tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post254871591220985623..comments2023-11-03T06:35:48.003-05:00Comments on Shark and Shepherd: Throat clearing at the TimesRick Esenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07280070509167910367noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-37912534187320047432009-10-08T23:37:14.147-05:002009-10-08T23:37:14.147-05:00Rick properly highlights Friedman's hypocrisy,...Rick properly highlights Friedman's hypocrisy, but this, from the cited column, separately struck me: <br /><br /><i>What kind of madness is it that someone would create a poll on Facebook asking respondents, “Should Obama be killed?” The choices were: “No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care.” The Secret Service is now investigating. I hope they put the jerk in jail and throw away the key because this is exactly what was being done to Rabin.</i><br /><br />For a journalist to advocate criminalization of speech is astonishing. Of course the comments were disgusting, but that's not a basis for a criminal charge: they have to be "true threats" for that, and Friedman's not saying they were. He's merely claiming, instead, that they are part of an effort to "destroy the legitimacy of another president." Combine Friedman's stinted view of free speech with his paean to Chinese-style "one-party democracy," also cited in the post, and you have to wonder just how far Friedman wants to go in shoring up a floundering president.William Tyrolerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03964907089960326249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-64288298475011978342009-10-08T07:29:34.946-05:002009-10-08T07:29:34.946-05:00"You often make an absolute statement, then f..."You often make an absolute statement, then follow it with a hedge so no one could ever accuse you of shrieking the absolute."<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/63571317.html" rel="nofollow">Lee Holloway</a> parody!Terrence Berreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02867275234105879358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-60081368598070440752009-10-07T23:55:07.704-05:002009-10-07T23:55:07.704-05:00Mr. Esenberg:
I hope you enjoyed reading An Honor...Mr. Esenberg:<br /><br />I hope you enjoyed reading An Honorable German.<br /><br />your respectfully,<br /><br />Charles McCain, author of AHGcharles mccainhttp://www.charlesmccain.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-6038568247380986772009-10-07T21:39:19.466-05:002009-10-07T21:39:19.466-05:00It may be Wikipedia, but it's a place to start...It may be Wikipedia, but it's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_assassination_attempts_and_plots#Bill_Clinton" rel="nofollow">place to start</a>.Display Namehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15842340986220388709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-61134964014449292102009-10-07T21:23:47.164-05:002009-10-07T21:23:47.164-05:00"Some", Jay?
ONE is "some"? ..."Some", Jay?<br /><br />ONE is "some"? Or did several attempts by HRC fail, but not get reported?Dad29https://www.blogger.com/profile/08554276286736923821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-49292653006767725302009-10-07T20:48:16.278-05:002009-10-07T20:48:16.278-05:00Actually, Dad29, there were some significant attem...Actually, Dad29, there were some significant attempts on Clinton, including a <a href="http://tech.mit.edu/V114/N40/crash.40w.html" rel="nofollow">plane</a> flown into the White House.<br /><br />(Cue the video of Condi Rice saying, "No one could have predicted they'd fly planes into ...")Jay Bullockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18303687624670151530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-16490223599234703972009-10-07T19:46:39.501-05:002009-10-07T19:46:39.501-05:00I was summarizing Friedman, Dad29. Think I did a ...I was summarizing Friedman, Dad29. Think I did a bad job?<br /><br />If your theory is correct, we should've seen an attack on Bush in the previous eight years, but it only rose to the level of a Brit filmmaker's imagination. (Speaking of Malkin obsessions, are you ready to show me where she attacked Republicans as much as Dems in her lakefront speech? My transcript is still waiting.)<br /><br />Ford's attacker was certainly a 60s leftover. As for Hinckley, he was mentally unbalanced and was less by politics and more by the voices in his head, unless you want to count the voices of his family members who were big contributors to Bush. Think Hinckley voted Republican? I bet he did. He wanted to kill Carter before he went for Reagan.<br /><br />As for south side boy Arthur Bremer, he had delusions of grandeur but didn't like Nixon, so maybe he cancels out Hinckley. The attempt on Roosevelt here - another mentally unstable but highly religious man. I don't see much of a pattern among American would-be assassins in the last century. Mentally unstable seems to be a pattern. It's a good thing we don't have many of those around Milwaukee who start talking about a price on Obama's melon. Means, motive and opportunity. Think an armed unstable guy is less of a risk than an unarmed one?<br /><br />Feel free to jump right in as to whether you think the Professor correctly interpreted Friedman, though. (I'm already booked for Friday and Saturday night, but Sunday's open, ladies.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-37844529502049669402009-10-07T16:50:26.171-05:002009-10-07T16:50:26.171-05:00an excess of ill-toned political rhetoric can lead...<i>an excess of ill-toned political rhetoric can lead to assassinations as well as a breakdown of the process of settling political differences</i><br /><br />So, John, that would explain that the last 2 assassination attempts on a President were on Reagan and Ford--and the last successful one was by another Lefty (Commie) on JFK.<br /><br />You're probably right, John. It does rouse the rabble--who are Lefties.Dad29https://www.blogger.com/profile/08554276286736923821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-32165739441964426012009-10-07T13:05:14.974-05:002009-10-07T13:05:14.974-05:00I heard he's available.I heard he's available.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-19894920699072384252009-10-07T13:01:04.519-05:002009-10-07T13:01:04.519-05:00John Foust. . .I think I love you.John Foust. . .I think I love you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20692053.post-90583933890256873392009-10-07T12:14:15.880-05:002009-10-07T12:14:15.880-05:00"Never take us seriously... never try to und..."Never take us seriously... never try to understand... While that certainly isn't true across the board..." Hrm. OK. Which is it? When I write editorials, I try to remain consistent not only within a sentence, but also from sentence to sentence, especially in consecutive sentences. <br /><br />I see this pattern in your writing. You often make an absolute statement, then follow it with a hedge so no one could ever accuse you of shrieking the absolute. <br /><br />Friedman's concern, as stated in his lede, is that an excess of ill-toned political rhetoric can lead to assassinations as well as a breakdown of the process of settling political differences. His gives a number of examples where both the left and the right did it and the process itself has decayed. Where's the "never" in that? He said "But a cocktail of political and technological trends have converged in the last decade that are making it possible for the idiots of all political stripes to overwhelm and paralyze the genius of our system." You see delegitimization of opposition to the President in that? That's what you call "stunning cluelessness and hypocrisy"?<br /><br />You can find almost anything you wish to find on the Internets. Anti-Bush person talking about assassination? Check. Bush with a Hitler moustache? You bet. Obama as a witch doctor? Sure.Display Namehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15842340986220388709noreply@blogger.com