Conspiracy and Absurdity

First, let me allay any concern that I can't praise President Obama when he does something right. In that, I am wholeheartedly agreeing with Dana Perino that the President did an admirable job calling out Iran on their second, hidden uranium enrichment facility. Despite Iran's attempt to preempt the news cycle, and their attempt afterwards to change the subject with missile tests, the President, along with the president of France and prime minister of Britain, did a nice job.

Next, on to former President Bill Clinton, who has decided that the right wing conspiracy is back, and it's the cause of all President Obama's problems, just as it was the cause of all his. Really? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the whole point of the 9-12 Tea Party protests is that there is no leader of the opposition. It's just a popular movement--which is ironic, since President Obama's schtick is to be a populist. ("I'm the only one between you and the pitchforks." Remember that warning to the banks?)

Right wing conspiracy. Okay, just for fun, let's play along. In that case, I suppose Mr. Clinton would agree that there's a vast left wing conspiracy that was opposing former President Bush? No? Then, is it a vast left wing conspiracy that's preventing President Obama's 60 vote majority in the Senate and huge majority in the House from attaining his goals? Again, no? It's...the right wing? The Republicans? Who don't have the votes to stop anything?

Sorry, Bill. That's so silly, it's not even up to Jimmy Carter standards. In fact, it's so absurd, I have to wonder, why you would even say such a thing? Is it simply that you assume the press will dutifully report whatever you want? In that case, shame on both of you.

ACORN: Slavery Is Okay

Nothing quite like an incendiary headline to make the point--as long as it's accurate. I think it is.

The current blowup between ACORN, a couple undercover journalists, and Fox News (who simply reported a story interesting enough that it got immediate action in both houses of the US Congress) utterly misses the point.

The journalists and Fox point out that the hidden camera video shows ACORN is corrupt. ACORN insists the journalists are somehow entrapping them. There is a ridiculous charge that the journalists broke the law--if that's the case, then the law is so obviously unconstitutional, its supporters should be embarrassed. Neither is asking the most important question.

Why do the ACORN employees seem to think human trafficking--a.k.a. slavery--is okay?

Serious question. The undercover journalist/activist said he was going to bring underage El Salvadoran girls to the US to be prostitutes. And, by "underage," they didn't mean seventeen-and-a-half. They said 13 to 16. THIRTEEN. There's a word for that--SLAVERY. But, the ACORN employee (who was interestingly enough, black) didn't seem to have a problem with that.

I am truly stunned. I have long concluded that most racism exists on the left. I have always accepted that the left has different standards of acceptable conduct, and that maybe they could consider prostitution a victimless crime. Reasonable people can disagree about that.

But, to blithely accept the idea of sex slavery as something that doesn't even merit a comment? A remark? The slightest objection? What kind of person could do that?

That, frankly, is a lot more interesting to me than some corrupt organization. No one seems horrified. Why not?

Maybe that explains why human trafficking still exists. It's much more popular to talk about a slavery that ended 150 years ago than it is to talk about the slavery that's still going on. Easier, too--because there are things, besides talk, that can be done to end something that's still occurring.

I think they call that an inconvenient truth.

Dissent is Racist? You can't be serious.

I normally prefer the long form for blogs, but this one is just too infuriating not to just vent.

So, former President Jimmy Carter says that opposition to President Barack Obama is racist? Are you kidding me? Let's see where that logic goes: If I oppose President Obama's ideas, I'm racist. If I oppose Hillary Clinton's ideas, I suppose I must be sexist. And if I oppose John Edwards, I'm...against big hair? Against philandering? Against having affairs with your wife when she's in remission from cancer?

Are you kidding me?

I recall then-Senator Clinton arguing that, "We have the right to debate, and to disagree with any administration!!!!!!!" I add the screamers because--well, because she was yelling. But, she had a point, it works both ways, and I've since adopted her comment as this blog's subtitle. So, I will politely respond...

President Carter, if you have racist guilt about your Southern upbringing, I'm sorry. But, please don't project that guilt on me. I lost several bets in 2008 because I was certain Condi Rice would be the Republican VP candidate. If that's not enough for you, let me make it crystal clear:

Rice/Cheney 2012.

Is that enough?