"Oh, he's a MORON... That explains everything..." Ad hom, anyone?

In reply to: The Oracular Opinion: If I Hear One More Stupid Politician—I’m Going To Lose My Mind!, April 2, 2010 8:41 AM comment
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Clearly I was mistaken...

BPB's brilliant tactic of calling the guy a moron (and doing the same to his predecessor--which made the argument airtight) is clearly the more well thought out position.

I stand corrected.

(If you don't use that sense of humor you're gonna lose it, and people will continue to wonder why so many conservatives fail to comprehend irony, sarcasm, and other humor-related rhetorical tools folks use to persuade each other. Tin ears are not a good look on anyone...)

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Posted: April 2, 2010 10:22 AM comment

Are Republicans too serious for their own good?

In reply to: The Oracular Opinion: If I Hear One More Stupid Politician—I’m Going To Lose My Mind!
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I'll admit to not being up on the names of literary devices, but watching the video, I got the distinct impression that his intent was to make a point--though I didn't pick up on the "island tipping over = ecological tipping point" analogy until I read the statement here--and at no time did I get the impression that the man actually thought an island could or would tip over. (It's things like the fact that so many conservative bloggers are writing about this exchange believing he was serious that lead the rest of us to believe the right as a whole lacks much in the way of a sense of humor. Of course, FoxNews' dear departed "half hour comedy hour" and it's replacement, "Red Eye," certainly don't help...)

Asking for the dimensions of the island (rather than having them handy and quoting them himself) was almost certainly a device designed to further his point, as well. It's always better when you can have the words and concepts you want expressed publicly come out of a nonpartisan or oppositional mouth. Lawyers and politicians routinely ask questions they already know the answers to, for just that purpose...

And by the by, I'm pretty certain that all 12 million immigrants were never all on Ellis Island at the same time, which is likely what kept that one from tipping... ...or sinking, either...
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Unmoderated blog. Comment appeared April 2, 2010 3:05 AM (OR blog time)

Did Occam's Razor cut that Democrat's gas line?

In reply to The Oracular Opinion: Innocent Until Proven Guilty—The American Way Gone Astray, and in particular bluepitbull's March 30, 2010 5:46 PM comment, reproduced in full here. My moderator-removed reply follows:

Fair enough, I will explain my point.

When you control the message, you control the perceptions. Ergo, the simplest explanation is that Tea Party members are all crazed, mind numbed zombies who are mostly white and republican (your media definition). Don't deny it. If you control the media you can say anything you want and make alot out of nothing.

I still believe that if there were any concrete proof, it would have come out by now. And I think that you and I both know that Pelosi wouldn't have waited to stand up with her giant gavel and tell all about it since it would have furthered her cause, which was to ram a pos legislation down the throats of those who don't support it. And yes, it all does come back to the healthcare debate. That still seems to be the one polarizing argument in front of all of us.

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Ergo, the simplest explanation is that Tea Party members are all crazed, mind numbed zombies who are mostly white and republican (your media definition).

I don't know who you're talking to, but I've neither said or suggested anything of the kind (and for my money, neither has much of the media... though, I'm open to reviewing quotes from said media proving otherwise.)

The simplest explanation to which I was referring says that the windows that were broken out at Dem offices, the nasty messages critical of health care votes that were left on Dem answering machines, the cut gas line at the Dem rep's brother's house (after his home address was posted on a Tea Party "patriot's" website, rather than the rep's home address), and the bigoted comments that were alleged to've come from the middle of the Tea Party crowd a week or so ago were most likely done by people critical of those Democrats, rather than by false flag agent provocateur Democrats looking to frame the Tea Party, which is a far more convoluted, conspiracy-minded theory (both on the part of the provocateurs committing the acts, and the right wingers who're now claiming--with no more proof than they're demanding of those who say they know those acts were committed by the right--that that's what happened...)

Don't deny it.

I have no need to deny anything... I hold to the idea that the onus is on the individual(s) making the charge to back it up with whatever evidence (or speculation) they have... That's why you'll never hear me say that I know John Lewis was in fact called anything by anyone last week... I do find him credible and I do believe his story, but I also agree with you folks that so far, there is no concrete proof...

As far as these things go, I find Occam's Razor and plain old common sense to be persuasive... But that doesn't prove that I'm right, or that you're wrong, or much of anything else... As I said in a previous comment, unless/until someone offers something more concrete, folks'll just have to weigh what little evidence and "testimony" there is, put it together with common sense and human nature, and draw their own conclusions...

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Posted by repsac3 to The Oracular Opinion at March 30, 2010 6:48 PM, OO time (and apparently removed by the moderator sometime later, for reasons that are so far unclear to me... ...though I do intend to ask for clarification...

Political Bigotry of a Conservative?

repsac3 said...
This post has been removed by the author.
January 9, 2010 4:32 PM (Since the post to which I was replying was removed (by the bloggess, I assume), I removed my reply.)
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The Chronicles of a Conservative said:
"repsac3 and Sue alike. I note your personal attacks in the place of debate."

CoaC: You're welcome to your opinion, of course, but I suspect we have a different definition of "personal attack," because I don't believe I've attacked anyone personally. (Things folks have said, absolutely... But people themselves? Not so much...) Perhaps you might offer an example of one or two of these personal attacks...

"The ignorance and blindness of the Left is Amazing!"

Again, I have no clue who "the Left" (or "the Right," for that matter) is... I'm repsac3... If you have an issue with something I've said or done, talk to me, but don't pretend that I represent everyone who more or less agrees with me politically, or that I am responsible for every action taken by any liberal anywhere. In fairness, I will offer you the same courtesy.

"I am completely unconcerned for your well being, and would relish the opportunity to let you know that I think your blogs are despicable , as are your misguided, unAmerican viewpoints."

Have at it--preferably there, because I'm not sure it'd be a welcome subject, here--but please, if you do, be far more specific... Taking issue is fine. Generalized "I hate you because you don't agree with me" is just political bigotry, and there's far too much of that, already...

"Had your views any credibility, you would be looking to help Pam’s situation here"

And one does this how, exactly?
How is your comment helping Pam's situation?

Because I surely do not see much of anything here in your comment that's helpful to anyone, aside perhaps your own ego.
But by all means, teach on, CoaC... Tell us all how each of us can help Pam out, with you as our guide...
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The Chronicles of a Conservative (CoaC), who blogs at The Chronicles of a Conservative

In reply to a "thinking" man

In reply to "Frank The Thinking Man's" January 8, 2010 11:43 AM comment -- done here, because such a reply was no longer welcome where he'd posted the original comment. (In fact, the comment itself wasn't welcome there either, and was deleted by the owner of that blog before I was able to get this posted... What follows is all that Frank said, and my reply to every word.)
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Frank The Thinking Man, sez:
Hey repsac3, Get a life and stop analyzing everyone's comments!

Perhaps you might get a life and stop analyzing mine... I don't recall your even being in this conversation, up to now... (Besides, at best, I was only analyzing one person's comments--the person to whom I was actually talking--and only because his comments didn't make sense.)

I see that you've got you panties in a bunch again...

If you say so... though I'm pretty sure you don't even know me, which kinda makes one wonder what the hell you're talking about...

I honestly think that some of these people are living in La, La land. I smell anger and rebellion in each and every of your words here.

If you're smelling anything in words, I think we know who's really in LaLa land.
No, I'm not angry at all... In fact, I'm amused.

Why do people like her/him just keep coming back and back and back. Until they become a real pain in the ass.

Him, thanks... It's a conversation, Frank. One party talks, then the other responds, and so on... Sometimes others join in.... As far as I know, that's what bloggers who choose to keep their comment sections open are looking for, at least in part.

As for conversation or anyone engaged in it being a real pain in the ass, that's open to individual interpretation, I guess. I may well think the same of you and your contribution, though I'd likely be less willing to blurt it out, particularly at first meeting... Everyone's an asshole, sometimes... I try not to make snap judgments about folks...

I feel sorry for people like that. I really do. I honestly gave up and don’t care anymore about what anyone says on their blogs anymore, because everybody is going to say something that another person don’t like... .

Your words belie your actions, Frank... If you didn't care, you wouldn't've commented...

You are correct, however... No matter what one posts, someone's going to disagree. (Again, that's what the comment section of a blog is for, in part...)

Also, I am sick of people’s comments thinking they have the answers to solving everyone els’s problems.

In a strange way, Frank, that's how this whole thing got started... If a whole bunch of Pam's fellow conservatives hadn't slammed on her for posting on the sites of & being respectful to a few liberal bloggers--thinkin' they know better than her how Pam should conduct her online life, and being pretty damned insistent and disrespectful about it, besides--she never would've written the post to which POL, you & I replied.

I make no claim to having any answers, but like you & the rest of the folks who posted comments to Pam's "MY blog" post, I do have opinions, and I posted 'em. You needn't agree with 'em, but there's no need to make 'em into some kind of demands to follow into bliss. All I did was speak my mind, Frank... No more, and no less.

I suggest you people stop analyzing what’s wrong with me or the Professor or anyone else. . Stop bugging us with your useless comments already! How long is this going to go on. . You can’t analyze anyones feelings from just reading this blog. So stop it!

The only way people are going to stop judging you (or me, or anyone else) is if you stop putting yourself out there. No one critiques an unspoken thought. If you speak, people are going to judge you by what you say, so all I can tell you is you have two choices; Shut up or man up. (It gets pretty easy the more you actually do what you more or less suggested above--fail to care; Sometimes you have to look at the folks doing the judging, and decide how much or how little their (stupid) opinions matter to you or to anyone else, anyway... There's a whole lotta folks not worth one's attention.)

If the Professor says he don’t want to continue with this subject, why are YOU writing 2,000 more words to him?

Because, Frank, I'm not him, and I thought that some of what he said--both initially & in his subsequent comments--was a tad disingenuous. I replied, to say so. (As far as I know, there is no mystical blog rulebook that allows a person to spout whatever nonsense they like, and then insulate themselves from reply by saying they don't want to talk about it anymore. Like it or not, one cannot declare the conversation over just after granting themselves the last word.)

It seems to me that his explanation for deleting his own comment should be sufficient, so why question him?

I didn't question his explanation for deleting his comment--though I did subsequently disagree with it in a later comment. I questioned his hostility to the fact that I wasn't able to read his mind and know he was going to do so, and thus replied to the comment at the same time he was deleting it. To me, that was a valid question.


I get people talking about me politically on other blogs. I got people analyzing my site and my personality on other stupid blogs. What are you trying to do? Bring traffic to your site? If you can’t bring yourself to end a topic then that’s your frigge’n problem. TAKE IT TO YOUR BLOG. We’ve all been through some sort of crap in our lives and experiences, we don’t need you or anyone else to question us.

As I said above, as long as you put yourself out there, you're going to get people judging you. If you can't deal with being judged for what you say & how you say it, you'd be better off not speaking... The only other alternative is to accept that it's gonna happen, sometimes... It's the price of "fame."

As for what I'm doing, the answer is no more or less than you or any other person who comments on other folk's blogs is doing... So I guess the question can be turned 'round on you, sir... Looking for traffic, are you? (Or was it just that you thought had something relevant to say, perhaps?)

It's interesting that you simultaneously attack me for not ending the topic and continue the topic, yourself... You send a very mixed message, Frank... ...but perhaps you believe the rules are somehow different when you do the opposite of what you tell others to do... Practice what you preach, my friend.

Proffessor, if I were you, I’d ignore her/him. I know it’s hard, but I’m slowly starting to learn that if you pretend it didn’t happen–at least on the web, you can move on to someone or something else.

Sound advice... Now if only you'd thought to take it, yourself...
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The players:
Frank The Thinking Man,, blogger at Is Your Glass Half Empty or Half Full

Professor of Life (POL), blogger at Professor of Life

Pamela D. Hart, who blogs at The Oracular Opinion

And then me, of course...
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UPDATE, 4:10 PM: I'd gladly send this post to Frank, but he hasn't published his e-mail address on his profile
And, while I could post a link to this post as an off topic comment on his most recent blog post, it'd make me a hypocrite to do so, since I often delete such off topic chaff on my own blogs. If you have an opinion as to what you think I should do as far as this dilemma goes, feel free to leave it as a comment. I'll read it, though I can't promise I'll take your advice...