House of Eratosthenes

TPMuckraker goes after the Palin fans, but in a rather craven and cowardly way. Not by actually concluding anything, but by just sort of throwing stuff out there.

The Massachusetts man charged this week with stockpiling weapons after saying he feared an imminent “Armageddon” appears to have been active in the Tea Party movement, and saw Sarah Palin, who he said is on a “righteous ‘Mission from God,'” as the only figure capable of averting the destruction of society.
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In Girard’s view, only one person can save us: Sarah Palin. Later in the lengthy post, he wrote:

I believe that the ONLY —– ONLY —— potential presidental (sic) candidate I have seen with the sheer force of will and God-insprined (sic) rightous (sic) determination to bringdown (sic) this “War Powers” evil is Sarah Palin.

Girard praised Palin’s “magical combination of charisma, a remarkable reserve of personal strength and committment (sic), and her righteous ‘mission from God’ drive (sic) return this country to its convservative (sic), Constitutional foundation.”

Completely off-topic, but I just thought I’d throw this video out there of an Obama supporter. Just sorta let people draw their own conclusions about who’s supporting who.

Now then, where was I? Ah yes. Back to the subject at hand, Dennis the Peasant gives TPM a beatdown:

This is how bad it is in Obamaland today: It’s to the point where a Ivy League edjamacated professional astroturfer like Marshall must spend his time trying to defame by suggesting linkage between a man with obvious mental health issues and the opposition. This the sort of thing one has to do when you’re paid to use the news to sing the praises of incompetents and amateurs, but cannot. Marshall’s not only a media whore, he’s now he’s responding to tough political times by becoming a media whore on the level of Charles Johnson.

Well, I’m off to oil the claymores. Check the gas masks. Clean the ol’ .50-cal. Those nice young men in their clean white coats, they’re coming to take me away, ha ha.

But at least I’m fairly sure nobody came by to put gas in my car.

Related: Via Gerard: NeoNeocon caught the Angry Left in a lie about Palin and the deployment bracelet she wears as a tribute to her son, Track.

It is hardly surprising, however, that many of Palin’s detractors jumped at the chance to blast her for the bracelet without even bothering to confirm the basic facts. It was a case of assuming the worst, seeing what they expected to see. They considered the incident to be only one more piece of evidence confirming what they believed they already knew, and what they feel should be self-evident to any thinking person: Sarah Palin is a stupid, lying, child-exploiting, shameless, opportunistic right-wing nut. That there might be a more benign explanation for any of her behavior does not even occur to them, and therefore no further fact-checking would be needed.
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Many people read the latter as “uneducated,” and therefore “stupid.” The assumption is that Palin doesn’t change these things — she continues to drop her “g’s” at the end of “ing” words, for example — because she cannot do so, rather than because she chooses not to do so.

So we’re dangerous and crazy, she’s an idiot. None of this ever needs a re-think, because it’s based on evidence, but when the evidence turns out to be wrong, even that doesn’t call for a re-think of anything. Why, the fact we were snookered by it is evidence that it represents an idea that must be true, otherwise how was it so easy to fall for it?

But then Neo really, really nails it:

If one watches this YouTube video of some of the recent typically chortling mockery of Palin for writing notes on her hand, it appears evident that the most important function of all of this may be as a bonding exercise, a fail-safe device for those who exhibit it to recognize each other and congratulate themselves on their own excellent taste and judgment. [emphasis mine]

And that is not dolphin logic. It’s a widespread phenomenon that has been noticed, and validated, for a long time now. Bonding exercise.

If you think the gun-grabbing nut really is a nut, and Josh Marshall clearly thinks he’s a nut…you and Mr. Marshall can disagree on any one of a number of things, which are recognized by the two of you as far more important.

If I think Bob’s a kleptomaniac and you think Bob’s a kleptomaniac, this doesn’t bring us any closer together. If we agreed with each other on an Internet thread somewhere about Bob, and a week later we were introduced personally by a third party in person, then even if we recognized each other’s handles we’d never tell the guy “oh that’s alright, we’ve already met.”

If we want to kill each other, and then we come to an agreement that Susan’s a slut…we still want to kill each other. Am I right or am I right?

But “Jack is stupid” — oh, if we agree on that then we are blood brothers. From that point on, if anyone wants to take a swing at you they have to go through me. If anyone calls me stupid in your presence, then they’re saying the same thing about you and you’ll defend my honor. Because we achieved some reckoning on the intellectual weaknesses of this other guy.

That’s one reason I wanted to start this. I’m posting mine next friday.
- philmon | 02/13/2010 @ 10:12
Incidentally, I learned it as a kid as Telephone logic.

Crows are black.
That telephone is black.
Therefore, that telephone is a crow.
- philmon | 02/13/2010 @ 10:13

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We’re Dangerous and CrazySaturday, February 13th, 2010

We’re Dangerous and Crazy
Saturday, February 13th, 2010