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Journal pudge's Journal: Another Example of Anti-Democracy 21

Journal by pudge

Ted Rall is an idiot. I don't mean he's unintelligent, I mean he lacks judgment. He lacks the ability to discern. If something falls outside his preconceived notions, it is necessarily wrong, and if you disagree, you're stupid. And not just little-w wrong, but Wrong. Evil. Everything you do that he dislikes is just one step away from Hitler. It's the height of evilness to get rid of the Taliban, because Bush did it. And Pat Tillman wasn't a hero for sacrificing his life and millions of dollars for his country, he was a stupid Arab killer.

With this lunatic's track record, it should come as no surprise that he is essentially calling for New Yorkers to intentionally subvert the democratic process when the GOP comes to NYC in a couple of weeks. And indeed, it does not.

Now, you could easily defeat most of what he says with simple arguments. It's not hard. Like, the silly assumption that forms the basis of his piece, that a city that has elected a couple of Republican mayors in a row is hostile to Republicans. There, I just did it! I don't wish to dwell on his insane ramblings about stuff that can't be true and never happened. I just want to focus on the fact that he is encouraging and welcoming anti-democracy, which should make all his fellow Democrats embarassed.

I highly recommend that you do not read Ted Rall on any regular basis. If you agree with his political bent, you will only wind up more ignorant for having read him. If you disagree, you'll just get worked up over nothing. It's not worth it. He is a professional troll -- far better than any of you silly amateurs on Slashdot -- and I only mention it because it is a great example of what we were talking about in the previous journal entry.

One more note: on the radio today, someone said he looked up tedrall.com in whois and called him, and had a talk with him, at the end of which Rall threatened to call the cops. Ha! I have no idea if it is true, but what the caller said Ted said throughout rang true.

This discussion was created by pudge (3605) for no Foes, but now has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Another Example of Anti-Democracy More

Another Example of Anti-Democracy

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  • and I only mention it because it is a great example of what we were talking about in the previous journal entry.

    I would have never been aware of it except for the fine job you did linking it, and now I feel ill for reading that strip. I'm not sure what is a greater disservice, the guy that drew that strip, or you for advertising it (albeit negativly). As the old saying, any press (negative) is good press (attention).

    I guess you've proven your point, in the previous journal, but at what expence? If anythi
    • Well, it is not like Ted Rall is not well-known. If it were some shmuck no one paid attention to, that would be one thing, but this guy is nationally syndicated in many major newspapers, including the Washington Post, LA Times, and NY Times. Some publications have stopped carrying his cartoons because of the extremely distasteful things he's put in them (this is mild in comparison to others), but he is still read by millions of people. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1996.

      And I didn't really
  • He is a professional troll -- far better than any of you silly amateurs on Slashdot -

    I'm very serious about my work. On a side note, I prefer the term "non-sponsored" rather than "amateur".
  • I don't think Tillman was a "stupid arab killer." I agree with your assessment of Rall.

    But the heroics that were reported after Tillman's death and his posthumous promotion don't necessarily jive with later findings and may have been a case of a chance for good military PR (not likely as their report brings this issue to question) or foggy reports [washingtonpost.com] from grief stricken men involved in a confusing firefight that ended in friendly fire deaths and injuries.

    Was Pat Tillman a hero for giving up money and join

    • Was Pat Tillman a hero for giving up money and joining the Army Rangers to fight the war in Afghanistan? Maybe... it depends on your definition of hero and whether you believe in armed conflict.

      I don't think so, personally. He sacrificed himself and lots of personal gain for the sake of other people. Even if you don't believe in the cause, that makes him a hero in my book.

      Was Pat Tillman a hero for his actions during Afghanistan? Maybe... the report is sketchy.

      Not sketchy enough. Whether he died at
      • Not sketchy enough. Whether he died at the hands of the enemy or friendly fire doesn't make much difference.

        I did say maybe. The problem is that war is full of armed conflict and responding to conflict in kind. Nothing particulary special about that and it turned out that he was killed in a confusing battle. Not the picture that was painted originally... and I believe that picture was painted because of all the wonderful back story that went with the whole thing.

        I am sorry he died. It sounds like h

        • The problem is that war is full of armed conflict and responding to conflict in kind. Nothing particulary special about that

          And therein lies the problem, when people no longer consider sacrificing one's life for his country to be special.

          • Not Silver Star special. If it were, we currently have handed out 711 Silver Stars for Iraq casualties alone (and 131 for Afghanistan). I can assure you that the number of Silver Stars that have been handed out are a lot less than that. That's why I said that I understand him being a personal hero and he sounds like a decent honest man, but I don't seem him as being any more or less brave than the other casualties of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

            But here he is, a NATIONAL hero. My point was that his her

            • Not Silver Star special

              Yes, of course.

              I don't seem him as being any more or less brave than the other casualties of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

              Yes, of course. But that doesn't mean all of the people sacrificing their lives are not special, that all of them are not heroes.

              But here he is, a NATIONAL hero. My point was that his hero status (on a NATIONAL... not personal level)

              As he -- and all of the aforementioned people who sacrificed their lives -- sholuld be. I am not putting him above the othe
  • I heard a report from another source than Rall about people in New York who were going to be giving people wrong recommendations and bad directions, even going so far as handing out false maps.

    I have two feelings about this in conflict with each other.

    One the one hand, I say good for them. New Yorkers vote Democrat in their national election choices:

    • Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY)
      1st-term Democrat from New York.
    • Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
      1st-term Democrat from New York.
    • Representative Carolyn Malo
    • One the one hand, I say good for them. New Yorkers vote Democrat in their national election choices

      What's one got to do with the other, at all? Fine, you don't vote Republican, primarily (despite your Republican governor and mayor ... and once cancer less in this world, might've had a Senator too). How does this warrant, let alone justify, such actions?

      Therefore, it is odd that New York is the place chosen for the RNC and it probably has much to do with the President capitalizing on 9/11 and the "War
      • This argument is so incredibly specious. The main reason this helps him in his re-election bid is because it is seen as the right thing to do (e.g., we will show the terrorists we will not be terrorized by holding our President's convention in the city that was attcked).

        Hang on a minute -- this isn't the President's event. It's decidedly not a celebration for all Americans. It's the Republican Party convention, a totally partisan gathering.

        Frankly I have never even heard this argument before. Even the RN
        • Hang on a minute -- this isn't the President's event. It's decidedly not a celebration for all Americans. It's the Republican Party convention, a totally partisan gathering.

          So? It's a major part of the democratic process. And it's not his event, but he is the leader of the party, and one of the two major purposes of the event is to select him as the nominee.

          Even the RNC is not claiming this as far as I know.

          Not anymore, because it is not playing as well as it did before, or as well as they'd hoped i
  • I agree that Ted Rall is a nutbar, and does his side more damage than he does the other. His comics are puerile hate-mongering. Even if I think the target is richly deserving of scorn, he's not helping.

    On the other hand, I don't think he's calling for disrupting democracy. Both parties have corrupted a democratic form to sneak long, vapid TV commercials into American living rooms. These are the one who are corrupting democracy, not people in the streets.

    Nonviolent pranking of conventiongoers does not bug
    • On the other hand, I don't think he's calling for disrupting democracy.

      I am quite certain that he is. There's quite a bit of serious work to be done at the convention -- it's not all speeches and applauding the President -- and he is calling for it to be disrputed as much as possible.

      Both parties have corrupted a democratic form to sneak long, vapid TV commercials into American living rooms. These are the one who are corrupting democracy, not people in the streets.

      One doesn't follow from the other.
      • There's quite a bit of serious work to be done at the convention

        This is news to me. Could you give me an example?

        My understanding now is that some platform issues are voted on, but it's more of a sop to the keener delegates to make them feel like they're contributing. The party hierarchy controls the process, so there are few surprises, and the resolutions are non-binding anyway.

        I don't get the impression that Karl Rove is waiting on any RNC resolution as to what message he should be putting out.

        My vie
        • My understanding now is that some platform issues are voted on, but it's more of a sop to the keener delegates to make them feel like they're contributing. The party hierarchy controls the process, so there are few surprises, and the resolutions are non-binding anyway.

          That they are non-binding is true, but that it is a sop is not. It's not "some platform issues" voted on, it is the entire platform. Any of it can be debated and voted on, according to the rules of the convention which are based on Robert'
          • I am relatively ignorant of RNC party machinery, and maybe the media underplays this angle.

            Still, I'm not sure whether I buy your view that the conventions will be a significant exercise in democracy. I don't hear any observers expecting surprises, and I know of no campaign message that is being held back in case the convention decides differently.

            Nor, in general, do I get the sense that the American legislative agenda has much popular input, in either party. Are average Republicans suddenly in favor of
            • Still, I'm not sure whether I buy your view that the conventions will be a significant exercise in democracy. I don't hear any observers expecting surprises, and I know of no campaign message that is being held back in case the convention decides differently.

              If I am prevented from voting for President in MA, is it OK just because Kerry is a shoo-in for the electoral votes there?

              The American political conventions look about the same to me.

              I was at my county and state conventions. At the state convent

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