Sapere Aude!

GOP Crowd Boos The Golden Rule

Jon Stewart Mocks the "Normal Muslims Shock Our Worldview" Crowd Over TV Shows

If the representation of Muslims as normal people is a shock to your worldview, it's because you're probably prejudiced against Muslims.  If merely being exposed to ideas that are inconsistent with your worldview is troubling to you, then you are the product of a successful indoctrination program.  Beavis and Butthead made fun of this attitude about being exposed to different ideas in "Dumb Design." 

 

Jon Stewart Rips Fox News Religious Hypocrisy

Stewart vs. Fox News

The Stewart vs. Fox News saga continues.  Ever since Stewart's last interview on Fox they've been trading barbs over who is more biased.

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Oh, for Fox Sake - Stewart Eviscerates Stewart
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Here's the key point.  Fox News presents itself as a news agency.  Even if Jon Stewart is not "just a comedian" and engages in political activism on his show the notion that we should hold Stewart to the same journalistic standards of objectivity and impartiality that we expect news agencies to live up to is laughable.  So, please Fox News, stop trying to pretend that The Daily Show is equivalent to your one hour of news programing or your many ours of opinion shows like The O'Reilly Factor.

Rick Santorum: The Idea Of Climate Change Is A Liberal Conspiracy | TPMDC

Santorum was on Rush Limbaugh's radio show Wednesday, where he was asked whether he agrees with Mitt Romney's comments from last Friday, embracing the universally accepted science of man-made climate change.

Santorum replied:

I believe the earth gets warmer and I also believe the earth gets cooler, and I think history points out that it does that and that the idea that man, through the production of CO2 -- which is a trace gas in the atmosphere, and the manmade part of that trace gas is itself a trace gas -- is somehow responsible for climate change is, I think, just patently absurd.

Santorum continued that the idea of man-made climate change may be part of a liberal conspiracy: "To me this is an opportunity for the left to create -- it's really a beautifully concocted scheme because they know that the earth is gonna cool and warm. It's been on a warming trend so they said, 'Oh, let's take advantage of that and say that we need the government to come in and regulate your life some more because it's getting warmer.'"

"It's just an excuse for more government control of your life," he added, "and I've never been for any scheme or even accepted the junk science behind the whole narrative."

via tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com

Santorum is the anti-science candidate. Conservatives think climate change, evolution, and the notion that sexual orientation is influenced by biology are all liberal hoaxes based on "junk science."  But, the GOP is a "big tent" party that has room for reasonable disagreement, right?  Wrong!  Mitt Romney dares to deviate from GOP ideology and Rush Limbaugh declares there's no way he can win the nomination.  Meanwhile  . . .

"Little Winstons" Trying to Edit Wikipedia Paul Revere Page

You've probably heard about Sarah Palin's family vacation.  She's riding around the country learning about American History.  Some of news coverage of the tour indicates she definately needs an educational vacation this summer.  She either doesn't quite understand what Paul Revere actually did or cannot communicate her understanding clearly.  In typical Palin fashion, she is refusing to admit any fault in either her understanding of US History or of her ability to communiate it clearly, she doubled-down on it.  The "great communicator" she is not.  Some of her supporters have taken things a little further.  From Little Green Footballs:

Man, you’ve gotta almost admire the sheer blind dedication of Sarah Palin’s wingnut acolytes.

Now they’re trying like crazy to edit the Wikipedia page for “Paul Revere” to make it match Palin’s botched version of history. Here’s the Revision history of Paul Revere; check out the edits that are being reversed.

Also see the discussion page for an entertaining exchange between Wikipedia editors and a would-be revisionist.

via littlegreenfootballs.com

In George Orwell's 1984  - which, I think, is a much better referrence our current economic predicament than Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged - the main character, Winston, works in The Ministry of Truth.  His job is to go back and revise the content past documents that make up "the official record" so that it suits the political leadership's current political purposes.  But, in order for the machine to work, enough people have to be willing to do this kind of work.  Totalitarian regimes require a measure of popular support in order to carry out their plans.  It looks like some Palin supporters are willing to do this kind of work.  They're Palin's "little Winstons."  Thankfully, Wikipedia is not the official record.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Sarah Palin's Bus Tour Media Stunt

Last night Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert ripped Sarah Palin's bus tour stunt a new one. 

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It does seem as though Fox News has one set of standards for Palin and another set for Santorum and Gingrich. 

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Colbert's line about giving money to Palin's PAC to send her around the country so she can learn about US History for only pennies a day cracked me up.  Hilarious.

Sarah Palin's Next Reality TV Series: Running for President

As a journalist, watching the flailing press coverage of Sarah Palin's bus tour has been the most sobering experience since Donald Trump helicoptered into New Hampshire masquerading as a presidential candidate and a horde of reporters hung on his every word.

Most observers acknowledge that Palin's so-called "One Nation" tour doesn't have a coherent point, and even that Palin would be a weak presidential candidate. And yet, literally scores of reporters -- as many as 200 -- are following Palin around as she busily fails to say anything meaningful. Reporters unlucky enough to be assigned to cover Palin on Memorial Day created a #wheressarah Twitter hashtag as they raced around trying to guess where she would land next.

via www.salon.com

I guess running for President is Sarah Palin's next reality TV series.  Unlike "Sarah Palin's Alaska," this one isn't on TLC or network television.  Like Donald Trump's short lived reality show about his decision whether or not to run for President, Palin's show airs on cable news channels and is shot in a documentary/reality-show style.  It follows follows reporters 'tracking down the hard news' about whether Palin is going to run in 2012.  Be sure and check your favorite cable news channel for more information.  Or, just turn on Fox News.

Skepticism about Michele Bachmann's Divine Calling

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appears to be inching ever closer to a run for president -- and as she has now said in her latest public statements, her prayers on the subject have now yielded a calling from God himself.

via tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com

 If God wants Michele Bachmann to be a Congresswoman or President, then he should give the rest of us a clear, public, and unambiguous sign that this is his will so that we don't act contrary to divine will and thus immorally.  I doubt we'll get such a sign.

Tennessee Senate Bans Teaching the Debate Over Homosexuality

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay.

Opponents deride the measure as the "don't say gay bill." They say it's unfair to the children of gay parents and could lead to more bullying. Supporters say it is intended to give teachers clear guidance for dealing with younger children on a potentially explosive topic.

The bill isn't likely to be taken up by the House before lawmakers adjourn this spring, but the sponsor there has said he would push it forward in 2012 when the General Assembly comes back for the second year of the session.

Passage would make Tennessee the first state to enact such legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2003, Washington defeated a proposal similar to Tennessee's, as did California in 2005 and 2006. A Louisiana law forbids the use of sexually explicit materials depicting homosexuality in sex education classes.

Under the proposal, any instruction or materials at a public elementary or middle school would be limited to age-appropriate lessons about the science of human reproduction.

The legislation was amended from the original version, which said no elementary or middle schools will "provide any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality."

via www.huffingtonpost.com

To review. Do not talk about homosexuality, but be sure you "teach the debate" over Evolution. As another critic of the law points out, it may have other consequences.

However, a critic said the new wording could create other problems.

Sen. Roy Herron, D- Dresden, said it "may inadvertently prevent the teaching of ethics, morality and abstinence."