Hillary Clinton on Bill O’ReiLly

An excerpt from Clinton’s interview on the O’Reilly Factor, courtesy of Seth Grahame-Smith:

Bill: Level with me. Friend to friend here…if Obama’s elected, we can kiss the whole thing goodbye, can’t we? I mean, this guy’s gonna paint the White House gold — he’s gonna make Flava Flav Secretary of State, that wife of his is gonna go on tour with Mary J. Blige, and we’re all gonna be kneeling to a statue of Osama Bin Laden. Am I right?

Hillary: That may be the most racist thing anyone’s ever said.

Bill: No, no — the most racist thing anyone’s ever said is (omitted by Fox News).

Bill: Be honest…have you ever met a bigger d-bag than me?

Hillary: No, I haven’t.

Bill: Kind’ve weird that you agreed to be on my show, knowing what a misogynistic, racist, dim-witted, anti-American hypocrite I am, huh? Boy, you must be desperate.

Hillary: You have no idea.

Follow this link to read the full interview.

Jewing It Up

There is a lot of pressure when trying to come up with an entry to such a influential blog, but here it goes.  As many of you well know, Mitch is what I lovingly refer to as an “evangelical atheist.”  (He hates that.)  I am a reconstructionst Jew.

First, I would like to give my own view on the difference between Judaism and Christianity.  Christianity focuses on faith.  The litmus test is accepting Jesus.  Everything else is secondary.  The hope is that from that faith, people will become better people, act nicer, be loving, etc.  Judaism, on the other hand, does not spend much time on faith.  Judaism focuses on actions.  The most important holiday (second to Shabbat) is one that asks everyone to review their own actions and  take responsibility for their consequences.  In some of the more orthodox denominations, I fear that this focus on action can sometimes turn into OCD, but in the more liberal synagogues, this can lead to thoughtful and introspective discussions.  In my synagogue, rather than a weekly sermon, there is a discussion.

Mitch struggles with religion, because afterall one has to admit that it is largely based on imaginary friends and historically dubious fairy tales.  Religion at its best can be a structure that encourages people to stretch and examine themselves and their community.  At its worst it can be a cult asking members to surrender personal thought to a corrupt power structure.  But does that mean that there is a problem with religion, or a problem with people?

The comparison I often think of is marriage.  We stand in front of our community and swear to be with one person for the rest of our lives.  We talk about the transformative power of love.  We wear silly outfits.  We spend thousands of dollars and sacrifice dozens of flowers, and all for an institution that we all know may not actually work out.  Love and monogamy can easily be explained as artifacts of evolution, selected for because it helped create community structures that allowed for successful procreation.  Marriage, at is best can be an opportunity for personal growth and joy.  At its worst it can be an oppressive, violent, and destructive force.  Marriage and love have lead to death and violence for eons.  So does that mean that we shun all marriages?  Or do we just try everyday to make our own marriages the best we can, and hope that other people can find their way.

I admit that I may be wrong.  The chances that there is a God may be slim.  But my faith brings order to my life.  It forces me to question my values.  It allows me to discuss my ideas with my family and friends.  And most importantly, it brings me calm.  And if I can have those things, I am willing to risk being wrong.

-Kate

Clinton’s Big Gay Problem

It’s beginning to look as though Hillary Clinton has a problem . . . a big gay problem.  This from AmericaBlog.com:

But Obama speaks movingly of gay equality, and not just before gay audiences. He has raised the issue among white farmers and in black churches, where the message is both unwelcome and needed.

Clinton, by contrast, rarely raises the issue on her own, never does so before unfriendly audiences, and seems reluctant even to say the word “gay.”

Obama “gets it” in a way that no previous candidate for president has. Part of this is generational, but it is nonetheless real. . .

One more thing, watch this interview Hillary did with the gay cable network, Logo. First, the issue comes up about her never using the g-word, and she does use it, once during an entire 5 minute interview with a gay station about gay issues, while mentioning “gay organizations.” But notice how repeatedly in the interview Hillary hesitates and stumbles at places where you would naturally expect her to say the word “gay” – she doesn’t say it – she kind of stops, doesn’t say gay, then moves on. Watch the video for yourself. She’s not comfortable saying the word. Obama is. I think that tells you something about how they feel about the issue inside. It’s likely generational – he’s in his 40s, my generation, she’s 60. A transcript of the worst part follows the video, below – note particularly the question and her answer 1 minute and 2 seconds in:

Follow this link to read the transcript.

Kate – New Contributer

Welcome to Kate, who will be contributing to Fear of Ignorance.  You’ll find that she’s different than me, which is good, because we are not, in fact, the same person.  But I hope her thoughts and opinions will add more dimensions to the ongoing discussions.

Stuff White People Like

Stuff White People Like is a satirical blog about, you guessed it, stuff white people like.

What is most interesting though is the people who don’t understand satire, as demonstrated by this comment:

Aryan Brother on March 30, 2008 at 8:03 pm
David Duke is proud of everyone on this blog!! We need to celebrate chaining black people, killing off the indians and all other forms of genocide that makes this country great!!! Kudos for this blog!

People are really stupid.

Update:

Hat tip to Kate for submitting this gem.

Douglas Bruce – Violent and Bigoted

Here‘s something that appropriately pisses me off:

A Colorado legislator who was censured for kicking a newspaper photographerin January was booted from the podium today after he called Mexican farmworkers “illiterate peasants.”

Republican Rep. Douglas Bruce’s remark, which drew gasps from the House, came during debate on legislation to help immigrants get temporary federal visas to ease Colorado’s shortage of farmworkers.

“I would like to have the opportunity to state at the microphone why I don’t think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado,” said Bruce, who represents Colorado Springs.

“How dare you!” snapped Democratic Rep. Kathleen Curry, who as debate chairwoman ended Bruce’s privilege to speak.

When not kicking people or making bigoted comments, Bruce enjoys long walks on the beech, candle lit dinners, and Garth Brooks.

Who elected this jackass?  I mean my god . . .

  Here he is, trying to contain his hatred of cameramen.

John Kerry: Don’t Forget Net Neutrality

John Kerry wrote a good piece for the Huff reminding us that 4/22/08 is the Pennsylvania Democratic primary – but is also the day that the Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on the future of the Internet, most of which has to do with net neutrality.

Look, I understand that there are issues with the amount of information flowing over our broadband infrastructure. But the key is to expand that infrastructure, not arbitrarily restrict traffic based on content. I don’t even really blame the corporations on this; this is a classic case where the government needs to step in and create sensible regulations to set the rules of the road. This doesn’t mean a prescriptive, heavy-handed approach to telling providers who to serve subscribers. But we need to insist on basic fairness and an open, content-neutral approach to how users can access the backbone of our telecommunications system. There have been a lot of excuses about why it’s difficult to do that, and frankly, most of those have turned out not to be accurate. There’s no reason why we can’t do this, and no reason why we shouldn’t.

Sarah Silverman Hates Things

Here’s an old article from Wired in which Sarah Silverman identifies things she hates, and then explains why.  Interesting.  One thing she hates is clamshell packaging, which is something I can agree with, as I hate clamshell packaging more than I hate most things.  She also gets points for using one of my favorite words (fecund) and for mentioning the band Sigur Rós.

Here’s the rant about the above mentioned anathema:

The thrill of buying a new gadget or toy can vanish if it comes locked in hard plastic “clamshell” packaging. Those sturdy crimped edges defy scissors, knives, even teeth, and frustration mounts as jagged shards of plastic fly. But the clear, airtight packages threaten more than our mental health: In 2004, nearly 6,500 Americans were admitted to emergency rooms with injuries sustained while trying to liberate portable CD players, memory cards, and Bratz dolls.

Are there alternatives to clamshell packaging? Sure — Natralock, for example, makes an easier-to-tear paperboard-and-plastic combo. But stores love the clamshell: By adding bulk to items that could otherwise be slipped into a pocket, it deters shoplifters and lets retailers display big-ticket items in aisles instead of keeping them behind counters.

Even if retailers were amenable to change, manufacturers probably wouldn’t be. Industrial packaging machines are “terribly expensive,” says Laura Bix of the Michigan State University School of Packaging. Factories are loath to invest in new equipment, and most companies don’t want to pay a single penny more per item, even if doing so would keep your sanity — and fingers — intact.

Bix thinks that retailers might abandon clamshells in favor of security cables that keep products tethered to shelves. “But that would mean having more service personnel on the floor,” she says. Hmmm. Helpful “customer associates” are as rare as California condors. We’ll just shop online, thanks.

Do you Believe in the American Flag?

From the incredibly inane debate in Pennsylvania:

NASH MCCABE (Latrobe, Pennsylvania): (From videotape.) Senator Obama, I have a question, and I want to know if you believe in the American flag. I am not questioning your patriotism, but all our servicemen, policemen and EMS wear the flag. I want to know why you don’t.

Is this supposed to be representative of the American populace?  Is this the most important questions on our minds about Sen. Obama?  Dear God I hope not.

What the fuck does the question even mean.  Do you believe in the American Flag???  In its existence?  Well, I don’t know . . . I’ve never seen one, I think it is just a myth. 

And when did lapel pins become such a big deal.  Nowadays you can’t say you actually support anything, unless you back it up with a lapel pin.  I should start selling “life” or “oxygen” lapel pins.

So in conclusion, why would you ask such a retarded question (I in no way mean that to be disrespectful of actual retarded people, who are far superior to the woman who asked the question), and why, the question having been asked, would you include it in a debate, televised or otherwise?  I hate this shit.

Garfield Minus Garfield

Garfield Minus Garfield is a brilliant blog that, in their own words:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Obama and Faith Based Initiatives

This is what Barack Obama had to say during the CNN “Compassion Forum”:

I want to keep the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives open, but I want to make sure that its mission is clear. It’s not to — it’s not to simply build a particular faith community, the faith-based initiatives should be targeted specifically at the issue of poverty and how to lift people up.

And partnering with faith communities, I think we can achieve that as long as it’s within the requirements of our Constitution. We make sure that it’s open to everybody. It’s not simply the federal government funding certain groups to be able to evangelize.

I believe the idea is to keep Politics and Religion separate, not to keep them together as long as all religions are treated equally (which, is impossible).

Obama is not scoring any points with me so far on this “Compassion Forum” (which, by the way, it is about faith, not compassion – which are two very different things).

 

Obama on Abstinence

Barak Obama:

And we’ve actually made progress over the last several years in reducing teen pregnancies, for example. And what I have consistently talked about is to take a comprehensive approach where we focus on abstinence, where we are teaching the sacredness of sexuality to our children.

From the transcript of the so-called “Compassion Forum” on CNN.

Obama, you jackass.  I can not believe you said that.

Compassion Forum Hosted by Bigoted University

Jake Tapper reports that:

Both Democratic presidential candidates on Sunday night appeared at a CNN “Compassion Forum” at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.

Messiah College describes itself as embracing an “evangelical spirit rooted in the Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian Church.”

As such, its “community covenant” states that members of the Messiah College community “avoid such sinful practices as drunkenness, stealing, dishonesty, profanity, occult practices, sexual intercourse outside of marriage, homosexual behavior, and sexually exploitative or abusive behavior.”

Now we all know that Obama and Clinton are only a little bigoted (as they ‘support’ gay rights but do not support gay marriage).  Should they have agreed to appear at a school with such an anti-gay philosophy unreasonable belief? 

Their appearance at the school doesn’t (I would think) change how they feel on the subject – and therefore it shouldn’t matter where they appear because they have both been consistent and clear about their beliefs. 

I’ve also been consistant and clear on my beliefs – and I would not have agreed to appear at a ‘school’ such as Messiah College.  So why should I hold them to a different standard than I hold myself?

Then again, no one is asking me to appear anywhere, so maybe it is not a fair comparison.

Questioning Religion

Yatzer has shots of a neat installation in Paris:

Designer Robert Stadler is creating a lighting installation inside the church of Saint Paul in Paris during the Nuit Blanche all-night cultural festival in the city on 6 October.

Nuit Blanche is an annual festival that started in Paris in 2002, with museums, galleries and other venues open all night. The idea has since spread to other cities around the world. See Wikipedia for more information.

The glowing orbs look randomly placed from underneath, but when looked at from the entrance of the church form a question mark.  I like it.

Abortion of Freedom at Johns Hopkins

From Think Progress:

The search database Popline dubs itself a “connection to the world’s reproductive health literature.” But the government-funded site, run by Johns Hopkins University, has recently begun blocking searches on the word abortion, “concealing nearly 25,000 search results” — censorship a University of California at San Francisco librarian noticed this week:

Puzzled, she contacted the manager of the database, Johns Hopkins’ Debbie Dickson, who replied in an April 1st e-mail that the university had recently begun blocking the search term because the database received federal funding. “We recently made all abortion terms stop words,” Dickson wrote in a note to Gloria Won, the UCSF medical center librarian making the inquiry. “As a federally funded project, we decided this was best for now.”

The federal government also sponsors a wesbite, 4parents.gov, that has peddled unscientific claims about abortion and has launched a national TV ad campaign promoting abstinence.

Update – In a statement, Dean of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says, “I could not disagree more strongly with this decision [to block abortion searches], and I have directed that the Popline administrators restore ‘abortion’ as a search term immediately.”

Whomever made the decision to elimate the search term needs to be fired, immediately.