Acceptable lies and unacceptable truths
The are lies we are allowed, even encouraged to tell. And there are truths we are required to ignore.
And woe to the brave fool who tries to voice one of those truths in the presence of those people who make it their business to tell those lies.
An acceptable lie:
In more than 70 cities, 40 colleges and 75 high schools, people walked out of jobs and classes Wednesday to participate in "The World Can't Wait: Drive Out The Bush Regime," a rally to fight the administration on the first anniversary of President George W. Bush's re-election.
USC was one of the many school groups that took part in the anti-Bush event.
"As college students and citizens, if you believe in the constitution and democracy you will do everything you can to stop America from becoming a fascist theocracy," said Tani Ikeda, a freshman majoring in cinema-television production who organized people from USC to take part in the downtown rally.
And what of the school attitude to this sort of thing?
Fliers addressing high school students encouraged them to take a stand.
"You know what kind of world you want to live in, you know what is right and what cannot be tolerated; It is your time to make history," the fliers stated. "The administration and some teachers will try to stop you. Other teachers will support you. Fight and argue for what you know is right and don't be intimidated by school authorities who try to get you to accept what is wrong."
Perla Exiga, a 17-year-old senior at Montebello High School was one of the hundreds of young people engaging in their civil right to protest. At her school the students were not forced to walk out, she said.
She said the school principal was all right with students attending the rally, saying if they wanted to go - then go.
Compare Bush to Hitler ("When Hitler put the Jews into the concentration camps, it was the same thing with terrorists") and the school principal says fine, go and make a stink.
On the other hand, point out a well-documented historical fact, and you get in trouble.
We call that an unacceptable truth:
A community college student in Massachusetts faces possible disciplinary action for shouting "Remember Chappaquiddick!" during an on-campus speech by Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Paul Trost, 20, a student at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Mass., says he was upset by an introduction of Kennedy given by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., in which the congressman noted how the long-time senator overcame hardship in life on his way to success.
"Lynch said Kennedy had overcome such adversity to get to the place he was, and that's a bunch of bull," Trost said of the introduction, which occurred in the school's student center Tuesday morning.
Just as Kennedy began speaking, Trost was walking out of the room when he shouted, "Remember Chappaquiddick!"
The student says a campus police officer went outside and stopped him. He also saw some state troopers go outside, the type who accompany Kennedy around the state to provide security.
And the school's attitude to this sort of thing?
Trost says the cop took down his information and told him he would be hearing from school officials about disciplinary action. A spokesman with the campus police verified the incident but stressed that Trost was not arrested.
The student said one of his teachers confronted him after a class about the Chappaquiddick issue.
"One of my teachers called me ignorant and told me this was an embarrassment to the school," Trost told WND. "She said to me, 'Can't you forgive him after all these years?' And I said, 'No, he killed somebody.' "
"If it had been me or any other person, we'd be in jail," Trost says he told his instructor.
Make the absurd allegation that George W Bush is some kind of theocrat and is akin to Hitler because terrorists are like innocent Jews caught up in the Holocaust, and get a day off school.
Point out that the undeniable historical fact that Ted Kennedy has gotten away with serious crimes by virtue of his wealth and political connections, and face serious disciplinary action.
I should add to this one more. Repeat partisan lies utterly disconnected from reality, and be recognized as the senior senator from Massachusetts.
(via NealeNews)
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Comments
Its safer to hunt with Chaney
than drive with Kennedy.
Posted by: red at February 23, 2006 03:40 PM
It's time to let poor Mary Jo's corpse rest in peace. Conservatives have been dragging it around for more than 30 years. That's just ghoulish.
Posted by: Robert McClelland at February 23, 2006 03:48 PM
MJ will only rest in peace completely when Teddy's out of the Senate.
Posted by: PhantomObserver at February 23, 2006 04:02 PM
"Conservatives have been dragging it around for more than 30 years"
Then you would agree thats it's time to stop looking for so called nazi war criminals?
Posted by: primvs pilvs at February 23, 2006 04:34 PM
Re:
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Make the absurd allegation that George W Bush is some kind of theocrat and is akin to Hitler because terrorists are like innocent Jews caught up in the Holocaust, and get a day off school.
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The woman who made the comment you quoted about Hitler and the Jews is 86 years old.
Somehow I doubt she is still in school (she actually "works phone-banks for the Republican 48th Assembly Central Committee").
As far as the theocracy thing goes, here's one definition:
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theocracy
n 1: a political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to be divinely guided)
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Bush has certainly made a number of comments that indicate he thinks he is divinely guided. I'm not saying he wants to replace democracy in the US with a theocratic regime similar to, say, Iran's. But the theocracy claim has enough backing it that it's not exactly far-fetched.
Posted by: Ade at February 23, 2006 04:54 PM
All government authorities face decisions that are probably beyond their mortal capability, and it is not unusual for them to secretly seek supernatural guidance (Mackenzie King consulted mediums, I understand, and Nancy Reagan had her astrologers). I don't find it surprising that Bush, a Christian, would rely on prayer and scripture to help make difficult decisions. And, yes, many Christians actually believe (as I do) that prayer and reading of scripture are ways to communicate with the Almighty.
Regardless of how Bush makes his decisions, he still has to bear the responsibility of them with the electorate. As far as I know, he is not taking any steps to change the U.S. Constitution to bypass elections because the President has a direct link to God.
So yes, Ade, the theocracy claim is really stretching it (far-fetched describes it nicely). Besides, the quote in Angry's post was that Bush is leading the U.S. to a "fascist theocracy" (not sure what the definition of THAT is, but it probably goes further than the one you dug up).
And, Robert, if Dubya had a skeleton in his closet ever so small and old as Mary Jo's, we should all keep it quiet, too, no?
Posted by: Ben at February 23, 2006 06:26 PM
It's time to let poor Mary Jo's corpse rest in peace. Conservatives have been dragging it around for more than 30 years. That's just ghoulish.
So Mary Jo dies and no one is held to account, but we should let it go.
On the other hand, George W Bush might have missed a physical, and CBS led by Dan Rather is ready to unseat the president over it.
Except that the Killian memos were fakes, and Mary Jo is really dead.
Posted by: Steve Janke at February 23, 2006 06:35 PM
Chappaquiddick was a long time ago. He got away with it. Yes, let it go.
When anyone resorts to the rhetorical nuclear weapons in the arsenal of Nazi name calling, they loose all credibility in my eyes, and they no longer deserve my attention.
Posted by: Curtis at February 23, 2006 06:54 PM
Ben - the term "fascist theocracy" is a charged one. Coincidentally, I stumbled across the worldcantwait website just a couple days ago, and read that term for the first time there.
I just started reading a book called The Nazi Doctors - Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide by Robert Jay Lifton. Many examinations of Nazi Germany talk about the ease with which the country slipped into fascism and mass murder, and this book is no exception.
The combination of this book and that term "fascist theocracy" has me really thinking about the future direction of the American project. I'm worried less about Bush's religious beliefs, and more about a general trend towards the concentration of power, the secret prisons, the detentions without trial, the legitimization of abuse and torture, and the domestic spying.
Combined with Bush's religious rhetoric, jingoistic patriotic nationalism, and the profoundly anti-Arab opinion of certain groups (anti-Semitism raises its ugly head once again), I think there is reasonable cause for concern.
Making comparisons between democratic countries like the US and fascist dictatorships does not lay the foundation for a reasonable discussion of issues. At the same time, it is dangerous to dismiss any critical examination of government and society simply on the basis that "it couldn't happen here" or "it couldn't happen in America".
Perhaps the people who warn about it act as a first line of defence against it, even if some get a little carried away at times.
Posted by: Ade at February 23, 2006 08:08 PM
"It's time to let poor Mary Jo's corpse rest in peace. Conservatives have been dragging it around for more than 30 years. That's just ghoulish."
OK, Rube-ert, if it's ghoulish to metaphorically drag one body around for years, how ghoulish is it to drag out fourteen bodies every December, when your loony feminoid friends celebrate this country's official annual All-Men-Are-Rapists-and-Murderers Day?
Now there's an abusive ritual I can certainly do without.
Posted by: Doug at February 23, 2006 11:53 PM
Teddy boy killed one innocent girl which he should be held accountable for. Georgey boy kills tens of thousands of innocents men, women, girls, boys, young and old makes no difference to him. Tortures people, uses depleted uranium weapons to leave prolonged health problems for survivors of his illegal war. Steals two elections and no one holds him accountable. These crimes are prosecutable by any country signed on to the Geneva Conventions yet he has not been brought up on the charges. Everyone is afraid of the bully. The countries of the world including and I think especially ours should bring him to trial for the criminal that he is before he nukes the planet.An alcoholic coaine freak should not be allowed to run roughshod over the rest of the world
Posted by: Rick at February 24, 2006 12:32 AM
Can anyone give a single example of a meaningful contribution provided by Senator Ted Kennedy to the greater good of the United States of America or to the world as a whole? He has been a senator for more the 30 years! I can provide the sum of his good works quite easily. Here's the list....
Posted by: Mac at February 24, 2006 01:45 AM
Rick
Funny how George Bush is the bad guy until you need his help. The US is always the first and most generous nation to help others. Cheap shots from "USAophobes" will not change his slim election results. Sure he has faults, but I am willing to bet that most of us mere mortals do. Has he made mistakes? You bet. If you are unhappy with his policies and decisions, back a better candidate.
Just my two cents worth.....
Posted by: Denis at February 24, 2006 08:36 AM
Hey, Rick!
Beautiful display of your'tolerance' and 'open mindedness' that you guys are famous for. No, really, I think you've just proved Steve's point. Particularly when you look at who you've aligned yourself with(previous commentors).Nice!
Posted by: Spud Islander at February 24, 2006 09:32 AM
If the US is a theocracy now, then I could make the case that it ALWAYS was a theocracy.
Give me a Bush quote that indicates this and I'll give you another from any number of past presidents or founding fathers that indicate the same thing. Start by reading Lincoln's Second Inaugural address and continue on through to Reagan's "city on a hill" speech. Go back to Patrick Henry or George Washington for further proof of America's "theocracy".
Americans have always believed in the Manifest Destiny. I would argue that this belief is weaker now than its ever been before. "The World Can't Wait" protests are part of the proof. At its most isolationist, the US still believed strongly in the Monroe Doctrine that their sphere of influence was the entire New World.
Posted by: PlaidShirt at February 24, 2006 10:05 AM
Well Spud Islanderer
I have only stated facts, if the truth is to hard for you to comprehend then you might as well stay in your cave. Everything I pointed out is documented fact not the lies our governments media keeps feeding us. Be a jurist weigh the evidence If you look at it with a mind not blinded by loyalty to a flawed system I`m confident you`ll come to the conclusion that there are a lot of our leadrers should be locked away for their crimes
Posted by: Rick at February 24, 2006 10:25 AM
There are tens of thousands of people who are susceptible to relentless media slander. Rick's just another example.
Posted by: angryinthecornbelt at February 24, 2006 11:05 AM
It constantly amazes me how people like Rick, Robert, etc. rabidly attack Republican America and yet say nothing about the abuses of power, not to mention criminal activities of their own countries former governing party. Focusing on the sliver in someone elses eye, while ignoring the 2 x 4 in their own. I reckon they have a lot in common with Muslims. Hypocrisy for example.
Although, I'd have to say Ade makes a pretty good argument.
Posted by: Irwin Daisy at February 24, 2006 11:25 AM
Just wanted to second Irwin's comment. Robert & Rick score no points with their rhetoric, but Ade's points are well taken because of a reasoned argument.
Posted by: Ben at February 24, 2006 01:41 PM
Well, Rick, I hardly consider moonbattery posted on DU, or by the KosKids, or Atrios as documentation.
And, since you're not (obviously) a participant in the GWOT currently underway in the ME, and elsewhere, I would suggest you contemplate where YOUR country is vis a vis self defense. Will you continue to occupy a significant place in the Western world,or will you continue to twist yourself into pretzels to appease truly violent theocrats? Unless, of course, you need to read that at DU to confirm that they are violent. Or maybe you can compare notes with Rube-ert, just so you can hit ALL the talking points.
Posted by: Spud Islander at February 24, 2006 01:44 PM
"illegal war". Uh huh. Another Kos Kids quote.
Last time I checked, there were no "legal wars". The implication that such a thing is possible displays a magnificent ignorance.
Posted by: Eagle at February 24, 2006 02:22 PM
Rick, everything you pointed out is "documented fact" ?? Wow, you really live in an alternate universe my friend.
The hypocrisy of the "tolerant" educational system, as well as the MSM that Angry clearly points out is really lost on people who can't tell fact from fiction I'm afraid.
Posted by: Dale Byford at February 24, 2006 02:38 PM
Documented facts. Probably from your favorite "documentary" F9/11...
1) The Iraq war is not Illegal. The first gulf war ended in a cease fire. This ceasefire was negotiated on several conditions, one of which was arms inspectors, Saddam pissed around for years, then finally kicked the arms inspectors out. He clearly miscalculated the resolve of the American government this time. If you violate the terms of a cease fire, guess what? The war is back on.... Once a government has prove itself unable to comply with a cease fire it negotiated, the only solution is to remove the combatant government.
2. George Bush won 2 elections. The writers of the Constitution of the United States, never foresaw the rise of a national media culture, and didnt think that one man would be well known across all 13 states. So they devised a constitutional system to elect presidents in elections when there is no clear winner. Obviously these mechanisms havent been needed in modern times, but the results of both elections are constitutionally correct.
Posted by: Curtis at February 24, 2006 05:04 PM
It is easy to call me tolerant or a liar but if you can`t read news items besides watching Fox you`ll always be in the dark. Everything I said is fact all you got to do is pay attention. Sorry for not being clear on my country, I am Canadian and like I said our goverment parasites should be in jail where they belong. I am not biased about politicians they are all of the same stripe as far as I`m concerned. Non of them have we the peoples best interest at heart. All of them are for big buisiness not the citizens who elected them. Nice to see discussion, I may be wrong, there might be the odd good politician but they are in the very small minority. I just want people to take a honest look at what is transpiring in our so called democracies and wake up to the fact that our freedoms are being stripped alittle here a little there. We need to be vigilant or none of our forefathers hard fought for rights will have disappeared
Posted by: Rick at February 24, 2006 07:08 PM
should read We have to be vigilant or all of our forefathrs hard fought for rights will have disappeared
Posted by: Rick at February 24, 2006 07:28 PM
"I am not biased about politicians they are all of the same stripe as far as I`m concerned. Non of them have we the peoples best interest at heart."
Well thanks for clearing that up. Do you even read what you write?
Posted by: Andrew at February 25, 2006 02:55 PM
Rick, I'm afraid that what you have posted is opinion, not fact. Fact is a concept whose truth can be proved and as such you have posted no facts.
Posted by: Andrew at February 25, 2006 03:04 PM
Rick, fact is a concept whose truth can be proved and as such you have posted no facts, only opinions.
Posted by: Andrew at February 25, 2006 03:06 PM
I'm still waiting... anyone find a single useful contribution from Senator Ted Kennedy?
Andrew, you have to remember... A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven.
Posted by: Mac at February 25, 2006 06:30 PM
Obviously Andrew you don`t read, must just watch Fox news so you get the whole truth and nothing but. Invasion of Iraq was never authorized by the UN which makes it a war of aggression which is an illegal war. The truth shall set you free, start the search if you got the strength to handle it.
There`s a couple of things that our government is doing which I would not consider in our best interest is making it against the law for farmers to save their seeds for replanting next season. Pushing for the end of the moratorium on terminator seeds is definitely not in our best interest or anyone elses in the world except the big seed companies. Verges on insanity to grow plants that sterilize themselves.
Couple of starting points for you my son. Like I said everything I said is fact all you got to do is pay attention. Sometimes fox even slips up and tells us whats happening. But not very damn often
Posted by: Rick at February 26, 2006 12:55 AM
Rick,
If what you say are facts then please prove them to be. Saying something is a fact does not make it so.
Shocked though you may be I don't watch Fox news. You, however, seem to be familiar enough with them to suggest that you do.
Posted by: Andrew at February 26, 2006 03:11 AM
Yes Andrew I do watch Fox. I even read Angry and as much of anything I can find on a subject. It`s the only way to separate what they want us to believe and what really is. Instead of me trying to prove my statements why don`t you try to prove they are not correct all you got to do is read the evidence is everywhere
Posted by: Rick at February 26, 2006 11:40 AM
Rick,
Interesting, it seems as though the gist of your argument is that if I watch Fox it is proof of my ignorance yet if you watch Fox it is proof of your enlightenment. Is that correct?
You may not be aware of this Rick but generally speaking in the academic, legal, and most other professions if you have made an assertion it is up to you to back it up. Unsubstantiated claims are theories and opinions, not facts. If the evidence is everywhere as you insist it is, it should be no problem for you to point some out to me.
Incidently, who is "they"?
Posted by: Andrew at February 26, 2006 04:02 PM
Invasion of Iraq was never authorized by the UN which makes it a war of aggression which is an illegal war.
Until the United Nations (what a misnomer!) becomes the Overlord of the World, the free nations of the world don't have to ask for it's permission to act... UN resolutions are not LAW so asserting the invasion of Iraq was "illegal" demonstrates how misinformed you are for someone so enlightened.
I'm still waiting for your list of Kennedy's contributions to society, Rick. I'm sure such an enlightened and progressive individual as yourself has that kind of information at your fingertips!!
Posted by: Mac at February 26, 2006 04:50 PM
 
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