Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
Burt Folsom makes a good point:
During the last week, we have seen the president support three political positions: gay marriage, a raise in the minimum wage, and a cut in the interest rate on loans to college students. These issues have one thing in common: The president’s supporters claim that those who oppose gay marriage, oppose a high minimum wage, and oppose the lowering of interest rates on college student loans must really hate gays, hate the poor, and oppose education. If you don’t favor President Obama’s programs, you hate the groups targeted by the programs. Thus, we have no serious debate on the merits of either side of these issues, and that is unhealthy.
:
Politicians always try to demonize opponents, but until recently it has usually failed because our free press asks presidential candidates the tough questions that force a real debate to take place…With President Obama, however, the mainstream press so far has not asked the president–or his supporters–the tough questions that force a public debate on complicated issues. The November election is very important–let’s hope reporters begin asking both sides the tough questions that yield facts that voters can use to make informed choices. Maybe those who oppose this are the ones who are “anti-education.”
Not sure if this is a coordinated conspiracy, but I do know we’ve got a problem with nobody having anything to lose from the situation — among those who wield influence. President Obama and His supporters, of course, emerge as clear winners if all these discussions boil down to “I’m a much better person than that other guy over there because I’m in favor X.” As far as the press goes, their incentive for keeping this going seems to be nothing more complicated than they’re just plain lazy.
The real problem, however, isn’t that we as a society are ensnared in a potpourri of policy initiatives that are wrong. We are, of course; but the real cost we’re paying for this is that there’s no end to the conflict. Those who support gay marriage or higher minimum wage or discounted loans to college students, solely to prove what wonderful awesome nice kind people they are, are never going to be done proving it. They’re inebriated on, and addicted to, this elixir of “I’m nice and that other guy’s mean.”
So we could give ’em every little thing they want, and they won’t be done.
I’ve also picked up the impression that they, by and large, don’t care too much about these issues. Their motivation seems to be: We’re unhappy that those other mean people, who disagree with us, have any influence on the outcome at all. When they pontificate and proselytize and donate and struggle to win, I think all they really want is some kind of assurance that their influence is unilateral and dictatorial, and the influence of the other people is negligible, insignificant, easily overcome. To the extent that this might be true in some cases, it is not consistently, everlastingly so; when you play, sometimes the other guy’s gonna win. That’s just the way life is.
And so this tyranny-of-nice, until such time as it is confronted directly, will continue. Endlessly. The “real debate” cannot, and will not, happen.
Related: (hat tip to Instapundit) Did the media drive the gay marriage debate?
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Admit it, Morgan! You like Burt Folsom because you LIVE in Folsom!
- cylarz | 05/12/2012 @ 01:09