote:

      CNN fell distinctly in the middle of the three cable channels when it came to tone. In general, the tone of its coverage was closer than any other cable news channel to the press overall, though also somewhat more negative than the media overall.

      This quote says CNN was more in line with the media average. It does not say it gave fair coverage.

      So, if you can copy and paste the paragraph you found, I'd appreciate it. However, what I found in the numbers is this:
      On McCain:
      CNN was 61% negative, 13% positive
      Fox was 40% negative, 22% positive
      On Obama:
      CNN was 39% negative, 36% positive
      Fox was 40% negative, 25% positive

      Strange, FoxNews was MORE favorable to Obama than McCain on the positive toned stories and exactly the same on the negative (40% on both). CNN gave 22% more negative coverage to McCain than Obama and nearly triple the positive coverage to Obama than it gave McCain.

      Here is how the article put it:

      That made Obama’s coverage on CNN less negative than on Fox and less positive than on MSNBC.

      The tone of CNN’s coverage of McCain was also mainly negative. Stories about McCain were more than four to one negative (13% positive, 61% negative and 26% neutral.) That was very close to the media generally (14% positive, 57% negative and 29% neutral) and fell somewhere between its two competitors.

      Like I said, numbers don't lie. It appears that you do since you can no longer claim ignorance.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    25. Re:its fair turn around by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      O'Reilly makes a living chewing out people he doesn't agree with. Olbermann likes to have conversations. See a difference?

    26. Re:its fair turn around by Veretax · · Score: 1

      Glenn beck has been on the trails of many of these stories, for a long time, well before he was ever signed to air on Fox News, back when he was still on one of turner's stations, Headline News. Yet noone wants to remember that, het's on fox he must be a liar. So does that mean Alan Colmes, Hiraldo, or anyone else who appears on Fox News must by association be a liar?

    27. Re:its fair turn around by schnikies79 · · Score: 1

      Not the same thing. If someone makes up shit about you, you don't make shit up about them. You confront them, find out what the problem is, and in your case, hit them if necessary. I'm not talking about turning the other cheek. This is equivalent to kindergarten where some kid tell you that you look funny and in retaliation you tell them they smell, even if they don't. You tell them to shut the hell up.

      This Glenn Beck stuff is childish shit. Political mud-slinging is childish shit. Grow up.

      --
      Gone!
    28. Re:its fair turn around by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      Glenn beck has been on the trails of many of these stories, for a long time, well before he was ever signed to air on Fox News, back when he was still on one of turner's stations, Headline News. Yet noone wants to remember that, he's on fox he must be a liar. So does that mean Alan Colmes, Hiraldo, or anyone else who appears on Fox News must by association be a liar?

      They are all liars and hypocrites to some extent. Their motivations are money, fame and ratings - not truth or patriotism, etc. If those goals are sometimes aligned, so much the better. The difference is that the all of the output of Fox News and the Fox *commentators* is at the direction and approval of Murdoch and his agenda, which happens to coincide with the agenda of the Republican party. Sure, it's his business and he can run it however he likes, but let's not pretend it's for any benefit except his own.

      Glenn Beck doesn't love this country, he loves what he can do here and what the country can do for him. If he actually loved the country, he would be less derisive and inflammatory - as would the rest of the Fox News *commentators*.

      For those that still think Murdoch and Fox News are wonderful, I'll digress a bit...
      From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch

      In 1985 Murdoch became a United States citizen to satisfy legislation that only United States citizens could own American television stations. This also resulted in Murdoch losing his Australian citizenship.

      In 1999, The Economist reported that Newscorp Investments had made £11.4 billion ($20.1 billion) in profits over the previous 11 years but had not paid net corporation tax. It also reported that after an examination of the available accounts, Newscorp could normally have been expected to pay corporate tax of approximately $350 million. The article explained that in practice the corporation's complex structure, international scope and use of offshore tax havens allowed News Corporation to pay minimal taxes.

      Legal? Perhaps. Ethical? ... Believe me, I know politicians are actually to blame for structuring the tax code to allow this sort of thing, and I'm sure there are many other corporation that doe the same. I'm just saying, all Murdoch - and by extension his empire - cares about is Murdoch.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    29. Re:its fair turn around by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

      The difference is that Glenn Beck did not accuse anyone of a felony with no evidence what-so-ever to back it up. Glenn Beck at least presents his claims with some factual evidence to back up his positions. This "satire" was borderline slander.

      So, when Beck asked keith Ellison if he was a terrorist, that was not slander??? You see, that's how Beck works, and what the site parodies. He doesn't directly accuse anyone, but asks assinine questions like this.

    30. Re:its fair turn around by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      I'd like to ask, though, is reporting a negative story on a candidate more often than positive stories really a sign of bias?

      Could it be that one side honestly, and I'm being serious here, made more gaffes than the other? McCain, by many large accounts of analysts (going by memory, correct me if you wish) made a lot more openly obvious mistakes. Obama made a lot of mistakes, too, don't get me wrong. And when he did, they hammered him for it. Hell, they gave one of his mistakes a -gate suffix. Bittergate.

      I'd be more concerned with the press ignoring actual news rather than their failure to report that Obama, gasp, didn't wear an American flag lapel.

    31. Re:its fair turn around by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      But the organization as a whole works as one machine. What Fox NEWS is very good at is reporting the rumors started by the Fox "commentators* - "...some people say..." - and those *commentators* are very good at talking about that *news* - "...it's been reported...". Rinse and repeat.

      Examples, please. Don't say that it's true and provide no evidence or you are being guilty of the exact same thing you are accusing Fox News of. In your first paragraph, you start a rumor. In your second you draw a conclusion based on the very same rumor.

      There should be no misconception that the entire Fox News organization is a propaganda machine for Rupert Murdoch and the Republican party. They are "fair and balanced" only up to the point that it conflicts with these two entities. To paint a broad stroke, anyone who cannot see that is deluded.

      You mean the same Rupert Murdoch who gave money to the Hillary Clinton campaign? And, again, NUMBERS DON'T LIE! Fair and Balanced means telling all sides of the story. Fox News does just that. So, you may not like the FACT that Fox is more "Fair and Balanced" than any other news network, but don't insult them and their viewers because they tell a side of the story that you don't want heard. It's kind of like book burning. When you see information you don't agree with, you feel you must destroy it.

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    32. Re:its fair turn around by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      But the organization as a whole works as one machine. What Fox NEWS is very good at is reporting the rumors started by the Fox "commentators* - "...some people say..." - and those *commentators* are very good at talking about that *news* - "...it's been reported...". Rinse and repeat.

      Examples, please. Don't say that it's true and provide no evidence or you are being guilty of the exact same thing you are accusing Fox News of. In your first paragraph, you start a rumor. In your second you draw a conclusion based on the very same rumor.

      A recent "The Daily Show" episode had a whole series of clips from Fox News that illustrate this point very well.

      And, again, NUMBERS DON'T LIE!

      No, they sure don't: Daily Show/Colbert Viewers Most Knowledgeable, Fox News Viewers Rank Lowest

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    33. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about you read the conclusion? According to the article you're linking to CNN provided the most balanced coverage, not FOX. Or... did you screw up the link again? Or, do you just not know how to read?

      No it doesn't. It says that CNN was in the middle of the pack in terms of tone, not that it provided the most balanced coverage. It says that CNN was the closest to the overall tone of the media, but more negative. The numbers show that Fox was the most "balanced", giving both candidates identical 40% negative coverage. It gave Obama more positive coverage (25%) than McCain (22%). So by this sites numbers, Fox was very slightly biased toward Obama.

      Their numbers for the press overall show that there was an extreme bias, with Obama receiving 36% positive, 26% negative coverage and McCain receiving 14% positive, 57% negative coverage. These are the numbers that CNN was closes to. So no, not "balanced" by any stretch of the imagination.

      So no, he doesn't fail at reading comprehension.

    34. Re:its fair turn around by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

      Yeah, no. Over your head, *Whoosh* and what not. You either understand this as funny satire, or you don't. Understand how Beck works, or don't. I'd rather argue with gene ray about the non-existence of earth's 4 corner simultaneous 4-day time cube. It would be more entertaining, and less frustrating.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    35. Re:its fair turn around by edschurr · · Score: 1

      Specifically it's the Oct 29, 2009 show, clip 1. At about 3:30 into the clip they start the segment "FOR FOX SAKE!". At about 7:00 in they give an example of the commentator->reporter relation. I checked this at thecomedynetwork.ca, but I don't know where non-Canadians are supposed to watch it.

    36. Re:its fair turn around by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      Specifically it's the Oct 29, 2009 show, clip 1. At about 3:30 into the clip they start the segment "FOR FOX SAKE!". At about 7:00 in they give an example of the commentator->reporter relation.

      Thanks for the segment name. Here's the .com link, or just Google "For Fox Sake":
      http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-29-2009/for-fox-sake-

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    37. Re:its fair turn around by ArcherB · · Score: 1

      You use "The Daily Show" as an example? Really? A show on Comedy Central? If that's the case, may I point you to THIS video of John Stewart.

      No, they sure don't: Daily Show/Colbert Viewers Most Knowledgeable, Fox News Viewers Rank Lowest [thinkprogress.org]

      From your article:

      The results about Fox News echo findings of previous surveys. In 2003, University of Maryland researchers studied the public’s belief in three false claims — that Iraq possessed WMD, that Iraq was involved in 9/11, and that there was international support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

      Strange. There WERE WMD's in Iraq, just not the numbers we were expecting to find.

      Also, there was about the same international support for the second gulf war as the first. (34 countries sent troops in '92. 33 in '03)

      (I can't speak for people thinking Iraq was involved in 9-11)

      So, seeing that 66% these assumptions that are used to judge the "knowledge" of viewers are false, it does not bode well for the rest of the survey. Also, the survey does not consider that people that watch the "Daily Show" probably get their information from other sources as well. I would be interested in knowing what column they placed someone who watches Fox News, The Daily Show, reads the local paper and subscribes to news magazines. You have to consider that someone who enjoys the political humor of "The Daily Show" is more likely to also watch other news shows more than someone who watches "Dancing with the Stars".

      --
      There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
    38. Re:its fair turn around by reg106 · · Score: 1

      In is interesting to note the time period examined, September 8 to October 16, 2008. This starts one week after the start of the Republican National Convention (Sept 1-4). Palin was introduced August 29. Lehman Bros failed on Sept 15. After refusing interviews for several weeks, Palin interviewed with Couric on Sept 24. McCain skipped Letterman on Sept 24 to return to D.C., then appeared with Couric in New York.

      Regardless of political persuasion, I don't think it's hard to argue that the Republicans lost the national election in September. They came off a strong national convention that highly motivated their base, but promptly squandered that through a series of poor interviews and misguided decisions. Over the same time period the Obama camp was following a low key approach, so much so that the left was hand-wringing that Obama would lose the election by not being aggressive enough.

      Judging media bias by reviewing articles from this time period is bound to be misleading. I'd suggest that a better time would have been earlier (e.g. the month before the Democratic National Convention, when both presidential candidates were known, but running mates were unkown.) Moreover, using such a short time slice is bound to be misleading, but it would be hard to track tone over a much longer period because the number of candidate changes rapidly from January through the conventions.

    39. Re:its fair turn around by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      As others have noted, your links do not support your claims, and I don't feel the need to respond further.

      I am still waiting for a link to a clip of a news segment on Fox News of one minute or more that could, by a reasonable observer, be seen as either fair or balanced.

      Maybe I'm all turned around on this topic, and I'm willing to consider your implication if you can provide even a single example of impartial reporting.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    40. Re:its fair turn around by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      Examples please.

      Another poster reports this as the Daily Show show I mentioned. I can't confirm from this location, but it sound correct. I've included the .com link.

      Specifically it's the Oct 29, 2009 show, clip 1. At about 3:30 into the clip they start the segment "FOR FOX SAKE!". At about 7:00 in they give an example of the commentator->reporter relation.

      Here's the .com link, or just Google "For Fox Sake": http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-29-2009/for-fox-sake-

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    41. Re:its fair turn around by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      Fox News news casts have reported on many non-partisan issues. It's not only possible that they've reported on things in a fair and balanced way, it's incredibly likely. If you amend your statement to talk about reporting political stories in a fair and balanced way, I'd be much more inclined to agree with you.

      Although I understand your point, my experience with Fox News is that they take every story and turn it into a political issue. They use political language, often using actual conservative talking points, and every story serves the political agenda of News Corp.

      Having said all that, I don't spend very much time watching Fox News, so it is certainly possible they do in fact have non-partisan reporting. I am not actually asserting that they are never fair or balanced, I was asking the GP ArcherB to post links to footage that showed an example.

      He has, thus far, not done so.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    42. Re:its fair turn around by R2.0 · · Score: 1

      Fox news works for the Republicans; CBS works for the shareholders.

      The Washington Times is owned by Sun Yung Moon, the Post is owned by shareholders.

      I won't for one minute claim that Fox or the Times is fair; on the other hand, I know the direction from which the shit is being flung.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    43. Re:its fair turn around by geekoid · · Score: 1

      "Two wrongs don't make a right. "

      Says who? Sometimes another wrong DOES make a right. Ora t elastr a correction.

      However a satire isn't a wrong.
      In fact, being an asshat doesn't make you wrong.

      Your shut up and take it attitude is disgusting.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    44. Re:its fair turn around by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      Rush's followers were even called "dittoheads" at one point (I don't know if this moniker is still in use.)

      This statement undermines any credibility you may think you have on the topic of Rush Limbaugh. You can't actually know anything about Limbaugh beyond what his political opponents say and make this statement, because it implies something that is demonstratably factually incorrect.

      I suggest that you open your mind and actually listen to the people you denigrate for a few hours for a couple of days before forming an opinion based simply on other people's opinions.

      Note that I have carefully not made any statements about my own political views here.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    45. Re:its fair turn around by Sancho · · Score: 1

      This statement undermines any credibility you may think you have on the topic of Rush Limbaugh.

      Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. My points on entertainers (I wasn't the one to initially call his show entertainment) having blind followers is irrespective of the circumstances.

      If I misused the term because it's thrown around so much, or because every self-proclaimed ditto that I know treats Rush like he's the second coming of Christ, so what? Do you deny that there are a large number of people who parrot what Rush says? If a misused word invalidates everything that a person says on a subject, then we've all got some problems.

      I listened to Rush, Hannity, and one other guy (I can't remember his name, unfortunately--it was on a Dallas station--internet feed--, but I believe it was a national syndication) for about a year in 2005. It was the least productive year of my life, because I'd constantly fact-check things that I heard which were simply beyond belief. Rush and Hannity were the worst. The other guy tended to be factually correct and provide context, and it was actually pleasant to listen to him even if we disagreed on a few things.

    46. Re:its fair turn around by sorak · · Score: 1

      What numbers?

    47. Re:its fair turn around by schnikies79 · · Score: 1

      It's a not a shut-up and take it attitude. It's a if you the same asshat strategy, your an asshat as well.

      Confronting and standing up for yourself is not the same thing as pointing the finger back and saying, "well you did this!" As I said before, grow up.

      --
      Gone!
    48. Re:its fair turn around by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *you're an asshat as well.

      In before a grammar nazi.

    49. Re:its fair turn around by Veretax · · Score: 1

      I don't give a flip about Murdoch. If your going to rail against Fox, then why not NBC/MSNBC owned by GE whose leader (Imelt) has had direct input to Obama since getting to the white house.

      There are no unbiased news sources, but biased or not, Fox shows more from both sides than either of the two major cable networks. The left is just upset because their ideas of ever growing government, higher taxation, and dummed down populace doesn't sell as well on the air ways. Heck I was flipping through, and CNN was advertising during Beck's hour! Talk about crazy.

      Lastly, since when is making money anti-american?

    50. Re:its fair turn around by shoemilk · · Score: 1
      I agree, numbers don't lie. It's just the people who fail to analyze properly. I want to back track through all of your posts.

      First of all, what does it mean to be "negative", "positive", and "neutral".

      the negative assertions in a story must outweigh positive assertions by a margin of at least 1.5 to 1 for that story to be deemed negative.

      (link) Ok, we've got that down (we'll ignore the speculative side of it off the respectability of the link you provided).

      Ok, so this coverage must mean that the media loves Obama, right?

      One question likely to be posed is whether these findings provide evidence that the news media are pro-Obama. Is there some element in these numbers that reflects a rooting by journalists for Obama and against McCain, unconscious or otherwise? The data do not provide conclusive answers. They do offer a strong suggestion that winning in politics begat winning coverage, thanks in part to the relentless tendency of the press to frame its coverage of national elections as running narratives about the relative position of the candidates in the polls and internal tactical maneuvering to alter those positions. Obama’s coverage was negative in tone when he was dropping in the polls, and became positive when he began to rise, and it was just so for McCain as well. Nor are these numbers different than what we have seen before. Obama’s numbers are similar to what we saw for John Kerry four years ago as he began rising in the polls, and McCain’s numbers are almost identical to what we saw eight years ago for Democrat Al Gore.

      (same link) Wow, so you mean the news just followed the polls and that your non-lying numbers are actually meaningless in response to:

      beck/ limbaugh/ fox traffic in lies, propaganda and demagoguery.

      (Which quite an unsupportable statement itself).

      It appears that you do since you can no longer claim ignorance.

      Oh, and be sure to check the name of the person you are replying to. I was the one to claim ignorance, which I was. Now, I am no longer making that claim. You have provided me with my requested link. However, you can no longer go around claiming that these numbers suggest a bias without being a liar yourself. The study says this data is not conclusive evidence for media bias.

    51. Re:its fair turn around by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      So, you may not like the FACT that Fox is more "Fair and Balanced" than any other news network, but don't insult them and their viewers because they tell a side of the story that you don't want heard.

      Sorry, I don't consider giving equal time to the Flat Earth Society "fair and balanced." Giving equal time to a less-than-credible side is a bias in and of itself. I don't want to hear from the Flat Earth Society when it comes to volcanos because the round earth is a driving force and lack of belief in that round earth will lead to false conclusions, even if their actual discussion would be amusing.

    52. Re:its fair turn around by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      There WERE WMD's in Iraq, just not the numbers we were expecting to find.

      They found some devices so decayed they were unusable, but still contained sufficient residue as to meet an official definition, even though it would be impossible to deploy them. Nope. By the definition of the people lied to, those don't count. We knew he had those. There was no operational WMD program. There were no WMDs that weren't given to him by the USA or produced with the help of the USA. Saddam never created any WMDs and posessed no operational WMDs. The official stance was that he was working towards nuclear weapons. That was a known lie when it was stated in the State of the Union. It was stated that he had an operational WMD program. He did not. He had a disinformation program so that there wouldn't be a revolt. He lied to his people, and we believed him. There is not now and never was any evidence that he had a single operational WMD, and no operational WMDs were found.

      Next you'll be telling me that he was "involved" with Osama. After all, he did speak with the man and ban him from his country. That he spoke with him is what Cheney stated was sufficient to prove they were friendly, even if the conversation was "get the hell out of my country and don't come back." And since that was before 9/11, that means he was involved, even if his involvement was denying Osama a base in Iraq.

    53. Re:its fair turn around by daem0n1x · · Score: 1

      This Glenn Beck stuff is childish shit. Political mud-slinging is childish shit. Grow up.

      Why should I grow up? I wasn't the one to put the website on. I would never engage in political mudslinging because I hate it. And, if I remember correctly, the mudslinging was started by Glenn Beck in the first place. He just got paid the same way.

  26. Crossing the line by Dachannien · · Score: 0

    I'm not a fan of Glenn Beck, primarily because his commentary tends to get fairly extreme and lacks proper fact-checking.

    But come on, this domain name was making the implication that someone committed truly heinous acts, not just par-for-the-course political chicanery.

    Regardless of who the target was, doesn't this cross a line that shouldn't be crossed?

    1. Re:Crossing the line by h00manist · · Score: 2, Interesting

      this domain name was making the implication that someone committed truly heinous acts, not just par-for-the-course political chicanery.

      Regardless of who the target was, doesn't this cross a line that shouldn't be crossed?

      "par for the course" politics - yep. injecting hot fuel into racial hatred in politics, on mass media, on a national level, in the most powerful and armed nation, in the middle of wars full of religious and ethnic problems. very innocent, fair political gaming. Glenn Beck calls President Barack Obama a 'racist'. And, nobody is accusing Glenn Beck of having raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      --
      Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
    2. Re:Crossing the line by Dachannien · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Glenn Beck calls President Barack Obama a 'racist'.

      Being a racist, while repugnant to me (and, I surmise, you) personally, is still a matter of personal opinion to which every American has a right. Obama's clearly no more a racist than the rest of us are, but even if he were, it wouldn't rise to the level of something truly heinous.

      A more apt analogy would be if Glenn Beck said, "Did Barack Obama kill white people as a member of the Black Panthers?"

      Did Glenn Beck ever say anything on that level?

      And, nobody is accusing Glenn Beck of having raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.

      Suppose somebody around your workplace starts going around asking whether there's any truth to rumors that your boss is into child porn. Now, before this person said anything, there were no rumors, no supposition at all that this might be true. But eventually, the newly-created rumor spreads, people start shunning the boss and shooting him dirty looks all the time, and after a mental breakdown, the boss is forced to resign by his superiors.

      Nobody actually ever accused him of being into child porn. Nevertheless, the initial rumormonger managed to assassinate the boss's character and get him fired. By your logic, that's perfectly 100% okay, because nobody actually made the accusation.

      Why does Glenn Beck deserve less protection from this sort of character-assassinating rumormongering than the rest of us? Because he's a public figure? Or just because you disagree with everything he says?

    3. Re:Crossing the line by dissy · · Score: 1

      I'm not a fan of Glenn Beck,
      *snip*
      But come on, this domain name was making the implication that someone committed truly heinous acts

      Well, thankfully Glenn Beck disagrees, and making an implication is perfectly OK, even for (especially for) truly heinous acts.

      If it's good enough for Glenn Beck, it's good enough for the common American citizen!

  27. Re:it is petty... by falcon5768 · · Score: 1

    because you know Beck doesnt personally attack ANYONE with a liberal thought in him... Oh wait, he does.

    --

    "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

  28. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by digitig · · Score: 1

    ... and why does the first link in the summary go to very very NSFW porn?

    Explain what SFW porn is, please.

    Depends where you work. I expect that if you work for the Playboy organisation, SFW porn is stuff produced by your employer, NSFW porn is that produced by competitors (unless you're in market research).

    --
    Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  29. Anon wins again by orsty3001 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I'm glad there are a bunch of kids sitting in the basements with nothing better to do than this. If it wasn't for them, I'd be the one in my basement stirring up trouble.

  30. Sick of the Double Standard by penguin_dance · · Score: 0, Troll

    I would imagine most of the comments I just read were by those who have never even seen or listened to Beck's show. Why? Because I have. Beck BACKS UP claims and does more research than most main stream media, who generally worship at the feet of the democrat party. The quotes he provides are on video and can be looked up on You-Tube. Often they are taken from the person's own speeches (and no, not out of context). It's simply rather difficult, for example, for White House officials to deny their admiration for communist dictator Mao Tse Tung, although I imagine that frosts their gonads that Beck keeps exposing their beliefs.

    Calling the accusation of fictional rape of a young girl parody is ridiculous. Stooping to that level means you are simply trying to assassinate a person's character. But when it's done against a conservative, it's called parody. If it was done to a liberal, it would be defamation and slander.

    And we know the left (with an agreeable media) NEVER tries to take down someone they don't like. Just like the claims of Rush Limbaugh and racism...oh wait!

    --
    If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a minority viewpoint here!
    1. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I would imagine most of the comments I just read were by those who have never even seen or listened to Beck's show.Calling the accusation of fictional rape of a young girl parody is ridiculous.

      I have listened to Beck and I also consider his approach to calling anything or anyone who proposes a government run this or that as communist and socialist (and the "fact" that the left has a "hidden" agenda to turn the US into a communist state) is also ridiculous and extremely distasteful

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      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    2. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by sheepofblue · · Score: 1

      I agree with your points but the court actually did the right thing. Free speech should not just be for your side nor even for stuff that does not hurt your feelings. Beck should have been able to just laugh it off and it is sad that many of us have that same failing as we all lose freedom when someone whines.

    3. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by gedrin · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      It's not exactly unreasonable to call a program for the government to have the means to produce a thing (good or service) a socialist program.

      --
      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    4. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by kehren77 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      And we know the left (with an agreeable media) NEVER tries to take down someone they don't like. Just like the claims of Rush Limbaugh and racism...oh wait!

      Wait. Does that mean you were being sarcastic the whole time? Because I thought it was pretty obvious to anyone who has listened to more than 10 minutes of Limbaugh that he IS racist. I know you probably want quotes. Don't have them off the top of my head as I try to scrub all memory of his hate-filled speech from my head. But I'd be glad to get them for you when I get off work.

    5. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Tanks*Guns · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "Calling the accusation of fictional rape of a young girl parody is ridiculous. Stooping to that level means you are simply trying to assassinate a person's character. But when it's done against a conservative, it's called parody"

      You, my dear sir or madam, missed the point entirely, of course he didn't rape and kill anyone, it would certainly hit his ratings so he wouldn't do that, what the domain "parodied" was the style favored by Mr. Glenn "I do more research ..." Beck: make a statement about a target, imply its validity and ask why the target does not defend that accusation, because if he doesn't defend that accusation, then it must be true.

      That *is* character assassination and he was called on it, quite publicly.

      Remember, “if it weights more than a duck, it must be a witch"

    6. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by JCCyC · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I stopped reading at "democrat party".

      Wotta loon.

    7. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > But when it's done against a conservative, it's called parody. If it was done to a liberal, it would be defamation and slander.

      Are you high? Or do you simply not do the modicum of work required to back up your claim?
      http://mediamatters.org/research/200509210002

    8. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      It's not exactly unreasonable to call a program for the government to have the means to produce a thing (good or service) a socialist program.

      totally agree .. which is why we have the socialist programs of the Armed forces and public schools. However Beck calls people Communist or Socialist (with no proof) which is a different thing altogether.

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    9. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by floodo1 · · Score: 1

      HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH

      --
      I KUT J00 M4NG!!!
    10. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody's accusing Glenn Beck of rape and/or murder. In fact, they clearly state they think he didn't. They're just asking, if he really didn't, then why won't Glenn Beck just plainly deny that he brutally raped and murdered a young girl in 1990 while bathing in her feces as a bizarre ritual to the Dark Lord?

    11. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      The problem is that "socialism" covers everything from anarchism over social democracy and national socialism to marxist socialism. Not everyone who's pro-government involvement wants to erect a soviet republic.

      "Socialist" is as much a weasel word as "liberal" - it gets tossed around by a wide variety of people to refer to a wide variety of things they don't approve of.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    12. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Grym · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's not exactly unreasonable to call a program for the government to have the means to produce a thing (good or service) a socialist program.

      That's entirely unreasonable. Socialism != Government-run. You don't think the U.S. military is socialist do you? Policemen and Firefighters aren't socialist are they?

      The real problem is that too many Americans have no idea what Socialism is. The term has been shrewdly twisted by people who profit from Laissez-faire policies to effectively mean any and every service the government provides. But that is not socialism. The "means of production" is not defined as the ability to produce any product or any service like you seem to think.

      It could just be that people are ignorant in general, and because they resent and distrust intellectuals, they end up getting their history lessons from buffoons like Glen Beck. The result is that a disturbing number of people end up truly believing that Nazism, Communism, Socialism, and Fascism are all the same. How can America hope to remain an innovative, dominant competitor in a global economy with such widespread ignorance?

      -Grym

    13. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Because I thought it was pretty obvious to anyone who has listened to more than 10 minutes of Limbaugh that he is NOT racist.

      Fixed that for you.

    14. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by gedrin · · Score: 1

      Which particular persons?

      --
      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    15. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by gedrin · · Score: 0

      "Means of Production" refers to industrial capacity, productive infrastructure and natural resources. I do actually know what I'm talking about. I just don't think it's unreasonable to describe many government programs as having control over industrial capacity or natural resources.

      Of course, we could go off topic and discuss the differences between Socialism, Communism and the degrees of state control, or we could stay on topic and discuss the problems related to blanket insults used as attempts to silence opponents. I, and so many Americans, might be too ignorant to discuss that sort of thing though.

      --
      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    16. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by gbarules2999 · · Score: 1

      Because demanding an answer from a man in the government on the question of "is he a terrorist?" because of his nationality is totally and utterly justified. Right. Do us a favor and go away, and take Beck with you.

    17. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by otopico · · Score: 1

      But seem Rush is a racist. Not a cross burner or some guy organizing a lynching party, but when you do something that is obviously racist, you lose your job on Monday night football.

      And since you seem to be in the Fox as a bastion of truth crowd, I would ask you to explain how the left misbehaving in any way makes the poor behavior of those on the right any less bad behavior?

      You cannot justify your foolishness by pointing out the foolishness of others. The truth is, both of you are fools.

      No one is honestly claiming that one side is right and the other wrong, just that Beck is an ass and uses clever cuts and logical fallacies to rile up a base of well meaning, sincere, crazy as hell extremists. The people he motivates to action are the same ones that are openly talking about armed revolt. You know, just like other extremists. People Like Castro, Bin Laden, and Koresh.

      Will you be so accommodating of madness when it is your family being shot at? Will Beck's ability to doctor a clip to 'prove' Obama isn't an American mean all that much when the laws that enabled this country to survive are undermined by the gun toting madmen that would kill you for not being the good kind of American.

      People like Beck, and those that support him are playing with something far more dangerous than you even imagine. You rail against the government because it entertains you, but are you willing to give up the government and rely upon the decency of the mass of mankind to 'do the right thing'? Beck isn't calling his minions to reform, he is calling them to revolt. He uses imagery of the American revolution forgetting that people died in that revolution. People pay the price for Beck and Rush and their ilk's 'expression' of their freedom.

      These people are making a living off yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater, and for some reason, some of those theater goers are cheering them on.

      Decent people are offended by these madmen. They appeal to the basest of humanity, and honestly, they are the single greatest threat to our republic. Unless of course you actually believe the poison they are peddling, then I would consider you an enemy of liberty and America as well.

      Bin Laden and his ilk do not scare me, people that think Beck is informative and pro anything but himself, those people scare the hell out of me. They breed 'domestic' terrorists that wear the flag as a shield as they actively try to destroy America.

    18. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

      This whole story is nothing about his claims - its about making fun of his tactic where he'll say something like "well if your not a terrorist then prove it!". Think about that for a minute - the person he asked that too was convicted of less crimes than George W. Bush - other than saying - "well I've never done anything seriously wrong in my life". Its very much akin to the question "so - have you stopped beating your wife yet?". If I asked that same question of you - how would you answer? You can't - and that's why Glen is an idiot. Please explain this > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFkpEduQJZo - seriously please do.

      Its similar to when the convservatives tried to take down Bill Moyer by saying he's not patriotic because he doesn't wear an American flag on his lapel. Totally insane. I love my mother, but I don't wear her picture on my shirt everyday - does that mean I don't love her?

      I've never seen anyone on the mainstream left make outrageous claims like these guys do - and they are in the mainstream media!

      On Rush Limbaugh and racism - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTdGIduruGs - the quote isn't out of context (he's basically saying Jews and Muslims are dumb because they don't win as many nobel prizes). Please explain again... There are literally hundreds of racist comments on youtube recorded by listeners from Rush. The NFL was concerned enough that they wouldn't let him bid on Rams because of it.

    19. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by the_fat_kid · · Score: 0

      I think the great singer/song writer Steve Earle said it best when he stated, "I am a socialist, and let me tell you, Obama is NO socialist."

      get your slurs right folks, if you want to call the ELECTED president of the united states a nigger, do it. Don't try to find another word for it.

      For example, I think that Glen Beck is a cultist (mormon) and a right wing fuckbag.
      wasn't that easy?

      --
      -- Sig under construction...
    20. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually as sick as this is, he really did rape and murder a young girl back in 1990. The parody was created to bring attention to the fact.

      It's a shame that celebrities get so much backing today. There are famous people and there are infamous people. Don't believe what you hear just because it's what you want to hear.

      This story has some history behind it and hopefully someone will make it surface one day and he will be tried for what he has done instead of covering it up.

    21. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Jaysyn · · Score: 3, Funny

      Firefighters: Stop the Red Truck Socialist menace now!

      --
      There is a war going on for your mind.
    22. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only is government-run equated with socialism, Americans also have a very difficult time differentiating between government-run, government-funded and government-owned.

      Many nations have government-funded basic universal healthcare. Still they outsource running the health care system to private insurers and private hospitals. Government asks "who in the private sector can provide the optimal quality/cost?" They then leave it to private players to run it - under strict regulation of course. Similar to government outsourcing clearing roads of snow to local contractors instead of buying their own trucks and hiring people to do so.

      Companies may also be government-owned but not government-run. Example: Norwegian government has a majority stake in Statoil, a Fortune 500 oil company. Yet they keep their hands off the day to day business. They mostly involve themselves in the case of ethics issues (Statoil was involved in a corruption scandal in Iran and the company leadership were consequently sacked) or in cases of long term vision - Statoil is nudged into putting more money into research of renewable energy. This is good long term policy both for the company itself, for society and for the environment. It has been sometimes observed that big companies do not always act in their own long-term interest as they may become obsessed with their next quarterly results (e.g. GM).

    23. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can America hope to remain an innovative, dominant competitor in a global economy with such widespread ignorance?

      -Grym

      Immigration

    24. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Falconhell · · Score: 0, Troll

      If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a ludicrous
      rigth wing radical viewpoint here!

      FTFY

    25. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by McKing · · Score: 1

      Hear hear! I don't have any mod points to give or I would.

      I used to like Glenn Beck a few years ago, lost interest in him, and then watched him again last year during the elections and was totally amazed at how he transformed from a reasonably sensible, mostly Libertarian pseudo-journalist to what he is today.

      --
      If only "common" sense was actually that common...
    26. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by sitarlo · · Score: 1

      You are right. They don't have a "hidden" agenda at all. It's right out there in the open for anyone to see. A command economy = communism. Any undergraduate economics student can verify that. The left has been pushing for equalization of income and redistribution of wealth as well as government run industries. These are aspects of a command economy and *are not* necessary in a capitalist economy. I'm not suggesting that Glen Beck is right about everything, but he presents a compelling case in this issue. It may be ridiculous and distasteful, but unfortunately it's the truth if you go by the textbook definition of communism.

    27. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Myopic · · Score: 1

      Hey, dude, don't overreact. Nobody is saying that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990, we're just asking why he refuses to deny it. If it's not true that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990, then why won't he just come out and say so?

    28. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Myopic · · Score: 1

      And we know the left (with an agreeable media) NEVER tries to take down someone they don't like. Just like the claims of Rush Limbaugh and racism...oh wait!

      Wait a sec, I'm not sure what you mean. Rush Limbaugh is definitely a minor-league racist, that's very clear. What are you trying to say?

    29. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by zymano · · Score: 1

      I don't think you know the definition.

      Socialism in the US is not government owning but instead government TAKING.

      We can not own our own earnings. 50-60 percent of the country work for government now.

      Sounds socialist to me.

    30. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hey, it worked in Italy, that's what Berlusconi says all the time, and look where it got him!

    31. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by penguin_dance · · Score: 1

      You mean like "Nazi"?

      --
      If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a minority viewpoint here!
    32. Re:Sick of the Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you hate America?

  31. Leftist double standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If this were a page mocking Obama's race and accentuating certain facial features, you Captain Crunch wannabes would be screaming racism and launching denial of service attacks on the site. But because Glenn is a conservative, it's ok to accuse him of this disgusting act. Glenn is exposing both political party's dirty laundry, and he is getting results. The crooked czars have come to light only because of Glenn Beck.

    1. Re:Leftist double standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A simpler way to prove this double standard would be to setup DidBarackObamaRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com

    2. Re:Leftist double standard by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      If this were a page mocking Obama's race and accentuating certain facial features, you Captain Crunch wannabes would be screaming racism and launching denial of service attacks on the site. But because Glenn is a conservative, it's ok to accuse him of this disgusting act. Glenn is exposing both political party's dirty laundry, and he is getting results. The crooked czars have come to light only because of Glenn Beck.

      Hey hey hey now! I don't think anyone here is accusing Mr Beck of these horrifying crimes against that poor woman in 1990. I know I'm not, and I don't personally even believe they're true!

      I think people are mostly just asking, not that they believe it either, that if he was not involved then why wouldn't he want to deny it? And of course, if he won't deny it, and he's trying to take down the website that just asks the question, what could that mean?

      Certainly not that he either raped or murdered some girl in 1990. I really don't think anyone is saying that.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    3. Re:Leftist double standard by otopico · · Score: 1

      But where was Beck when Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush had their Czars? Why is it that Obama's Czars are news when his predecessor had more Czars?

      Oh yeah, Obama isn't someone Beck likes, so it is an issue. If McCain had won, I have a feeling Beck wouldn't be discussing it.

    4. Re:Leftist double standard by schon · · Score: 1

      If this were a page mocking Obama's race and accentuating certain facial features, you Captain Crunch wannabes would be screaming racism

      So wait - are you saying that Glenn Beck *DID* rape and murder a young girl in 1990? Because otherwise that comparison makes no sense!

      That's quite a bombshell you have there - if you have proof that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990, you should come forward with it immediately! I mean, I didn't believe that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990, but if you have proof, then *wow*!

    5. Re:Leftist double standard by DaHat · · Score: 1

      Why is it that Obama's Czars are news when his predecessor had more Czars?

      Support your argument or withdraw it.

      Wikipedia claims that Obama has 32 czar jobs at present... while Bush had only 31... while the DNC claims that Bush had 47... but then they are counting every person to sit in a czar job, even double counting the same job... and given the degree of turnover in this administration, President Obama may just find himself going beyond 47 here in the next couple of years as more Van Jones or Anita Dunn like people are brought to light.

      Those on the left like to talk about how Bush was an imperial president and avoided so many of the checks and balances... and yet never consider degrees. In his entire term in office, Bush only created 5 czar jobs that did not require confirmation... while in the first 7 months of his time in office, President Obama has created 17.

  32. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by OzPeter · · Score: 1

    It could be that the people that Beck is calling out are aware of the saying along the lines of "Never never wrestle with a pig, you'll only get dirty and the pig will enjoy it". Note that I am not calling Beck a pig, but am pointing out that he has made his fortune on a radio show that is subtitled "A fusion of entertainment and enlightenment" (ie no mention of truth). This has also included a lot cases of playing hard and fast with words and taking things as far as possible without being able to back things up (IE the OBama is not an American meme) . So without seeing any of the quotes in question, if I was one of those people I would not respond to Beck for that very reason - ie they have nothing to gain and everything to lose if they enter Beck's (non level) playing field.

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  33. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Suchetha · · Score: 1

    why THIS of course!!

    --

    learn from yesterday, plan for tomorrow, party tonight
    or one out of three ain't bad
  34. still a valid concern by gedrin · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    No matter what you may think of Glen Beck, baseless rumor created by misleading posts on the web could have serious consequences for any public figure. Beck has good reason to believe that his financial success could be directly impacted by heinous and untrue implied accusations, as does any other public figure. I'm not sure how a public figure can defend themselves against this sort of thing, regardless of the source and target. The price of the First Amendment may be that we also have the responsibility to take care with the sources of our information and not give credence to rumor and slander. Unfortunately, that sort of responsibility seems not to be in vogue, and places the only defense of 's reputation in the hands of John Q. Public.

    --
    Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    1. Re:still a valid concern by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Oh come on. The site was clearly satire. Now I realize that a lot of people (Beck included) have little or no sense of satire, but for anyone with any knowledge of the history of such speech, it ain't no worse than Hustler's dig at Falwell over his "first time". The price of freedom is that guys like Beck have to take it as good as they give, or disappear into private life.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:still a valid concern by cowscows · · Score: 1

      Glenn Beck long ago gave up any right to make that argument. In fact, that was the whole point of the website in question.

      He creates rumor and slander on his shows and in his writing, and defends it with his First Amendment rights. For him to then turn around and whine(or sue) when someone gives him a taste of his own medicine is entirely hypocritical. Not that it's surprising that he's a hypocrite, it's really the only way to be as ideological as he tries to be.

      --

      One time I threw a brick at a duck.

    3. Re:still a valid concern by gedrin · · Score: 1

      Is your argument that "Glen Beck did a bad thing so it is now okay for someone else to do the same bad thing?" I'm not really arguing that his content is good or bad. I am arguing that public figures of all stripes face serious harm from rumor and falsehood, and their only defense is public responsibility for its own information consumption.

      Just one look around this topic tells you that John Q's diligence regarding his information consumption is a bigger problem than anything anyone else, Beck or the website guy, is saying.

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      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    4. Re:still a valid concern by gedrin · · Score: 1

      I agree, and say as much. It is the price we all pay for our First Amendment that some people will say things we don't like. It is also our responsibility to exercise some responsibility regarding our information consumption, otherwise we allow our carelessness to make us tools of harm.

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      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    5. Re:still a valid concern by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Beck has good reason to believe that his financial success could be directly impacted by heinous and untrue implied accusations, as does any other public figure

      I'm pretty sure being accused of being a rapist and murderer would have profound social and financial implications for anyone, public figure or not. Glenn Beck didn't lose his job, as many people in with similar accusations have.

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    6. Re:still a valid concern by gedrin · · Score: 1

      I'd hate to see anyone loose their job or an opportunity due to a false accusation. I'm just observing that a talk show host could be falsely accused of, say...racism, and loose opportunities for financial success. My argument isn't that he was harmed. My argument isn't that we should shut down websites that are satirical. My argument is that a public personality has a valid concern that satire and malicious content could be taken as factual by a public that does not give due diligence to its consumption of information and that could do harm to them. I'd argue that it does do harm to us all.

      --
      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    7. Re:still a valid concern by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      My argument is that a public personality has a valid concern that satire and malicious content could be taken as factual by a public that does not give due diligence to its consumption of information and that could do harm to them

      I just wonder why you bother to specify a public figure? It seems like it damages everyone, no one less than a public figure, who has the opportunity to fight back and for whom publicity is valuable. On the other hand, it would probably cost me everything to sucessfully fight smears about me, and I don't benefit on wit from publicity.

      And, if a public personality has a persona such that people think that they really could have killed and eaten babies, maybe that's a cause for concern?

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  35. Spread the controversy... by Brazilian+Geek · · Score: 0

    The parody domain has been given to Glenn Beck but the controversy still hasn't been answered.

    Here's the new(ish, same content, different domain) site: http://gb1990.com/

    Spread the controversy because, after all, people are asking whether or not Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990. I, personally, cannot believe he did such a thing but why hasn't Glenn denied these allegations?

    What is Glenn hiding, if he's hiding anything at all.

    --
    All browsers' default homepage should read: Don't Panic...
  36. Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    Does anyone here remember when conservatism in America had truly intellectual proponents like Russell Kirk and William Buckley--guys who graduated from college and wrote serious polemics? Hard to believe they once weren't just a bunch of brain-dead, cackling circus buffoons.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by gedrin · · Score: 1

      No. For my entire life I've never heard much of anyone refer to contemporary conservatives as serious or intellectual. I frequently hear past conservative pundits refered to this way. It seems they become more acceptable after they die.

      --
      Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
    2. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, there have been conservatives who were considered both serious and intellectual while they lived. For example:

      1. William F. Buckley
      2. ...well, there was at least one, anyway.

    3. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by Bat+Country · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      They've discovered that the majority of their voters respond best to brain-dead, cackling circus buffoons. Take that how you must.

      --
      The land shall stone them with the bread of his son.
    4. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      Does anyone here remember when conservatism in America had truly intellectual proponents like Russell Kirk and William Buckley--guys who graduated from college and wrote serious polemics? Hard to believe they once weren't just a bunch of brain-dead, cackling circus buffoons.

      I don't, but I'm guessing the modern tactics are working better for them. I would be so relieved if we could get back into the land of legitimate debate and discourse in US politics, but I don't think it's in the cards for a while yet.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    5. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by otopico · · Score: 1

      Those were better times. Well meaning, intelligent people with differing views tried to express those views based on the merit of those views, not by attacking the other guys for being 'evil'.

      Not that things were perfect, but I miss honest conservatives, because although I am liberal, we need true balance to prosper, not the extremist idealism we have been cursed with the last 25 -30 years.

    6. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by Remus+Shepherd · · Score: 1

      It's not as simple as that.

      See, the Republican party was pragmatic, and they saw that there were a lot of brain-dead cackling circus buffoons who voted on issues that they were passionate about. Those issues ranged from racism (they were for it) to religion to tax relief, some of which were valid stances while others were issues that only brain-dead cackling circus buffoons cared about. The Republicans mustered those brain-dead cackling circus buffoons into a voting block by promising them that once the Republicans got enough power, they would give the brain-dead cackling circus buffoons their due.

      This worked as long as Republicans continued to win elections. With their loss in 2006 and 2008, the brain-dead cackling circus buffoons have decided that they have had enough with the Republican party, who never really did anything to help the brain-dead cackling circus buffoon cause. Right now they're disorganized, running around in brain-dead cackling circus buffoon packs lead by brain-dead cackling circus ringleaders like Glenn Beck, but eventually they'll consolidate into some kind of brain-dead cackling circus buffoon party and become a real political force that will stab the Republicans in the back.

      There are plenty of normal, sane conservatives out there. But as a party, they summoned the demon of brain-dead cackling circus buffoonism, and now they must pay the price for it. Live by the sword, die by the sword. The sword in this case just happens to be a bunch of brain-dead cackling circus buffoons.

      --
      Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
    7. Re:Anyone remember when conservatism was serious? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      cackling buffoons... oh you must be talking about ACORN, Code Pink, NOW crowd or SEIU, maybe PETA and hundreds other kook organizations... also known as the looney left.

  37. BUT the site failed the first prong... by Theaetetus · · Score: 1
    There are three prongs under the UDRP that must be satisfied to take someone's domain name:

    (i) respondent’s domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which complainant has rights; and (ii) respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and (iii) respondent’s domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

    Now, most normal people would say that "glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com" isn't confusing similar to "Glenn Beck" or even "glennbeck.com", but that wasn't the conclusion WIPO came to:

    In the present case, a well-known trademark is directly incorporated in a domain name and additional terms are added. Even a “moron in a hurry” would not likely conclude that Complainant sponsored, endorsed or was affiliated with the website addressed by the disputed domain name. At the same time, the only reason why the typical Internet user would be tempted to visit the website addressed by the disputed domain name is precisely because Complainant’s well-known trademark is directly incorporated in the disputed domain name. Respondent is gaining an advantage in Internet visits based on the use of Complainant’s mark, irrespective of whether Respondent’s use is legitimate...

    In the instant proceeding, Respondent has intentionally used the well-known trademark and service mark of Complainant in an “inflammatory” domain name in order to attract Internet users to its website. Based on the reasoning explained above, the Panel determines that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark for purposes of the Policy.

    So, it's not an outright win for free speech.

  38. Parody, satire or libel? by Rastl · · Score: 1

    I think that's what the case was about. Mr. Beck and his attorneys thought the site was libelous, the creator thought it was parody/satire. The judge sided with the creator. I don't see where it was incorrect to bring about a suit and from all reports it was handled correctly and professionally.

    The only 'big thing' is that it was a site about Glenn Beck. Had it been someone less .. contentious .. then it probably wouldn't have been created/covered/known in the first place.

    That's the price of being a public figure. The bar for libel is higher.

    1. Re:Parody, satire or libel? by nomadic · · Score: 2, Informative

      I think that's what the case was about. Mr. Beck and his attorneys thought the site was libelous, the creator thought it was parody/satire. The judge sided with the creator. I don't see where it was incorrect to bring about a suit and from all reports it was handled correctly and professionally.

      No, that's the thing; it was a libel suit, brought before a domain name tribunal. Completely improper and inappropriate. And it was brought there because they knew they'd have no chance in an actual court, trying to show libel.

  39. let me fix that for you by pastafazou · · Score: 1

    Politicians/ Talking Heads/ Mainstream Media traffic in lies, propaganda and demagoguery. to point lies, propaganda, and demagoguery back at the crap flingers is to merely use their own tactics against them i am not aware of "a person to which I have a favorable bias" engaging in smears and vindictive hysterical FUD against people this person dislikes. but of course, that doesn't stop the likes of Politicians/ Talking Heads/ Mainstream Media from pointing smears and propaganda at people they dislike for ideological reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the accusations they throw at people that someone should point the same bullshit at them: exactly where is the hypocritical rule written that people who fling mud can't have mud flung at them?

  40. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 1

    Why is this flamebait, along with my parent post? I genuinely have never heard of the guy before today. Perhaps the /. janitors could try explaining a bit about what they're talking about, before assuming that everyone's heard of their favourite niche TV or radio programme/book/band/whatever.

    I *still* don't know who he is.

  41. Re:ABC/CBS/NBC/AP/etc.,etc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yawn.

    If you don't like the media, why don't you start your own company rather than whining about it. That's what the free market is for, dipshit. I'd say I was shocked by your idiocy, but let's face it, logic and rationality has never been the right wing's strong point.

  42. Re:So, Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 199 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes! We need to get the grassroots base, made up of real Americans tired of the same old politics as usual, together for some Rape and Murder Parties! Quick, someone call up FOX News!

  43. Re:ABC/CBS/NBC/AP/etc.,etc. by plague3106 · · Score: 1

    What you say those media outlets do is not in any way different than what Fox "News" does. I would also suggest that birthers, racists and others like you also get stuffed.

  44. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by rcuhljr · · Score: 1

    You've never seen SFW porn? Man you are missing out on one of the funniest things ever. They take images/videos and paint over inappropriate parts leaving thoroughly silly videos/images behind. Google for it some time it will brighten your day.

  45. Glen Beck's ratings by Danathar · · Score: 1

    The more people foam at the mouth yelling at beck who is himself foaming at the mouth the higher his ratings go.

    The loss of the case will not make his ratings go down, it will make them go UP.

    Beck is just depressing. Dennis Miller is MUCH more enjoyable.

  46. Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant... by Petersko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Quoting the article you linked to:

    "You don't have to accept the definition of how to do things, and you don't have to follow other people's choices and paths, Okay? It is about your choices and your path. You fight your own war. You lay out your own path. You figure out what's right for you. You don't let external definitions define how good you are internally. You fight your war. You let them fight theirs. Everybody has their own path."

    I watched the video of her delivering the speech, and it's perfectly plausible that her explanation is true. "...two of my favorite political philosophers: Mao Zedong and Mother Theresa" has all the hallmarks of a poorly delivered joke. She may, in fact, have heard that quote and backstory from Lee Atwater as she claimed.

    So Beck, in his usual form, runs right out and connects her to all of Mao's atrocities, instead of to the quote she offered. He implies, AS YOU DO HERE, that she's a student of his work, and that she agrees with all of his choices. In no way can that be supported from anything else she's said, and it certainly can't be concluded on the basis of even this one isolated quote.

    Beck does not back up most of his stuff. He implies. He solicits emotional response instead of enlightenment. He draws casual lines and tosses them aay without backing them up. He hammers his points, and you suck it up like his greedy little lap dog.

    Wait a second... he's Michael Moore! Should have seen it before.

  47. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by snspdaarf · · Score: 1

    Or, as Daddy used to say, "Never get in a pissing contest with a skunk."

    --
    Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
  48. Well this domain is still available by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://laurabushkilledaguy.com/ Oh wait, that's not parody. Different case law altogether..

  49. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by greyhueofdoubt · · Score: 1

    But you know he's getting on their nerves when they refer to his time slot (rather than him, you know, he's "he that shall not be named") as being not actual news. Which is funny, since it's not positioned as such in the first place, any more than are, say, Keith Olbermann or Diane Rehm.

    Well that's funny, because I was under the impression that those people's faces are featured prominently on Fox's broadcast advertisements for their quality NEWS.

    -b

    --
    No offense, but I've stopped responding to AC's.
  50. you're playing the wrong game by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    the game you are playing is being the upstanding moral person. which is a good game, the most important game

    but the game i am talking about is winning influence over people: politics

    politics never was, is or ever will be about doing the right thing, but about doing the thing that wins the most influence. doing the right thing and winning influence are goals that often overlap in tactics, but not always

    so you are correct, within the narrow confines of the goal you have in mind. but if you examine the nature of the game actually being played however by these cretins, you will notice being silent and above the fray wins you no influence

    in politics, you have to get down and dirty and mess it up with the opposition to your agenda, no matter how dirty they play. not because you want to, but because you have to. ignoring them merely wins them more influence. directly confronting their lies and smears meanwhile is the only way to retain your influence and to grow it while under attack

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  51. Grow up by sp3d2orbit · · Score: 1, Informative

    Everybody needs to fucking grow up. If Democrats think they are better than Republicans, then they are just as dumb. You both suck. John Stewart and Glenn Beck are both rich douche-bags.

    I for one am sick and tired of these playground antics. The US is on the verge of a major economic and political meltdown and all you political ass-bags can do is point fingers and call names.

    1. Re:Grow up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      all you political ass-bags can do is point fingers and call names.

      LOL. I see what you did there.

    2. Re:Grow up by otopico · · Score: 1

      Finger pointing in a post about finger pointing is comedy gold.

      Also, how the hell is the parent flamebait?

    3. Re:Grow up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just pointed fingers and called names in your post, so what does that make you? A hypocrite perhaps?

    4. Re:Grow up by changa · · Score: 1

      Commie.

    5. Re:Grow up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      John Stewart and Glenn Beck

      You're conflating Jon Stewart and Glenn Beck?

      Jon Stewart is a comedian. His "news" show is on Comedy Central. His audience and the guests who appear on the show are well aware it's satirical.

      If Beck wants to present his show as comedy, that's fine. Putting it on the Fox News Channel doesn't do that. (Nor does crying uncontrollably on the air at the drop of a hat.)

  52. When did Glen Beck start being conservative? by kriston · · Score: 1

    Honestly I used to listen to the Glen Beck Program when it was on our local station but it went off the air for a couple of years. Now that it's back, I'm puzzled about this show, which was then full of dick jokes and fake radio bits and phony phone calls has now become some sort of tongue-in-cheek conservative firebrand with two inconvenient books, tours, and an odd political movement. Where did all the dick jokes go?

    The jingle used to be the "Fusion of entertainment and enlightenment" in the dick-joke period.

    Is Beck actually playing a joke on everyone?

    --

    Kriston

    1. Re:When did Glen Beck start being conservative? by OzPeter · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Is Beck actually playing a joke on everyone?

      As I don't know Beck personally I am of the opinion that the character that Beck plays on air is an anti-intellectual, fear mongering, fact misrepresenting, isolationist who uses logical fallacies to further his points. And as such the actual Beck is most likely a shrewd, capitalistic genius in being able to exploit the American public in the way he does in exchange for $$$. The possibility that Beck is actually like the character he portrays is even more scary than the entertainment show that he fronts. All entertainers have their schtick and Beck has found one that has attracted a large audience

      "The Glen Beck Show - A fusion of entertainment and enlightenment" (my emphasis)

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    2. Re:When did Glen Beck start being conservative? by LanMan04 · · Score: 1

      Exactly. This guy is Ann Coulter 2.0.

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
    3. Re:When did Glen Beck start being conservative? by changa · · Score: 1

      He is a professional troll and he may be starting to believe his own press.

  53. WIPO has certainly made worse decisions - by RevWaldo · · Score: 1

    http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2000/d2000-0479.html

    Just goes to show that (unlike the above case) actually defending your domain name can work, even against people with armies of lawyers.

  54. Satire by sexconker · · Score: 1

    Still, it's comforting to know that satire — the only weapon politicians and talking heads fear — is still safely in the hands of the public where it belongs.

    Seems to me they fear guns, too.

  55. Onion hilarity by slasho81 · · Score: 1
  56. WHOOOOSH! by Nursie · · Score: 1

    That there was the point as it rushed over your head.

    Beck makes assumptions and oddly worded semi-accusations toward people he disagrees with, then demands they take the time to disprove them. This site is made to do exactly that.

    It is satire/parody, precisely because it uses his own techniques to make him look like an idiot. Not that he needed help.

    personally I don't find it exactly hilarious, but shoving his own tactics back in his face is a worthwhile endeavour.

    1. Re:WHOOOOSH! by Maniacal · · Score: 1

      Beck makes assumptions and oddly worded semi-accusations toward people he disagrees with, then demands they take the time to disprove them. This site is made to do exactly that.

      Actually Beck plays video of the people saying or doing the things he disagrees with, or reads from something they wrote which he doesn't agree with, or plays audio of radio interviews in which they said something he disagrees with, and then demands they get are called out on it. This site was made to propagate a rumor. Or maybe I'm wrong. Did the site have Beck on video, in writing or on audio saying he raped a girl? Is there a girl saying she was raped by him?

      Sounds to me like this site was nothing like his show. Maybe you've never seen either.

      --
      MG
    2. Re:WHOOOOSH! by Boronx · · Score: 1

      Your logic is flawed. If Beck shows a picture of a statue from Rockafeller Center that's made in the USSR, that doesn't transform him from a nutty conspiracy theorist into a whistle blower when he says that the Center is designed to turn you communist (real example).

      If Beck has video of Sotomayor saying "A latina is wiser than a white dude" or some such, that doesn't mean he's not quoting her out of context.

  57. Not Quite by DynaSoar · · Score: 1

    "Still, it's comforting to know that satire — the only weapon politicians and talking heads fear — is still safely in the hands of the public where it belongs."

    Unless the parody is a rewriting of an instrumental techno song used during a fight scene in a movie, with samples from "ALIENS" ("nuke 'em from orbit" and "game over man, game over") pasted onto it, and it presented as an anti-spam fight song. Despite being clearly labeled as a parody using a non-original form of the music and fair use sized vocal samples, we got a very pleasant request explaining why they were asking us to remove it, and after having done so a regular snotty legalistic bombast C&D. I've been writing Weird Al style parody songs for 20 years and know the laws. This one was legal. But we got the ding letters anyway. Their tone and intentions change when there's money to be made or not from the material.

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  58. In other news... by Per+Wigren · · Score: 1
    --
    My other account has a 3-digit UID.
  59. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by greyhueofdoubt · · Score: 1

    This being slashdot, I think people might assume that taking the time to *ask* who Glenn Beck is instead of spending 10 seconds on google qualified you as someone with an agenda.

    Is wikipedia- but not slashdot- blocked where you work?

    Just trying to help you out.

    -b

    --
    No offense, but I've stopped responding to AC's.
  60. Much like the Rush Limbaugh slavery quote by Shivetya · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I really get tired of hearing that all the hate comes from the right when the left is just as guilty of it, if not more so in recent times. The Rush debacle was probably the lowest point some major media outlets reached since Dan Rather and CBS did in 2004.

    Glen Beck makes himself a target and I bet he comes away richer for it. However, try this same type of website against someone who is black, gay, or Muslim, and see how long it lasts; if Beck were either of the tree I bet it would have been taking down by intimidation long before this. The media essentially ignored this site because they enjoyed it but if you touch one of the areas they are sensitive too I know it will be front page "hate crime" news.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:Much like the Rush Limbaugh slavery quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can we get some examples of all this hate coming from the left? You know, that tops the Glenn Becks, Ann Coulters, Rush Limbaughs, etc.

  61. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ScentCone · · Score: 1

    those people's faces are featured prominently on Fox's broadcast advertisements for their quality NEWS

    No. Olbermann does commentary/opinion for NBC, and Diane Rehm hosts the same for NPR. And yes, both NBC and NPR also do news, and the venues that carry those news broadcasts also show ads featuring their commentary/talk personalities. Just like Fox, CNN, ABC, CBS, etc.

    Are you saying that a broadcaster that airs news segments should only be allowed to air news? Should the Cable News Network not be allowed to air Larry King, or are you only suggesting that they should advertise using his likeness? Or are you just a troll? Ah, OK.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  62. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shut up you Glenn Beck apologist cunt. Go suck on his dick. Fuckwad. Glenn Beck doesn't do satire. He's a fucking prick. A disgusting putrid slime.

  63. Exactly by Weaselmancer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And I'd also add: Don't be such a pussy - anything you dish out you should fully be able to take. I'd love to hear an explanation on why it's fair when you do it and unfair when it's done to you.

    And on top of that: If you love 'Murica as much as you say you do, then you should at least learn how she works. We're actually pretty proud of the First Amendment. Too bad you're not.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
    1. Re:Exactly by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Well, a big part of that is on if it is true or not. True accusations and knowingly false slander can't be compared.

      As for the 1st Amendment, who is it that has been trying to muscle Fox out of the networks, claiming they "aren't really a news organization"? Your beloved leader doesn't seem too fond of any of the Constitution, much less the first.

    2. Re:Exactly by Weaselmancer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Except this isn't slander, it's parody. It appears you have the same blind spot Mr. Beck has.

      But I will agree with you on Fox. Anyone has a right to stand up on a soapbox and say whatever they wish to. If anyone is actually looking to curtail their first amendment rights, then they are in the wrong. If anyone actually is doing so.

      BTW if you're really looking for egregious crimes against the first amendment, W takes the cake.

      --
      Weaselmancer
      rediculous.
    3. Re:Exactly by dclydew · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Well, it really depends on what one considers a news organization. I've tried to watch Fox... I really have (and no, I'm not a liberal). However, Fox News is news in the way Jon Stewart is... they use a "news format" but they have an obvious agenda. Obvious enough that I would call them an editorial organization that occasionally reports on the news.

      Note too, that the first amendment doesn't mean "The President has to talk to me because I'm on television". If Obama called for Fox to be taken off the air... then I'd agree that he's obviously not respecting the First Amendment. However, he has only stated that they have an agenda, that they're the mouthpiece of a political group and that he's not wasting his time with them.

      All of that seems true.

      The first amendment guarantees our right to say what we want. Fox says what they want to say. It does not however, guarantee that anyone is going to respect what you say. I have yet to hear much of anything from Fox News that I respected.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    4. Re:Exactly by nomadic · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As for the 1st Amendment, who is it that has been trying to muscle Fox out of the networks, claiming they "aren't really a news organization"?

      Nobody's been trying to "muscle" Fox out of the networks. Is the White House trying to shut them down? Send the army into the studio?

    5. Re:Exactly by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      And isn't it Obama's First Amendment Right to call out FOX? It's his opinion.

      The White House is not obligated by any law to talk to every and all parts of the press. They are not required to invite reporters in.

      And when one network in particular shows blatant disregard for journalistic integrity, they are more than welcome to kick the bastards out.

      And for the record, I don't watch any cable news channel. Not MSNBC, not CNN, and certainly not FOX.

    6. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 2, Informative
      "Well, it really depends on what one considers a news organization. I've tried to watch Fox... I really have (and no, I'm not a liberal). However, Fox News is news in the way Jon Stewart is... they use a "news format" but they have an obvious agenda. Obvious enough that I would call them an editorial organization that occasionally reports on the news."

      I'd say there are a number of shows on Fox where I agree with you....they do have an agenda and are heavily bent toward the far right (Hannity for example). But, I see there being a balance on MSNBC...have you ever seen Olbermann on there? My God, that man is as far left and ranting just as bad as some of the Fox far righters are.

      Franky, I don't see Beck in that same category...why they try to lob him in with the likes of Limbaugh is beyond me. Rush rants and is way too far out there, but, Beck, while he does act goofy on the air occasionally, seems to actually be more moderate, and looking more at where the govt. is going vs what the constitution says. That and asking questions about the fiscal decisions the Federal govt. is making at this time...things most everyone should be asking.

      I like some of the stuff on Fox, but, I try to watch also on CNN, and even the likes of the far left on MSNBC...then I try to make my own views and opinions after hearing from many viewpoints.

      I would think that everyone would...but, that doesn't seem to be the case. That's the main trouble with political discourse in the US today...no one takes time to listen to the other side, it is just a big shouting match.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    7. Re:Exactly by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I agree with your assessment of Olberman and MSNBC. Glenn, however, I think just plays at being more serious and covering the 'real' issues of where government is going. His commentary is frequently leading and his interpretation of the constitution often makes little sense in the context of the actual document.

      He's as much a mouthpiece for the right at Olberman is for the left. I consider neither of them to be journalists in any useful sense of the word.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    8. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 1, Insightful
      "Nobody's been trying to "muscle" Fox out of the networks. Is the White House trying to shut them down? Send the army into the studio?"

      No, but you do have to admit that this is pretty much the first time a president or administration or party in power has overtly dismissed an entire news network, and actually spoken ill specifically of them. I mean, as bad as it got for Nixon, or Clinton, they didn't single out a news network that was reporting badly about them, verbally attack them, and cut off access from them like the current administration has to Fox. No matter your opinion of what comes out of Fox editorally, doesn't that strike you a little odd?

      As an aside, does it not strike you as a little odd, that none of the other networks seem to pick on the current administration in any fashion? I mean, NO administration is without its warts, and errors....and in the past the press seemed to always be on the search for this no matter who was in office. It strikes me a little strange that none of the other networks seems to be trying to find much fault with the current administration except Fox.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    9. Re:Exactly by dclydew · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It doesn't strike me as that odd... I have never seen a "major news organization" that has been as blatantly partisan and as blatantly biased as Fox News.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    10. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 1, Insightful
      "It doesn't strike me as that odd... I have never seen a "major news organization" that has been as blatantly partisan and as blatantly biased as Fox News."

      NBC? CBS? MSNBC? You honestly don't see those as being about as partisan towards the left side of things?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    11. Re:Exactly by BakaHoushi · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The reason I, personally, have a problem with Beck is exactly what is portrayed by this website.

      He never SAYS that "The Government is doing *Insert Evil Act Here*." He just implies it. A lot. With no facts at all. Then he cries, and claims he's scared, all attempting to make people think he cares about them.

      Then he compares some government program to what Hitler would do. Then maybe he talks about how the government COULD, not that they are, but so easily COULD put something in the swine flu vaccine.

      It's scare politics. It's all it really is. Sure, he throws out the occasional "well, I'm speaking of the Republicans, too, don't want to make this political," but by far it's obvious where his loyalties lie. So obvious even SNL mocks him for it. Which is saying something.

      And yes, Olbermann can be bad. But that's one guy on one channel. And he does tend to have some factual basis for his opinions. And I don't see his stuff leaking into the rest of the MSNBC newscasting.

    12. Re:Exactly by BakaHoushi · · Score: 3, Insightful

      George W Bush, MSNBC.

      Hardly the first time.

    13. Re:Exactly by dclydew · · Score: 1

      I see them lean left on some topics but Fox News is solidly red and that is a problem. Generally, news stations/reporters reflect their own personal bias, while trying to report something objectively. FOX reflects their own personal bias and doesn't bother to aim for objective at all... therein lies the difference.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    14. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      but you do have to admit that this is pretty much the first time a president or administration or party in power has overtly dismissed an entire news network, and actually spoken ill specifically of them.

      No, I don't have to admit that - the Bush administration did the same thing with CNN, for simple reporting of the news.

      They problem with Fox is that they are organizing political rallies, which makes them not a news organization, by definition - it makes them a political organization.

      as bad as it got for Nixon, or Clinton, they didn't single out a news network that was reporting badly about them, verbally attack them, and cut off access from them like the current administration has to Fox.

      The difference is that Fox is a political organization, not a news one. If they want to be treated like a news network, they should cease organizing political protests. They're free to give their opinion, but the second they start paying to host and organize political movements, they cease being an impartial observer.

    15. Re:Exactly by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      I certainly don't.

      I have a myriad of complaints on NBC, MSNBC, CBS, and CNN, but "they're so blatantly biased towards the left that it physically causes me pain" isn't one of them.

    16. Re:Exactly by Rasputin · · Score: 5, Informative

      "No, but you do have to admit that this is pretty much the first time a president or administration or party in power has overtly dismissed an entire news network, and actually spoken ill specifically of them"

      Nope. In the 2004 election the Bush campaign faxed out dossiers attacking specific reporters and, even, whole news organizations. Bush was also the President who apologetically called a reporter a "major league asshole" on national TV.

      --
      "I once preached peaceful coexistence with Windows. You may laugh at my expense - I deserve it." Be's Jean-Louis Gass
    17. Re:Exactly by PyroMosh · · Score: 1

      I've thought about that too. But there have only been major partisan news networks for the last two administrations. Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Reagan only had to deal with CNN. Prior to Reagan, there wasn't even CNN. There was no 24 hour news, just networks and papers, basically.

      MSNBC and Fox News only came about in the late Clinton years, or the early Bush years, and took a couple years to get their respective formats set.

      George W. Bush's administration is the only other presidential administration that even had an opportunity to single out a network with an agenda. That they didn't should not be surprising, as they almost always went out of their way to portray themselves as above dialog or debate. They often would not even acknowledge criticism.

      Also, Fox News is now going beyond "news". They are actively organizing rallies and marches against the sitting administration. This is all perfectly fine, and within their rights to do as American citizens. However, it certainly removes them from the category of "journalists", and the White House is simply acknowledging this.

      So no, I don't think it's odd at all.

      Also, to pick on your assertion that the networks don't pick on the Obama administration...
      1) That's *all* Fox News does. To the point that they've lost what little pretense of credibility they may have had.
      2) CNN... I can't say. I don't really watch them, because they're more interested in whatever new toy their visual effects department has dreamed up, or borrowed from Google, than they are actually reporting anything. Watching them is painful for me, but you may be right about them not being critical of the current administration.
      3) MSNBC, the network you'd expect to be the head cheerleaders for the Obama administration criticizes him quite regularly. Rachael Maddow in particular is fond of calling him out for (so far) doing *nothing* for gay rights, despite campaigning as a "Fierce advocate". She and Keith Olberman are both fond of criticizing him for not using the Bully Pulpit more to influence health care reform, instead leaving it entirely up to congress. They are the only news source I know of that went out of their way to defend his Nobel prize though.

      From what I can tell, CNN is the only network that could conceivably deserve the moniker "Fair and Balanced", however they also suck.

    18. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Jon Stewart had a great segment where he points out how fox flip flops. How they say they are news but also say that 90% of the people are are infotainment.

      He doesn't want to shut them down, unless I missed something, so its not a 1st amendment thing. Would you want inside edition or the national inquirer at white house briefings? They can say all they want but probably aren't invited.

      And to your point of true accusations, Beck does the EXACT same thing, that's the point of the website. He accuses Obama in the same way or being a terrorist / socialist / kenyan / etc...

    19. Re:Exactly by Rei · · Score: 5, Funny

      At least Rush isn't an alleged rapist/murderer.

      If Glen would only call and confirm or deny the charges, these nasty rumors would go away. It breaks my heart that he refuses to.

      --
      sed "s/SJW.*$/... never mind. I was about to say something stupid, and also, I'm a troglodyte./Ig"
    20. Re:Exactly by Anonymous+Struct · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Also don't forget that, as The Daily Show has pointed out on numerous occasions, Fox News then uses Beck's show and his audience (without direct reference, of course) to assert that 'Americans are starting to wonder if this government program isn't suspiciously like something Hitler would do'. It is painfully obvious that the whole thing is orchestrated to invent news. Fox has figured out a way to monetize the self-righteous indignation of Americans. All of the cable news outlets are guilty of it to some degree, but Fox consistently seems to be the most shameless. As far as right-wing and left-wing go, it hardly even matters to them. The far right just happens to be the audience they've chosen for the show they put on, and at the moment, it's a pretty lucrative demographic.

      The White House is probably right to ignore them, but since mainstream media is mostly about entertainment, and since everybody would much rather watch entertainment than the news, the government needs those outlets to actually reach people. It's a pretty sad state of affairs.

    21. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC... etc... all have obvious agendas when they report the news. But, if you're used to hearing an certain agenda all the time mixed with the news, you tend to overlook how overt it is. A recent obvious example is the story of the very serious problems with the ACORN organization. We heard many things of Haliburton during the Bush years and ACORN is no less newsworthy for similar reasons.

    22. Re:Exactly by BassMan449 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The White House requested them to be removed from the White House Press Pool. I would consider that trying to muscle them out.

    23. Re:Exactly by Rycross · · Score: 1

      Which isn't a violation of the First Amendment. They aren't forbidding Fox News from operating. What they are doing is deciding to ignore a news organization that obviously has it out for the administration and, historically, has toed the line on ethics in their reporting. Nothing in the Constitution obligates the White House to invite Fox News to their press events, or give appearances on the same.

    24. Re:Exactly by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Nope. In the 2004 election the Bush campaign faxed out dossiers attacking specific reporters and, even, whole news organizations. Bush was also the President who apologetically called a reporter a "major league asshole" on national TV.

      Also the Nixon White House tried killing a columnist they didn't like.

    25. Re:Exactly by nomadic · · Score: 1

      I've thought about that too. But there have only been major partisan news networks for the last two administrations. Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Reagan only had to deal with CNN. Prior to Reagan, there wasn't even CNN. There was no 24 hour news, just networks and papers, basically.

      Though actually prior to the 24-hour cable news networks, the national evening news filled that niche in a lot of ways.

    26. Re:Exactly by Fnkmaster · · Score: 1

      CNN does suck. But I remember a time when they actually wanted to broadcast real news. I remember CNN in the first Gulf War.

      The problem is that CNN's decided it's more profitable to try to be a mid-left version of Fox News, and it just sucks. And to have no fewer than two anchors that look like Barack Obama (news exec thoughts: young Americans like Barack Obama - we need some half-black anchors on our cable news channel!).

      CNN doesn't suck in the same way that Fox News sucks i.e. making up fake news, putting the world's biggest idiots and pussies on TV and call them representatives of the liberal point of view, up against baseball bat wielding, ballkicking Republicans. No, CNN sucks in a wholly lame, sucky, devoid of content way. They just don't care about news anymore. Kind of MTV has nothing to do with music videos.

    27. Re:Exactly by BakaHoushi · · Score: 1

      Does the WH really need these outlets, though? Obama's campaign, if nothing else, proved that other means can achieve better results. The Internet, most of all, really helped his campaign.

    28. Re:Exactly by billcopc · · Score: 1

      I think the question should be: What was Rupert Murdoch doing in the Nixon era, and would it have been considered harmful to society at large ?

      The cat has been let out of the bag: Fox is universally known as a heavily biased and manipulative expression of Mr Murdoch's personal interests. I don't even live in the same country and I barely watch TV, yet I can immediately recognize a Fox broadcast or even just a screenshot. It always follows the same format: a fat half-English skeevy-looking talking suit, large bolded sensationalist headline, scrolling ticker about something scandalous, and either a picture of an a mushroom cloud or another half-English sock puppet reciting his prepared statements. If that's what they call news, I wonder how they'd react to the old Power Rangers kids shows.

      It's good that someone is trying to analyze and criticize the Obama administration, but coming from Fox it bears very little credibility. The same content, on a different network, would almost automatically be taken more seriously. The simple fact that one of their leading hosts' catchphrase is "shut up", well that's just a crowning embarrassment.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    29. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I couldn't agree with you more about MSNBC being the liberal version of Fox News. On the other hand, Beck has earned his way into comparisons with Limbaugh by doing things like accusing Obama of having "a deep-seated hatred for white people." While no one is in the same league as Limbaugh, Beck is at least playing the same ball game.

    30. Re:Exactly by Noren · · Score: 1

      No, I don't have to admit that, because it's blatantly false.

      George W. Bush did not give an interview to the New York Times between Jan. 27, 2005 through the end of his second term. About the New York Times he said in June 2006, "The disclosure of this program is disgraceful. For people to leak that program and for a newspaper to publish it does great harm to the United States of America. It makes it harder to win this war on terror."

      Cayanne8 does not recognize the blatant antagonism that the Bush administration had for the New York Times, doesn't that strike you as a little odd?

      As an aside, does it not strike you as a little odd that cayenne8 did not deny that he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990?

    31. Re:Exactly by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      All the same, I would prefer it that Obama maintain a higher standard than Bush. If all we can say of Obama is that "he's better than Bush" I would say that's pretty pathetic.

      --
      Qxe4
    32. Re:Exactly by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      It probably did start out as parody, but it's grown significantly beyond that. The way this has been spread around to message boards and emails and the like, without any proper context that reveals it as parody, has seemingly convinced a number of people that there is some old rape/murder case that has some connection to Glenn Beck's past. The web site is pretty obvious what it's referring to, but other sources are not.

      But if that's the case, then that should have been the one that Beck made, rather than trying to use the "trademark" argument. The decision in this case is clearly correct.

      As far as crimes against the first amendment, those thing are still happening. Obama's detractors were not allowed into the Creigh Deeds rally in Newport News just a few weeks ago, so the SS is still using "free speech zones" the same way they did under Bush.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    33. Re:Exactly by adamchou · · Score: 1

      Franky, I don't see Beck in that same category.

      Are we talking about the same Beck here?!?!?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI_0Kt_e3Go

    34. Re:Exactly by moeinvt · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "You honestly don't see those as being about as partisan towards the left side of things"

      I see ALL of the "mainstream" media as a giant propaganda machine designed to perpetuate the status quo and serve wealthy special interests. Both of the "major" political parties are really on the same "side", except on a few divisive and emotional (but largely unimportant) issues. The mission of the MSM is to create and maintain the illusion of genuine political opposition. Their primary tool for doing this is to constrain the political dialogue in this country to a narrow spectrum of "acceptable" viewpoints, and then twist every issue into a narrow minded black and white paradigm where there are "two sides". Real investigative journalism no longer exists in the confines of the mainstream press.

      We would all do well to completely ignore the MSM propaganda. Long live the bloggers and the independent media.

    35. Re:Exactly by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      George W Bush, MSNBC.

      Hardly the first time.

      Well now that's interesting. Because I never heard about W claiming that MSNBC wasn't a "real" news organization, or that they were the mouthpiece of the Democratic party. When did that happen? Can you provide a reference?

      Or should I just subscribe to your newsletter?

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    36. Re:Exactly by glarbl_blarbl · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I am a "far left" liberal", whatever that means, and I watch Olbermann everyday. He is not a far-left liberal, there are none to be found in the mainstream media. Not even Rachel Maddow is in that category.

      Here is how I know: no one in the MSM stood up and said that single-payer should have been the starting point for HCR negotiations, no one in the MSM calls for an end to Prohibition (the War on some Drugs). The only thing I can think of which might qualify is the fact that KO often calls for investigations into government lawbreaking, which reads to me more as a profound respect for the Rule of Law than any personal political beliefs.

      --
      I use friend/foe to signal strong [dis]agreement instead of mod points. What else are f/f good for?
    37. Re:Exactly by WNight · · Score: 1

      I mean, as bad as it got for Nixon, or Clinton, they didn't single out a news network that was reporting badly about them

      Yeah, because ALL the networks were reporting on Nixon, not just the other side's attack team.

      It's not like FOX has to stop their National Enquirer-like news gathering, it's just that they aren't going to be invited to anything serious because they waste everyone's time.

    38. Re:Exactly by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      It's parody, not slander, and your comments are rather hilarious considering we're talking about some Fox News douche. They're not exactly know for telling the truth and say more things that would be viewed as slanderous compared to that website.

    39. Re:Exactly by ta+bu+shi+da+yu · · Score: 1

      You were doing well until you wrote "We're actually pretty proud of the First Amendment. Too bad you're not."

      May I refer you to the website DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com? It is a parody of a similar manner of speaking.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    40. Re:Exactly by lgw · · Score: 1

      To me, the NYT and the AP (and Fox) have precisely the same vice you accuse Fox News of. The are all agenda-driven origanizations that report (or sometimes manufacture) stories that fit with the worldview they are trying to sell. We call these things "news organizations", and to believe any of them are otherwise is a bit silly.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    41. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gotta love the mods that instantly mod all liberal view posts to +5, regardless of the absurdly flawed logic.

      You compare a hot-mike incident, a private comment between Bush and (Rove or Cheny or whomever he said it to) -- to Obama himself declaring that a news agency is illegitimate, and having them denied press access to the public office.

      Admit it. If Bush had done even a tenth of the corrupt acts Obama's administration has done, you would be tearing your own hair out in clumps.

    42. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "Here is how I know: no one in the MSM stood up and said that single-payer should have been the starting point for HCR negotiations,"

      Actually, I thought I DID catch Olbermann and Maddow...at least Keith for sure...hyping the single payer systems on MSNBC.

      And some of the vitriol Keith puts out against anyone or any group that has speaks ill of Obama and the Dems, is just as bad and looney as I've seen coming out of Hannity/O'Reilly and Limbaugh about various lefties.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    43. Re:Exactly by fredrik70 · · Score: 1

      Beck? moderate? Is this Mr Buckle-up-america-cause-we're-going-down Beck or someone else?

      --
      if (!signature) { throw std::runtime_error("No sig!"); }
    44. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bush Called *A* reporter a "major league asshole?" Only one? I think he showed admirable restraint.

    45. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "Does the WH really need these outlets, though? Obama's campaign, if nothing else, proved that other means can achieve better results. The Internet, most of all, really helped his campaign."

      I think you're right on that, but, I also think that Obama really did to a great respect, fool a great majority of the independent voters in the US that he was much more moderate than he has turned out to be.

      If he keeps on this course, and tries to ram much more down the collective US throat (debt, govt takeovers, etc) I think he will become a one term president. At the very least...he will likely lose the dual majority in the senate and house, especially if they force the current healthcare reform bills as they currently are, I just don't think the majority of US citizens want that much govt. control and most of all..not that much govt debt added onto the already high amount we have.

      I've spoken with many people that usually don't even have much an opinion of DC and politics saying "how the hell can we afford to spend much more money??"

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    46. Re:Exactly by jkauzlar · · Score: 1

      I don't care much for Keith Olberman's or Rachel Maddow's styles of broadcasting, but to their credit, they don't engage in the type of misinformation that Beck does-- which is exactly what this website is parodying. Olberman & Maddow use a fact-based analysis to push their views. Beck and much of the right wing use deliberate misinformation. People watch it because the misinformation backs up views they already have, not to use information to shape their views.

      It's dumb to say Beck is analogous to Olbermann. One is intellectually honest and one is asking "Was Barack Obama born in the United States?" with the implication being that it's possible he wasn't. You can't say 'Beck is on the right' and 'Olberman is on the left', and that the two sides are symmetrical. There isn't symmetry. It's possible to be conservative and be rational/sane, but Beck isn't.

    47. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "It's good that someone is trying to analyze and criticize the Obama administration, but coming from Fox it bears very little credibility. The same content, on a different network, would almost automatically be taken more seriously."

      The trouble is...NONE of the other news networks in the US are doing this. That is what has me worried....they seem to be all mostly the mouthpiece of the whitehouse, or at least, semi-vocal cheerleaders.

      I think that may in part be a reason that has driven a lot of people, that may not even be far right people over to Fox. They do seem to have the highest ratings of any cable new organization. I do try to watch a number of the news programs, and it is frustrating to me to see mostly right on one network, and mostly lockstep with the administration or further left on all the others.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    48. Re:Exactly by dclydew · · Score: 1

      Corrupt? If Bush had done a tenth of the things Obama has??

      Are you on the same planet? Are you actually alive and breathing? Do you have working synapses?

      Shall we compare corruption, shall we compare restrictions of freedom? Do YOU really want to take a real look at the past 8 years?

      Or do you want to watch Fox News and pretend to have righteous indignation?

      I am not a liberal, but I am NOT part of any political philosophy that could possibly condone the Bush administration. Obama is acting like a liberal, Bush acted like a King.

      --
      Get a life, not a lifestyle. - Hikem Bey
    49. Re:Exactly by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "Yeah, because ALL the networks were reporting on Nixon, not just the other side's attack team."

      That's my point exactly....WHY aren't all of the networks reporting on Obama and his administrations errors/problems?

      Why is Fox the only one digging under the covers and finding some unseemly things? None of the other networks seem to be trying at all. Are they scared if they say something negative, they'll be ostracized by the current administration too?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    50. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't see how anybody could possibly think Beck is moderate! If Beck is moderate America is FUCKED.

    51. Re:Exactly by fafaforza · · Score: 1

      Two wrongs don't make a right. If you want to play the tit for tat game, don't complain when Beck makes some outrageous statement.

    52. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fox only tries to claim that 4 hours a day is news, the rest is comment

      They also went to court and WON that they are not obligated to tell the truth

      So why should anmyone take them seripiously? They are NOT a news organisation, they are part of Rupert Murdoch's power structure

    53. Re:Exactly by Tynin · · Score: 1

      Your post comes acrossed a bit conspiratorial. Many other News networks have spoken in a negitive light about Obama, not just Fox. I'll cite this if you'd like, but it is pretty obvious.

      As for why he would be speaking against Fox I feel is because every time I and flipping through channels and land on Fox, they are being hyper-critical about every minor(and major, to be fair) detail of the Obama admin. I'm happy to say I'm a Libertarian, and could care less for either the Dems/Repubs but what I see Fox espousing borders on hate and has a subtle vibe of racism. They have been doing it since he has gotten into office, and act like the few months he has had in office should have been enough to have fixed the world.

      Perhaps if they represented themselves as News reporting agency, instead of a soapbox of fear and misdirection, then this would be a non-issue. If I were the President, I would avoid contact with Fox as well, as it is obvious the only thing they would do is bait him with questions that would cast a bad light on anyone.

    54. Re:Exactly by Bassman59 · · Score: 1

      A recent obvious example is the story of the very serious problems with the ACORN organization. We heard many things of Haliburton during the Bush years and ACORN is no less newsworthy for similar reasons.

      You're comparing ACORN to Halliburton? That's ridiculous. Which company, formerly headed by the former Vice President, gets hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts, is allowed to violate the law (and claim immunity from it) and yet still gets more contracts? And which is a community organization with a couple of stupid former employees, and gets a tiny fraction of its operating money from the government?

    55. Re:Exactly by Bassman59 · · Score: 1

      The White House requested them to be removed from the White House Press Pool. I would consider that trying to muscle them out.

      I don't think Obama would ever call on Jeff Guckert/James Gannon, much less plant that guy in the room to ask softball questions ...

    56. Re:Exactly by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      Honestly it doesn't help when Fox is also organizing tea parties promoting this shouting match instead of intelligent debate. You saw it with the town-hall meetings. There were legitimate concerns that needed and still need to be addressed but instead of intelligent debate it just became a shouting match.

      Fox has been openly hostile towards the current administration and the irony is that Obama is continuing a lot of Bush policies that they supported while Bush was in office. So it becomes increasingly difficult for many of us to take Fox seriously. Of course a lot of people aren't happy with Obama for maintaining some the programs Bush pushed through. The reality is that both sides want more power and Obama is now exposed to the additional power given to the presidency. Power which was never granted, but taken while our representatives did nothing.

      I think many of us lost a lot of respect for all sides. There is a growing rebellion of people that realize that discussion needs to return to the political landscape and not everything is a black or white issue. It will just take some time before I believe politics will reflect this growing irritation.

    57. Re:Exactly by changa · · Score: 1

      All he has to do is come out and deny it as it would be the only way we can know that he didn't do it.

      Not that I think he did it but I fear he MIGHT have done it.

    58. Re:Exactly by Bassman59 · · Score: 1

      Admit it. If Bush had done even a tenth of the corrupt acts Obama's administration has done, you would be tearing your own hair out in clumps.

      I wonder why you're an anoymous coward -- because you are a fucking idiot. Let's start a list of Bush's corrupt acts with: Weapons of mass destruction as a pretext for invading Iraq. Oh, yeah, declaring victory in Afghanistan because we had to invade Iraq. Declaring "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.

      You are either a fool, or a tool. Probably both.

    59. Re:Exactly by changa · · Score: 1

      The difference here is The Daily Show claims to be fake news and a comedy show while Fox claims to be Fair and Balanced news.

    60. Re:Exactly by Vancorps · · Score: 1

      While yes they all have their shows that are blatantly biased, they weren't so openly hostile towards the Bush administration hosting tea parties and town-hall shouting matches either.

    61. Re:Exactly by Daychilde · · Score: 1

      I can't control what people do with the meme, only my website. By the way, it's still up at http://gb1990.com/ and yes, I'm Isaac Eiland-Hall.

      I've never been slashdotted before - just found this thread and it explains why the server load is as high as it is! hehe.

      --
      A cheerful little bird is sitting here singing.
    62. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While those statements may be dumb statements they are not corrupt.
      A fool is a person that uses a term without knowing its definition.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption

    63. Re:Exactly by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      But, I see there being a balance on MSNBC...have you ever seen Olbermann on there? My God, that man is as far left and ranting just as bad as some of the Fox far righters are.

      You're missing the point if you think this is only about the "commentary" shows. Yes, all the news networks have opinion shows, and there's nothing wrong with that.

      But Fox's "news" shows are chock full of ideological bias as well: they choose to report on events that aren't actually news, but were the subject of debate on the "opinion" shows the day before. For example, Glenn Beck decides to get outraged over a video of kids singing a song with a verse about Obama -- an event which took place several months earlier, during the previous school year, and which caused no controversy at the time -- and then the "news" anchors report on the sudden controversy which was fueled by their own network. They make their own news.

      Fox may offer factual reporting during certain hours, but the choice of which stories to report on and how much time to devote to them offers just as much opportunity to promote their ideology.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    64. Re:Exactly by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

      And on top of that: If you love 'Murica as much as you say you do, then you should at least learn how she works.

      Not only that, he ought to at least address the question of whether he raped and killed a young girl in 1990.

    65. Re:Exactly by tiqui · · Score: 1

      Well, it really depends on what one considers a news organization. I've tried to watch Fox... I really have (and no, I'm not a liberal). However, Fox News is news in the way Jon Stewart is... they use a "news format" but they have an obvious agenda. Obvious enough that I would call them an editorial organization that occasionally reports on the news.

      Golly, I guess we should depend on CBS for real news... oops, wait, they used falsified documents to try to harm the re-election chances of George W Bush...

      Oh, perhaps we can trust NBC... um, wait, aren't they the ones who rigged a pickup truck gas tank with model rocket motors to scare Americans into fearing that their big US pickup trucks would explode?

      Well, there's always ABC... but didn't they spend a bunch of time hyping the idea that Reagan was responsible for downing KAL-007? Did they ever even tell their audience that one of the people they used was in fact an angry old Jimmy Carter administration member?

      I guess there's always trusty CNN... wait, nope, didn't they make deals with Saddam Hussein to not report certain things in exchange for access?

      Ah... the New York Times... the lode-star of progressive/liberal journalism... wait, aren't they the ones who wrote glowing stories about how wonderful life was in Stalin's Russia while neglecting to tell their readers about the massacre of millions of civilians which the paper knew about?

      Ooooh, Fox is evil because they have Beck (a guy who calls himself a "circus clown") running one of their editorial shows, and he's a right-winger... but PBS, for example, is wonderful because they have LBJ's political hack, Bill Moyers, running one of their editorial programs. Fox is evil because they had Bush press guy Tony Snow run a talking-head Sunday news show, but ABC is wonderful because they have Clinton's chief of staff George Stephanopoulos running their Sunday talking head show. Yup. THAT seals it! there's NOTHING on Fox that can be trusted...

      I could go on, but why bother...

      Because people are "only human", they all have opinions and they all have the potential to surrender to the temptation to use any power they have to push their own biases and agendas. The answer to that problem is to have enough outlets with enough different views so that individuals can watch the various sources and decide which are most credible for themselves. For many years, there were so few news outlets (ABC,CBS,NBC,PBS) and those were all soaked in the same left-of-center group-think that some people (particularly liberals who were happy and comfortable with the situation) thought what they were getting was unbiased. Conservatives were not fooled, they watched network after network hire Democrat political activists and plug them into their "news shows" as supposedly neutral reporters and were just forced to listed to the propaganda. Conservatives watched and counted as all the political shows always stacked their panels with 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 ratios of liberals to conservatives and claimed to be balanced. When PBS had a two-man "balance", they used liberal Democrat Mark Shields and Independent (to the left of a Republican) David Gergen. Now that ONE network (not even broadcast but just on satellite and cable), Fox, has a Conservative bent to its EDITORIAL programs, and requires its NEWS people to be neutral (rather than left-of-center) people on the left are outraged. Conservatives are used to having to watch liberal news and editorial content, but liberals are not used to even seeing conservative editorial content. Nobody is forcing liberals to watch Fox; if they do not like it they can just change the channel, or turn it off (that's what they always said about conservatives when conservatives complained about TV shows...) Liberals have a choice that conservatives never had: they can turn to all the other networks for "news" they like.

      Fox is still too far to the left, but it's probably the best one can hope for given that its parent is a giant multi-national corporation just lik

    66. Re:Exactly by wiredlogic · · Score: 1

      If you can tolerate it, you should check out a recent Daily Show where Jon rips into the Fox News double speak with regards to news vs. editorial speech.

      --
      I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
    67. Re:Exactly by glarbl_blarbl · · Score: 1
      Uhmm... Olbermann has compared the Democratic Party to Homer Simpson. He is hardly a water-carrier for the party. Not to mention the time that Obama made the "Worst Person in the World" list.

      I have found that his vitriol is reserved for those who are callously indifferent to human life and liberty, and for hypocrites -- regardless of which end of the political spectrum (which, IMO, is basically useless) they occupy. Obviously his show has a point of view, but having watched him for a few years now I believe him to be remarkably fair-minded. I just wish he would lay off the lame impersonations.

      --
      I use friend/foe to signal strong [dis]agreement instead of mod points. What else are f/f good for?
    68. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even if it was the case (someone merely stating their bad opinion of a news network isn't much of an intimidation, even if it is from someone important with political influence), genuine intimidation of the press by presidents and personnel at their command has occurred historically for a long time.

    69. Re:Exactly by HybridJeff · · Score: 1
    70. Re:Exactly by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      And Fox News carries more non-news programs than news programs and has spent Fox News money on non-news campaigns against the administration. The administration just acknowledges the obvious fact that Fox News is an entertainment channel, news in name only. They have the same access to the White House as E! does.

    71. Re:Exactly by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      Well that doesn't really (actually, at all) answer the question. The letter (written by White House counsel, nothing from W) addressed a specific problem with a specific news report. Which is what the White House should be doing, not dismissing the entire organization as a partisan mouth-piece. I find it discouraging that the administration would take this kind of tactic. I can't think of any administration as harsh with its critics since Lincoln jailed journalists that criticized his war.

      It's also interesting that the GGP gets modded up for making such an unfounded quip, but partisan attacks often get kudos regardless of whether they have any foundation.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    72. Re:Exactly by Draconius42 · · Score: 1

      Source? I don't think GB ever went into the whole birther thing, in fact I recall him saying that it was pointless and irreleveant, or somethign to that effect. Oh, and one persons "facts" are another persons "misinformation". Beck is actually really good about citing facts and sources.

    73. Re:Exactly by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      And some of the vitriol Keith puts out against anyone or any group that has speaks ill of Obama...

      Like himself? Keith has been very consistent about criticizing Obama for policies he has carried over from Bush. He's been very critical of Obama on things like Guantanamo, don't ask don't tell, and health care. He's in fact devoted at least one of his "Special Comments" entirely to Obama.

      As a liberal I am not terribly fond of Keith myself, I think he is frequently over-the-top with his emotional rants. However it seems he at least tries to keep his criticisms consistent and fact based. Something that can not be said about someone like Rush.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    74. Re:Exactly by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      The difference is that Fox is not a legitimate news source. Just because there is "News" in their name doesn't mean they deserve any journalistic rights.

      Remember that lawsuit local Fox station WTVT in Florida won securing their right to broadcast things as news that they know to be untrue? That's what's wrong with them.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    75. Re:Exactly by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      There's no comparison between the old network news and the 24-hour news stations. They both have the same amount of news to cover, but the 24-hour networks have an additional 23.5 hours to fill. Thus the real news gets lost in a sea of bloviating talking heads and "experts" prattling on about live news events before any facts can be established.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    76. Re:Exactly by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      Did it ever occur to you that maybe MSNBC isn't a mouthpiece of the Democratic Party so trying to equivocate it with Fox News is nonsense? Yes MSNBC's main talking heads currently lean left if you disregard Morning Joe but they are also frequently very critical of the Democrats.

      Also during most of Bush's term MSNBC was much less liberal than it is now. Remember Tucker Carlson?

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    77. Re:Exactly by Myopic · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it's weird. I, too heard that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990. I don't know whether it's true that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990 but I wish he would deny it so we can all move on. I don't want to wait around wondering whether GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990.

    78. Re:Exactly by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      Did it ever occur to you that maybe MSNBC isn't a mouthpiece of the Democratic Party so trying to equivocate it with Fox News is nonsense? Yes MSNBC's main talking heads currently lean left if you disregard Morning Joe but they are also frequently very critical of the Democrats.

      Also during most of Bush's term MSNBC was much less liberal than it is now. Remember Tucker Carlson?

      I wasn't criticizing MSNBC, or making any comment about them at all. What I was commenting on was a sitting president demonizing a media network. It seems... unseemly. For a President of the United States. And I don't recall that being done in the recent past. So far no one has pointed out what I may have missed.

      BakaHoushi was equivocating that attack (coming directly from President Obama, as well as the White House communications directors and others) with complaints about George W. Bush's behavior toward MSNBC. I've seen the letter from Gillespie (White House council during the Bush administration) regarding a specific issue raised during a specific story on NBC. I just don't think that is equivalent at all.

      In fact I think the White House has an obligation to answer or correct any statements from media that are misleading or incorrect. But demonizing an entire media organization, and claiming everything they report is untrustworthy, is an improper use of authority.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    79. Re:Exactly by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      I wasn't criticizing MSNBC, or making any comment about them at all. What I was commenting on was a sitting president demonizing a media network. It seems... unseemly. For a President of the United States. And I don't recall that being done in the recent past. So far no one has pointed out what I may have missed.

      "Demonizing" is a bit of a stretch. And you seem to be missing the point that the reason no President has said something like that in the past is because there have been no media organizations passing as mainstream news in the past that are in any way comparable to Fox News.

      If during the next Republican administration MSNBC replaces Joe Scarborough with Randi Rhodes and starts promoting anti-government rallies then I think the then current President would be in his rights to exclude them from interviews. Until that happens, Fox News is on its own.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    80. Re:Exactly by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      I really wish people would learn a little history before making comments like this. Inflammatory and sensationalist journalism was a staple for much of American history. Read some of the writings of Benjamin Franklin before the Revolution, or the New York Journal just before the turn of the 20th Century. Journalists felt no need to hide their opinions, and stories about the government or politics virtually always reflected the opinions of the journalists or publishers.

      It's only been in recent years that news organizations have tried to hide their biases in an air of neutrality. Today most news (especially on TV) presents an appearance of impartiality by presenting "both sides" in measured tones, and the viewpoint is less obvious and sometimes hidden in insidious ways.

      This phenomenon of national leaders singling out journalists for derision isn't entirely new (Richard Nixon also targeted the Washington Post for exclusion), but a national leader directly calling an entire news organization produces nothing but propaganda and discrediting all of their reporting is certainly a unique phenomenon.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    81. Re:Exactly by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      Perhaps because the video wasn't posted online until recently for privacy concerns? Or perhaps because the right people didn't know about it, kind of like how Van Jones had his name on that 9/11 truther petition for all that time, but it wasn't an issue until someone doing real investigative journalism stumbled upon it? Maybe? No, I am alone I guess.

      And maybe I am forgetful, but I don't recall their two big news programs running that video (Special Report, The Fox Report). Perhaps they did.

    82. Re:Exactly by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      Indeed, it is a long standing tradition of sorts to give talking points to people favorable to your views. The issue here is should the government be deciding these things in the first place, it certainly flies in the face of the first amendment in a "nayh nayh you can't get me" fashion when the Administration entirely shuts out a news origination (the most popular cable news channel at that) and several officials publicly, at the same time, say bad things. You can try and cite similar examples (some of which are just as bad), but the scale they did this on is unprecedented.

    83. Re:Exactly by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, I thought we were talking about the recent past. I'm not sure where I got that idea from.

      It seems... unseemly. For a President of the United States. And I don't recall that being done in the recent past.

      Oh, right.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    84. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      know something's wrong with America when olbermann is called 'far left'

      just 'left' would be a more accurate description in the eyes of most normal people

    85. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Honestly? No, I don't see them 'as being about as partisan towards the left side of things', and I think it's sad that America drifted so far to the right that you really (honestly?) think that is the case.

    86. Re:Exactly by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      Perhaps because the video wasn't posted online until recently for privacy concerns? Or perhaps because the right people didn't know about it

      Yes, that's exactly the problem: "the right people" are Fox commentators like Glenn Beck! The ideological agenda on the "opinion" side is what drives the selection of stories on the "news" side.

      kind of like how Van Jones had his name on that 9/11 truther petition for all that time, but it wasn't an issue until someone doing real investigative journalism stumbled upon it?

      By "someone doing real investigative journalism", do you perhaps mean Glenn Beck and right-wing bloggers?

      And maybe I am forgetful, but I don't recall their two big news programs running that video (Special Report, The Fox Report). Perhaps they did.

      Sounds like you're forgetting quite a bit. For clips, see this Daily Show video (starting around 6:45).

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    87. Re:Exactly by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      after that find the bit where he tears into CNN for "leaving it there" after guests make things up on the air.

    88. Re:Exactly by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      If Obama fooled anyone it was the liberals who thought we'd have universal healthcare, an end of DOADT and DOMA, a climate change bill, wall street reforms, Gitmo closed, etc. - you know those things he promised to do in his campaign. No one who was paying attention in 2008 honestly thinks Obama has over-delivered.

      Remember also that TARP was passed and AIG, GM, and Chrysler were all bailed out on W's watch (with a democratic house and an evenly split senate.)

      You must be in the south. Universal healthcare and the public option share majority support everywhere else. If Obama loses in 3 years, or if the dem's lose control of congress, it will because they failed at the task of leadership in failing to pass meaningful reforms.

      People don't care about government debt during a recession unless they're asked about it specifically. In reality, they're much more concerned with jobs.

    89. Re:Exactly by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      Does anybody watch the news?

      Watch a Sunday talker this week, and time how long it takes George Will or Peggy Noonan to criticize Obama from the right. Watch Maddow tonight, and see how long it takes her to criticize Obama from the left. Or watch CNN and see if you can spot a guest with (R) next to his name talking about how we can't afford this, or we better not rush into that, or Obama really needs to give McCrystal everything he asked for.

    90. Re:Exactly by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      Let me ask you, what don't you like about Maddow's style of broadcasting? I'm a liberal, and while I often agree with both Olbermann and his guest, I find the sycophantic interviews and leading questions extremely obnoxious. Maddow, on the other hand, consistently puts together what I consider to be one of the most intelligent hours of programming on television. Is it just that you don't like opinion shows?

    91. Re:Exactly by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

      By "someone doing real investigative journalism", do you perhaps mean Glenn Beck and right-wing bloggers?

      So when someone finds something negative about the Bush administration, it is journalism. But when someone uncovers things about someone in the Obama administration, which causes enough controversy for him to resign (in the cover of darkness on a holiday weekend) that is right-wing hatemongering? I realize the "green jobs advisor" is no Secretary of Defense, but really?

    92. Re:Exactly by psm321 · · Score: 1

      The same way Beck and co. have people convinced that Pres. Obama has not released his birth certificate and is hiding something, even though he has. Parody.

    93. Re:Exactly by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      The same way Beck and co. have people convinced that Pres. Obama has not released his birth certificate and is hiding something, even though he has. Parody.

      ... or the way some idiots are convinced that Beck is a birther, even though the birthers are pissed at him for dismissing their theory.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    94. Re:Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are a fool and will pay the price. Glenn Beck is just as much a traitor as those that covered up his birth history.

      And of course when we find out that the cover-up of his birth certificate and the passport he used to travel the world was done because they were probably fake documents created for him when he worked for the CIA, I'm sure he'll join the elitists to cover that up, too.

      Fool

    95. Re:Exactly by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      So when someone finds something negative about the Bush administration, it is journalism.

      No, not necessarily, but it is interesting that you'd assume I think that.

      But when someone uncovers things about someone in the Obama administration, which causes enough controversy for him to resign (in the cover of darkness on a holiday weekend) that is right-wing hatemongering?

      Possibly, depending on the sort of "things", the nature of the "controversy", and the motivations of the people calling for his resignation. In this particular case, I think the answer is yes.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    96. Re:Exactly by CAIMLAS · · Score: 1

      Beck is a bit of an idiot when it comes to making an argument on the radio, because he uses entirely too much sarcasm for the point to be made well (and its often fairly subtle sarcasm).

      What this guy was criticizing was Beck's way of saying things which are usually/often offensive to many people, and (on their face) sometimes not true or a platitude. But, in doing so, I think he stepped over the line by making a very direct statement about Beck - very specifically - claiming he was performing some fairly hideous acts. That's what I find odious about this whole thing, not that he did it, but that he picked something so socially reprehensible to substitute within Beck's diatribe style.

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    97. Re:Exactly by jkauzlar · · Score: 1

      She's growing on me now.. her analysis and interviewing is great, but her tone can be gratingly sarcastic :)

  64. glenn beck is a smear merchant by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Insightful

    his goal is to get attention, whether positive or negative. in fact, getting negative attention from his ideological opponents is probably more dear to him than getting positive attention from his admirers

    you have to understand the man and the nature of his business: he's a professional troll. his goal is to create and generate emotional responses, whether positive or negative, its all the same to him. this is his business, and he's good at it. proof being, sites that mock and satire him: its proof of success

    in fact, i'd bet he actually doesn't mind the site, it doesn't really bother him personally, but he shrewdly calculated that feigning outrage as a reaction would win him more response. i mean look at this giant shitstorm generated on slashdot over this ego-pumping pointlessness. we're all talking about glenn beck. beck, beck, beck, blah blah blah: he wins, he has our attention, he's the subject of our speech and occupies our thought. that's his goal

    the man is a professional demagogue. this is what he does, and he does it well: he generates heat, pointless emotion, mindless easy outrage in service of a cause. of course, its all lies and smears, but what does that matter? truth is not the issue, influence is. and in politics the truth means something, but influence means even more

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:glenn beck is a smear merchant by mujadaddy · · Score: 1

      he's a professional troll

      Damnit, and I love that about him!

      --
      Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
      "Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
    2. Re:glenn beck is a smear merchant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Alternate shortened version: We're ruled by sociopaths and worship narcissists. Enjoy your stay on this planet.

    3. Re:glenn beck is a smear merchant by sten+ben · · Score: 1

      +1000 insightful.

      He has fully understood that being aggressive tends to inspire fight or flight responses, strongly emotional, non-contemplated. It takes quite a lot of both will-power and calm to face someone shouting at you without responding in kind.

  65. Re:ABC/CBS/NBC/AP/etc.,etc. by MeatBag+PussRocket · · Score: 1

    They make up things such as the CBS Bush documents which were made with MS Word.

    You're surprisingly partially right, because we all know Bush doesnt know how to use MS word.

    --
    i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
  66. Maybe I live in a hole ... by put_the_cat_out · · Score: 1

    I don't watch Fox News Channel. I actually tend not to watch any of the news channels, as I find they all have their particular biases, and I choose not to put up with their crap. If it wasn't for this Internet meme and all the news surrounding it online, I would never know who Glenn Beck is. Now, I have some idea of who he is, and I have a very low opinion of him too. This is the Streisand effect in action and at its best.

  67. The domain creator won't mind... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...if someone created a domain with their name inserted in the name of "www.Did{insertDomainCreatorNameHere}RapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com" instead right? The domain creator, I expect, wouldn't mind in the least right? I mean that would make him a hypocrite. So, say, if someone went and created a parody site on him then he'd be supportive? You know what, I think he would. Because he stood up for his right to make a parody site of Glenn Beck and I think the parody domain creator would be ecstatic to know a parody site of himself with a similar domain name and statements of his parody site could/should be put up!

  68. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the satire Beck actually uses

    You lost me there.

  69. You can lie, as long as you call it "news" by ibsteve2u · · Score: 1
    http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/11-the-media-can-legally-lie/

    CMW REPORT, Spring 2003
    Title: "Court Ruled That Media Can Legally Lie"
    Author: Liane Casten

    ORGANIC CONSUMER ASSOCIATION, March 7, 2004
    Title: "Florida Appeals Court Orders Akre-Wilson Must Pay Trial Costs for $24.3 Billion Fox Television; Couple Warns Journalists of Danger to Free Speech, Whistle Blower Protection"
    Author: Al Krebs

    Faculty Evaluator: Liz Burch, Ph.D.
    Student Researcher: Sara Brunner

    In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States.

    By all rights, Beck - as an employee of Fox who was accusing somebody else of make false statements - should have been physically tossed from the courtroom (which, if justice was to be served, should have been on the 5th or higher floor).

    IANAL, of course - but I would be remiss if I did not mention that I look upon anything that Fox says with a certain skepticism.

    --
    Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
  70. The Onion by pipboy9999 · · Score: 1
    I wonder if he'll have the same reaction to this piece from the onion?

    The Onion's opinion.

    --
    Yeah, I've got nothing...
  71. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ScentCone · · Score: 1

    It's nice to see that you're so quick to tackle issues on the merits. Only a putrid slime like Beck would resort to ad hominem attacks, right? And, aren't you supposed to be in school? It's only noon, and I'm certain that junior high school is still in session until at least 2:00PM or so. Or are you posting from the guidance counselor's office, where you're waiting your turn to be comforted because someone challenged the Hope and Change pablum you swallowed, and it's made you upset?

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  72. You just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pure freedom of speach
    Beck/Limbaugh/Fox et al market slander and innuendo daily for ratings, fun and profit
    Their business model & practices are tearing America apart

    Evidently you don't approve of any other using their tactics on them as parody.
    Tough shit asshat
    Grow some nuts and be a man, and please stop sniveling

    Maybe I'm wrong, but I do look for a certain level of intellectual honest on /. After all, this isn't the Huffington Post.

    You are ONE nutless cocksucker for posting that line after your previous rant

  73. For everyone who doesn't already know this by Orgasmatron · · Score: 1

    No seed of truth. Not even a smear campaign. Just a joke.

    Google: gilbert gottfried bob saget roast

    --
    See that "Preview" button?
  74. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by MeatBag+PussRocket · · Score: 1

    you ever seen V for Vendetta? remember the newscaster guy that spouted off political propaganda? yeah, thats basically Glenn Beck.

    before anyone flames me for saying Glenn Beck is propaganda keep in mind most 'journalism' in the US is very very yellow and lean on facts, strong on opinion.

    the thing about the GB show that makes it hard to swallow is that while even he must admit that it is 'not news' and even FOX admits it is 'not news' his show is sandwiched between other 'news' shows on FOXNews. is that line a little blurry for you? it is for a lot of people.

    according to the wikipedia article Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American talk radio and television host, conservative political commentator, author, and entrepreneur. He hosts the nationally syndicated Glenn Beck Program on Premiere Radio Networks, while also hosting the Glenn Beck Show every weekday on the Fox News Channel. He has become a well-known public figure, whose provocative views have afforded him media recognition and popularity, along with controversy and criticism.

    he embodies the reason why i hate politics and ANY news source that is either mainstream media or refers to another news sours as mainstream media.

    --
    i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
  75. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by mcsqueak · · Score: 1

    Explain what SFW porn is, please.

    Looking at the Staples website?

  76. Voluntary "fame" by phorm · · Score: 1

    What I wonder about is the tabloids and those the articles against those who are voluntarily famous (i.e. those in hollywood, politics, etc) VS those who end up thus by circumstance.

    Certainly articles about somebody's kidnapped, murdered, or abused children (or somebody who was a victim of said situation) go beyond tacky to being almost dangerous in the assumptions they lay upon the weak-minded.

    1. Re:Voluntary "fame" by Rysc · · Score: 1

      Turnabout is fair play.

      Beck is welcome to stop inciting other people, too.

      --
      I want my Cowboyneal
  77. Re:ABC/CBS/NBC/AP/etc.,etc. by otopico · · Score: 1

    Yeah, Fox is very honest and not a mouth piece of any political bias...they even say so in their byline!

    I mean, if someone says they are 'fair and balanced' they must be, right!?!?!

  78. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by nine-times · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Obviously, the Whtie House doesn't want to take the bait, because then they'll have to actually talk about those idiots directly

    They don't want to "take the bait" because all it would legitimize Beck and drive up his ratings. Haven't you ever heard that you shouldn't argue with a madman? The people who are convinced by his ravings won't be convinced by your good arguments.

  79. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 1

    Actually, Beck's program is *not*on during fox's scheduled slot for news programs. As pointed out by John Stewart a few nights ago.
    So you can pretend to call it news, (Beck's fans are good at pretending many a things), but the reality says otherwise.

    --
    If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
  80. Want to make some money? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    The EASY way is to simply listen to his show and ever time he pulls something similar, simply create another domain based around the similar theme. Having watched beck on CNN at 3 am (coding), it is obvious to me that he WILL continue to pull this garbage and he will sue. Again. Since it went through the courts already, he should know better, but will do it to harass in hopes that it stops. Then simply counter-sue for legal costs and damages.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  81. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... and why does the first link in the summary go to very very NSFW porn?

    Explain what SFW porn is, please.

    Here you go.

  82. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ZekoMal · · Score: 1

    Actually, it wasn't the White House that said he wasn't news: it was Fox News that said he wasn't news. Because he isn't.

  83. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by dangitman · · Score: 1

    The "did he kill a girl" satire isn't as powerful as the satire Beck actually uses.

    Beck uses satire? Now that would be newsworthy.

    The only scary development is the resurgent muttering, on the left, about the actually evil "fairness doctrine."

    What the fuck are you talking about? You know you shouldn't believe fairy tales or outright lies, right?

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
  84. No true Scottsman . . . by Attack+DAWWG · · Score: 1

    there are intellectual, reasonable conservatives

    Sure there are. But the point is that Beck's many followers call themselves conservative, and they would definitely say that he is conservative. Given that, who is to say that he isn't a "true" conservative?

  85. Re:ABC/CBS/NBC/AP/etc.,etc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you actually so stupid that you don't know that Microsoft Word did not EXIST in 1973? (The date that appears on the forgeries).

    No fan of Bush, but I don't need to make shit up about the man, either.

  86. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The only scary development is the resurgent muttering, on the left, about the actually evil "fairness doctrine."

    If the fairness doctrine is so evil, why do we lionize the journalists and TV anchors who had to operate under it?

  87. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ScentCone · · Score: 1

    Actually, it wasn't the White House that said he wasn't news: it was Fox News that said he wasn't news. Because he isn't.

    Right, Fox has always called him something other than news. But it's the White House that refers to Fox (as a channel) as not producing news at all. Then they cite two non-news broadcast hours as their proof. It wouldn't be so embarassing if they said the same thing about, say, MSNBC. But that channel's commentary people slavishly applaud everything this administration says or does, so they're off the hook.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  88. Bias? by michaele777 · · Score: 1

    I'll consider this newsworthy when the originator does the same thing to someone who claims to be a democrat.

  89. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Sancho · · Score: 1

    http://encyclopediadramatica.com/SFW_Porn is an example of SFW porn.

  90. Would it be funny if... by This+name+in+use · · Score: 1

    Would you still think it was funny if it was Linus Torvalds?
    No matter what you think about Beck, is this really funny? Maybe it's just a sick attack. If it was Linus, there would be an uproar here against this site.

    1. Re:Would it be funny if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >implying we give a shit about Linus Torvalds

    2. Re:Would it be funny if... by Aphoxema · · Score: 1

      Would you still think it was funny if it was Linus Torvalds?

      Only if he didn't think it was funny.

      --
      "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
    3. Re:Would it be funny if... by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1

      Would you still think it was funny if it was Linus Torvalds?

      The Rightwing are showing the cracks in their logic by asking this same question in so many varying ways. "How would you feel if this was your Mother, or your Child or YOU?"

      Linus Torvalds and my mother, etc., don't richly deserve the ironic statement being made through such a gag. It's called, "Getting a taste of your own medicine." If we wanted to give Linus Torvalds a taste of his own medicine, we'd have to write some revolutionary software and give it away to him for free. If we wanted to give my mother a taste of her own medicine, we'd have to give her some delicious home-made chocolate chip cookies.

      Do you see how this works?

      No. You don't. And there's a reason for that. People who support the likes of Glenn Beck are missing certain brain functions which the rest of the human race comes equipped with. They're not as evolved. Their frontal lobes are damaged or mal-formed or just didn't quite grow enough. You could no more expect a monkey or a dog to understand these principles.

      Sorry. Now stop talking. You're showing your evolutionary disadvantage to the humans.

      -FL

  91. The real question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... did Glenn Beck really rape a young girl in 1990? I dont think he did, but why is he not refuting this claims?!

  92. Re:Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant by Estanislao+Mart�nez · · Score: 1

    I watched the video of her delivering the speech, and it's perfectly plausible that her explanation is true. "...two of my favorite political philosophers: Mao Zedong and Mother Theresa" has all the hallmarks of a poorly delivered joke.

    ...and then there's the fact that republicans often quote Mao too.

  93. Obligitary XKCD by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    http://xkcd.com/641/

    Its so true. It reinforces my mantra: "Never trust anyone". [tips tinfoil hat]

  94. Wait . . . you're saying Glenn Beck shagged sheep? by StefanJ · · Score: 1

    Wow, I bet that's where his mom got the wool for The Christmas Sweater!

  95. Who is Streisand in this case? by Chapter80 · · Score: 1

    Who is Streisand in this case? Consider this -

    Glenn Beck loves publicity and controversy.
    Guy who does a parody on Glenn Beck calls attention to Glenn Beck.

    I couldn't give a rats ass about Glenn Beck. I never heard of the dork until I picked up a used book-on-CD at Half-price-books. I'm a (fiscally) conservative thinker, but I found Beck's CD to be annoying - not even funny. That's the only time I "returned" something to Half-Price Books (as opposed to selling it back to them). Yes, I admit, I used Half-Price Books as a library! But that product sucked.

    OK, I haven't THOUGHT about Glenn Beck for at least a year, and now this parody guy causes Beck to pop back into my brain. Beck was gone, but thanks to the Streisand Effect, and the parody, Beck's got more attention.

    I think the strategy of ignoring the dorks works pretty well.

  96. Strange ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This comment, ladies and gentlemen, is from the same person who had this to say about the Obama Joker posters being censored :

    Studies show the media is neither liberal nor conservative. While reporters are often more liberal than their readership, editors and owners are more conservative. What the media actually is, is pro-owning class, and lazy. When you claim the media is 'liberal' you do two things: you demonstrate that you do not understand what the word 'liberal' means, and that you subscribe to a simplistic view of the world where everything is black and white. Please try to grow up and see that things are more nuanced, the world is not black and white, there are no pure 'good guys' or 'bad guys,' and not everyone who disagrees with you is a monster, a fascist, a Nazi, or insane.

    So outright removal ("censorship") of material critical of Obama provokes nothing but a comment that such censorship does not indicate bias, yet material critical of Glenn Beck, now that *needs* defending.

    Hypocrite.

    This book, by Glenn, seems strangely appropriate. I've enjoyed it.

    1. Re:Strange ... by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      (forgot the link)

      http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1341419&cid=29123745

      (and the parent post was anonymous coward by mistake : I'm using the browser in the installer of kubuntu karmic koala, which does not have my password sync)

      Off to reset my pc.

    2. Re:Strange ... by spun · · Score: 1

      Wrong. The two situations are nothing alike. People can publish whatever they like, and no one can force them to publish things they don't like. I'm not calling for censorship of anyone, I'm exercising my free speech by calling Beck a lying pansy crybaby who can't find a real fact with a map and a compass.

      It's funny that this douche got his ass handed to him by an amateur. It's funny that he got his itty bitty girly feelings hurt. It's hilarious that his moronic fans are rushing to defend him. Poor babies.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  97. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ZekoMal · · Score: 2, Interesting

    No, the White House was quoted as saying that Fox News produces biased news. That being said, Stewart also caught them with their hand in their pants when they quoted "some sources" on their official news hours when the sources were their non-news shows!

    Is Fox News news? No. Am I in the White House? No. Was Fox News bashing Bush for favoring conservative viewpoints? No. Is Fox News a bunch of hypocritical winded douchebags shouting at a camera? Yes. Deal with it.

  98. Re:Not entirely true by kenaaker · · Score: 5, Informative
    There is no "controversy" about the birth documentation.

    The document presented is prima facia evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii. That is what the Hawaii state seal on the document and the signature of the state official on the document attest to. The republican governor of Hawaii and the Hawaii state officials responsible for maintaining those records have both publicly confirmed that they have reviewed the documents that are in state custody and those documents also prove that Obama was born in Hawaii.

    The noise from the birthers is just denial.

  99. Politics... The modern Colosseum.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Political tags--such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and. so forth--are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort."

    - Lazarus Long

    By this basic definition, the US has only one true party left, as both Democrats and Republicans seem to want nothing more than to control our lives, one way or another...

    Fox and CNN just employ the loudest propaganda ministers.. In a civilized society the government wouldn't out-source propaganda this way.. this is yet another sign of the decline of this one. When the "journalists" are no longer a voice of truth, but a voice of "truth as is politically expedient today".. we're all in trouble.

    One may claim that this is an over simplification of the situation we find ourselves in.

    One, may be an idiot.

    For anyone that honestly can't comprehend just how we find ourselves in this almost comical situation, I will guide you to the root cause.

    Whenever something in your life makes little to no sense at all, when the actions of someone you want to respect seem to have turned to the psychotic, look for - and for the love of whatever deity you worship find - the money. Because when all other possibilities have been exhausted, the answer is always money.

    Why would the United State's 'one true party' care so much for control over our lives, from our media consumption, to recreational drug use, to who we may fall in love with? Why have we become a country where we must "show our papers" to buy cold medicine? To travel within our nation's borders?

    Well, this site has never shied from discussing our congress critter's ... almost sexual affection for large media companies and their "rights".. so I won't bother rehashing that..

    The drug issue has been wrapped up in both the theater of "protecting children" and "morality".. Regarding the 'children'.. well, any society that in one breath chants 'protect the children', then imprisons children for taking photos of themselves... as far as 'morality' goes... Well, just reread the previous sentence, and understand that morality, when used this way, is as hypocritical as "protecting the children"...The true motive is the basic "right" of pharmaceutical companies to charge you $100/week for a 'medication' that gives you anal leakage, when eating some garlic and smoking a joint would probably have the same desired effect.

    Regarding the issue of love, or 'gay marriage', the answer is even more simple. The lawyers (who's ranks most congress critters come from) haven't quite figured out how to make money off of 'gay marriage'... yet. Mark my words, as soon as they do, the US will legalize 'gay marriage'. Foaming at the mouth morality police be damned.. The money will come out on top.

    What to do? Hand wringing does nothing. Posting here does less. Why I'm bothering I really don't know.. But, if you want to try to do .. something productive to attempt to remedy this situation.. Vote against all incumbents. Look with clear eyes around you, at how the system is actually 'working', and ignore party with a clear conscious. Impose your own term limit, and if their replacement proves to be just as crooked, vote against them when they come back kissing babies begging for your vote.

    Why you all make this seem so complicated is beyond me.

    Liberty Dogood

  100. ignore the girl by SethJohnson · · Score: 1

    I don't care what that girl says, Glenn Beck absolutely did not kill her in 1990. I can't attest to the rape rumors, but the murder is outlandish. I would appreciate it if he was given his day in court to answer the charges rather than become a victim of this media lynch mob.

    Seth

  101. Re:ABC/CBS/NBC/AP/etc.,etc. by MeatBag+PussRocket · · Score: 1

    no i'm just ignorant to the case in question. i had forgotten about that controversy because its pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but now that you mention it IIRC it was something about the font on the 'original' that didnt mesh up with reality. yeah.. you got me there...

    --
    i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
  102. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by natehoy · · Score: 1

    And, of course, the other important reason to ignore the trolls.

    If you take the time to respond to every ridiculous lie said about you, your political opponents will quickly learn that the fastest way to castrate you is to, drum roll please, say ridiculous lies about you. And you'll get caught up in a wave of responses where your opponents simply need to cut-and-paste bits of various lies together to keep you off your stride:

    "[MyOpponent] was caught [action] [subject]! And if he doesn't deny it right now in public, with proof, you should assume it's true!"

    Hell, you could write a simple mailmerge script in Outlook and send a different version to everyone in your mailing list. Your opponent would be so wrapped up trying to respond to your accusations.

    If you play your cards right, you can turn a nonexistent accusation into a multimillion-dollar multi-year witch hunt into every aspect of their existence, eventually find something that really does exist and, despite the fact that it's not relevant, you can actually render a public opponent completely ineffective.

    --
    "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
  103. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ScentCone · · Score: 1

    Actually the quote was "It's not a news organization so much as it has a perspective." That's the White House's take on it. Not a "news organization." No indication of why NBC is a "news organization" despite their very loud and apparent "perspective."

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  104. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ZekoMal · · Score: 1

    Which still isn't a lie. When you watch Fox News, you aren't watching it for the raw news. You're watching it for their perspective, and their perspective is that this White House is run by a Socialist Kenyan, that they are not the mainstream media, and that they speak for America.

    Possibly one reason why the White House doesn't chase down NBC (besides the obvious fact that NBC isn't spouting random bullshit about the White House, like "Obama isn't even an American citizen!!!11") is that NBC doesn't have every single headline rest as sensational on the screen. They may be opinionated, but they manage to do it in a way that isn't entirely grade school in its professionalism.

  105. For "former Communist" read "former Nazi" by JackDW · · Score: 1

    And yet, it seems like this Jones chap actually did claim to be a "radical Communist", which to my mind is a bit like claiming to be a big admirer of Hitler. It is hardly a spurious accusation or a McCarthyist witch hunt based on fabricated evidence and leading questions. Jones openly advocated extreme politics of a sort that killed hundreds of millions during the 20th century. It is only right that voters should take that into account when considering his abilities as a politician.

    In Britain, we have a politician called Nick Griffin who claims not to be a Nazi, and claims his "British National Party" is interested only in freedom, democracy and national independence. And yet there are photos of him as a young man, standing under banners saying "White Pride". There's a video of him with the leader of the KKK explaining his election strategy. There's a picture of the former BNP leader wearing a Nazi uniform and standing beside a swastika. Has Griffin really changed? I doubt it.

    Because of his past, Jones should be treated with equal suspicion.

    --
    You're an immobile computer, remember?
  106. Flamebait? WTF? by Abcd1234 · · Score: 1

    Seriously, what crack are the mods on? The reality is that politicians/news people wouldn't act like "cackling buffoons" if it didn't sell.

  107. And Right Now... by BJ_Covert_Action · · Score: 1

    Glenn Beck is laughing his ass off in his trailer/hotel room/living roome/wherever over the fact that people are talking about him. The guy is not a dumb ass people. He may say things you don't agree with. He may act like a batshit insane asshat on public television. However, he is not stupid. You don't land your own show on a major network by being an infantile, drooling retard that is incapable of calculating your next move very carefully, with your own agenda in mind. Glenn Beck is a public player. He wheels and deals in attention. He garners attention from critics. He garners attention from cheerleaders. He garners attention from other pundits, political figures, and, yes, even you and your coworkers. That is what he does and he is very good at it.

    So right now, after using a very successful strategy to sell his name and make himself (?in)famous, he saw someone throw his own attention games in his direction. So he did what any good actor would do. He acted. He sniggered and, probably, would high five the owners of the original website in the end. He got the public spotlight on him while he raved and ranted and complained about how he is being unjustly prosecuted. He made it so his critics would say, "There, look, see, he can't take it either!"

    He made it so his cheerleaders would say, "There, see, the other side hates our beloved hero and won't do him justice!"

    And now, the name Glenn Beck is not only circulating through lunchrooms and classrooms, now it is circulating around the world. Now people on every continent will be able to say, "Glenn Beck...haven't I heard of him before?"

    Now Glenn Beck is laughing in his private chambers sniggering at what a good media whore he has become. Congratulations slashdot, you just sold your News for Nerds website as a medium by which someone can gain influence and fame be it for good or evil. Personally, the whole thing, including this story being here and ALL comments regarding it (mine included) is fucking disgusting.

    1. Re:And Right Now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And so we begin our battle of 'economy of words"? So be it..

      What I said, and you shortened, may be fully distilled into -

      "The answer, is always, money."

      Weather or not you and I trying to steer those so easily distracted by all this political theater towards a more reasoned view, is as 'fucking disgusting' as most other posts here, I'll leave to far more qualified people to decide.

      But, I think 'fucking disgusting' isn't very fair for you and I.. "wasting our time here".. maybe.

      Oh, I can be, and have been from time to time, "fucking disgusting". And let me tell you, it was the most fun I've ever had. This wasn't quite that fun, so it's hard to believe it was "fucking disgusting".

      To put it another way, trying to explain how the sausage is made, isn't quite as obscene as actually making it.

      Liberty Dogood

  108. SLASHTARD LOGIC_Anita Dunn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then you will all be ok when we put up parody sites featuring you, maybe your mom right?

    Don't worry, we'll start with the names of those who made the ruling and then we'll progress over to other prominent people like say, Obama. From there we'll find your name and post it with child porn, all just a parody of course.

          In the end, when they come for you, I will point out the exact location as you crouch down to avoid being hauled off, after all, its the consequences of your thoughts and actions that will do you in, fucking tards.

    P.S. If you hate Beck for telling you what the Liar Media refused to, you wont like the fact that Beck won another one, Anita Dunn is back to sucking the Steeley Dan and is now free to purue her Maoist aspirations!

  109. Liberal free speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Liberals are all for free speech ... until THEY'RE in change!

    1. Re:Liberal free speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      u mad?

    2. Re:Liberal free speech by Myopic · · Score: 1

      free speech? what do you mean?

      i don't want the government to force Beck to shut up, i want him to shut up due to social pressure.

  110. And the solution is... by Brad+Mace · · Score: 1

    more education about local conditions, not less education about traffic management

  111. The Best Part by BlueBoxSW.com · · Score: 1

    In my opinion, the best part of the whole ordeal, was the fact that after the parody won, the owner handed the domain name over to Beck anyway.

    This means Beck will be forced to:

    1) Let the domain registration lapse, and be taken up by squatters who will use him good name in vain, or

    2) Keep the registration paid, and forever, for the rest of Beck's life, have to PAY to keep DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com out of the hands of squatters.

    HAHAHAHAH.

  112. I'm not saying it is or isn't taken, but... by weston · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1991.com taken?

    I'm not saying it is or isn't taken, I'm just saying that a lot of Americans are interested in this question, and somebody needs to ask it.

    Oh, I know, some of you are saying "Hey, why not just use nslookup?" Did you know that's part of the "BIND" -- now there's a scary name if there ever was one -- package from Berkeley? Have you ever thought about what the "N" and the "S" stand for? Did you that there's a magazine called "New Socialist" -- and they're now online?

    Don't you think this is all pretty interesting?

    Oh, and whether or not didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1991.com is taken .... gb1990.com is. In fact, they're carrying -- and I know this is a little spooky -- the same content that was at didglennbeckrapeandmurderayounggirlin1990.com. Now that's a pretty interesting fact right there, isn't it? I'm not saying what's there is or isn't "true", but I hope Mr. Beck comes clean about these charges, because if he's innocent, we need him without this cloud over his head.

  113. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by LanMan04 · · Score: 1

    But you know he's getting on their nerves when they refer to his time slot (rather than him, you know, he's "he that shall not be named") as being not actual news. Which is funny, since it's not positioned as such in the first place, any more than are, say, Keith Olbermann or Diane Rehm.

    The problem is that Beck's audience isn't smart enough to make that distinction.

    --
    With the first link, the chain is forged.
  114. Re:Not entirely true by spun · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So, the doctor who delivered Obama, and the newspaper that printed his birth announcement must be in on the scam? And the certificate that Hawaii issued was the only official certificate at the time. No controversy, just a bunch of hateful morons who can't stand the idea of a successful black man. Why would Obama even bother to speak to these wingers? That would just encourage them to waste more of his time.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  115. You win five internets sir! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    Best...SERP...ever.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  116. That poor Girl by ZHaDoom · · Score: 1

    That poor Girl

    --
    War isn't about who's right. It's about who's left.
  117. weaselly wipo by Eil · · Score: 1

    Eiland-Hall "appears to the panel to be engaged in a parody of the style or methodology that [Eiland-Hall] appears genuinely to believe is employed by [Beck] in the provision of political commentary, and for that reason [Eiland-Hall] can be said to be making a political statement."

    This is pretty weaselly language for a ruling. Is it even enforceable given the complete lack of concrete wording?

  118. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by greyhueofdoubt · · Score: 1

    No, I wasn't trolling.

    The way I understand it, people are upset about editorial shows (like Beck's) playing a part in the shows that do purport to report on news. On slashdot it frequently gets pointed out that a story based on, for example, a blog, are actually based off a wiki article whose only reference is the blog that referenced the wiki. Circular.

    I think many people see Beck's (and others') incendiary comments as a gateway for the news branches to report on topics that no reputable source would touch. So they can use the commentator as their 'sources say' instead of a journalist.

    Now I don't know if NPR, CNN, et al do the same thing because I don't listen to them. If they do, that sucks. As for larry king- I've only seen his show a few times and as far as I can tell his show consists of interviews with people saying whatever it is they want to say (and with no reports of microphones being turned off). So King's show, I think, counts as a primary source. It would be news to report that so-and-so said this thing during an interview with larry king. It would not be news to report that 'some people' have been saying that this or that happened, because 'some people' might work for that network. Hey, if the 'liberal media' pull those stunts too, they should be called on them.

    If I squint my eyes real hard this whole thing looks like a big game. The problem is that it isn't a game, it's a business, and it has real effects in local and global politics.

    I didn't vote for Obama or Franken, for the record.

    -b

    --
    No offense, but I've stopped responding to AC's.
  119. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 1

    I think people might assume that taking the time to *ask* who Glenn Beck is instead of spending 10 seconds on google qualified you as someone with an agenda.

    Or someone with better things to do that look up random names on Google, perhaps?

  120. The point by warrax_666 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you look at the language of the site, they're specifically not accusing him of rape (odd, that you should pick that over murder, but oh well).

    The point is that he uses exactly the same kind of language to accuse people of all sorts of things -- f.ex. accusing a Muslim congrescritter of being a terrorist by using absurdly leading language such as "Now, *I'm* not saying that you're a terrorist, but some people might think .... Why don't you deny the rumour that you are a terrorist?"

    Glenn Beck is a fucking pussy who can't handle being confronted with his own tactics and he no moral high ground in this case.

    --
    HAND.
    1. Re:The point by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      Glann Beck couldn't find the moral high ground if the Dalai Lama was his shirpa.

  121. Have you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you denied having sex with farm animals in 2001?

    If not, why not?

  122. Re:it is petty... by gandhi_2 · · Score: 1

    right...and such personal attacks are petty. like i said.

  123. Agreed100% by Weaselmancer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I consider neither of them to be journalists in any useful sense of the word.

    Exactly it. As Jon Stewart noted, they're theater and not news.

    And I agree with Jon - they're hurting America. Remember when people would ask you what your stand was on a given issue? People don't really do that anymore, do they? They ask (in one form or another) what side you're on. And that's a huge difference.

    Political discourse used to be a discussion of issues. Each individual and separate. Political discussions used to be like a trip to the salad bar. Now it's two choices A or B.

    Take Kral_Blbec above, who got downmodded to oblivion. I said something that ran contrary to some position of his. He therefore assumed I must be from the other party. "Your beloved leader doesn't seem..." To people like him who are so heavily polarized, it seems impossible to partially disagree with his party. You're either one of us, or one of them. You can't get these types of people to actually think about anything. They just recite their set sound bites and want their side to win. It's infuriating.

    It's entirely possible to make up your mind on every individual issue on your own. And these talking heads are slowly robbing us of this.

    It's depressing how low political discourse has sunk just in the span of my lifetime.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
    1. Re:Agreed100% by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      When exactly was this golden age of political discourse?

      Was the year when the term swiftboating was coined?

      How about the year W insinuated South Carolinians shouldn't vote McCain because he had a black baby?

      The year Clinton focused on Dole's age?

      The year Bush 41 accused Clinton of draft dodging and dope smoking, which was countered by accusations that Bush 41 had an affair with his secretary?

      How about Nixon's southern strategy?

      Maybe back when Kennedy was accused of being the pope's puppet?

      The era of McCarthyism and the red scare?

      The wartime campaigns maligning krauts, japs and their perceived sympathizers?

      or do we have to go back further to antebellium politics where a senator was beaten to death on the senate floor and Andrew Jackson's Eaton affair nearly derailed his presidency?

      Or all the way back to the framer's era with Jefferson and Hamilton sniping at each other?

      Political discourse has never been civil.

  124. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    The document presented is prima facia evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii.That is what the Hawaii state seal on the document and the signature of the state official on the document attest to.

    My driver's license is prima facie evidence of my birthdate. But if it looks funny, it won't be accepted. The only legally definitive proof of my age is an official copy of my birth certificate, and I need to produce. Sending a scan won't do, and only showing it to a few people in an unofficial capacity won't do either. Yes, it's a private document, but I STILL to produce the thing itself.

    The republican governor of Hawaii and the Hawaii state officials responsible for maintaining those records have both publicly confirmed that they have reviewed the documents that are in state custody and those documents also prove that Obama was born in Hawaii.

    You have GOT to be joking. "A politician/government employee says it's good, so that's it." Great. Lets get rid of Wikileaks, the Pentagon Papers, and the rest. Don't put the government budget on line, and trash the sunshine laws."

    The noise from the birthers is just denial."

    A statement that only reinforces the concerns of ANYBODY who doesn't toe the line. It's not possible to disagree or find fault with Obama, or his administration, or his policies. Give them a ridiculous name (teabaggers, birthers), and just yell it out when you want to shut someone up.

    FWIW, I don't care one way or another where he was born. What I care about is that I have to produce an official birth certificate, on paper, and submit it for review by a government official in order to get an SSN, or a driver's license, etc. EVERYBODY is subject to this, privacy or no, in order to verify that one qualifies to receive a certain status from the government. And if that document is challenged, I need to back it up.

    Barack Obama is exempt from the same requirements. Why?

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  125. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 1

    I haven't seen "V for Vendetta", but I can imagine the sort of thing you mean. The TV equivalent of the raving loony right-wing red-top tabloids, then.

    See, that is how you write a helpful answer. Read, and learn.

  126. SHOWING YOUR BIAS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Perhaps you should just turn off the Glenn Beck show if it infuriates you so.
    Nobody forces you to watch and absorb the information you receive from his show.
    For that matter, I could easily argue that /. has a rather strong lean towards a liberal agenda.

  127. John Steward, the Crank Cycle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I believe you mean the Crank Cycle. Damn funny.

  128. More Ravings From a Lunatic by gedrin · · Score: 1

    The fact is that Beck is just a loon. Anyone who's read his book would know he's just a freak who disguises fear mongering as supposed "enlightenment". Stirs up the fears of backward rednecks just to make a profit from them and now he's mad because someone pokes fun at him? Sounds like justice to me.

    Of course, it'll all just be a conspiracy by evil commies to bring him down and only you can save him for $14.95.

    --
    Moderation : -1 Conservative Viewpoint
  129. Never been slashdotted before by Daychilde · · Score: 1

    Hey, cool, I just found this story! Daychilde is my common nickname - I adopted NameWithheld during the time I managed to stay anonymous - I'm Isaac Eiland-Hall. And this story explains why the server load is as high as it is, although we've been featured in a lot of places today.

    If you want to see what you guys are doing to my two servers, check out http://namewithheld.us/ - I have live stats up. :)

    --
    A cheerful little bird is sitting here singing.
  130. Re:Not entirely true by stewbacca · · Score: 1

    I like how Jon Stewart also dug up the birth announcement from the local paper...as if Obama's scheme was so well thought out that 40 some years ago, they had the foresight to put a birth announcement in the paper, so that when he became President in 40 some years, he'd have built in proof of his citizenship.

  131. mainstream? by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Beck is no journalist. Many of the so-called journalists we have today are embarrassing; anybody can call themselves one and act anyway they want while the real journalists do nothing to defend their profession resulting in their own degradation. Its all entertainment now and that is why the measure is only ratings and nothing else.

    Van Jones was NOT an issue to touch. It was a waste of time and not all that much of a fringe opinion either... not that he was strongly or openly taking a position on it. He left to avoid the mess that was manufactured and that was HIS mistake. He was THE MAN for green jobs, so clearly taking him out would undermine recovery as well as please non-green corporate interests - both perfectly aligned with the goals of FOX "news."

    Also, I expect to see MORE attacks on Obama being racist. Its a clear posturing tactic to shield future attacks that could be labeled as race bating or even just plain racism. The more racist Obama is the more ok it is to be racist to obama; aside from the fact many closet racists fear minorities are taking over and infecting the culture and gene pool. I know some of these people; they are not racist in a conventional sense, and they'd be about the same if Obama was white -thing is, they are simpletons so his race or his name or his birthplace are highlighted because they are obvious differences. I've seen them say bigoted things with joy after the latest Obama is a racist talking point made them feel safe to do so. Its not rational behavior, but rational is not something that applies to at least 1/3 of the USA.

  132. Re:Not entirely true by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

    only showing it to a few people in an unofficial capacity won't do either.

    Tell me, who has the "official" capacity to gauge the citizenship of the President?

    There is evidence he was born in HI. The birth certificate, birth announcements (or do you think that parents announce their births in foreign countries on the off chance they are raising a future president?) and such. And nothing indicating a birth elsewhere.

    Barack Obama is exempt from the same requirements. Why?

    He produced his birth certificate. The State of HI (and its Republican governor) have officially verified it to be a valid birth certificate. Everyone he's ever shown it to says it is valid. That's sufficient for everyone else on the planet, so why are you subjecting him to special treatment, then lying and saying it's no different than anyone else?

  133. Re:Not entirely true by kenaaker · · Score: 1
    You say you'll accept no public statement from anybody representing the government, and then a few sentences later, call for a government official to verify Obama's documents. In case you didn't notice, the republican governor of Hawaii is a government official and he verified that Obama was born in Hawaii. The government official in charge of Hawaii's public records has verified that Obama was born in Hawaii. You seem to actually not want anything except to be right in your own mind.

    I hope you're happy in your victimhood. You might as well be, because reality isn't going to rearrange itself to support your prejudices.

  134. he's still likeable by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

    After all, according to Whoopi Goldberg, it wasn't "rape-rape."

    1. Re:he's still likeable by Dishevel · · Score: 1

      Whoopi is a fucking idiot.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  135. RE: born in Kenya by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "if he was born here, why doesn't he prove it? Obama has, of course,"

    But he hasn't really.

    See, he hasn't shown a copy of his original birth certificate. He has released statement of birth which is different.

    What I can't understand is that people don't acknowledge that he has NOT really released his a copy of his birth certificate! I read that the Hawaii hospital said the the original has been lost . So if that is so, officially say it! Tell us that Mr Obama's original Birth certificate ( you know, the same one you and me have with the doctors signature on it ) has been lost so we are issuing the statement of birth instead.

    That's the crux of the argument. Obama's team has not released ( a copy ) of the original birth certificate.

    Lets say I lease a car. The leasing company says that I am not paying the correct monthly payments. I ask for a copy of the original lease agreement that I signed ( for sake of argument let's say I've lost my copy ). What they send me is a statement of lease. This is not the original document that I signed, but it outlines my lease. Are these document the same? I say no.

    Weather the "statement of birth" is good enough is not the argument. The fact is that it is not the same as a copy of the original birth certificate is. That's why the birth certificate issue won't go away for good.

     

  136. In related news... by sammydee · · Score: 1

    In related news, victim in fatal car accident is tragically not Glenn Beck

    http://www.theonion.com/content/video/victim_in_fatal_car_accident

  137. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

    I *still* don't know who he is.

    Believe me, you're better off that way.

  138. Please stop spreading misinformation by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

    The report is that he actually said Canadians taste the best. Once again the liberal media distorts things to make him out to be some kind of white supremacist.

    1. Re:Please stop spreading misinformation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The report is that he actually said Canadians taste the best. Once again the liberal media distorts things to make him out to be some kind of white supremacist.

      Are you alleging that there are no black Canadians? And why not? Because the so-called "authentic" white Canadians eat their minorities? So you're claiming that Canadians *AND* Glenn Beck are both cannibals? Isn't that an interesting concidence. Let me draw a line and some arrows on the blackboard and circle a picture of Mao.

  139. he lost on a technicality by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

    They argued that the site didn't really contain his name, which had been de facto changed to Glenn Bek after this episode.

  140. Re: born in Kenya by kenaaker · · Score: 1
    The only documents that will be accepted for proof of US birth and citizenship have to be officially recognized documents. That is, they have to have be issued by a government records agency, signed by an appropriate government official and marked with a state issued seal.

    Unless your original hospital birth certificate is signed by a government official and marked with a state seal, it's the same as toilet paper, as far as the US State Department or the DOD is concerned. That's from personal experience, I held a secret clearance for a time and started out with an original hospital birth certificate. I had to personally request a new document with the signature and state seal.

    The document that Obama has presented meets the criteria for proof of US birth and is sufficient for proof of citizenship for a passport or a security clearance.

  141. Re: born in Kenya by spun · · Score: 1
    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  142. False equivalence by tiqui · · Score: 1

    Glenn Beck plays lots of videos of Obama officials ranting and raving in praise of mass murderers and dictators, then invites team Obama to explain themselves... and the left is so outraged that they respond by playing videos of him raping and murdering.... no... wait... they have no such videos for him to explain....

    The website was not a valid parody of Beck at all. It was just another nasty Obama hugger trying to distract from the questions Beck asked using video of Obama's own people ranting like lunatics It is not Beck's fault that so many on team Obama are on video that way... it's their own fault. The Obama vetting people allowed these people to be hired with, apparently, less background checking than a circus clown using google was able to do. This is a classic case of getting mad at the messenger when you do not like the message.

    Beck at least loudly proclaims himself to be a circus clown and he has no governmental power or authority to do anything to anybody. He did not just make-up a bunch of ugly accusations about criminal offenses by Obama and then demand a response. Beck played videos of Obama people who were making, or advising on, government policy and some of whom were overseeing billions of tax dollars raving like certifiable lunatics and he then asked the administration to provide an alternate explanation for what was said that would be less nasty than the actual words uttered by team Obama.

    There is no video of Beck bragging about a rape and a murder I would have hoped that the brainier-than-normal crowd who hang-out on slashdot would have seen the invalid comparison immediately and even the liberals here would rise above their biases to see that. The day Beck or anybody else on Fox accuse Obama of rape and murder with no evidence whatsoever, I will join the left in being outraged.

    1. Re:False equivalence by Aphoxema · · Score: 1

      I think this meme should evolve into "I don't get the idea"...

      --
      "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
  143. Good point by Singularity42 · · Score: 1

    Even though you appear to be on the side of people who value truth, I think in this case you are correct.

  144. Conspiring forces of evil by Aphoxema · · Score: 1

    This was clearly a conspiracy. Let's see if anyone denies it before I finish my post. ...

    Well, no one denied it!

    --
    "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
  145. Re: born in Kenya by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Friday, November 6, 2009
    Rep. Deal wants Obama to prove citizenship

    "What I have seen -- and I think it is the only thing that has been put out -- is a certification of live birth, and it just does not contain the type of information that most state birth certificates would contain," Deal said. "It obviously does not have the signature of a doctor. Most birth certificates or even certificates of live birth have those kinds of verifications."

    http://www.ajc.com/news/rep-deal-wants-obama-188779.html

  146. The whiners have nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All it proves is that the whiners have nothing, except copying a Gilbert Godfried routine.

    BTW, why is Glenn Beck still on the air? The kos zombies were supposed to have taken all of his sponsors away already. That worked just as well as all of their other attempts to silence free speech.

  147. Re:Not entirely true by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    My driver's license is prima facie evidence of my birthdate. But if it looks funny, it won't be accepted. The only legally definitive proof of my age is an official copy of my birth certificate, and I need to produce. Sending a scan won't do, and only showing it to a few people in an unofficial capacity won't do either. Yes, it's a private document, but I STILL to produce the thing itself.

    That's an irrelevant and illogical argument. Accepted forms of proof of birth in all states are birth certificates and passports. Driver licenses are not accepted. In the state of Hawaii, the COLB is the official short form of a birth certificate. It is accepted by other states as proof of birth.

    You have GOT to be joking. "A politician/government employee says it's good, so that's it." Great. Lets get rid of Wikileaks, the Pentagon Papers, and the rest. Don't put the government budget on line, and trash the sunshine laws."

    The authority of the records from the state of Hawaii is the state of Hawaii. Who else is going to vet the records? Jesus? Satan? Hitler? If you didn't notice, the Republican governor of Hawaii considers Democratic Barack Obama to have been born in Hawaii.

    A statement that only reinforces the concerns of ANYBODY who doesn't toe the line. It's not possible to disagree or find fault with Obama, or his administration, or his policies. Give them a ridiculous name (teabaggers, birthers), and just yell it out when you want to shut someone up.

    This topic has been covered multiple times. Each time the accusations and insinuations are thrown out only to be refuted by facts and declarations by the state of Hawaii not by the Obama administration. Whatever name you give them, it is clear these people refuse to accept simple facts.

    FWIW, I don't care one way or another where he was born. What I care about is that I have to produce an official birth certificate, on paper, and submit it for review by a government official in order to get an SSN, or a driver's license, etc. EVERYBODY is subject to this, privacy or no, in order to verify that one qualifies to receive a certain status from the government. And if that document is challenged, I need to back it up. Barack Obama is exempt from the same requirements. Why?

    I believe Obama already presented the official documentation to election officials. That's all he needed to do. The scanned copy was for the public since there were so many false allegations. FactCheck.org, upon request, was allowed to see the official document. Other than having the document go on tour in the country, there's nothing Obama can do to satisfy your outrageous demands. Or do you feel that somehow your demands supersedes the requirements of election officials.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  148. Flawed analogy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Generally, unless a person has a truly amazing brain, they don't remember their birth. And, even if they did, it would be pretty hard for a newborn to figure out what country they're in. A person faking a college degree knows they're lying. A person trying to prove that they're a natural born US citizen who runs into a problem producing the documentation doesn't actually know for a fact that what they're proving is true. How many people actually have their birth certificate? Many probably do, but plenty don't. And these records aren't always available from the town hall afterwards. Sometimes they're lost, destroyed, or not even created in the first place for any number of reasons. Any normal person can probably go to court, provide a few witnesses or even just some signed affidavits and get a new birth certificate or equivalent document. After all, being a naturalized citizen is legally no different than being a natural-born citizen except in the particular case where you want to be president of the United States. Then, all of a sudden, it's a huge deal. Someone who was born in the United States and left the next day to spend 35 years in North Korea is acceptable, but someone who was born in Canada and moved the next day into the US and didn't leave for the next 35 years is somehow a security or loyalty risk to the country. I suppose there have been some other situations where not being a natural born citizen has mattered in other arenas like the internment camps in the US during WWII. Of course, two thirds of those of Japanese descent interned were natural born citizens and some large chunk of those were second generation natural born citizens, and the non-citizens were largely only non-citizens due to racist laws preventing "mongolians" from being naturalized.
    So, anyway, maybe he does have some problem with his documentation, but there doesn't seem to be much question of his being a US citizen now, or of his mother living in Hawaii at the time he was born...
    You know, until I saw this Slashdot article, I didn't know much about the Obama birth certificate "controversy" and I wrote most of this comment without having researched it. I just had a look at a few things, including the snopes.com article on it. Now I don't know why I even bothered to write most of this. It seems he doesn't have any problems with his documentation, the "controversy" is due to a crackpot lawsuit against him that the judge dismissed as "frivolous". So, yeah, it appears Glenn Beck deserves every bit of what he's getting.

  149. Re:Not entirely true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you listening to yourself>? Government officials are the ones you have to prove this stuff to in order to get the documents. When they say the documents are bad, you have a problem. When they say the documents are good, then you don't have a problem, end of story. They can issue new ones if necessary. They don't need to, because the existing ones are good. It's that simple, game over, end of story.
    Incidentally, I challenge your drivers license. I haven't seen it, and I don't know who you really are, or where you live, but by your assertion, if the document is challenged, you have to back it up, so I challenge it. If you truly believe in your principles, you will now cease driving until you have backed up your claim that your drivers license is valid. We'll start with you providing a link to a photocopy of both sides. When that isn't sufficient because I can't see the hologram in the copy, I'll probably be requiring you to mail me your drivers license. And don't expect me to accept some sort of statement from your states motor vehicle registry as proof. I'm not going to accept anything from some government official, even if that official represents the agency that issued the license in the first place.

  150. Re:Who the fuck is Glenn Beck... by sonicmerlin · · Score: 1

    So you come to post under an article about Glenn Beck, not knowing anything about Glenn Beck, and then whine that it`s too difficult to spend 10 seconds on Google to look up who Glenn Beck actually is? Does that not strike you as irrationally idiotic?

  151. The "No Gimmicks" Morning Zoo Dude? by VValdo · · Score: 1

    listen to the Glen Beck Program when it was on our local station but it went off the air for a couple of years.

    Oh I know why you're confused. You must be thinking of this zany guy.

    W

    --
    -------------------
    This is my SIG. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
    1. Re:The "No Gimmicks" Morning Zoo Dude? by kriston · · Score: 1

      Great link!! But I'm talking late 1990s, early 2000s.
      That's a great video.

      --

      Kriston

  152. Glen Becks program info by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hi,

      In Australia on FoxNews channel the program information category comes up as 'Entertainment', whereas OReily and others come up as 'News'. Is that the same in the US/elsewhere?

  153. Re:Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant by Myopic · · Score: 1

    Oh my goodness, here I thought that GLENN BECK RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990, but maybe actually PENGUIN_DANCE RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990!!

    Penguin_dance, will you deny, here on the record, that YOU RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990? Will you finally release the documents to disprove the allegation that YOU RAPED AND MURDERED A YOUNG GIRL IN 1990?

  154. Re:Not entirely true by Duhavid · · Score: 1

    Funny.

    When there were questions about the election that got Bush II his second term, what was the one thing said by "conservatives"? Get over it, wasnt it? No "lets get to the bottom of this and prove it nonsense". Just shut up and get over it.

    Also, *I* have not seen proof that Bush Jr. is a citizen of the US. Where is the proof?

    Obama is required to present evidence *to the election officials*. Not to you. If you have a serious belief that that was not done, produce your proof. Or go look for it. Get to the bottom of it. Investigate. Back up your assertions. Until you have something more than allegations, hush.

    --
    emt 377 emt 4
  155. Re: Born in Hawaii, which is a US state. by kenaaker · · Score: 1
    And this proves exactly what? That some congressional district elected a person who is willing to pander to any loud group, or who is too dumb to understand what an official state document is?

    The official government representatives of the state of Hawaii have stated repeatedly that Obama was born in Hawaii, that makes him a natural born US citizen, and eligible to be president of the United States.

    Now, what particular part of "official state document" or "born in Hawaii" do you fail to comprehend?

  156. why by memnock · · Score: 1

    did the guy give Beck the domain? i'd have given it to some liberal shill somewhere, letting the domain taunt Beck for the rest of the contract. then let that asshat go buy it.

  157. Who the Rape'n'Fuck is Glenn Beck? by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

    And why should anyone care?
    Seriously poor editing if the editor didn't predict that response.

    OK, didn't take long to find out (Wikipedia): "Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American talk radio and television host, conservative political commentator, author, and ... " total non-entity.
    So, thanks to Slashdot's poor editorial standards, I've wasted about 3 minutes of my life (while, I must say, doing other more interesting things too). Thanks guys. Not.

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  158. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

    and their perspective is that this White House is run by a Socialist Kenyan

    Never seen this, and in fact I have seen it being raised/debunked on Special Report. CNN, however, does have a birther (Lou Dobbs, I refuse to comment on if I like him or not as I do not watch him).

  159. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

    The "did he kill a girl" satire isn't as powerful as the satire Beck actually uses.

    Beck uses satire? Now that would be newsworthy.

    What the fuck are you talking about? You know you shouldn't believe fairy tales or outright lies, right?

    The only scary development is the resurgent muttering, on the left, about the actually evil "fairness doctrine."

    What the fuck are you talking about? You know you shouldn't believe fairy tales or outright lies, right?

    What are YOU talking about? I have heard quite a number of congressmen openly support a fairness doctrine. The fact it has not gotten any floor time suggests it doesn't have the votes, but the fact anyone is for it is rather scary.

  160. Re:Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

    Quoting is perfectly fine. I read such quotes, Beck has (he showed off his collection of books, from Marx to Hitler). The Holocaust museum, for instance, quotes Hitler quite an awful lot, but it isn't quite the same thing as saying it is someone/some people "I turn to most." So don't get your point.

  161. Re:Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

    And he showed the entire video, including that portion, as not to take anything out of context, which I respect. Regardless of why she did it I think we can agree she has no future career in stand up comedy.

    At the very best, delivering this speech, and saying Mao is one of two people (along with Mother Teresa) that you "turn to most," in front of a high school graduation with almost no indication of sarcasm is not in good taste. Coupled with her other remarks I have read it would not surprise me either way, Maoist or failed comedian. Or both.

  162. You Cant Deny It by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You cant deny it "Beck is on the Money" and lots of it !!

  163. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by ZekoMal · · Score: 1

    Fox & Friends, something that I am forced to watch nearly every morning by my companions, spits that out maybe once every two weeks, O'Reilly mentions it in a huff on occasion, Beck flies through it when he's on one of his crazy speeches, and I'm pretty sure the actual news side of Fox News pulled the whole "some sources say..." routine at some point over it. If you want, I can go digging for some video proof...

  164. Re:Not entirely true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Birtherism de-legitimizes the entire Teabagger movement. Having a whacked-out conspiracy at the heart of one's cause does not provide a strong foundation for sound ideas. Like the president, I was born in a state in which original birth certificates cannot be sent out in the mail upon request, as I suspect were many birthers. In my state of birth, as in several others, such record-keeping has been farmed out to private companies that will provide very nice replicas, complete with seals, for a small fee. These fakes are treated as originals and can be used for things such as replacing social security cards. In some cases, original records are actually destroyed after being digitized. Good thing that was not he case in Hawaii. This is all very simple to understand. I suspect in the case of birthers it is a combination of rampant stupidity and not wanting to understand this very simple process that makes them persist in this lunacy.

  165. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    No. He produced a facsimile of his birth certificate. When I got my driver's license, I had to produce the real thing - a certified copy from the state of my birth. I had to do it again when I got my passport. I was not allowed to present a photocopy, nor was I allowed to have the county clerk call up and tell the official that the clerk has seen it and it's genuine.

    As for who would review, a quote from the Washington Post:

    "But Sarah H. Duggin, an associate law professor at Catholic University who has studied the "natural born" issue in detail, said the question is "not so simple." While she said McCain would probably prevail in a determined legal challenge to his eligibility to be president, she added that the matter can be fully resolved only by a constitutional amendment or a Supreme Court decision."

    So it looks like there is an authority to decide it. As for who he-'s shown it to, "everybody" appears to be 2 people from a website.

    I'm not the one subjecting him to special treatment. If I were held to the same standard, I could have gotten my license with a photocopy and a phone call from a county clerk. Guess what - I can't, and neither can anyone else in the country. So who's getting special treatment?

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  166. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    "I believe Obama already presented the official documentation to election officials. "

    That is the crux of our disagreement - to the best of my knowledge, he did not do so.

    You are also missing my initial point - it's not about using a DL as ID, it's about having to produce, in my posession, and actual, certified document in order to GET my driver's license. Or a passport. Or an SSN. Or enroll in grade school. Or play on a youth soccer team. Sure, if I CAN'T produce it, there are official ways around it. But Obama did produce it when he got his driver's license, enrolled in school, etc. But to prove his eligibility to be POTUS he can produce a photocopy, 2 random guys who saw his copy and said "It's ok", and a statement from a state official that says that THEIR copy is good, but can't issue a certified copy.

    As for your bringing up the parties, think a bit. He made his assertion after the election. What person in his right mind would assert at that point that Obama wasn't qualified? He may be republican, but Hawaii is as blue as they come. Would you commit career suicide over a done deal? Didn't think so.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  167. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    "Obama is required to present evidence *to the election officials*. "

    And to the best of my knowledge he has not done so. THAT's my problem with it.

    And no, the governor of Hawaii, AFTER the election, doesn't count. He's neither a federal, nor a state, election official.

    Everyone keeps responding saying "What he did was sufficient." But when I point out that it would not be sufficient if I did it, the name calling starts. Why?

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  168. Re:Not entirely true by Duhavid · · Score: 1

    "And to the best of my knowledge he has not done so. THAT's my problem with it."

    OK, but no one notified me of Bush presenting his evidence to any election officials. It does not seem to be an event with a lot of hoopla around it. As Nixon can attest, it is hard to keep secrets, especially in Washington. If you believe a misdeed has been done here, figure out how to show it.

    "And no, the governor of Hawaii, AFTER the election, doesn't count. He's neither a federal, nor a state, election official."

    I agree with you there. He can state his opinion, but it would only be very meaningful to me if he came down on the other side of the issue.

    "Everyone keeps responding saying "What he did was sufficient.""

    I cant prove that what he did was or was not sufficient, so all I can say is that with the opposition to his presidency, if there were a good standing to this, I would think it would have been offered before now. My "first approximation", based on what I know at this point. I ( I cant speak for others ) am open to being convinced. But I can see that he and his staff are not going to get wrapped up in visiting every citizen and showing the documentation.

    "But when I point out that it would not be sufficient if I did it,"

    It is necessary for you to produce documentation to officials. This may or may not have happened ( in either case ). Your neighbor can allege that you did not show whatever proof was required, but you are not required to prove to *them* anything.

    "the name calling starts. Why?"

    On both side of the aisle are people who have "picked their team", and they are fans, come heck or high water. If you speak against that, expect them to get upset.

    --
    emt 377 emt 4
  169. Re:Not entirely true by kenaaker · · Score: 1
    "To the best of my knowledge, he did not do so."

    That's the crux of the whole thing, as far as you're concerned, isn't it? Where did the "best of your knowledge" come from? Who is the "authority" that gave you your knowledge? "Polarik" and Jerome Corsi, some random "entertainers" on talk radio or cable? Do you agree with them because of the vast preponderance of evidence they presented? Or, because they affirm your preconceptions?

    Think man, think. Understand why you have chosen to believe what you do.

  170. Re:Not entirely true by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

    No. He produced a facsimile of his birth certificate.

    No, he produced the official document to members of the government. That's what you had to do too. Also, can you name another president who provided his birth certificate to anyone? No, you can't. It isn't a requirement for the office.

    So it looks like there is an authority to decide it.

    The Supreme Court handling a legal battle isn't the same as there being a legal authority who the president must prove citizenship to.

    I'm not the one subjecting him to special treatment.

    Yes, you are. No other president ever did it, so why him? That's special treatment.

    If I were held to the same standard, I could have gotten my license with a photocopy and a phone call from a county clerk.

    He provided the actual document. People said "that's a fake" and the state of HI and their Republican head stated it wasn't a fake. What more could it possibly be? If he gave you the original, you'd still claim it was fake.

  171. Re:Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant by penguin_dance · · Score: 1

    Well it's a good thing you don't have my real name to use. Because I COULD sue you. And I could win. It's harder to proved defamation, slander, etc. when you're a public figure. I am not.

    --
    If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a minority viewpoint here!
  172. Re:Good Example, But Not Necessarily How You Meant by penguin_dance · · Score: 1

    First of all, I also saw the video. She wasn't joking. Why in the world do these people quote Mao as an example, if they don't believe in what he says. If someone in the Bush admin had said one of his/her favorite 'philosophers' was Hitler, the media would have been ALL over it. Mao killed even more innocent people than Hitler. Mao "fought his war" all right, by killing his political enemies, an well as millions of others if they weren't put in re-education camps. And yet, he is now a "philosopher".

    And now I notice that Anita Dunn's been shown the door....

    --
    If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a minority viewpoint here!
  173. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    I think your reply is reasonable, and you seem relatively open minded. I do want to emphasize that I see this as a matter of principle, not practicality. He's the President - period.

    Another one of your points bears discussion: "if there were a good standing to this, I would think it would have been offered before now." You have a reasonable point - most of the "birther" opposition is based on racism. If Obama were white and was born in Ireland, 90% of the loudmouths wouldn't care. But there is a particular aspect to the Obama biography I find odd. Specifically, that his mother flew from Kenya to Honolulu immediately before his birth. At first glance, this seems unremarkable - pregnant women fly all of the time. But when Obama was born, pregnant women DIDN'T fly all of the time - especially long duration international flights. The medical establishment advised against it. As a matter of fact, if a woman showed up 9 months pregnant she probably would have been refused carriage. On the other hand, travelling with a babe in arms, even a newborn, was rare but SOP. So this raises a question - how, and more importantly WHY, would a young woman take such a risk when sh could have had the baby in Kenya?

    There's plenty of reasons she may have wanted the child to be born in Hawaii, and they have nothing to do with a possible future presidency. But none of them play well in the bio - father dumped her, she was escaping him, Kenyan hospitals were unsafe, etc. So the reason WHY she came back is left nebulous - she just did. THAT is my root problem with the whole thing - there is this gap in his bio, at a critical time, and the official storyline just doesn't gibe to me.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  174. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    "Think man, think. Understand why you have chosen to believe what you do."

    Considering I don't even know who those people are, I'd say no. I barely watch TV, and get most of my news from NPR and the Express, which is a publication of the Washington Post. I've followed the elections and this particular item since well before the election. I have never seen a reference, ANYWHERE, regarding him presenting his qualifications to election officials. If he had, the campaign would have said so. And I'll bet you haven't seen a reference either.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  175. Re:Not entirely true by kenaaker · · Score: 1
    Well, as far as that is concerned. I've never seen any campaign announce their candidate was presenting their credentials to election officials. But, if you can come up with an citation I'd be interested in seeing it. The scans and photos of the documents at snopes and factcheck show a document that meets all the requirements for proof he's a natural born US citizen. Good enough to get a passport, or to start qualifying for a security clearance.

    Where did your "fact" that Ann Dunham flew from Kenya to Hawaii come from?

  176. Re:Not entirely true by Duhavid · · Score: 1

    That is interesting.

    The escaping the father, and wanting to have the child in America seem sufficient motivation to me for her desiring to leave Kenya for America. I cant say why she was not deterred by airport personnel. Maybe they tried and were unsuccessful. Maybe they did not see the risks of flying as being as large as the risk for her to stay. Or, maybe there may be something wrong there.

    I do want to thank you for a reasonable discussion on the matter.

    --
    emt 377 emt 4
  177. Re:Not entirely true by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    That is the crux of our disagreement - to the best of my knowledge, he did not do so.

    So what you're saying is that you don't believe it until you've personally witnessed it. So do you also think evolution cannot occur because you don't live long enough for species to evolve?

    You are also missing my initial point - it's not about using a DL as ID, it's about having to produce, in my posession, and actual, certified document in order to GET my driver's license. Or a passport. Or an SSN. Or enroll in grade school. Or play on a youth soccer team. Sure, if I CAN'T produce it, there are official ways around it. But Obama did produce it when he got his driver's license, enrolled in school, etc. But to prove his eligibility to be POTUS he can produce a photocopy, 2 random guys who saw his copy and said "It's ok", and a statement from a state official that says that THEIR copy is good, but can't issue a certified copy.

    You missed the entire point utterly and completely. When you run for election even a local one, there is a large amount of paperwork to be filed. Most of this occurs out of the public eye. Did John McCain or Hilary Clinton bring in news camera when they submitted their birth certificates to their election officials? No. Obama has already produced the certificate to the local election officials AND he made if available to general public on his website. That's well beyond what he needed to so.

    As for Hawaii not producing a copy for you, state records like birth records are private. I can't ask your state for your birth records anymore than you can ask Hawaii for Obama's records. That's basic common sense.

    As for your bringing up the parties, think a bit. He made his assertion after the election. What person in his right mind would assert at that point that Obama wasn't qualified? He may be republican, but Hawaii is as blue as they come. Would you commit career suicide over a done deal? Didn't think so.

    If you did one iota of research, that the Hawaii affirmed Obama's birthplace twice. The first time was October 2008. The second time was July of 2009. In October 2008, if the Republican governor of Hawaii could have completely eliminated Obama from the election, he would been a hero to the Republican party. Think about that.

    The insinuations about his birth first appeared around 2006. Of all the people that could have challenged Obama's citizenship but didn't include:

    1. Hilary Clinton and all his Democratic opponents
    2. John McCain and the Republicans
    3. Every state election official

    Today the only people that challenge his birth are people like you who have no standing to do so and don't have a basic grasp of all the facts.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  178. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

    CNN, however, does have a birther

    Not anymore.

    --
    Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
  179. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    You really don't get it. I BELIEVE Obama was born in Hawaii. And even if he wasn't, he's still president of the United States. Where have I called for his removal from office? Where have I said he is unqualified to serve?

    Did you actually read your response? Are you seriously stating that Obama was certified by "local election officials" (and no, the ones in Hawaii aren't election officials), but that there is no record of this? I've looked, and I can't discover to what jurisdiction or what office this occurred. Can you? Or was that supposed to happen off the record?

    As for McCain, Hilary, and the governor of Hawaii, so what? They are politicians - there goal is getting elected (or re-elected). I know people like to believe Republican politicians are retarded (or Machiavellian masterminds), but claiming that the governor of the bluest state in the Union would have declared Obama unqualified if only he could is tantamount to saying he's Forrest Gump. Same with McCain and Hillary

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  180. Re:Not entirely true by R2.0 · · Score: 1

    Don't pat me on the back yet - that may be a speculation I swallowed as fact. Checking google now...

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  181. Re:Random Strawman: not the same as topical eye-po by diamondmagic · · Score: 1

    Fox & Friends, something that I am forced to watch nearly every morning by my companions, spits that out maybe once every two weeks, O'Reilly mentions it in a huff on occasion, Beck flies through it when he's on one of his crazy speeches, and I'm pretty sure the actual news side of Fox News pulled the whole "some sources say..." routine at some point over it. If you want, I can go digging for some video proof...

    Fox and Friends comes across as the program that just couldn't say anything insightful if it weren't for the teleprompter (and they struggle even with that). It isn't exactly on my list of high quality programs as is, say, Special Report or NPR reporting in general.

    I would like to see O'Reilly say that, from what I have seen it wouldn't surprise me, but I have never heard anything about him on that subject, and I mean beyond a possible implication from a question such as "How bad can the Obama administration vetting process get?" Beck has absolutely not said anything of the sort, at least while on Fox.

    My point I was trying to make is this isn't something that Fox is guilty of, or at least not alone - other organizations are just as bad with facts if not worse.

  182. Re:Not entirely true by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    Did you actually read your response? Are you seriously stating that Obama was certified by "local election officials" (and no, the ones in Hawaii aren't election officials), but that there is no record of this? I've looked, and I can't discover to what jurisdiction or what office this occurred. Can you? Or was that supposed to happen off the record?

    You entire post is saying you don't believe anything until you see it. The certification of eligibility of an candidate happens locally. For the next presidential election I suggest you try to register as a candidate for an office. You'll go down to your local election officials. You'll fill out paperwork. A local official will review them. There normally will not be any cameras or ceremony. It's like that with most government processes.

    If you feel that's inadequate then I suggest you head to Chicago and do some investigation. The state of Hawaii says he was born in Hawaii. That's good enough for me. If it's not good enough for you, get evidence instead of asking questions that have already been answered.

    As for McCain, Hilary, and the governor of Hawaii, so what? They are politicians - there goal is getting elected (or re-elected).

    What you said defies common sense. Yes their goal is to get elected. If either of them could disqualify Obama, guess what? They achieve their goal.

    I know people like to believe Republican politicians are retarded (or Machiavellian masterminds), but claiming that the governor of the bluest state in the Union would have declared Obama unqualified if only he could is tantamount to saying he's Forrest Gump. Same with McCain and Hillary.

    Are you seriously saying that the Republican governor of Hawaii wouldn't support her own party especially when it comes to the highest office in the land? So what if Hawaii is blue? If the Republicans hold the presidency, that governor would be a hero and possibly have her pick of any office she wanted in the new administration. And are you also saying that Hilary Clinton with her ambition and drive wouldn't take an easy opportunity to eliminate her rival? She could have been the nominee if Obama was disqualified. McCain would have won unopposed against Obama if Hilary didn't take her shot. Yet all these people who have a vested interest in seeing Obama disqualified all somehow refused to take the opportunity.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  183. Re:Not entirely true by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    What Obama has given was a "certification of live birth," not a "birth certificate." The controversy there is that they are not the same legal documents in Hawaii from that era, with the former being derived from the latter.

    Huh? When you ask for a "birth certificate" from the state of Hawaii, they are going to send you a COLB. Now in Hawaii, they don't necessarily call it a birth certificate. That's typical government stuff to name things by acronym and to name it differently than other states. For example if you suspect a child is being abused, you call CPS in one state, DHS in another, DFCS in another etc.

    There are actually 2 forms of birth certificates. The COLB is the short form with just enough pertinent information. The long form is more of a medical form with things like blood type, etc.

    I'm not a birther, but it does unnerve me that Obama won't just come out with the full monty of official documents and say "please, now STFU." That sort of game, where you let hundreds of thousands of your citizens believe that you are quite literally legally unable to occupy your office is not the sort of game that a politician in such a powerful office should play.

    He's already released the COLB on his website. That's far more than enough. As for not releasing the long form, would you want to release your medical records for the entire world to see?

    If that wasn't enough for you, the State of Hawaii has repeatedly said he was born there.

    I know the standard excuse for Obama not being 100% open here is that he's just messing with paranoid lunatics. Even assuming that's true, that makes even less sense because paranoid lunatics are the last people you want believing you're an illegitimate leader presiding over an imploding economy. That's like poking a tiger at a zoo with a sharp stick

    He's been more open than he needed to be. And the State of Hawaii backs him up. What more proof do you need? At this point, it's not paranoid, it's more desperation, delusion, and blind ignorance of facts.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  184. Not notable enough to mention on Wikipedia by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1
    Well, there was no mention at all of this in the Wikipedia article on Beck, so I added a section mentioning it. After a considerable edit war where several people deleted most of the text (stating it wasn't "notable" enough to have any of the details in the article), it's been pared down to a single very short paragraph at the end.

    Seems notable to me. But, at least it's mentioned.

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  185. This by dazaris · · Score: 1

    Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn Beck:
    http://www.theonion.com/content/video/victim_in_fatal_car_accident