Never. Someone should tell this guy that it’s just gross.
We do admire his restraint in using only one explanation point, but the politicization of the death of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress, and a 19 term Congressman? Not so much.
There are enough bright and shiny new things a-brewin’ in Tennessee right now to feed a hope junkie’s addiction.
One of these is Speak to Power, an online progressive community for Tennesseans that will “spotlight the goals of the democratic party/progressive ideology and discuss news of the day with a spotlight on left-leaning bloggers.”
Best part? Open and diverse discussions are encouraged and to participate you have to stand behind any comments you make.
From what I understand, the focus of Speak to Power will West Tennessee, but I predict it won’t be long until the entire state gets into the act. And this is the exact kind of unity – and hope – we need right now.
On the day that Ana Puig is presenting on the “Correlations between the current Administration and Marxist Dictators of Latin America” at the Tea Party Convention happening right now at Opryland, this essay from Fabian Bedne (by way of BeninTN) – someone who actually did live under a totalitarian regime – is a must read.
Some people have been saying that we live in one. As somebody that spent many years of his life scared to death of living under one, I figure I’ll share some of my memories.
So what does it mean to live in a totalitarian country?
It is to be very afraid of the police, because we have seen them arresting and beating up people randomly, for no other reason than they can.
It is to see the military treating you like the enemy all the time; i.e. by wantonly pointing their guns at you for no reason.
It is because you know that every paper, radio station or TV station is now controlled by the regime and only prints propaganda.
It is to be afraid of the teachers in your school because they carry guns and work for the regime, and because the principal was replaced by a regime guy who is not interested in education.
Go read the rest, including BeninTN’s insightful commentary:
It’s not “Marxist” to recognize that monied special interests and corporate lobbyists are influencing too much of our policy-making and undermining progress in America. It’s not Marxist to recognize the simple fact that America spends 16% of its GDP on healthcare, while the next highest percentage for any industrialized nation is just over 11%. It’s not Marxist to recognize that this status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable. And one thing has become clear in this process – the supporters of the status quo stand to profit handsomely from the failure of comprehensive healthcare reform. With $2.4 trillion spent annually in healthcare in the U.S., and roughly a third of that being spent wastefully (assuming we could cut from 16% to around 10% of GDP and match the other industrialized nations in terms of GDP percentages), that means that we’ve got about $800 billion of excess spending. Someone is profiting from that $800 billion, and they don’t want to let it go.
While you’re keeping up with the national political shenanigans going on this weekend at Opryland, take a break and learn about the special brand of nuttiness Tennessee has to offer. It’s closer to your backyard than you think…
Go vote for Tennessee’s Most Valuable Birther. You have 5 state reps, 1 Congressman, and a Lt. Governor to choose from.
The definition of “pure fiction” can be found on the pages of the Nashville Scene’s Pith in the Wind (PITH) blog where yesterday yet another story was posted about the commitment some people, myself included, have made to building a better future for all Tennesseans.
Here’s what we are doing: We are working hard to lay the groundwork for a broad-based permanent collaboration between progressive issue organizations, think tanks, advocacy groups, faith organizations, labor unions, social clubs, business and trade associations, loose coalitions of like-minded citizens, bloggers, and any others want to work towards building a better future for all Tennesseans.
The work we are doing is non-partisan and exists completely outside the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) – but not because, as made up speculated in PITH, we have “turned against” or have become “disillusioned” with Chip Forrester (current Chairman of the TNDP).
Pure fiction.
All Tennessee Democrats, including everyone at the TNDP headquarters, are working long hours and each are doing the work of at least three people. I have so much respect for them.
The difference between what we are trying to do and what the TNDP does is partisanship – plain and simple. Their work is partisan – ours is not.
Nor are we doing what we’re doing because we are “thoroughly convinced that Tennessee is filled with throngs of Rachel-Maddow-loving lefties.”
More fiction.
Our work is not about left or right – it’s about leading with the issues that unite us – not what divides us – and there are so many that do. Doesn’t someone who is socially conservative want clean drinking water for their children? And doesn’t someone who is socially liberal want the much-needed repairs to local infrastructure that will not only allow for commerce to continue uninterrupted in their community but bring jobs to that community as well? And doesn’t everyone want a good job with a fair wage that will enable them to take care of their family? Doesn’t everyone want to be able to afford to send their kid to college?
What we are doing is far removed from the culture wars exaggerated and manipulated by partisan politics – including Pith’s stable of smug anonymous insiders – which is probably why they feel the need to drag it through the mud.
When Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey answered Mac Davis’ question yesterday and crossed over into the birther world you could tell he was trying hard to pacify Davis, a well-respected lawyer, a leader in the Tennessee Republican Party, and a guy who truly believes (despite evidence to the contrary) that there is a “great preponderance of the evidence” that President Obama is not a citizen.
So at what point should Lt. Governor Ramsey stand up to the “Old Guard” and risk pissing them off? Probably about the time they start ’roundin’ the bend into fringe town.
Southern Beale writes today what Mr. Ramsey should have said:
Maclin Davis, you scare the crap out of me. You’re one of the leading attorneys in this city, a leading figure with the state Republican Party, and you’ve embraced a fringe idea like birtherism to the point where you are calling for state legislators to enact actual legislation? And lawsuits?
A leader worth listening to.
“There was apparently a headline after the Massachusetts election. The Village Voice announced that Republicans win a 41-59 majority. It’s worth thinking about. We still have to lead.”
and
“I have little patience for the kinds of political calculations that says the benefit of blocking everything is greater than the cost of doing nothing. That basically says if you lose, I win.”
and
“If anybody’s searching for a lesson from Massachusetts, I promise you, the answer is not to do nothing.”
H/T: TPM Livewire.
Harold Ford met Stephen Colbert last night. You can watch the video below.
Note to Mr. Ford: If you want “to expand the definition of ‘pro-life’ to apply to other issues, such as [education and] health care and veterans’ benefits,” stop using the term “pro-life.” It’s their language not ours. It will never be ours and can only be defined by the definition they have chosen for it. Create your own language to say what you mean to encompass the important issues you cite and then repeat the heck out of it to make it stick.
Also, the next time someone confronts you on marriage equality try, “I don’t think churches should have to marry two men or two women if they don’t want to.”
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Harold Ford Jr. | ||||
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T/F/B: Kleinheider
Updated: Apparently CQ Politics’ Taegan Goddard has never hear of the “Colbert Bump.” The election is a long way off and more New Yorkers know who Harold Ford is now than did a month ago. Why wouldn’t he go on The Report?
It’s bad enough that Tennessee Regulatory Authority Director Kenneth Hill attempted, while guest-hosting on his son’s (TN State Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough) radio show, to defend the indefensible statements about Haiti that were made by Televangelist/Extremist Pat Robertson. Even worse, though, is that he did so with such stellar intellectual dishonesty.
After last month’s earthquake, Robertson said the following about the history of the Haitian people:
“They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it’s a deal [...] ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.”
On the January 14th Matthew Hill Show radio, TRA Director Hill read through an entire Sydney Morning Herald article about the tragedy that quotes Secretary of State Clinton, equated the comments of
Mrs. Clinton with the comments by Robertson, and then said:
“And so for CNN or anyone else to pull this and say he doesn’t like the Haitian people or to infer that he’s a crazy man, you’re wrong! He has a opinion, he stated his opinion. What’s yours? You can state yours…”
So how was TRA Director Hill able to defend Robertson? By conveniently leaving out the “True story” part when he read the statement on the air.
Here’s the version of Robertson’s statements that Hill used:
“They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French. And so, the devil said, okay it’s a deal. Native Haitians defeated colonists in 1804 declared independence. You know the Haitians revolted and got themselves free but ever since they’ve been cursed by one thing after the other.”
Listen to the excerpt:
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You can listen to the whole show here.
What’s missing between the two versions? The truth. It’s not an opinion if during your statement you say “true story.” Once a trusted adviser (and let’s face it, Robertson is a trusted adviser to some) says “true story,” then it’s fact until proven otherwise. And if you’re a follower, then who is going to take the time to prove it otherwise?
Hill knew that what Robertson said was unconscionable and so he twisted the truth to make excuses for it. An act that in itself is also unconscionable.
And one more thing, after this latest incident, why is the 700 Club still on the air 5 days a week on local station WSMV?
Monday, 7:00 to 9:00 am CT, on WRVU 91.1 FM, Nashville, TN & streaming online at WRVU.org
Email us: feedback@liberadio.com
Call in: 615-322-7625
GUESTS: Monday, February 8, 2010 Graham Perry Social Curator for the Tennessee State Museum and Karl Frisch of of Media Matters for America.
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