August 22, 2010

Maureen Dowd says "Rush Limbaugh... mocks 'Imam Obama' as 'America’s first Muslim president'" but what did he actually say?

Here's Dowd's column. You can search the radio show's transcripts here. It was a joke:
"If it was laudatory to call Bill Clinton America's first black president, why can't we call Imam Obama America's first Muslim president?"
To be fair, Dowd's use of "mocks" could be said to acknowledge it as a joke. But come on. She says:
Many people still have a confused view of Muslims, and the president seems unable to help navigate the country through its Islamophobia. It is a prejudice stoked by Rush Limbaugh....
If you're going to worry that comments plant the wrong ideas in people's heads, you should be more careful about the ideas you plant. Dowd took a Limbaugh phrase out of context. (Hey! Remember last month, when we were hyper-sensitive about the problem of taking quotes out of context?) In context, it was, first, a question, and second, always only a comparison to the famous Toni Morrison characterization of Bill Clinton as the first black president:
Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime. After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.
 "Trope" — I love that. AKA stereotype.
And when virtually all the African-American Clinton appointees began, one by one, to disappear, when the President's body, his privacy, his unpoliced sexuality became the focus of the persecution, when he was metaphorically seized and bodysearched, who could gainsay these black men who knew whereof they spoke?
 Ha. You know how I feel about "gainsay." It's the red flag of bullshit.
The message was clear "No matter how smart you are, how hard you work, how much coin you earn for us, we will put you in your place or put you out of the place you have somehow, albeit with our permission, achieved. You will be fired from your job, sent away in disgrace, and--who knows?--maybe sentenced and jailed to boot. In short, unless you do as we say (i.e., assimilate at once), your expletives belong to us."
(Shouldn't that be "all your expletives are belong to us"?)

Now, we all know that Bill Clinton is not actually black, so to say Obama is the first Muslim president in the way that Bill Clinton is the first black president actually implies that Obama is not a Muslim. As in: Christian faith notwithstanding, this is our first Muslim President. More Muslim than any actual Muslim person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime.

In context, please!

And answer the question: If it was laudatory to call Bill Clinton America's first black president, why doesn't the phrase "first Muslim president" work the same way?

There are some good answers to that question:

1. Back in 1998, when Morrison wrote her essay, Americans — or at least the Americans she was writing for — really did think it would be a fine thing to have a black president, but today, when Rush Limbaugh said that, Americans have a big problem with the idea of a Muslim president and Rush knows that.

2. Since we know Bill Clinton isn't black, calling him black creates no confusion. Calling Obama a Muslim, even as a trope, plays with — stokes — the doubts people have.

Bottom line: Am I criticizing Dowd? Only a little. She's stoking the misunderstandings of Rush Limbaugh that she knows NYT readers have. She doesn't care about giving him his due. But that's okay. He feeds on the things like this. I'm sure he'll have his fun on tomorrow's show. And it will give him license to spend a few more minutes massaging Obama-Muslim, Obama-Muslim, Obama-Muslim... into the listeners' confused mushy heads.

166 comments:

AllenS said...

snark on

into the listeners' confused mushy heads

snark off

Anonymous said...

Dowd is too silly to read, and certainly too silly to bother considering.

michaele said...

Yes, as Rush likes to say with glee, "I live rent free in their heads". He'll definitely have fun with this.

AllenS said...

Is Maureen still trying to get laid?

Anonymous said...

Clinton was "persecuted"?

That's rich.

Abortion on demand remains the bedrock principle of the Democratic Party.

That's some moral principle on which to stake your reputation.

mesquito said...

Five stages of grief

1. denial
2. anger
3. bargaining
4. depression
5. acceptance

Rob Long, at Ricochet, says that the Political Class has definitely passed into stage to as it struugles with the passing of its Savior.

*****

ABC's Round Table: Christiane Amanpour, Robert Reich, Judy Woodruff, Al Hunt, and George Will. They aren't even trying.

Lucien said...

It is clear beyond cavil that the "Trapped under wreckage . . ." line has been in the banner too long.

Why not replace it with "All your expletives are belong to us"?

And why complain about red flags for bullshit? The author is doing you a favor by marking the bullshit, saving you the unpleasant work of sniffing it out by other means.

Of course the prime markers in legal rhetoric are "clearly" and "it is well settled that". How much persuasive effect to people really think these words have?

Anonymous said...

Thank God! We've started the morning with another bigotry posting.

President Clinton was actually a victim of bigotry... just like black men under Jim Crow!

Who wasn't a victim of bigotry... just like black men under Jim Crow!

Certainly, the poor women were victims of bigotry. I can remember back in the 60s and 70s when we lynched women every day. Main Street in my home town was a nightmare scene, with the bodies of the persecuted women hanging from the lampposts.

The gays, we hung from the trees by the thousands.

But, then, the Great Bigot Hunt began in earnest. Sainted Bigot Hunters stepped up to fight the great horror of Bigotry.

But, the work of the Bigot Hunters is never done, because the world remains full of bigots of every kind.

Save us, oh Bigot Hunters! Save us from the scourge of Bigotry.

ricpic said...

Re: Dowd's charge of Islamophobia: Ya know, good ol' D.H. Lawrence once wrote that the highest respect you can show another individual or group is to show him or them sympathy. Not empathy. So if muslims make it patently clear that they hate me, the infidel, to death, sympathy demands that I return the favor, that, at the very least I be phobic about Islam.

Fred4Pres said...

Maureen Dowd is there to be mocked.

pm317 said...

"If it was laudatory to call Bill Clinton America's first black president, why can't we call Imam Obama America's first Muslim president?"

Rush's analogy does not quite work. For the Dems Blacks are constituency to woo and it was a medal of honor to be called America's first black president. OTH, you know the impression America has of Muslims -- all they see are terror acts by many Muslim groups in different parts of the world and the 'good' Muslims are generally silent. And there is not a critical enough mass of 'good' Muslims in this country to offset the impression the Muslim terrorists create (as is done in India).

So being called a Muslim president will not work and Rush knows this. But I am happy in a way that this shows the hypocrisy of the lefties. They thought they could dupe the Muslim world by electing a guy with Muslim roots and a Muslim name but don't want to embrace it completely.

tim maguire said...

You're being too kind to Dowd. For one thing, if Rush was mocking anyone, it wasn't Obama, it was hypocrites like Dowd. "All your expletives..." may have been a missed opportunity, but in context it was also nonsensical.

But then Dowd is just a washed up dishonest hack, and therefore the perfect poster child for the NYT Op-Ed page.

Lucien said...

And another thing: what's the difference between a "trope" and a "meme" these days -- are there "parameters" for proper usage?

I'm Full of Soup said...

Why do the Sunday morning news shows still use dried-up, uninteresting Beltway hacks for their roundtables? Can't someone pay some smart, quick-thinking regular people to ask really hard questions? And put it on You Tube once a week? [nb : I don't mean Boringheads format]

HT said...

I'm not going to wade in on this Rush-Dowd-AA triangle, but I don't think I'd have a problem calling Obama America's first Muslim president. He's no more Muslim than Clinton was black. Or, he's just as Muslim as Clinton was black.

What is of course left unsaid is that calling him that is meant as an insult, and meant to provoke people.

lucid said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lucid said...

Dowd's mind is so compressed into such a tiny set of leftist ideas that she is utterly unable to describe or think about what is actually happening in the real world:

America's "Islamophobia" is not a prejudice--it is a judgement.

It is a judgement of a system of religious beliefs and practices that in many of its mainstream applications across the world, involving millions of adherents, practices or supports terrorism, stones women and men, kills homosexuals, hangs and mutilates children, practices honor killings by relatives, inquires whether its hospitals can surgically paralyze a criminal as a punishment, forbids women to drive or go to school, has world-wide riots over cartoons, and that generally seeks to live in a 12th Century world.

What is not to judge and firmly reject?

Anonymous said...

It is a judgement of a system of religious beliefs and practices that in many of its mainstream applications across the world, involving millions of adherents, practices or supports terrorism, stones women, inquires whether its hospitals can surgically paralyze a criminal as a punishment, that has world-wide riots over cartoons, and that generally seeks to live in a 12th Century world.

I call Bigot! on this one.

BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOT!

So they stone adulterers to death. That's multicutural diversity.

So they attacked the WTC and murdered 3,000 Americans. We had it coming!

BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOT!

It's just like gays. We've got to worry endlessly that they might get murdered by another gay guy during pick up sex. This is, of course the fault of straight men who are homophobes.

And, of course, we must ignore the reality that tens of thousands of gay men actually died as the result of AIDS. It was actually Ronald Reagan's fault. When those nice boys got in trouble, he should have saved them, but he didn't because he was a...

BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOT!

lucid, you are well named, but you are a...

BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOT!

You are not allowed to notice what is right in front of your eyes.

I, for one, will not forgive all you bigots until you agree to building an Al-Queda garrison on top of Ground Zero.

Damned Islamaphobes! Damned BIGOTS!

The Ghost said...

oh yes, the listeners confused mushy heads ...

glad to see you not talking down to folks Anne ...

Anonymous said...

"Many people still have a confused view of Muslims, and the president seems unable to help navigate the country through its Islamophobia."

Isn't a "phobia" an "irrational fear?"

Since Muslims are responsible for the bulk of the terrorism in the world (and virtually all terrorism occurring in the United States), fearing Muslims is not irrational.

It's self-preservation.

That some Muslims don't commit terrorism is no reason not to fear Muslims in general. All good Muslims - for example - will behead homosexuals, because that's what the Qur 'An instructs them to do.

Shouldn't gay people fear Muslims?

Muslim teaching requires women to cover their faces (wear garments such as burqa). Shouldn't women fear Muslims?

The Qur 'An instructs Muslims to kill apostates - people such as President Barack Obama. Shouldn't Obama fear Muslims (unless, of course, he is one!)

Fear of Muslims is not irrational. I fear everything that could kill me and with good reasons.

Anonymous said...

That some Muslims don't commit terrorism is no reason not to fear Muslims in general. All good Muslims - for example - will behead homosexuals, because that's what the Qur 'An instructs them to do.

Shouldn't gay people fear Muslims?

BIGOT!

Oh my God, another bigot!

Bigots must be hunted down and destroyed!

God, save us from the BIGOTS! Where are you, oh Great Bigot Hunters in our hour of need?

We must organize troops of Bigot penitents to march from town to town scourging themselves with whips and barbed wire!

How will we rid ourselves of the sin of BIGOTRY?

Martha said...

You have to be a frequent Rush listener to get his sense of humor annd Rush is consistently hilarious.

IMAM OBAMA

Sounds silly just saying Imam Obama. All those Ms.

But then it was ridiculous to insult upstanding Black citizens by calling Clinton "Our First Black President"-------ridiculous------not funny.

Brett said...

"What is of course left unsaid is that calling him that is meant as an insult, and meant to provoke people."

Whereas calling Clinton America's first black President was meant to insult blacks?

Anonymous said...

"He's no more Muslim than Clinton was black."

Interesting. I'm curious ... Why then did he ask people to use his Muslim name over his Christian name (Barry)?

He wants to use the Muslim name. If he's not a Muslim, why would he do that? Why would he want people to call him Hussein?

Michael Haz said...

Many people still have a confused view of Muslims..

Not here. My view of muslims is about as confused as Dowd's view of pro-choice conservative women. No confusion at all.

By the way, friends on the left, muslims are not cool with gay marriage. Just so you know. Maybe try confronting an imam or three rather than elderly mormon women.

Seriously, if the US armed forces aren't allowed recruit on elite college campuses because they are thought to be anti-gay, and muslims kill gays simply for being born that way, why aren't teh gays going ballistic about the ground zero mosque? There is organization that is more anti-gay than islam.

Rocco said...

Lucien said:
"And another thing: what's the difference between a 'trope' and a 'meme' these days -- are there 'parameters' for proper usage?"

Now that the U.S. is reducing its military presence in Iraq, I expect that the MSM will start to bring some of the Tropes home from the Middle East.

HT said...

Does anyone want to bet whether the mosque will be built? Here's the bet, whoever loses admits on this blog that they were wrong. That's it. Though I'm not 100% convinced, I'll bet that that thing will not be built. (and I hope it won't just as an fyi)

Anonymous said...

"Does anyone want to bet whether the mosque will be built?"

It was never intended to be built, seeing as how the Ground Zero Mosque controversy is merely a Zionist ploy to make Muslims look bad.

http://deanesmay.com/2010/08/19/ground-zero-mosque-a-zionist-conspiracy/

Chennaul said...

Oh ya....

The bookstore gave the president a copy of “Freedom,” a new novel by Jonathan Franzen about a dysfunctional family in America. This is apt, since Obama is the head of the dysfunctional family of America — a rational man running a most irrational nation, a high-minded man in a low-minded age.

This! This is really what that "Muslim poll" was all about.

Who paid for the poll? Time magazine. Who dreamed up the questions? Our lovely adoring press.

Get the jest the purpose of it.

What would the press rather be talking about?

The economy?

Or how on the very day one of the worst unemployment reports came out-Obama and Co. swanned out to blue blood island, I mean Martha's Vineyard?

How about the housing market, the national debt, how they are planning on essentially the biggest tax increase in 40 years, or the future of the bond market?

Or better yet how about Obama's approval numbers?

Hell no. They would rather talk about this poll where they can judge the American public, and lecture everyone like Maureen does in that paragraph.

It can't possibly be that Obama's approval numbers have dropped drastically because of the economy or his failed policies like the housing stimulus-it cannot be for any rational reasons like that.

It has to be that those people that don't approve of Obama are irrational, hateful, racist and believe that he is a Muslim.

HT said...

Ham, I take it that's a no? You don't wanna bet?

dbp said...

" Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime."

Wow! Toni Morrison should spend the rest of her life as a laughing stock after a prediction like that.

Especially since plenty of people saw Powell as presidential material before Clinton was even elected.

Chennaul said...

Check out the front page of Newsweek right now-see anything about the economy?

Nope. But there is a front page article about McCain and Twitter, Sarah Palin and being called a Feminist.

This on the frontpage of Newsweek because this is what really matters:

McCain is no "Twitter Genuis"

A new study shows John McCain's social-media messages reach more people than those of any other senator, but his posts are bland, and other pols prove that quality, not quantity, is what really counts.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

"To be fair..."

Why start now?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Especially since plenty of people saw Powell as presidential material before Clinton was even elected.

Too bad those people weren't in the GOP/("American Taliban" party).

miller said...

MUL/BSR/RB is here.

Thread is dead.

Anonymous said...

"Now that the U.S. is reducing its military presence in Iraq ..."

The US has not reduced its military presence in Iraq - rather it has strategically disguised it. War criminal Barack Obama has merely exchanged combat troops for hired mercenaries from private for-profit armies such as Blackwater.

The number of armed troops still on the ground in Iraq won't change materially ... merely the way the US pay them has changed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/world/middleeast/19withdrawal.html?pagewanted=2&_r=5&th&emc=th

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Ah yes. The voice of the people. Run for cover.

Chennaul said...

I'm so glad they are still writing about Sarah Palin....because she's in charge of what exactly?

Doesn't matter! At least they've given the liberals a new hate doll to chew on.

*Special.*

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

When you think Rush Limbaugh, you think, "Oh! Let's see a little flesh!"

roesch-voltaire said...

I see that this discussion of Obama as Muslim becomes tangled with our understanding of Islam or how it affects identity. I was brought up a Lutheran, by Lutheran parents, but long ago left church dogma to explore other paths. Am I still at heart a Lutheran? To be honest some part of me resonates with Lutherans, but maybe not more so than with any good Christian, or Jew, or Muslim. So how must of our past forms our present identity? Is Rush forever to be an over-weight drug-addict, or now with his recent marriage has he become something else? And I do wonder what kind of critical mass of good Muslims is needed in this country? Over the years, I have taught many Muslim students from various parts of the world-and have engaged with them in open dialog about their beliefs and have concluded they are good folks not to be feared. I also found the tolerance towards others, and the equality afforded Muslim women, was often dependent on their country of origin. ( most of the females studying engineering are from Singapore, Malaysia or Turkey). That said, I also believe, as I have stated in other posts, that an Enlightenment perspective involving reason is needed, and this Muslim bashing of Obama etc hardly represents that.

Rocco said...

Ritmo wrote:
"Especially since plenty of people saw Powell as presidential material before Clinton was even elected.

Too bad those people weren't in the GOP/('American Taliban' party).
"

I think you meant "Too bad Colin Powell decided not to run for president."

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/09/us/powell-decision-announcement-powell-rules-96-race-cites-concerns-for-family-his.html

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

"or now with his recent marriage has he become something else?"

You mean, something different from what he became during his three previous marriages?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Rocco wrote:

I think you meant "Too bad Colin Powell decided not to run for president."

Any assertion that the GOP would have nominated him is one I don't buy.

Show me any evidence that he'd have stood a good chance in the primaries.

Or don't.

miller said...

Thread-jacking by MUL/BSR/RB underway.

Threat level: 4

Anonymous said...

The Great Bigot Hunter, the dumbest man in the world, Ritmo, finally shows up to save us from the bigots!

Too bad those people weren't in the GOP/("American Taliban" party).

Did you manage to figure out how to put on your underpants this morning, oh Great Bigot Hunter?

Ritmo, you add deeper meaning to the word "stupid" every time you utter a word.

You are truly, marvelously, magnificently stupid. I am in awe.

It's the bigots, right, stupid Ritmo? What else could it be?

KCFleming said...

Yet another series of Ritmo entries that requires extended scrolling.

Alex said...

One thing I notice about Ritmo is that he NEVER will give Rush the benefit of the doubt. Context never matters, it's a Salem Witch Trial 24/7 with him. But of course whenever a liberal says something awful, we HAVE to look at the context.

Alex said...

Pogo - just keep scrollin' on by.

Lincolntf said...

A couple things.
First, it's not Limbaugh's fault that the "great communicator" Obama has left Americans puzzled over his faith. There are plenty of hints and tidbits in his paper- thin history that could lead people to think he's a Muslim. He was born to a Muslim father, he uses a Muslim name, his early upbringing was in a Muslim country, his references to the "Holy" Koran, his love of the Muslim "call to prayer", the fact that he slipped and said "my Muslim faith" on national TV, the fact that he opposes Israel, the list goes on.
All circumstantial little things, of course, but none of it is the responsibility of Rush.

Second, the media spent a year of the campaign shielding Obama from all serious questioning. They have since done zero additional reportage on who this guy we elected President really is. The NYT knows why Obama is such a cipher to many Americans. It's because that's the way they wanted it.

wv: cootti

What you'll get if you swim at Martha's Vineyard.

Anonymous said...

Stupid Ritmo to the rescue!!

Save us from the BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOTS, oh Great Bigot Hunter, Stupid Ritmo!

We are but evil sinners, cast out into Hell for our horrible sin of BIGOTRY!

Enter, the Great Bigot Hunter, Stupid Ritmo, the world's most sanctimonious dumbass.

Please save us from the BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOTS, oh Stupid Ritmo.

Your stupidity stuns and blinds us! Such awesome stupidity!! It is like the Word of the Lord!

Jim Treacher said...

The only way that making a joke about Obama being a Muslim could be prejudicial against Muslims is if you think there's something wrong with being a Muslim.

So now we know where Dowd stands.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

You're a musician, not a politician.

Shouting Thomas needs to hear that more often. The other side of his brain has been lost and isn't here to remind him of it.

Unknown said...

James Taranto coined the word Dowdification for a reason. MoDo massages quotes (like everybody else at the Gray Lady) to suit herself.

When The Zero, as was mentioned yesterday, speaks of 'my Moslem faith', it's hard to slam somebody for running with it.

PS Charges of Islamophbia from the Lefties need to be screened against the facts. When a bunch of crazies start hijacking jetliners and flying them into buildings in the name of their religion and their co-religionists don't take a stand against it, the rest of America's worry over it is not phobia.

It's good sense.

Anonymous said...

Stupid Ritmo, thank God you are here to save us sinners from the horrifying sin of BIGOTRY!

You are like the God of Stupidity.

The sum total of your great stupid wisdom echoes through the ages:

It's the BIGOTS!

We know it's the BIGOTS, Stupid Ritmo.

How many times will you repeat this great stupid wisdom today, Stupid Ritmo!

We thirst to hear you proclaim the great stupid wisdom a million times:

It's the BIGOTS!

BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOTS!

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

There is no "context" to Limbaugh.

He's an unloved jerk-off who preys on ignorance, apathy, and a burning need to avoid addressing the heart of any real problem. Yes, he gets lots of money for that, but that unfortunately says something about the audience.

There are no explanations to what he does that go beyond that.

Anonymous said...

"Did you manage to figure out how to put on your underpants this morning, oh Great Bigot Hunter?"

He's simply mastered the Rule all
librul moms teach their youngins:

Yellow in the Front
Brown in the Back

tachyonshuggy said...

I think Obama can straighten all this "is he/isn't he" Muslim stuff by correcting the record: Make a frank, unambiguous statement that he at some point renounced Islam to become a Christian.

That should do it, right? If people think he's a Muslim (and he's actually not) it's an easy enough matter to clear up.

There's the little issue of Islamic apostasy being punishable by death according to strict Koranic interpretation, but I imagine that Obama is smart enough to know what he's signed on for by converting to Christianity, right?

Look, it's established that none of us are as smart as him. We don't get the nuance. We need him to spell it out for us.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Well, I may be stupid and not very tolerant of bigotry, but at least I'm not obsessed with my own death at the tender age of 55. And there are more things keeping me out of a mental institution than just a guitar and a motorcycle.

Enjoy your poverty, Stephen. Enjoy your loneliness, enjoy your moroseness and your inability accept life as it really is. Enjoy all that. It's all you have and apparently all you want to have.

Anonymous said...

Yes, he gets lots of money for that, but that unfortunately says something about the audience.

Because they are BIGOTS! Right, Stupid Ritmo?

BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOTS!

Oh, Great Bigot Hunter, Stupid Ritmo, we are stunned again by the blinding light of your stupidity.

Find us some more bigots, Stupid Ritmo! Please, we are hungry for bigot blood!

Enough for me today, Stupid Ritmo. I am overwhelmed by the blazing brilliance of your stupidity.

Please continue the Great Bigot Hunt without me.

Lincolntf said...

"He's an unloved jerk-off who preys on ignorance, apathy, and a burning need to avoid addressing the heart of any real problem."

A better description of Obama does not exist.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Please continue the Great Bigot Hunt without me.

You can count on that.

Anonymous said...

"Now that the U.S. is reducing its military presence in Iraq ..."

According to the Army Times ... combat brigades are being "renamed" and returned to Iraq from Kuwait.

The total number of U.S. soldiers will remain essentially the same. Nothing has changed except the branding of these soldiers by the media. This was necessary for the media to claim that Barack Obama has kept a campaign promise to withdraw troops from Iraq within 16 months of being elected, when he has not done so and will never do so.

Barack Obama is a liar and Democrats should not vote for him since he's a warmonger and drone murderer.

Sources:

Army Times
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/08/dn-brigades-stay-under-different-name-081910/

Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/02/25/reality-on-the-ground.html

Kirby Olson said...

Toni Morrison's book are filled with stereotypes that are no less wooden than the ones she employs here. She should have won the Nobel Prize for stereotyping.

Anonymous said...

Barack Obama's union buddy bigots refuse to build Ground Zero Mosque.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/08/20/tsr.candiotti.mosque.cnn?hpt=T2

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Toni Morrison's book are filled with stereotypes that are no less wooden than the ones she employs here. She should have won the Nobel Prize for stereotyping.

Were they disparaging?

Anonymous said...

Please continue the Great Bigot Hunt without me.

You can count on that.

I knew that I could, Stupid Ritmo.

Your stupidity is like the Word of God... it has no beginning and no end. It is infinite and eternal.

So, I can now go about my work, secure in the knowledge that your stupidity will blaze a path through the universe.

Don't forget: It's the BIGOTS. The BIGOTTY BIGOTTY BIGOTS!

I bid you farewell for the day, Stupid Ritmo, our Great Bigot Hunter.

The Ghost said...

I still don't see how the joke is worthy of special denunciation. Obama is America's First Muslim President in exactly the same way that Clinton was the First Black President - that is, not at all, except in the warped, emotive rubrics of liberal arts academics and multiculturalists who are more concerned with reimagining concepts like "authenticity" to decorate their favorite politicians.

Comparing Obama to Muslims might be offensive to Muslims. Or to Obama. But not in the way Maureen Dowd probably thinks.

As usual, the source of the attention and controversy is not what was said by Rush Limbaugh - who's essentially a right wing proto-blogger - but the special attention given to it by the legacy media.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Stephen,

You know, loneliness is not something you can't do anything about. Have you tried mail-order brides? I mean, you're a young guy, and in a hell of a lot of pain, but you believe that your hurts are the only ones that matter in the world.

They aren't.

You get confused by discussions of what anyone else experiences in life, and it makes you look and act out like an animal.

Go pick up your guitar and learn a happier and more creative style of music. It would probably help you to see through your own fog of pain and self-pity. You are in urgent need of a reason to connect with others and to stop looking down your nose at them.

Synova said...

Never mind what MoDo said Rush said...

This is more important.

"...and the president seems unable to help navigate the country through its Islamophobia."

One of the Bush priorities was a constant drumming about the "good" Muslims and our brave allies and those fighting against extremism with us in Iraq and Afghanistan. All. The. Time.

No one thought him a skilled communicator, but he was on this constantly and clearly.

Opus One Media said...

Just in from AP. Rush Limbaugh was arrested last night after being nabbed at an airstrip near his home in Palm Beach. Authorities found Mr. Limbaugh offloading what appeared to be 50 pound dufflebags full of various pain drugs. His former housekeep and servant was apprehended in the Limbaugh family truckster after a brief high speed (no pun intended) chase.

Just kidding. It was a joke.

Chennaul said...

Do we think Maureen Dowd as an-Irish Catholic would understand the Brits not being thrilled with an Irish Catholic Outreach Centre being built two blocks from an IRA bombing site that killed 3,000 Brits? Or being proposed within nine years of the violence?

Possibly.

Yet somehow Maureen, Frank Rich and Jeffrey Goldberg on MtP, don't think that Muslims are capable of such understanding...

Synova said...

I think that Obama is less clear because he can't be clear about the *bad* Muslims. He tries to talk tough but generally does or says something to mush it all up again by not using those inflammatory words Bush was fond of. And if he can't be clear about the enemy and the *faith* of the enemy, then he can't be clear about our friends and the *faith* of our friends.

No matter how many times he says, "Let me be clear."

Opus One Media said...

Synova said...
"No one thought him a skilled communicator, but he was on this constantly and clearly".

when of course he was in town and someone was handing him a cue card.

HT said...

Some people do read Ritmos Brasil I notice. Alex, does. On this thread, I'm scrolling past Shouting Thomas's comments, after his first one, in which he used the word Bigoty. I'm guessing that is a Rush follow on since Rush misuses words or makes them up intentionally, probably as a hat tip to ole Sarah as if to say, you're ok ole gal. If he did it before, but not before 2000, it was probably a hat tip and cover to Walker Bush.

Opus One Media said...

madawaskan said...
"Yet somehow Maureen, Frank Rich and Jeffrey Goldberg on MtP, don't think that Muslims are capable of such understanding..."

Heck. I'm not Muslim and I don't understand it. Can we look at the pecking order one more time?

First Amendment
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of Speech

I think that sums it up.

Your and other's conclusions and observations are irritating and grossly unfounded but it is your right to voice them and I don't like it but you have the right.

The zoning board in NYC ruled. Those in favor v. those opposed.....

If a strip club can operate in the shadow of Hallowed Ground then I think we can have a community center with a prayer room.

Phil 314 said...

They're both playing to their audiences. And for both, their task is less to facilitate insight that to generate heat.

I don't listen to Rush and I don't read Dowd. From the few clips I've heard from Limbaugh I suspect he's "shrewder" than Dowd. Note how he's so deft at providing an easily "taken out of context" quote that both energizes his listeners and pisses off his detractors. Sad to say, Dowd just seems annoying (read: condescending)

I doubt there are few conservatives who identify Maureen Dowd as their "guilty pleasure". I suspect there are more than a few liberals who see Mr. Limbaugh as such.

As for me; lots of noise.

HT said...

doubt there are few conservatives who identify Maureen Dowd as their "guilty pleasure". I suspect there are more than a few liberals who see Mr. Limbaugh as such.

___

Guilty! But I'd amend it somewhat because I do tune in maybe once or twice a week (only now because I can, am "free" during the days, but before I could not as I was in the office.), but here's the thing - I want to follow him on his point, because heck I just might agree with it, but as I've said in previous threads, he just omits that key nugget of information, and frankly I get disappointed and turn the damn thing off. He disappoints me. I wanna hang with him, but I suspect him of eliding and omitting key things, and I just can't get with that. He might have a point about a particular issue - and I can't say this for every single issue as I listen at most twice a week - but he just uses kind of dubious techniques to make it.

Pastafarian said...

Jesus, Ritzy, you're getting a little personal/creepy in some of your comments.

Watch the uppercuts, keep it above the belt. And no punching on the break.

HDHouse said: "If a strip club can operate in the shadow of Hallowed Ground then I think we can have a community center with a prayer room."

Two obvious problems with this:

a) Wrong thread, off-topic.

b) We're not at war with strippers. Strippers don't see this club as a symbol of victory over the United States, that they can use to rally more strippers to their cause.

Anonymous said...

Stupid Ritmo, I have finally broken you down. I didn't think it was possible.

I really do have to work today, so I'll have to call it quits.

You don't understand satire, or the purpose of ridicule, so I'm going to have to explain this to you in as simple language as possible.

You are what you proclaim to hate. You are a religious fundamentalist. You come here for one purpose only, which is to accuse others of the Original Sin of Bigotry.

You are obsessed with proclaiming that others are sinners.

You are the Taliban. You've discovered the Original sin in others, and you are determined to drive the devil out of the sinners. This has become, unfortunately, the defining characteristic of the left.

You are precisely what you believe you hate. This is frequently the case. People often blame others for what they most hate in themselves.

The Bigotry Obsession, with which you are plagued, is the modern version of religious obsession with purging the world of Original Sin.

You are the Taliban, Stupid Ritmo. Your religion is this Bigotry crusade. You've imagined that you are free from sin and that those horrible Bigots alone are cursed with sinner.

We are all sinners, Stupid Ritmo.

I am fed up with the Great Bigotry Crusade, Stupid Ritmo. Ridicule is the only effective way of beating some sense into the crusaders.

You are the Taliban, Stupid Ritmo. Cease accusing your fellow citizens of being guilty of Original Sin.

Who are you to judge?

Now, I've got to work. I haven't got any more time today to fight against the American Taliban, which is you. Go look in the mirror if you want to see the the American Taliban.

Get off your fucking Bigotry crusade. Stop accusing others of Original Sin.

Chennaul said...

hdhouse

Well I'm Irish Catholic-in the context I wrote above I think I would get if people were offended..

Actually some Muslim Americans do get that it appears insensitive.

The liberal media is equating Americans feeling that the location of the Center is opportunistic to a declaration of war against all Muslims.

They believe Muslims will interpret it as such-I think the Liberal media is being patronizing towards Muslims. The MSM somehow is rushing to judgement that Muslims are incapable of understanding and nuance.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

That was very thoughtful, Stephen.

cassandra lite said...

Dowd feels left out of the action and wants Limbaugh to talk about her, not just for the hits but because it elevates her importance.

Chennaul said...

hd house

btw-

you said:Your and other's conclusions and observations are irritating and grossly unfounded .

How are my conclusions and observations grossly unfounded?

Bring it baby!

Chennaul said...

Pre-emptively let's play with your stripper analogy.

Let's say a sect of radical strippers in the name of Strippers killed 3,000 people.

See where it gets really, really crass and insensitive?

I can't in good conscious even go on with it because it trivializes the whole thing-which in fact it's possible using the location as a Muslim outreach center trivializes 9/11.

Reduces it to a teaching moment and exploits the victims of 9/11.

So not only is this particular imam being opportunistic it's possible he is being exploitive.

victoria said...

Limbaugh is a jackass, nothing will change that. He doesn't believe virtually anything he says, he does it for effect, popularity and money. I think the money is the main driver.
Anyone who thinks that he is any more thoughtful than that needs to have their heads and their principles examined. He is not for the little guy, and he is not the little guy, either figuratively or literally. Anything that calls attention to him makes me want to scream.
Yeah, yeah, I am, what you people call, a libtard. And proud of it.

imbaugh,Jerk. Never liked him.


Vicki

Ritmo Re-Animated said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
victoria said...

Shoutingthomas, if you really believe that abortion on demand is the bedrock of the Democratic party then you are delusional and ignorant.


Vicki

Chennaul said...

Hell HD,

Even strippers could figure out that their strip club location would look opportunistic yet the liberal media thinks that Muslims can't get it and would mistake opposition to their location as a declaration of war.

Gary said...

I have a little game I play in the car. I turn to the Rush show and see how long it is before he lies or utters something so exaggerated from reality it might as well be a lie.

He hasn't made it to the one minute mark in over a year.

AlgonquinS said...

Mohammed Bouyeri murdered Van Gogh in the early morning of 2 November 2004, in Amsterdam, in front of the Amsterdam East borough office on the corner of the Linnaeusstraat and Tweede Oosterparkstraat, while he was cycling to work. Bouyeri shot van Gogh eight times with an HS 2000 handgun, and Van Gogh died on the spot. Bouyeri then attempted to decapitate him with one knife, and stabbed him in the chest with another. The two knives were left implanted in his torso, one attaching a five-page note to his body. The note threatened Western countries, Jews and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The note also contained references to the ideologies of the Egyptian organization Takfir wal-Hijra. Not sure if the murderer is a stripper. Kinda doubt it.

AlgonquinS said...

I have a little game I play while riding on one of my tractors. Who do I want to behead today.

Brian said...

Gary said:

I have a little game I play in the car. I turn to the Rush show and see how long it is before he lies or utters something so exaggerated from reality it might as well be a lie.

He hasn't made it to the one minute mark in over a year.


Wow, you sound like a really fun guy. Why not take a shot each time too?

tjl said...

if you really believe that abortion on demand is the bedrock of the Democratic party then you are delusional and ignorant
A delusion promoted by things like that video with the women in bear outfits growling about aborting their grandcubs.

dbp said...

"utters something so exaggerated from reality it might as well be a lie."

Or possibly satire. You know, 6 of one, half dozen of the other.

William said...

Someone should write a book called The Popular Delusions and Madness of NY Times Pundits. I just recently read part of James Reston's Memoirs. Reston was the all high pundit between Lippmann and Friedmann. In the book, he wrote about going to China with Nixon. This was during the time of the Great Proleterian Cultural Revolution. The lowball estimate is that twenty million starved during this period, but there are other estimates that go up to seventy million. In a Duranty moment, Reston observed that he did not see any overweight Chinese. He attributed this to the fact that the Chinese ate with chopsticks and that it is very difficult to overeat with chopsticks. How does such an idiot become the most respected voice in journalism?......If you wish to see stereotyping of the most vile sort, see the depiction of the Germans and Japanese in WWII movies. None of that caused German & Japanese Americans to cross over and give aid and comfort to the other side. I don't think Muslims in America have been treated unfairly in any gross way, but more than a few have crossed over to the other side. The fault lies not with us but with them.

Rialby said...

Here's a little thought experiment for you...

Let's say that some radical sect of Mormons began staging terrorist attacks against civilian targets in this country. Let's also say that the Mormon church was full of people who liked to dissemble when it came to their views on terrorism - "we codemn terrorism of all kinds".

Would a person who had any ties at all to the Mormon church have a chance in hell of becoming the President of the United States?

Bemac said...

"Gainsay" is what East Coast liberals say when they mean "refudiate."

orbicularioculi said...

Ms. O'Dowd is becoming a caricature of herself. Yes, I am in agreement with an earlier comment that she needs a more robust sex life, preferably with a conservative stud who can make her moan, "oh, oh, oh, Rush"...

Opus One Media said...

madawaskan said...
"Yet somehow Maureen, Frank Rich and Jeffrey Goldberg on MtP, don't think that Muslims are capable of such understanding..."

Well Madwqaskan if you stand by this statement I rest my case. How in the world you can draw this conclusion or this generalized 1/2 inch deep conclusion ... well that shallowness baffles me. Dowd and Rich are basically calling it for what it is...just a strawdog divide issue that has nothing to do with facts or law or even common sense. The problem you can't overcome is that there is a prayer room right there right now and has been for a while. Get it?

The only persons rubbing salt here are the rabid right who have no issues and nothing to say except to play on the paranoia that is today's republic party.

Opus One Media said...

orbicularioculi said...
"can make her moan, "oh, oh, oh, Rush"...
get your fat lard ass out of my bed. you smell.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Shoutingthomas, if you really believe that abortion on demand is the bedrock of the Democratic party then you are delusional and ignorant.

But you gotta admit, he preaches one hell of a sermon! Listening to him is almost like being in Sunday school - except without the moral reasoning and all that.

He will sermonize you all over and inside out until his moralizing oozes out your pores! He will do this to you.

It's kind of like watching a snake handler or someone speaking in tongues. Just take away the talking part and spew the holy spirit all over you.

Lincolntf said...

I think Obama has shown us his true face on only a few occasions. Once was when he mocked the residents of PA for "clinging to" their Constitutional Rights, and then his knee-jerk racial/cultural resentments were exposed during the "Boston cops acted stupidly" clown show, and now his full-throated defense of the Al-Qaeda victory mosque.
The rest of the time we just get sanitized bullshit recycled from every Lefty pol of the last 40 years.
He may not be a Muslim, but he is certainly an asshole.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

If Islam was a nice, peaceful religion we would never hear about it.

Moneyrunner said...

Byron York says that Obama has a "Muslim problem."


Why is the fact that about one-quarter of the American people believe that Obama is a Muslim a problem? As Seinfeld said of homosexuality: "... not that there's anything wrong with that."


The American leadership - from Bush after 9-11 on - has been at pains to tell us that virtually all Muslims are peaceful and moderate. We have two Muslims in Congress. Why is the White House upset that a growing number of people believe he's Muslim?


We note two things about references to Obama as a Muslim. The Left vehemently denies it and calls it a slur. The Right also denies it and tries to explain the (mis)perception of so many Americans.


Obama supporters point to his professed Christianity from his books. The problems with Obama's professed Christianity is that he was "converted" by a racist, anti-Semitic bigot named Jeremiah Wright whose congregation was harangued with Liberation Theology rants that had more to do with racial hatred than with Christianity. Wright is a Christian like Fred Phelps is a Christian. In other words, they are bigots disguised as clergy.


The Right also states that Obama is a Christian based on exactly the same evidence ... taking Obama's word for it.


People in both camps suggest that Obama joined Wright's church more for political reasons than religious reasons. I concur.


I am of the opinion that Obama has no personal faith in God. I also believe that in his youth he was culturally influenced by Islam. From York' article...
As Obama said, his grandfather was a Muslim. His father was raised a Muslim before becoming, by Obama’s account, “a confirmed atheist.” Obama’s stepfather was a Muslim. His half-sister Maya told the New York Times that her “whole family was Muslim.”






Obama spent two years in a Muslim school in Indonesia and later, in a conversation with the Times’ Nicholas Kristof, described the Arabic call to prayer, the beginning of which he recited by heart, as “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”
Most people are imprinted at a very early age into the religion that surrounds them. Many people will tell you they are Christians who never go to church. These people are "cultural Christians" but not people of faith. Obama's personal antipathy toward Country America, his political radicalism and his childhood immersion in a Muslim culture, may not make him an adherent of the Muslim faith, but it may make him more of a cultural Muslim than a cultural Christian.
In the polls we are reading, that may be the driving force behind the way that people are responding to the question about his religion.

"Ovatanas" ova shaped bananas

BJM said...

@roesch

I also found the tolerance towards others, and the equality afforded Muslim women, was often dependent on their country of origin. ( most of the females studying engineering are from Singapore, Malaysia or Turkey).

I have to call BULLSHIT.

You failed to mention that Turkey is turning from secular government to an Islamic state. We shall see if young women continue to enjoy the freedom to pursue higher education in traditionally male dominated fields such as engineering.

I have lived in Singapore and Muslims make up only about 15% of Singapore's population. Their constitution explicitly protects minority religions and provides a legal basis for the legislature to define and regulate Muslim insitutions such as Shari'ah court.

Malayasia is an federal constitutional elective monarchy. While Islam is recognized as the official religion; the state is secular and the Shari'ah courts have no legal standing in civil or criminal law.

However, Malaysia is under going massive societal changes as a more rigid Islam spreads and Shari'ah law governs more of daily life.

It is still unclear if Muslim Malay women will continue in a modern role as public caning and jailing for adultery under Islamic law has begun.

Of course both Singapore and Malaysia cane tens of thousands of men annually for a range of public offenses such as spitting or littering, but this year was the first time a Muslim women was caned for violating Islamic law.

The Malay Supreme Court ruled that public servants are forbidden from wearing the full-face niqab. However Malay Muslim women are being pressured to wear the tudung, eschew western fashion and makeup and to cover their bodies in loose clothing in dull colors. Thus far the adoption of modest dress and the tudung are not mandatory except in conservative Islamic states and modern Malay Muslim women are pushing back.

In conservative states where PAS has more influence the burka is common and ago-old minority Indonesian traditions such as the Malay wayang kulit is banned and even the practice of yoga is prohibited as "unIslamic". As are public displays of affection and/or flirting and gender segregation in public places like the cinema and supermarkets is becoming common.

BTW if you're thinking of vacationing in Kuala Terengganu you might want to take a look at this and be sure to indulge in their excellent laksang.

Moneyrunner said...

Supporters of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque … uhh …Cordoba Mosque … uhh …51st Street Cultural Center tell us that building it is not only the Right Thing To Do™ because it validates our own First Amendment freedom to worship, but it will show the Islamic world that we value the freedom to worship no matter what your faith.

To put it another way, we will show them that we value religious pluralism and put that value into practice even if it hurts the memories of those who lost relatives and friends on 9/11 and is opposed by the majority of our fellow countrymen. And the demonstration of that act of religious pluralism will make us better liked in the Islamic community.

The primary result of the mosque/center being built on that particular spot is to persuade the followers of Islam to like us because we stuck to our values.

That begs the question, are our values their values? What is the evidence that Islam values religious diversity? Is it the absence of religious diversity in Saudi Arabia? The “Holy City” of Mecca forbids non-Muslims to enter, not exactly an invitation to diversity. Images of Mohammad as a cartoon character causes deadly riots halfway around the world, not a demonstration of live-and-let-live. The Koran, which is interpreted as the final and authoritative word of Allah, does not permit the worship of other gods and required the death of those who leave the faith; diversity for the but not for me. It is becoming ever clearer that the Arab – Israeli conflict is – at its root - a religious war: a Jewish state is rejected in the Arab world and non-Muslims are being forced out.

It is common to project your values on to other people and to assume that they value what you value. But religious pluralism, and respect for other faiths on an equal footing with Islam is not part of that belief system. One day, perhaps, if Islam sees a reformation similar to that which Christianity went through. But at this point in time, the multiculturalists are simply projecting, and telling the rest of us to shut up.

"suali" if he commits a tort

BJM said...
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BJM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BJM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BJM said...

Sorry about the multiple comments. Blogger refused the comment as too large,I edited and it refused, I edited again. Sheesh!

Well I guess I made my point, eh?

Moneyrunner said...

BJM, it's good to have some experience in other cultures before pontificating. Of course most people don't see it that way. Thanks for your comments.

Chennaul said...

HD-
Understanding is a two way street.
If he wants people to be sensitive, and understanding towards Muslims-maybe he should try being sensitive and understanding.

BJM said...

@c3

I doubt there are few conservatives who identify Maureen Dowd as their "guilty pleasure". I suspect there are more than a few liberals who see Mr. Limbaugh as such.

Yep, I'm in the uber-blue SF-Bay Area. When I'm in the car and Rush cracks a joke or Levin busts out a good rant, I see other drivers laughing ...many of them with Yes We Can bumper stickers.

To use an old marketing meme; Dowd "rifles" Liberal orthodoxy to a like-minded demographic.

Whereas Rush "shotguns" across both his cutural base and Dowd's demographic by offending and/or amusing both audiences.

Anonymous said...

Many people still have a confused view of Muslims...

And how did Dowd become qualified to enlighten us as to the correct view of Muslims, exactly?

One of the choicest amusements of the last (nigh onto) nine years has been to listen to a lot of people who really know squat about Muslims and Islam jumping all over other people for having uninformed, "confused", "phobic" opinions about Muslims and Islam.

lucid: America's "Islamophobia" is not a prejudice--it is a judgement.

But to judge is forbidden.

At least for flyover types. They, on the other hand, should be judged early and often.

Anonymous said...

victoria: Anything that calls attention to [Limbaugh] makes me want to scream.

Try not to be so biddably baitable.

J said...

Dowd's not really to be taken seriously, even as "leftist" (her bogus irishness about like ..Sinatra singin' Danny Boy...or somethin'). Then neither is Rush Limbozo. Or Morrison, PC guru of the '98.

Americans--links oder rechts--are not to be taken seriously, except when they have a supercarrier in your harbor

Edmund Burke said...

Actually, Clinton's father and step-father were not Black, while Obama's certainly were Muslim. Therefore, to imply that Obama is no more a Muslim than Clinton is a Black Man, is not actually true, genetically and educationally speaking. Clinton did not spend his formative years in Africa. Obama did spend some of his in a Muslim foreign land, being schooled in the Koran. So maybe Obama is not a practicing Muslim today, as much as Clinton assumed the role of a practicing Black Man, but still, you all can do the Math from here.

Edmund Burke said...

You might remember too back in the 1660's, after the Restoration, all the speculation was whether Charles II, King of Protestant England, was secretly a Papist, what with his French mother and all those years of exile in France while Oliver Cromwell ruled with his Puritan Army. He of course denied it, while over in France the atheist King said Paris was well worth a Mass. But yet, on his death bed Charles II did call for a Catholic Priest. And his brother who succeeded him was James II, whose papist leanings were even more pronounced. What chased him out of England you might ask. You can look it up. The point is that during a Religious War, our rulers are not always truthful concerning what they actually believe. Chew on that for a while, Maureen.

Opus One Media said...

madawaskan said...
HD-
Understanding is a two way street.
..maybe he should try being sensitive and understanding".

Who "he"? he has pickets and is slammed by the right wing being called every name in the book..assuming you mean the Muslim who wants to build this center. if you mean someone else then who?

I don't "get" the right wing. this is so much like "all jews are bad" from 80 years ago that it should make your skin crawl.

jr565 said...

How many muslims from outside the US thought/think that Obama was a Muslim?
Bet you it was at least 20%.

jr565 said...

Ritmo wrote:
Enjoy your poverty, Stephen. Enjoy your loneliness, enjoy your moroseness and your inability accept life as it really is. Enjoy all that. It's all you have and apparently all you want to have.


You go,Judd Nelson.

Anonymous said...

I don't "get" the right wing. this is so much like "all jews are bad" from 80 years ago that it should make your skin crawl.

HD, you've hit the rock bottom of stupidity here. This is even worse than Ritmo. Is this some sort of idiot competition?

Iran is threatening to nuke Israel.

Jews are being attacked on cities throughout Europe. Many are fleeing Norway and Sweden rather than face being attacked in the streets by Muslims.

Muslims attacked an murdered 3,000 Americans in New York City.

Muslims continue to launch terrorist attacks in the U.S.

You're not just an idiot, HD. You're a damned fool.

You may not want to be enemies with Muslims. A very significant number of Muslims have decided that you are the enemy.

What are you going to do? Stick a flower in your hair and flash a peace sign?

Your statement is so stupid and so foolish that I have to doubt your sanity. Go see a doctor, HD. You're brain is fucked.

Jesus Christ, what a farce! This bigotry obsession of the left has turned into mass delusion.

Chennaul said...

hd-

You got the right" he"-I meant the imam.

What would be your opinion if Muslims would say that it offends their sensibilities if the strippers went and handed out adverts for their club right in front of the mosque to every attendee? The word "provocative" would come into play for sure.

Except this current situation is probably worse than that hypothetical. 9/11 was an extra-ordinary event, it happened only nine years ago, and people who are still grieving are being asked to be tolerant above and beyond. It's not unjustifiable for them to suspect that the imam is trying to exploit the location.

It's not only "the right wing" that is opposed to this.

Governor Patterson, Howard Dean and Harry Reid also oppose it.

dave in boca said...

Once in a blue moon in a leap year, MoDo gets it right. But most of the time, Limbaugh lives in her head as much as BillyJeff's hip thrusts probably live in her dreams....!

atlharp said...

Maureen Dowd exists as a warning to other women who wish to piss away their lives stealing other peoples' work, and dedicate themselves to ideas relegated to the ash bin of history. Again? Who even reads her work? Other journalists? Seriously, the only people who answer her phone calls are the local liquor store and that's because she has them on speed dial.

When your ovaries have dried up, when the vodka has run out, and Micheal Douglas no longer answers your phone calls you have Maureen Dowd. Do I need to go further?

Alex said...

LOVE it when Rush's "media tweak of the day" goes viral.

Trooper York said...

MSN News August 22, 2010
"We want to build bridges," Daisy Khan (wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf) said. "We don't want to create conflict, this is not where we were coming from. So, this is an opportunity for us to really turn this around and make this into something very, very positive. So we will meet, and we will do what is right for everyone."

But Khan also said the angry reaction to the project "is like a metastasized anti-Semitism."

Gila Barzvi, whose son, Guy, was killed in the towers, stood with mosque opponents, clutching a large photo of her son with both hands.

"This is sacred ground and it's where my son was buried," the native Israeli from Queens said. She said the mosque would be "like a knife in our hearts."

Trooper York said...

Cue Cedarford and hdhouse for laughter and derision for the victims and their families.

Trooper York said...

Cedarford can tell us how no Jews died in the Towers and hd can talk about strippers.

wilky said...

"But to judge is forbidden.

At least for flyover types. They, on the other hand, should be judged early and often."


Of course flyover types are allowed to judge, how else are they to stay away from evil.

Christians are not suppose to judge with their emotions. Which brings me to an observation I've made over the years. If a noun is preceded by a string of nasty Adjectives, its usually a lefty.

atlharp said...

"You have to be a frequent Rush listener to get his sense of humor annd Rush is consistently hilarious.

IMAM OBAMA

Sounds silly just saying Imam Obama."



Limbaugh is just flat out funny. His ability to tweak leftists and make them scream and cry, while at the same time making them appear like the fools they are is precious. The man has no equal when it comes to media analysis. His assessments of modern media and their motivations are flawless. His listeners are nether confused nor are they brow beaten into thinking he is a Muslim. Indeed, Rush's entire tact on the Imam Obama thing was a huge joke intended to tweak MSNBC. If Rush pisses someone off, chances are they have no sense of humor.

"May peace be upon him." LOL! Now that's comedy!

HT said...

Which would go to show that Rush does listen to MSNBC. But does MSNBC listen to Rush? I really don't think so. So why does he even bother? His listeners don't watch MSNBC. But maybe it's meant for those few people who watch MSNBC and then the next day go rushing to Rush to find out if he makes fun of them.

But the majority of listeners don't watch the likes of MSNBC, so what is the point?

Fen said...

Maureen: Many people still have a confused view of Muslims...

Greece. 507 BC.

Athens sends diplomats to Perisa seeking alliance. They submit an offering of "earth and water", not understanding that they have just handed their city over to Persian dominion.

The greatest military danger ever to threaten ancient Athens began with a diplomatic misunderstanding. In 507 B.C the Athenians sent ambassadors to ask for a protective alliance with the king of Persia, Darius I.

...The king's representative immediately demanded of the Athenian ambassadors the symbolic offerings of earth and water, which the king customarily required from all the peoples under his dominion. These tokens symbolized submission to the king

...The Athenians, then, continued to think of themselves as independent, but as far as the king of Persia was concerned, they were foreigners who had now voluntarily submitted to his representative and owed him the same loyalty he expected from all his other subjects.

The dynamics of this diplomatic incident expose a sigificant source of the wider conflicts that would dominate the military and political history of mainland Greece during the fifth century B.C.


So yes Maureen, people have been confused about Islam for some 2600 years. Now get back in the bedroom and do that wicked thing you do with your hips. Because thats all you are really good for. And you're not aging as gracefully as you think.

HT said...

Now, who has no sense of humor?


“My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”

Fen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

If a noun is preceded by a string of nasty Adjectives, its usually a lefty.

Yes, the Left often asserts by adjective. Libtards are too stupid to back up their allegations with fact. And they prefer arguments that will fit on a bumper sticker. That way they can stick their fingers in their ears and yell: Unnecessary Illegal War! Unnecessary Illegal War!

Its usually wise to back away from the Libtard by then. They tend to meltdown and resort to violence - beating down black men, biting off fingers, assaulting cameramen, etc.

HT said...

More responses to that legendary Limbaugh good humor


Rush, thank you so much. I thank you for the opportunity, of course this is not exactly the way to I wanted to come on. ... Mainly, I want to express to you and all your listeners my very sincere regret for those comments I made yesterday to Politico. ... I clearly ended up putting my foot in my mouth on some of those comments. ... I regret those stupid comments.

Fen said...

My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”

Dowdism is a word. Here's an example:

Marueen Dowd: My intent was ...to go after Rush.... respect for Rush Limbaugh[?] I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. There was no attempt on my part..

This butchering is routine for Dowd. Any other "JournoList" would have been canned long ago.

But you see, she does this wicked thing with her hips. For male management at the NYTs, its a rite of passage.

Fen said...

His listeners don't watch MSNBC. But maybe it's meant for those few people who watch MSNBC and then the next day go rushing to Rush to find out if he makes fun of them.

I used to watch MSNBC. This was back during the Clinton Impeachment, when Chris Mathews still had the integrity and balls to present both sides of the issue. He actually made the case taht this was about sexual discrimination, harassment and assualt. While his "feminist" guests from NOW were parroting "its just about sex" (on their knees as they licked the floor clean)*

Maureen was there. She actually looks fetching down on all fours (but keep her hair down over her face).

/* with the expection of the VA chapter of NOW. They didn't sell out.

Fen said...

Obama's father certainly was Muslim. Therefore, to imply that Obama is no more a Muslim than Clinton is a Black Man, is not actually true, genetically and educationally speaking.

Islam traces through the father, so Islam thinks Obama is a Muslim. The only question is whether they take his "renouncement" seriously. If so, then he is "apostate" and not to be dealt with (treaties, etc).

In fact, Islam targets Apostates with murder:

In Islamic law (sharia), the consensus view is that a male apostate must be put to death unless he suffers from a mental disorder or converted under duress, for example, due to an imminent danger of being killed.

/via wiki

Fen said...

Stupid Ritmo, I have finally broken you down. I didn't think it was possible.

Oh you should have seen Ritmo last week. His best defense was to be Grammar Nazi. Then he was deleting and editing each of his comments in fear that someone would play the card back at him.

Really pathetic. Makes you feel like you're picking on a cripple.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

Maureen: Many people still have a confused view of Muslims...

Greece. 507 BC.

Athens sends diplomats to Perisa seeking alliance. They submit an offering of "earth and water", not understanding that they have just handed their city over to Persian dominion.

The greatest military danger ever to threaten ancient Athens began with a diplomatic misunderstanding. In 507 B.C the Athenians sent ambassadors to ask for a protective alliance with the king of Persia, Darius I.



Speaking of confusion... I guess I'm confused about what Darius I -- a Persian Zoroastrian who died roughly 11 centuries before Islam was founded -- has to do with the nature of Islam.

wv: pounwar. A 16 ounce war (or 12 Troy ounces).

atlharp said...

"Which would go to show that Rush does listen to MSNBC. But does MSNBC listen to Rush? I really don't think so. So why does he even bother? His listeners don't watch MSNBC. But maybe it's meant for those few people who watch MSNBC and then the next day go rushing to Rush to find out if he makes fun of them.



Not really. Actually it provides a perfect foil for establishing what he said all along about these guys which is that at the end of the day they are a bunch of partisan hacks. For years leftists in media were touting their "objectivity" and using it as a pretense to bury news and fabricate stories that would help their political ends. Rush exposed them, and uses his media tweaks to show Americans who these people really are. Do I believe Rush listens to MSNBC? No, I don't. Do I believe that MSNBC listens to Rush? Absolutely, losers like MSNBC's starting lineup have no talent and have to use Rush to pad their bottom line. Rush only mentions them to fuel his own amusement and display how pathetic mainstream media liberals have become. It's quite funny when you think about it.

showbiz111 said...

Gee, I guess when the NYSlimes had a 2008 profile on the Onebinator, in which the reporter stated that Obama's father was a muslim and recorded his Indonesia school years where he was enrolled as a muslim, and when it appealed to Muslim law to state unequivocally that the son of a muslim father is undeniably a muslim under muslim law, they were sowing confusion and bigotry against muslims. The NYSlimes must have been lying about Obama too. It must be a right wing bigoted paper to have called Obama a muslim by birth.How dare they?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

You go,Judd Nelson.

Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Really pathetic. Makes you feel like you're picking on a cripple.

But at least this cripple can use GOOGLE to prove what he said, unlike FEN, who would rather make shit up and rely on his faulty memory and TV shows.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Iran is threatening to nuke Israel.

Jews are being attacked on cities throughout Europe. Many are fleeing Norway and Sweden rather than face being attacked in the streets by Muslims.

Muslims attacked an murdered 3,000 Americans in New York City.


Jews of the world take note:

A musician going by the name of "shoutingthomas" has your back.

He will huff and puff and blow down the houses of every Muslim terrorist and terrorist sponsoring-nation, singlehandedly -- with rhetoric against liberals on the internets. Yep. That's how he's a gonna save Western civilization.

Don't let his obscurity fool you.

Don't let his crusade in favor of ignorance, resentment and enforced humility fool you, either.

He's gonna do it.

He will buzz through downtown Tehran on his Harley, challenge Ahmedinejad to a fist fight, and then buzz back to Woodstock in time to play a rockabilly gig at a bar.

The enemy will never know what hit them. 14 centuries of Muslim dominance throughout large and growing tracts of the world will come crumbling down. Millenia of Persian pride will just whither away. Overnight.

He's. Just. That. Powerful.

shoutingthomas is the Salahdin of the Judeo-Christian alliance. Your salvation lies in recognizing that he needs no argument.* He's just plain right. And he's got the might.

And he's not afraid to fight.

Yee-haw.

(Yawn)

--End satire--

*Except that liberals are bad and obsessed with bigotry. Which is also an evil in itself.

Opus One Media said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Opus One Media said...

shoutingthomas... if dowd is too silly to read and too silly to bother considering why do you read her? Serious question here. Why? or don't you and you are just spouting off because someone told you to...

to go through life with someone else's hand up your butt pulling your strings...dumb mouth just flappin' and making noise...

Opus One Media said...

GOTCHA FEN..

Fen said: "The dynamics of this diplomatic incident expose a sigificant source of the wider conflicts that would dominate the military and political history of mainland Greece during the fifth century B.C."....

Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander

were you just gonna quote from this book, pretend it was your own, is that your game..

good will hunting. good lord Fen. Everyone in 9th grade read that. Who do you think you are fooling this time?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Who do you think you are fooling this time?

Probably the Muslims.

Fen said...

were you just gonna quote from this book, pretend it was your own, is that your game..

No Libtard. See those little " " marks at the beginning and end? That means those are someone else's words, not mine.

You're such an idiot little weasel.

Fen said...

Ritmo: But at least this cripple can use GOOGLE to prove what he said, unlike FEN, who would rather make shit up and rely on his faulty memory and TV shows.

Sure Libtard. We'll keep pretending that your choice to use post hoc ergo propter hoc had nothing to due with you watching the West Wing Episode of the same name that was on tv that day.

And we'll preten dit doesn't bother you, even though you feel a need to defend yourself at every occasion.

Why dont you go back to flaming people who make spelling msitakes? Because thats all you've got going for you.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

"My contention is that prior to the Revolutionary War, the economic modalities, especially in the southern colonies, could be most aptly described as agrarian precapitalist."

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

We'll keep pretending that your choice to use post hoc ergo propter hoc had nothing to due with you watching the West Wing Episode of the same name that was on tv that day.

In this recurring fantasy sequence of yours, was I holding your hand while we watched TV together? Or did you keep a healthy distance and stay seated on the floor like you were supposed to?

And we'll preten dit doesn't bother you, even though you feel a need to defend yourself at every occasion.

My defense of myself results from my defense of the truth - which is something you wouldn't know if it smacked you in the face.

BTW, how's your cheek feeling, Spelling Bee Champ?

Peter said...

Why on earth would anyone think that someone named Barrack Hussein could possibly be Muslim? I mean it just boggles the mind. Next we'll start thinking that someone named Francis Kelly O'Donnel might possibly be Catholic. That's just crazy talk.

Oh, and the devotion to abortion is, besides a hunger to raise taxes and cut the military are the only principles the Democrats have not wavered from since they quit being the Party of Jim Crow.

Fen said...

Ritmo: My defense of myself results from my defense of the truth

For that, you would need credibility. You have none here.

Coupled with the fact that you rely heavily on a thesaurus to masquerade as an intellectual, what are the odds you would use the Latin from something you saw on the tele that day?

Besides, if you had Truth on your side, nothing I could say would bother you enough to respond to this charge 8 times in 3 weeks. Its under your skin because you know you got caught red-handed.

Fen said...

Seriously Ritmo, intelligence is demonstrable. If you had it, you wouldn't need to keep harping about how much smarter you surely must be.

Thats why you continue to over-react on this point. You're heavily invested in the appearance of Superior Intellect. Its why your posts are so long-winded and sound like they were written by a sophmore leafing thru a thesaurus.

You're a poser.

Opus One Media said...

@ Fen....his post immediately above.

pot. kettle. black.

Opus One Media said...

also at Fen the intellect:

"its why"..

tsk tsk tsk. it's is the contraction of it is. its is possesive 'it'.

something you don't learn from cut and paste Fen.

Fen said...

Libtard: something you don't learn from cut and paste Fen.

Like where to put in the comma, Libtard?

I cant believe the two of you have been reduced to grammar and spelling flames.

I win the thread.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

For that, you would need credibility. You have none here.

You don't know how much I pine away for credibility on a site full of as many conspiracy theorists and bullshit artists as this one!

The people with credibility here respect what I have to say. That doesn't include you and it wouldn't include you.

And since when does truth require credibility? Was Galileo credible to his inquisitors?

Damn are you dumb!

Besides, if you had Truth on your side, nothing I could say would bother you enough to respond to this charge 8 times in 3 weeks.

That's because 8 times you've hammered on with this fantasy of us watching television together. I don't recall watching any television shows with you.

Obviously you must be infatuated with me to keep believing you know so many details about my private life. And no amount of truth will get in the way of that. Your urges are apparently much too strong.

I suggest you come out of that closet to your parents, pronto, and confess your desires. Tell them about this internet person and how you imagine him hammering your ass while you jerk yourself off to gay porn and "West Wing".

Do you also imagine me cooking dinner before we watch "West Wing"? What sort of wine do you prefer on these imagined internet-dates of yours? Do you imagine the object of your man-crush running his fingers through your hair while you gaze at Martin Sheen?

All important questions for the next victim of your pathetic fantasy life.

Keep it up and I'll have to work in a reference to The Talented Mr. Ripley: Fen-ley.

Fen said...

Waste of your breath Ritmo.

I dont bother to read you anymore.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Wonderful!

Does this mean that you've stopped fantasizing about us watching television shows and movies together, also?

How on earth will you satisfy your need for hot, romantic man-on-man action if you can't fantasize about our indoor date nights anymore?

Poor fen. She's been reduced to speechless exasperation.

traditionalguy said...

Has it occurred to anyone that Muslims are afraid of us. Their god seems unconcerned with their welfare and down right unpredictable. Who would want to go out killing infidels for that god? The fear is that such a god will abandon them to the infidels' retribution in the blink of an eye, because the Muslim's god makes no covenants to be faithful to them. So Muslims have to time it just right to be killing infidels at the moment of their own death before allah changes his mind about them.

c farrell said...

@BJM
"Of course both Singapore and Malaysia cane tens of thousands of men annually for a range of public offenses such as spitting or littering"

No, they don't. Spitting and littering are not caning offenses in either country. For such minor offenses, the penalties are fines only.