Beck Smearing and the Tucson Massacre

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Beck Smearing and the Tucson Massacre

I have not written in a while in this corner because I want to present my report on the wonderful Restoring Honor rally I attended, and there has been too much life in the way. (But I promise to finish it soon.)

That said, I still follow Glenn Beck. Honestly, I am in awe of the impact he has made on America. If anyone has shown clearly Ayn Rand's belief in the power of ideas to sway normal everyday people, he has.

Now we have a mentally disturbed person who, on Jan. 8, went on a shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, which included him shooting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Not even a full day passed before a lot of journalists and bloggers started blaming this shooting on Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and ultimately Glenn Beck.

The shooter has been proven to be a nutcase with no ties to any political party, and not influenced by any of these people, yet what is the response of the liberal attack media?

They keep it up!

I am totally in awe of them, too. But not in the same manner I am of Beck.

How can they do it? I watch Beck, so I know first-hand what he says and does. If there is any person in the mainstream media who preaches non-violence, he is that person. Yet the media says, over and over, that he preaches violence.

How do these people keep their jobs?

I thought about including in this thread a Roll of Rogues of the people who are doing this. But I just don't have the time--especially not the time to waste on those losers. George Soros will not last forever and after he passes, their salaries will start disintegrating.

Anyway, all you have to do to see it right now is look at any mainstream media publication to see what I am talking about. Besides, we already have an ongoing thread on the massacre on OL where some of it has been posted: NY TIMES ALERT Congresswoman Giffords shot in the head in Tucson!

This thread right now is more of a rant against the blatant lying that doesn't stop. It's no longer hidden, say, where a writer says something one day, then silence. Thus, there is room for doubt. I.e., you might conclude that he was not aware of the facts when he wrote and doesn't want to give an inch by owning up.

It's now at a point where attack writers are saying the facts don't matter.

The fact that that the Arizona shooter is a wacko who doesn't listen to talk radio, Beck, etc., is all over the news and you can still read the message--loud and clear--from professional news writers in the mainstream that despite this, it's all Beck's fault anyway. (Or Palin's, or Limbaugh's, etc.)

In other words, the facts don't matter.

Dayaamm!

Michael

[Mike Hansen]

In other words, the facts don't matter.

Michael

Facts don't matter much politically if they are not reported. -Thomas Sowell

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Mike,

I agree with Sowell, too.

But my point is that "fact" is not a standard any longer when these writers are presenting the facts.

They are comfortable lying to people's faces, knowing they are lying, being caught at it, and that's OK because they will keep repeating the lie.

This is way past manipulation techniques (say, like selective omissions).

This is outright bullying and daring people to say otherwise.

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

This is the first time I've seen "Tucson" misspelled since I was responsible for the same misspelling in my New Jersey high school yearbook even though I had spent most of my first 16 years there.

--Brant

[caroljane]

In other words, the facts don't matter.

Michael

Facts don't matter much politically if they are not reported. -Thomas Sowell

It wasn't Beck who made Loughner open fire. As any fool can see, it was clearly the saxophone.

[Selene]

The tweets are stunning, disturbing, and downright shocking.

After the left shamelessly began its campaign to connect Saturday's shooting to Sara Palin, Twitter users quickly picked up on the sentiment and responded with violent, hateful speech. Some were succinct: "I hope Sarah Palin dies." Others were prophetic: "So…will everyone be satisfied then when Palin is assassinated? You know she's next." And some were downright vulgar: "Palin is a murdering bi*** who deserves a crosshair on HER house so Al-Qaeda can come shoot HER family. See how that feels, republican trash."

Warning: Content is not pretty

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=QxgJKNpjSNI

Edited January 11, 2011 by Selene

[caroljane]

This is the first time I've seen "Tucson" misspelled since I was responsible for the same misspelling in my New Jersey high school yearbook even though I had spent most of my first 16 years there.

--Brant

Wow, Brant, they kept you in high school for SIXTEEN YEARS just because of your spelling? And I thought our education system was tough-- even my Cousin managed to graduate after four years in Grade 12.

[Mikee]

Yesterday I'm driving to work listening to Ron Owens (SF bay area talkshow host), a woman calls in and claims 2-3 years ago on an interview with Bill Moyer Glenn Beck said his people should "Get a gun and start shooting democrats". She insisted this was verbatim and he said those words. Ron let her repeat this a couple of times, said he'd really like to see verification that Glenn Beck really said that, then went on to someone else.

I'm certain this woman was lying and was simply trying to plant this false story in as many minds as possible. I was disappointed with Ron Owens reaction, I think he should have stated how unlikely that story is to be true and that he assumes it to be a fabrication until proven otherwise.

[kiaer.ts]

The tweets are stunning, disturbing, and downright shocking.

After the left shamelessly began its campaign to connect Saturday's shooting to Sara Palin, Twitter users quickly picked up on the sentiment and responded with violent, hateful speech. Some were succinct: "I hope Sarah Palin dies." Others were prophetic: "So…will everyone be satisfied then when Palin is assassinated? You know she's next." And some were downright vulgar: "Palin is a murdering bi*** who deserves a crosshair on HER house so Al-Qaeda can come shoot HER family. See how that feels, republican trash."

Warning: Content is not pretty

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=QxgJKNpjSNI

This is obviously the crisis for which the president needs the power to shut down the internet.

[william.scherk]

This is obviously the crisis for which the president needs the power to shut down the internet.

Yep. Obviously, Ted. Indubitably. Incontestably. Without a doubt.

Anyhow, those who are mousing around trying to find the stupidest wackjobs in America uttering the craziest rants . . . can anybody top this?

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

This is the first time I've seen "Tucson" misspelled since I was responsible for the same misspelling in my New Jersey high school yearbook even though I had spent most of my first 16 years there.

Brant,

Good Lord!

I fixed it.

Thanks.

Mihcael

(OK, that's a quip - Michael )

[anthony]

Anyhow, those who are mousing around trying to find the stupidest wackjobs in America uttering the craziest rants . . . can anybody top this?

Jesus H. Kerist, I hope nobody can.

The twits on Twitter are one thing, but this man is disgusting.

One person emerges as sane and rational in all of this, and that's John Green, the girl's father, with his comment of not wishing for imposing more restrictions.

A truly admirable man, next to this shithead.

[Robert Campbell]

Paul Krugman has written two fact-free columns expressing what he wishes were true: that some right-wing bloviator incited Jared Loughner to commit mass murder.

Al Sharpton, who was already lobbying the FCC to revive the Fairness Doctrine so he could get Rush Limbaugh banned from the airwaves, is thumping the tub with renewed vigor.

Clarence W. Dupnik, sheriff of Pima County, has repeatedly blamed Republicans as a group for the killings while admitting that he has no factual evidence that Jared Loughner was influenced by any right-wing commentator or political figure.

So far President Obama has not taken up the cause, and it is to be hoped that he does not, but there's no question about the widespread urge on the Left to suppress dissent and censor political speech.

This stuff is UUUUGGGGlllyyy.

Robert Campbell

[kiaer.ts]

Anyhow, those who are mousing around trying to find the stupidest wackjobs in America uttering the craziest rants . . . can anybody top [Phelps]?

I foreshadowed that yesterday in my comment to Jeff Perren's post about this at Pajamas Media.

Of course we have our own disgusting rhetorical vultures right here at OL.

Edited January 11, 2011 by Ted Keer

[Robert Campbell]

Yep. Obviously, Ted. Indubitably. Incontestably. Without a doubt.

Anyhow, those who are mousing around trying to find the stupidest wackjobs in America uttering the craziest rants . . . can anybody top this?

Ahh, Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps.

His followers are threatening to picket the funerals of all of Loughner's victims.

Robert Campbell

[Robert Campbell]

If Fred Phelps and his crew show up, there will be counterprotestors:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/11/arizonans-rally-prevent-westboro-church-disruption-shooting-victims-funerals/

Robert Campbell

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

This is real cute from Real Clear Politics.

Who needs facts?

Not Congress.

Dem Congressman: If Violent Rhetoric Didn't Cause This Shooting, It Will Cause Next One

"Whether [political rhetoric] caused what happened in Tucson or not, it'll cause the next tragedy," Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) predicts on FOX News.

Michael

[Robert Campbell]

Sherman was being quite slippery. He wouldn't endorse Louise Slaughter's censorship initiative, but he kept repeating his dire warnings.

Robert Campbell

[Greybird]

Beck smearing? I'll say! Take a look at this commentary:

[...] All evidence points to the fact that the assailant from this weekend was severely mentally disturbed. His belief system was not rational by any modern political standard. He was an atheist, believed George W. Bush was responsible for 9/11, feared a global currency, cited the Communist Manifesto as one of his favorite books and thought the Mars rover landing was staged. These are not the opinions of a coherent individual.

Yeah, I'd definitely say, as a non-theist and thus supposedly an in-"coherent" and obviously unstable individual, I (and most of those at this forum) have been smeared by Glenn Beck in the wake of the Tucson massacre.

... Oh. Wait. Apparently that's not quite what MSK was talking about. Gotcha.

Edited January 12, 2011 by Greybird

[jriggenbach]

Beck smearing? I'll say! Take a look at this commentary:

[...] All evidence points to the fact that the assailant from this weekend was severely mentally disturbed. His belief system was not rational by any modern political standard. He was an atheist, believed George W. Bush was responsible for 9/11, feared a global currency, cited the Communist Manifesto as one of his favorite books and thought the Mars rover landing was staged. These are not the opinions of a coherent individual.

Yeah, I'd definitely say, as a non-theist and thus supposedly an in-"coherent" and obviously unstable individual, I (and most of those at this forum) have been smeared by Glenn Beck in the wake of the Tucson massacre.

... Oh. Wait. Apparently that's not quite what MSK was talking about. Gotcha.

Steve!

Take into account the strongly held delusions of the denizens of this site, I beg of you! Do not decompress them - bring them into direct touch with reality - too rapidly! They might get the bends!

Concernedly,

JR

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

It's funny how Beck doesn't think Penn Jillette, an atheist, is delusional. He even called Jillette one of the smartest people he knows and a good example of how an atheist thinks through critical issues. (Several times in fact.) Or Ayn Rand. Hell, he even did a whole show on Atlas Shrugged. With Yaron Brook sitting right in front of him.

Oops...

I forget...

Please don't let any inconvenient facts get in the way of you gentlemen in your gotcha games.

They will hurt your victimized by religion story.

Blank out! Blank out! Ignore facts that don't fit so you can bash the good with the bad.

It's easier.

Do carry on...

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I want to put some substance into this last post and make a few deeper observations about why this stuff happens.

To start with, dictionaries exist. Using them is part of our culture. Anyone at any time can open a dictionary to any page and find more words than he cares to read with several definitions each.

This habit of using the same word to mean different things even carries over to when dictionaries are not used. For instance, right off the top of my head, if I use the word anarchist, it could mean Russian Nihilists who resulted in Communism taking over Russia, or it could mean capitalism anarchists of the Murray Rothbard type.

But both are against authority. So why not lump them together?

Ask any anarchocapitalist if you want to hear an earful, that's why. But also, because it's not fair to do that. The Russian anarchists embraced violence and the capitalism anarchists do not.

So let's look at the word "atheist" in the manner Beck uses it. Just like everyone on earth, he uses the same word to mean different things at different times. (This fact doesn't sit well with hardcore Beck-bashers, but since when has facts ever bothered hardcore Beck-bashers?) And just like everyone on earth, he uses words in context without qualifying all the contexts and exceptions every time he speaks.

In one meaning, Beck holds atheists to be like Jillette and Rand--honorable people who do not believe in God.

In the other meaning, I speculate, but I have little doubt that Beck uses "atheist" to mean "agent of Satan" who does not believe in God.

Notice how funny it is. The first kind of atheist eschews violence and the second embraces violence. Just like with anarchists. And Beck even manages to convey that he understands this.

Hardee-har-har.

Those who are into Beck bashing at all costs will not be swayed by the fact that he preaches (and practices) individualism,. capitalism, non-violence, looking at original sources for history, and so forth. It's like an image I mentioned in another thread. They are in a trench;. You can get them to see one of these facts at a particular moment, but it's like them moving just a little out of the trench. Within a short time, they fall back in and forget all about what they saw as they repeat the trench storyline.

So maybe my use of the term "blank-out" was a little off. In Rand's meaning, this is usually an act by someone who wants to hold onto power and unearned wealth and refuses to think about something so he won't feel uncomfortable. In the case of rabid Beck-bashing, the trench storyline is far more compelling than any act of volition by those stuck in that particular ditch.

They ignore facts because they fall back in, not because they choose to ignore. So long as they are in that trench, they can't help themselves.

Michael

[jriggenbach]

I want to put some substance into this last post and make a few deeper observations about why this stuff happens.

To start with, dictionaries exist. Using them is part of our culture. Anyone at any time can open a dictionary to any page and find more words than he cares to read with several definitions each.

This habit of using the same word to mean different things even carries over to when dictionaries are not used. For instance, right off the top of my head, if I use the word anarchist, it could mean Russian Nihilists who resulted in Communism taking over Russia, or it could mean capitalism anarchists of the Murray Rothbard type.

But both are against authority. So why not lump them together?

Ask any anarchocapitalist if you want to hear an earful, that's why. But also, because it's not fair to do that. The Russian anarchists embraced violence and the capitalism anarchists do not.

So let's look at the word "atheist" in the manner Beck uses it. Just like everyone on earth, he uses the same word to mean different things at different times. (This fact doesn't sit well with hardcore Beck-bashers, but since when has facts ever bothered hardcore Beck-bashers?) And just like everyone on earth, he uses words in context without qualifying all the contexts and exceptions every time he speaks.

In one meaning, Beck holds atheists to be like Jillette and Rand--honorable people who do not believe in God.

In the other meaning, I speculate, but I have little doubt that Beck uses "atheist" to mean "agent of Satan" who does not believe in God.

Notice how funny it is. The first kind of atheist eschews violence and the second embraces violence. Just like with anarchists. And Beck even manages to convey that he understands this.

Hardee-har-har.

Those who are into Beck bashing at all costs will not be swayed by the fact that he preaches (and practices) individualism,. capitalism, non-violence, looking at original sources for history, and so forth. It's like an image I mentioned in another thread. They are in a trench;. You can get them to see one of these facts at a particular moment, but it's like them moving just a little out of the trench. Within a short time, they fall back in and forget all about what they saw as they repeat the trench storyline.

So maybe my use of the term "blank-out" was a little off. In Rand's meaning, this is usually an act by someone who wants to hold onto power and unearned wealth and refuses to think about something so he won't feel uncomfortable. In the case of rabid Beck-bashing, the trench storyline is far more compelling than any act of volition by those stuck in that particular ditch.

They ignore facts because they fall back in, not because they choose to ignore. So long as they are in that trench, they can't help themselves.

Michael

See what I meant, Steve? A case of the bends, for sure. Contortions and all. Not a pretty spectacle.

JR

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

If you think these bends are something, imagine trying to get out of that trench.

It's like watching a kid make a huge bubble gum bubble. When the bubble bursts (as it always does), it all comes back on his face and pieces stick all over the place.

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

Free neocon article from Jack Wheeler who is strongly influenced by Rand.

http://www.tothepointnews.com/content/view/4368/44/

--Brant