Sarcasm likilihood in May Reddit comments

This Morning in the TweeParty

Apparently, there's some drama in Alaska surrounding the "Lamestream Media":

@LibertyLynx: Thanks idiot progs, CBS NON-journalists AND smugbot Amanpour et al! You basically just guaranteed a Joe Miller win!!! Yay!!! #teaparty

@blcamp: Liberals are imploding all over the nation, desparate as all hell. Look at what's happening with the reporters up in Alaska. #tcot #teaparty

And they're wound up about Stewart and Colbert:

@grivno: Wow. If discouraged Americans get a whiff of that Colbert/Stewart pompous arrogance on display yesterday.... oy. #Teaparty #tcot #sgp

Not surprisingly the voter fraud hysteria has continued:

@Dataaide PLS watch your polls! Grassroots org Uncovers Large Amnt of Voter Fraud in Houston !- http://www.truethevote.org/ #tcot #teaparty #vote

@GregWHoward: 27% Believe in Ghosts http://t.co/qIOWKpq but 100% of Dem candidates rely on them #tcot #ocra #sgp #p2 #tlot #phnm

@dhrxsol1234 Dems believe in GHOST voting! #tcot #teaparty #gop #sgp

And the racism has gotten thick at the end of the links: http://bit.ly/bRMKyP (Truth here: http://bit.ly/bbMVlq)

Meanwhile, actual candidates are getting in the act:

ed4congress Voter Fraud: What to look for, what to do - http://ow.ly/328LX #TeaParty #MO3 #StLouis #TCOT

And frighteningly, after the media is destroyed, these idiots intend to target our schools:

@EighthSign Two days until old media, as an indoctrination tool of the socialist left, is declared impotent. #teaparty Public education is next!

I guess because of their Islamophobia (or something):

@Kiowah: 'Islam At Gates Because Of Collapse Of West' ~ http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=221305 #tcot #ocra #teaparty #patriot

Meanwhile, the top tweeple continue to push failed ideas:

@ObotNot: Deregulation, Not Renewable Energy Mandates, Will Best Protect Both Economy and Environment http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/10/deregulation_not_renewable... #p2 #tcot #teaparty #ocra

And project socialism onto the most pragmatic administration in a generation:

@JosephAGallant: The Obama's donate 1% of their income to charities and 100% of your Tax Money to everyone else. #tcot #p2 #teaparty #Politics #independents

@AlinskyDefeater: Saying NO to socialism and failed policies is not obstructionist, it is your patriotic duty. #ocra #tcot #TWISTERS

Interestingly, they've rediscovered the sources of their own "anti-communist" rhetoric and point to it as proof of Obama's communist plan to destroy America:

@_Pro_America: #Obama is a repeat of #communist #history: This 1939 Chicago Tribune cartoon proves it http://twitpic.com/12vvmt #tcot #cwot #tlot #teaparty

Then they evoke their favorite model of policy, France, to agree with Obama on a blended energy solution, but as an implicit attack on Obama:

@GeneTaylorUSA: 78% of France's power comes from NUCLEAR generation. Why not America? teaparty #twisters #912 #tcot #ocra #sgp #patriot #ampat

Scared yet? What until Wednesday, then.

This Morning in the TweeParty

The TweeBaggers are in a good mood this morning:

CSteven WARNING! If you get an email that says "Pelosi Naked" DO NOT OPEN! It really IS a pic of Pelosi naked #tcot #ocra #teaparty #twisters #ampat

7Lynwood Since science has doc'd. Liberals have a defective gene, do they Q. for Hndicpt. bennies? --> http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/weird/Scientists-May-Have-IDd-Lib... #hhrs #twisters #tcot

Mister_T_Bone Q. How do you starve a liberal? A. Put his foodstamps under his work boots. #humor #tcot #teaparty #tlot

dhrxsol1234: Keep voting legal==>Wear an I.C.E. t-shirt to the voting polls and watch the Dems scatter!! #tcot #teaparty #gop #sgp #ocra #wasen

Ha, ha! Get it! Liberals are lazy foreign retards who look horrible naked!

Oh, and they're still obsessed with imagined voter fraud:

gailtalk Dems Final Recourse:Massive Vote Fraud http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/10/the_democrats_final_recour... Stealing votes threatens the republic itself. In a saner time .. #tcot #teaparty

brooksbayne: Voter Fraud Watch: A Primer on What to Watch For http://grf.me/Dk6 #tcot #teaparty

As I've mentioned repeatedly, the voter fraud crap is hysterical nonsense:

TheLoki47: I know objective reporting is not hip, but TPM has a non-hysterical site for voter fraud stories http://bit.ly/bbMVlq #teaparty #tcot #tpp

This Morning in the TweeParty

This morning, the Tea Party has a serious obsession with imagined "voter fraud"

OGDoccat: The #election theft is under way - TPN: http://www.teapartynation.com/forum/topics/the-election-theft-is-... #teaparty #tcot #pollsters #November #ocra Conservative #republican #FNC #GOP

BACFA Liberals are violating the civil rights of voters by encouraging illegal votes #teaparty #tcot @gopleader #gop #vote #vote2010 #gotv2010

JosephAGallant Sharron Angle campaign: Reid’s trying to steal the election by hook or crook « Hot Air: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/10/26/sharron-angle-campaign-reid... via @addthis #teaparty #gop

Wilfner Voting Machine Irregularities - Machines Changing Votes From GOP to Dem (Video) http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/10/voting-machine-irreg... #teaparty #anystreet #twisters

dhrxsol1234 There will be voting recounts and missing ballots "found" (WATCH CLARK COUNTY) !!! until Reid wins! #nvsen #tcot #teaparty #gop #sgp

dhrxsol1234: There will be voting recounts and missing ballots "found" (WATCH KING COUNTY) !!! until Patty wins! #wasen #wcot #tcot #teaparty #gop #sgp

LibertyPundits: Systematic absentee-voter fraud uncovered in #PA http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/patriotroom/eKBL/~3/QAxQWglp18I/?u... #tcot #tpp #teaparty

But don't worry, there's an app for that:

Jess_Bradford: Download the American Majority Action Voter Fraud app for your droid or iphone & stop #voterfraud http://bit.ly/cqW7ar #tcot #tpp #majority

AM_National: Protect your rights, check out @amaction's new Vote Fraud App http://ourameri.ca/VoteFraudApp #tpp #majority #tcot

This is what they do every cycle. As I've mentioned repeatedly, it's not just hysteria, it's a motivator for real GOP-driven voter suppression.

On Communication Across the Gap

I've taken to Twitter recently to see how ideas spread. Twitterfall is pretty cool if you want to follow some hash tags.

At any rate, I was involved tonight in a conversation indicative of the rhetorical divide in the country right now. The conversation eventually grew beyond the scope of 140 characters, so I've continued here.

I'm new to Twitter. I'm operating on the assumption that this conversation is OK to reproduce, since we both have public profiles.

TheLoki47: http://huff.to/cxhxNN // #teaparty and #tcot xenophobes and #gzmosque opponents make no sense, but wonder why we think they're bigots.

HRearden51: @TheLoki47 //we don't wonder. We know you're just too stupid to mount an intelligent argument.

TheLoki47: @HRearden51 // Clearly ad hominem and consistency are not your complaints, since your sensitivity argument is awfully PC! #tpp #tcot #p2

HRearden51: @TheLoki47 //Read this then get back with me. Arguments such as yours are diversionary at best. Dishonest at worse. http://bit.ly/9A8Qsn

TheLoki47: @HRearden51 // I've read that. It's still xenophobia until the argument is more than THEY attacked US. If it's a diversion drop it #gzmosque

HRearden51: @TheLoki47 //No . It's just inappropriate to build it there. Calling opponents bigots and racist is intellectually derelict.

TheLoki47: @HRearden51 // I see. THEY attacked US. Got it. #gzmosque #tcot #p2

HRearden51: @TheLoki47 //You're not making sense. Speak to the propriety.

TheLoki47: @HRearden51 // Now you're not making sense. Where's the "propriety clause" in the 1st amendment? #gzmosque #park51 #tcot

HRearden51: @TheLoki47 There you go. Diversion...or dishonest? If you want to engage me, you'll have to be more honest. 1st amendment is not at issue.

Despite the fact that we begin the conversation with greetings such as "bigot" and "stupid", there is clearly a serious attempt to grapple with the issues here. And, of course, I take HReardon51 at his word that he is sincere in his pursuit of engagement.

But the fact is there can be no engagement, due to radically different assumptions. Indeed, this debate has everything to do with the First Amendment. Since I think much of the defensiveness on both sides comes from the characterizations coming from the other, I will restrict myself to my own position (rather than trying to discern the motives behind those put forward on the other side). To paraphrase, my stance on the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" issue would run as follows:

Since the First Amendment provides for the free exercise of religion, attempts to block religious activity must be motivated by specific concerns about that activity--concerns sufficient to override constitutional protection. At the very least, this means that the burden of proof in this argument lies with those who oppose Park51 and this burden has yet to be met. Until then, there is no "issue" to be addressed.

There is little flexibility afforded to Park51 opponents in this stance. Park51 does not need to argue why they should be allowed t0 build there--opponents need to argue why they should not. To date they have not done so.

I understand that this may be frustrating to those with sharp feelings about Islam or 9/11 (or whatever it is that offends them, in particular) but that's hardly an argument to roll back constitutional protections. The First Amendment, the top priority of the anti-Federalists, protects everything from Salman Rushdie, Draw Mohamed Day and South Park's Mohamed episode to Park51 and the Scientologists. And sometimes people will be offended, but so what?

So, no HReardon51, I don't think you're a bigot. But I'm struggling to understand what your argument might actually be. Since Park51 is not al Qaeda, it is very easy for me to draw the conclusion that you are saying their rights should be abridged simply because they are Muslim. Surely that's not what you're saying. Right?

RIP Senator Byrd

For those of you who are not yet aware who we lost last night (and especially for those of you who are):




Biggest loss since Wellstone. We'll miss you, Senator.

Tribal Racism in the New Right

I've mentioned the teabagger/birther heroes "Oath Keepers" before:

Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution

Our motto is "Not on our watch!"

They've got a particularly widespread fantasy that the government is about to start rounding people up and putting them in detention camps (or something ... Wooolverines!!!):

[...]

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."

[...]

So, I wonder how they'll react to this:

Arizona state Treasurer Dean Martin, a Republican candidate for governor, called on Tuesday for the creation of statewide tent cities to house the expected increase in the number of illegal immigrants expected to be arrested under the state’s controversial new immigration law.

I'm just kidding ... I know how they'll react. Freedom with these teabagger types is not the Negative Rights of egghead libertarians, it's local control on issues of ethnic, religious and cultural homogeneity.