Item One: I was watching The Glenn Beck Show on CNN a couple of nights ago, and they were re-airing a program entitled “Exposed: The Extremist Agenda”. But it’s not the program I want to discuss, but rather the disclaimer that came at the beginning. These were Mr. Becks words:
“Before we show you the video tonight I want to reiterate a couple of things I said a year ago (when this program first aired). First, you’ve heard me say this a million times,
I am not a journalist – more importantly I don’t even pretend to be one, I wear it as a badge of honor that I am not – but I am always honest with you. And that’s what this hour is really all about, Honesty, not political correctness.Second, I’m a conservative so when you hear me talk about anything from politics to immigration to, yes, Islamic extremism, you have to understand that, like it or not, I express my opinions through that prism. Third, this next hour is not a balanced perspective on Islam or the Middle East. It wasn’t meant to be. It is an important part of the story. “
So why are we discussing this today? Because quite frankly, these are words that you will never hear from a liberal. Think about it, would you ever turn on Keith Olbermann and hear him say “I am a liberal, and the comments I make tonight will be filtered through the prism of liberalism”? Of course not, because liberals don’t think that their comments are left-leaning, they think they are middle of the road, and anyone who doesn’t agree with their point of view is the extremist.
Look, my views are conservative, and in my mind they are the right views. HOWEVER, I realize that A) not everyone shares my opinions, and B) other opinions are also valid. There is rarely one answer that works for everyone, and we need to be open to other thinking.
I’m not saying that all Liberals are closed minded, nor am I saying that there aren’t plenty of closed minded conservatives out there. But the thing that I find interesting – I’d say that I find it funny, but after awhile it stops being humorous – That thing is that liberals constantly are touting themselves as tolerant, although apparently that tolerance doesn’t extend to conservatives.
Next item: From time to time I start at one persons blog, and then go to another persons blog via a link on the first site, and then another, and another, and pretty soon I’m ten links deep. Well, that happened the other day, and my eye caught a banner ad for a company called “carryabigstick.com”. They make bumper stickers and T-shirts. Well, this ad claimed that this about their “Bush Lied, They Died” T-shirt: “These shirts are illegal in five states and could soon be illegal nationwide. As seen on CNN, NPR, USA Today, and of course, FOX-News.”
Okay, so the impression I got was that these folks were having their first A
mendment rights being taken away from them, and of course that’s the impression they want you to have. Better hurry up and but that shirt now you rebel, before “The Man” shuts us down.So what gives? Well, I did a little digging, and found out that “In early 2006, at the urging of certain family members who lost loved ones in Iraq, legislators in Oklahoma and Louisiana introduced legislation intended to stop the sale of the shirts. Federal legislation was introduced during the summer of 2006 to outlaw such products nationwide.”
Is this censorship? Of course not, it is simply illegal to sell a shirt – or any product for that matter – with the names of individuals without the permission of those persons, or, in the case of a deceased person, that persons family.
And that’s the way it should be. If you disagree, then let me put your name on a T-shirt supporting…. well, it really doesn’t matter what the shirt is supporting, since you seem to think I don’t need your permission.
Man, those guys at Carry A Big Stick sure are rebels, sticking it to the man like that. Who knows, they may even sell enough of these shirts to eventually move out of their Mom’s basement. Sheesh……
4 comments:
I get to see Glenn on Wednesday! :) And am still waiting for his book to arrive. :(
With many people, no matter the politics, the only rights that matter ae the ones the, persoanlly, care about. And screw everyone else.
Well said Jody! That really is the root of our divisiveness isn't it. We maybe all need to "get over ourselves" a little bit. And Bob, your Beck quote, "That thing is that liberals constantly are touting themselves as tolerant, although apparently that tolerance doesn’t extend to conservatives." I always thought, That thing is that conservatives constantly are touting themselves as open minded, although apparently that open mindedness doesn’t extend to liberals. Which is why I always say, just because conservatives keep saying they are open minded doesn'mean it's true. We could all stand a little more tolerance and open-mindedness for sure. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Chris, if you reread my column you'll see where I said that A) All liberals aren't close-minded, and B) plenty of conservatives are. You are 100% right when you say that just because conservatives keep saying they are open minded doesn't mean it's true, and that sentiment holds true for both sides.
That is why I am really pulling for Obama for your nomination. While I don't agree awith a lot of his positions, I do believe that he is sincere and open minded. On January 20th of 2009 we will end 20 years of Clinton/Bush rule, and the only way we are going to move forward as a nation is to elect someone NOT named Bush (not a problem) or Clinton (possible problem). I Look forward to your next post on the Obama/Oprah rally.
I'm with ya on that Bob. I was adressing Beck's comments. And I'm with that both sides need to do a better job, and I'm with ya that we don't need another Clinton! OMG! What is happening to us Bob?
...I have never been able to sit through an entire Glen Beck broadcast, however, eeewwweee.
Obama/Oprah has been put back a day because of the media thingy I did. It's kinda crazy for me right now, I'm backed up with topics. THAT NEVER HAPPENS! Hope you had a good weekend.
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