Apr 16 2009
CNN Reporter Goes Drama Queen On Tea Parties – Far Right Loses It Too
A CNN Reporter (who probably is getting a reprimand) claimed the Tea Parties were anti-government (should be against unbridled government spending and high taxes) and anti-CNN! What in the world does CNN have to do with this?
Supposedly, in this warped little mind, these protests across the nation are anti-CNN since Fox News was reporting on the Tea Parties (as did a lot of news outlets, as I noted yesterday). Granted, Fox communicated these events to its listeners well in advance and the mainstream media waited until the day of the events, but there were directions to the protests, directions on how to find them.
This poor, picked on CNN reporter (to be fair – who knows how much harassment she took off camera before the live shot) even went on to say the protests were anti-family! Right after interviewing a dad with his baby in his arms whom she kept trying to shout down. I don’t think she approved (like anyone cares). Â While I get the feeling we tuned into the end of some longer encounter that started before the shot, it is enlightening to see the anger and paranoia that jumped out of her so spontaneously.
Seems the new “in thing” with politics are the drama queens playing the victims. It just reinforces the fact that we need a centrist 3rd party in this nation like never before. And I do mean centrist. Most 3rd parties have extreme platforms. Libertarians are for no government, socialists want all government, environmentalists want an all-green government.
I want a national ‘neighborhood council’ government, like the ones where neighbors get together and decide a fair budget, how to do safety patrols, who to hire for the landscaping and pool staffing, etc. Nothing fancy, nothing radical. Â Nothing strange. No Chicken Littles crying “Wolf!” in full drama queen garb. Just simple sanity. Limited pay and term limits as well.
Update: Drama Queen meets Drama Queen in this encounter (which proves my suspicions this CNN reporter was getting hot under the collar over something):
Obama was voted in by a significant number of voters. They still trust themselves and their vote.
And when the far right goes off like this, all they do is cement Obama voters to Obama. When you attack him like this you also attack those who voted for him. I know, being a Bush supporter and having to listen to years of the far right bash him, and by extension me as a supporter.
Obama has not done anything to resemble the Nazis and Hitler, which is what people think of when some incoherent clown throws out the word ‘fascist’. He is our duly elected President and deserves a modicum of respect. But since the far right could not respect this nation and the presidency under Bush (remember how El Presidente Jorge Bush was a “traitor”?), why would they be able to muster a small dose of class under Obama? And I don’t mean elite ‘class’ here, I mean small town America class where people show respect to one and all.
Jules Roy, you should keep in mind, also — that this is the biggest tax protest this country has ever seen. Do you really think this is just a bunch of people mad that Obama won?
People there were mad at both Democrats and Republicans who have not acted responsible with taxes, debt, fiscal matters in general:
——–
“the message was rather consistent and the tone hostile: they are very upset with the current administration and Congress’ handling of fiscal and economic issues.
But Republicans should not be rejoicing quite yet. Many protesters went out of their way to say they are upset with both parties and hold George W. Bush equally responsible for launching the now never-ending stream of bailouts.”
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/dc-tea-party-republicans-should-not-be-rejoicing-quite-yet/
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Here is the link to the torture memos:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20090416_memos.pdf
I hope everyone reads it. When you do the “wall hold” torture you have to position your hand a certain way to be sure you don’t accidentally poke him in the eye. When you do the “face slap” torture, you have to be sure not to inflict pain. The intent is “surprise” and “humiliation”.
Gasp! I can’t believe we did such horrible things to the world’s worst terrorist.
How about the “al Qaeda torture memos” on Daniel Pearl. When will they be released?
I don’t mind paying taxes, that is my responsibility as a citizen. The government also has a responsibility to only take as much of my earnings as they absolutely need and to use it as wisely as possible. I feel they have fallen in that responsibility and so we hold them accountable on election day and by letting them know that we are displeased.
9000 earmarks is not a responsible use of money that could go to my children and my community in other ways.
I am not anti-government. I am anti-treasury-raiding and crony enrichment. Government is not my guardian and it is not a charity. It is not the responsibility of the government to “take care of us”, it is their responsibility to see to it that we are able to take care of ourselves. That means some are going to fail. Government is not here to subsidize and protect against failure. Nor is it to ensure success.
Good gosh. Is that the “torture” the left is getting their undies in a wad about? I think worse goes on during your average middle-school lunch-break.
If they get wobbly over this piddly stuff, we better hope this nation isn’t put in a position to have to actually project any kind of force in the world.
Not only that, but ex CIA Chief (Hayden) says we have told the terrorists what we do, and we have told are allies they can’t trust us to keep secrets (meaning they won’t be so willing to cooperate).
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/cia-chief-hayden-criticizes-release-memos-detailing-interrogation-techniques/
And, to make matters worse…..Obama’s Admin is still in the process of evaluating if the CIA has the tools it needs.
Liberal groups are now angered over “Obama’s new Gitmo”:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/liberals-angered-obamas-opposition-judicial-review-bagram-detainees/
Obama is all over the place — he’s making decisions while still evaluating things and before assesments are even complete. There is no consistency in his thinking. Dangerous.
The questioning began mildly, a shackled detainee facing a non-threatening CIA interrogator. But for detainees who refused to cooperate, the interrogation escalated in terrifying ways.
Few people have ever witnessed the process, which was designed to extract secrets from “high value” suspects during the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks on the U.S. But Justice Department documents, which the Obama administration simultaneously released and repudiated Thursday, describe the process from darkness to waterboarding in skin-crawling detail.
Prisoners were naked, shackled and hooded to start their interrogation sessions. When the CIA interrogator removed the hood, the questioning began. Whenever the prisoner resisted, the documents outlined a series of techniques the CIA could use to bring him back in line:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090417/ap_on_go_pr_wh/torture_memos_tactics
Did you see the Janeane Garafolo interview on the tea parties?
Here is the link:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/04/16/garofalo-tea-partiers-are-all-racists-who-hate-black-president
She goes on to explain that no one showed up at these tea parties. Those that did show up were all about racism and hating a black man in the white house. Those that attended don’t even know what taxes are and are ignorant about history. No one watches FoxNews either. She also goes on to explain how a conservative/GOP/right winger brain works:
“…the limbic brain inside a right-winger or Republican or conservative or your average white power activist, the limbic brain is much larger in their head space than in a reasonable person, and it’s pushing against the frontal lobe. So their synapses are misfiring.”
Anyway, watch the video. It’s too, too funny. However, after watching the video I find that my limbic brain is pushing against the frontal lobe and is ready to explode. Ouch, that hurts!
About the torture memo. First there was this from Politico:
But then it comes out in an AP story that I won’t quote or link to that it was apparently former CIA Director Michael Hayden. Michael Hayden is probably the most patriotic and least political official I have ever had the privilege of working under (when he was in a different point in his career).
This administration is just plain crazy.
But on a lighter note
The President Ties His Own Hands on Terror–
The point of interrogation is intelligence, not confession
By MICHAEL HAYDEN and MICHAEL B. MUKASEY
The Obama administration has declassified and released opinions of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) given in 2005 and earlier that analyze the legality of interrogation techniques authorized for use by the CIA. Those techniques were applied only when expressly permitted by the director, and are described in these opinions in detail, along with their limits and the safeguards applied to them.
The release of these opinions was unnecessary as a legal matter, and is unsound as a matter of policy. Its effect will be to invite the kind of institutional timidity and fear of recrimination that weakened intelligence gathering in the past, and that we came sorely to regret on Sept. 11, 2001.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123993446103128041.html
AJ,
It appears the FBI, DHS and DoD bureaucracies began catering to the phobias of their new political masters after Obama’s election and prior to Obama’s inauguration.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123992665198727459.html#printMode
This reader quote from Instapundit sounds about right with regard to the ‘why’ of shoddy nature of the DHS “Rightwing extremist” report:
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/76814/
UPDATE: Reader Michael Levy has a theory: “DHS rushed out their report before the Civil Rights division had a chance to look it over. Why the hurry? The only relevant, imminent event was the nation-wide Tea Party.â€
Trent,
Does you Teabagger ego no know bounds?
Neither ACORN nor the DHS gave two craps about you guys.
know no bounds…..duh
Frogg,
Those memos are landing like lead balloons. The treatment is less than most college initiation silliness.
It was a dumb move, but the newly minted “rightwing extremists” (a.k.a., conservatives) now have no credibility to launch any opposition. Not after openly aligning with the extremists on the right.
The treatment is less than most college initiation silliness.
Having been a pledge who underwent initiation, I can say that is simply not true. No one slammed my head into a wall dozens of times while I was in handcuffs.
“rightwing extremists†(a.k.a., conservatives)
I think the preferred term from the DHS report is “right wing terrorists”, they used both interchangeably, unlike al qaeda who are only a distraction.
reminds me of a discussion on Oprah about “teaching abstinence doesn’t work” what? ‘teaching’ anything doesn’t prevent pregnancy. however ‘practicing’ abstinence will prevent pregnancy. ‘teaching’ using condoms won’t work. actually using condoms will usually work, not always.
I hear these nuts talking about ‘torture’ doesn’t work. First, I haven’t heard of anyone using ‘torture’ in the US. there seems to be widespread acceptance of it in Muslim countries. cutting of a hand usually stops thievery, cutting off two hands is even more effective.
but if their theory is correct: torture doesn’t work, then to get information you have to have, would they propose the opposite would work? say a promise of a life of luxury?
Besides AJ, it shouldn’t be hard to understand that some things are not turture when engaged in willingly but are torture if forcibly done to the unwilling.
The most obvious is sex. No one would possibly take seriously the argument that the fact that people voluntarily have sex for pleasure means that forcing sex on a person who doesn’t want it isn’t so terrible. It’s called rape and it’s universally recognized as a terrible crime.
S&M enthusiasts like to be whipped and burned with candlewax. Does that mean it’s not a big deal to whip and burn a person who doesn’t want it?
I knew a girl who came better if she was chocked during sex. Does that mean choking another random person isn’t such a bad thing to do to someone?
Seriously, the idea that “X is done to willing people in completely different circumstances so therefore X obviously cannot be torture if done to an unwilling person in detention” is just ridiculous.
One of you is going to have to explain to me how these two statements can both be true:
1) The 10 techniques described aren’t anywhere near close to “torture” – in fact, worse things happen on a middle school playground every day. Really, it’s no big deal at all.
2) Exposing these 10 techniques to the rest of the world is a treasonous act, since we are now spilling the extremely effective secrets of the CIA to world. It has crippled the ability of the CIA to get information out of terrorists.
If 1 is true, how can 2 also be true?
Either it’s a big deal, or it’s not make. Try to be logically consistent for just a few minutes, okay?
Redteam:
“but if their theory is correct: torture doesn’t work, then to get information you have to have, would they propose the opposite would work? say a promise of a life of luxury?”
Every single day, you find a new way to astound me with your overwhelming ignorance. Really – it’s almost impressive, in a perverse manner.
Do you know anything about history? Would you like to know how we were able to gather information from Nazi prisoners after WWII?
By playing chess with them.
“‘We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or pingpong than they do today, with their torture,’ said Henry Kolm, 90, an MIT physicist who had been assigned to play chess in Germany with one of Hitler’s commanders, Rudolf Hess.”
But hey, obviously these WWII Vets who have personal experience with the greatest threat to the world in the 20th Century are just a bunch of raging, lefty hippy peacniks who don’t know what they’re talking about, right?
I realize that this concept is somewhat beyond your savage, ignorant brain’s capacity, but: torture DOES NOT WORK. It is designed specifically go elicit false confessions. It is a desperate resort of evil people. Someday, this country will be as ashamed of the actions of the previous administration as we (well, most of us, anyway) are now of the police chief in Birmingham who turned hoses and attack dogs on peaceful civil rights protestors.
Call me cynical, but in a few months from now the American people will forget the DHS report and the conservative response to it. So what is the big deal anyway? Afterall, this is the game the left played for 8 years. One outrage after ridiculous faux outrage and yet they were rewarded to lead the Congress in 2006 and all of govt. in 2008. Perhaps this is cathartic for conservatives or not. In the end, I don’t think it will matter much after all. I guess I am saying that what goes around comes around and the American people seem not to mind anyway.:(