Posts tagged Hypocrisy
Billo instructs men on honor and responsibility
Aug 11th
I found this on Huff-Po, and wrote the following response. Because it was Huff-Po I reined in my impulses!
Billo was married and a father at the time he lost his infamous sexual harassment suit to a Fox producer he had been pursuing. In this video segment he presumes to tell other husbands/ consorts/ fathers how a “real man” behaves. Sorry, Billo. You are totally unqualified to preach morality about marriage, fatherhood, or honoring vows and responsibilities.
The one I’m worried about is Margaret Hoover. Much of what she says is intelligent, compassionate, and rational. Most places that would be great. At Fox it has to be career-threatening.
Ms Hoover, you have to learn to play the “Fox Babe” game. Regardless of what the Pox Alpha Male says, bat your eyelashes, resist for a moment if honor demands … but then yield with maidenly lowering of eyes and batting of eyelashes, looking up finally with embarrassment, a flush of surrender suffusing your face.
Save Net Neutrality!
Aug 5th
Open Left have joined with Free Press to produce and distribute a hip, creative video to promote support for net neutrality. (Essentially, that means protecting by law equal access to bandwidth. Preventing big corporations like Comcast, ATT, Verizon, Google, etc. from pricing structure to shut out and potentially shut down ordinary citizens, political and social activists, and small business owners.)
Anyone who knows me or has followed my posts in various places knows that I’m a deep believer in this cause. But I am not a fan of this video. Watch it first, then my comment below will make sense, whether you agree with me or not:
This video is creative and hip. Sheesh, it’s got Mythbuster Adam Savage! How good does it get? So what’s the problem?The video seems aimed at a younger audience, and that’s good. Young people need to be involved. But young people are not the only ones who need to be involved, and I think it does young people themselves an injustice to suggest that the most important projects they create or enjoy are videos of cute cats.
Is this why we need to save the internet? To save cute cat videos? Young people played a key role in the 2008 election, and they did it in significant part via the internet. The internet allows both young and old to become entrepreneurs. It allows young and old to hold politicians accountable for what they say and do. Same for the lying liars on Fox and Hate Talk radio.
Yes, I like cats and cute cat videos. But I like what’s left of American democracy even more. It’s the latter I’m fighting for. And I hope other thoughtful persons will join the contest.
GOP demands that GOP policies not be adopted. Demand it!!
Aug 4th
This really has to start showing up in Democratic ads!
Petition! White House Press Corps
Jul 30th
In the London Symphony Orchestra, the members of the orchestra vote to decide who gets to be first chair violin. In Britain the person with this honor is known as the “leader.” (In the U.S. she or he is the “concert master.”) The role is practical as well as symbolic. It matters.
- The leader of the LSO earned his position by being a genuine musician.
- Helen Thomas earned her position by being a genuine journalist.
- There are no genuine journalists at Fox. Some could be—not including “couldn’t manage to pass even a single semester of college” Beck, of course. But all the potential journalists there have either sold out or been intimidated by Roger Aisles.
The White House Press Corps might be associated more with fatuous cacophony than with soul-stirring expression, but they too elect their own “leader” or “concert master.” They’re about to do that again, and there’s a theoretical possibility the honor and power might go to Faux News—never fair, never balanced, never honest, never showing the least respect for true journalism. This cannot be allowed to happen.
Various leading journalism and freedom of the press organizations have been organizing petitions. Below, I’ve included a badge that will take you to such a petition. Don’t take my word for it, though. That’s the Fox way. Instead, check the facts—all of them. Then, if you think signing will promote legitimate journalism rather than propaganda, sign. If not, don’t.
In respect to business, how small is “small”?
Jul 30th
I’ve written about this before, but I was stimulated to return to the topic by what Mike Pence said in defense of continuing the disastrous Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest fraction of our population:
I wrote the following as a comment to the blog entry where I found his remarks on Crooks and Liars:
The casualness with which the term “small business” is tossed around does everyone a grave disservice.
Let’s play George Lakoff’s little game. I say, “Quick! Don’t think of a small business!” In your mind’s eye you immediately see a small business. Now here’s where it get’s interesting: I ask you to describe what you’re seeing.
The great majority of persons would describe something like my friend Scott’s small deli, or the mom and pop optical shop where I get my glasses, or the hardware franchise with its 8-10 employees where I shop for nuts and bolts and shovels and such.
But compare that typical image to the U.S. government’s definitions of “small business.” Couple of examples. Depending on the field a “small business” might…
• have 1000 employees
• do $35.5 million in business per year
• have a net worth of $175 million
No conscientious person should ever use the term “small business” without qualifying what she or he means by it.
Coincidence?
Jul 24th
Ever notice how much Andrew Breitbart resembles the villain from the campy sci-fi movie Buckaroo Bonzai?
In case it isn’t clear, on the left is Lord John Whorfin, a.k.a. Dr. Emilio Lizardo. On the right the moral and ethical vacuum, a.k.a. Andrew Breitbart.
What if the Tea Party was Black?
Jul 17th
This has already had over 42,000 hits on YouTube. Still, in case you’ve missed it, here’s your chance to catch up:
