April 27, 2005

Suspend disbelief

Ok, we all know that people comment on the DU boards for one of two reasons (mostly):
1. They have no where else to spew their hateful ignorant shite.
2. They're right-wing gluttons for punishment and trolling.

Elizabeth Edwards has been a commenter at DU for quite a while including some notable comments about the "reign of witches" etc. Today, however, she serves as a voice of reason on the hate-board. In a discussion of Laura Ingraham's recently discovered (and just yesterday removed) breast cancer, Mrs. Edwards takes the high road. A breast cancer patient herself, she says, in part:

"I have been a Democrat for a long time, and part of the Democratic principles that attracted me as a young person and kept me a Democrat all these years is our compassion. Democrats are simply good and decent people. And good and decent people want everyone to do well -- those who agree with them and those who do not. We fight for the right of voices with which we disagree to speak out, for the right of people to say things we don't believe to be true, even for the right to be malicious and mean-spirited. If we fight for the right for LI to say what she says, how in the world can we use our disagreement with those words as an excuse not to be compassionate in her fight with cancer. Being willing to have her voice muted by illness is the same thing as not wanting her voice to be heard. It is not Democratic or democratic."

AKA You've really lost it this time you unbelievably ignorant fools.

She speaks of Democrats as good and decent people, which most, in fact, are, being concerned with social justice and peace, after all. But she's preaching to the wrong crowd. The DU boards are filled with the kind of crazy doctrinal hate speech that lefties are so wont to accuse righties of spewing.

Like Mrs. Edwards, I can even understand some of these retards being happy that Ms. Ingraham is off the air while she convalesces from her surgery, but to wish her death because you disagree with her politics? Come on. I thought you all were the compassionate party of peace and love and free speech.

Oh that's right. Only for the people who agree with you.

I can't tell you how appalled I am that these people have left simple human decency and compassion behind just because the object of their discussion happens to be a conservative. I hate to say it, but isn't that what happened in Germany? In Turkey? In the USSR? When the people you don't like/disagree with/blame politically become less than deserving of your compassion, less than human, perhaps, it's time to start rethinking your strategy. Otherwise you become no better than Hitler, Attaturk, or Stalin.

BTW, it's not like the voice of reason had any effect, even from someone like Mrs. Edwards. While there are a few posts agreeing with her, check out some of the posts AFTER Mrs. Edwards had her say:

She probably gave it to herself...

I don't pray for Nazis or other Totalitarian Scum (there are a lot of entries of people declining to pray for Ms. Ingraham based on her politics)

I hope she goes into remission and fucking chokes to death. (This tard has an upside down US flag as his avatar)

There are more. Including this little gem hoping she goes bankrupt paying for her medical bills and loses her house and faces ridicule.

Unbelievable. Here's a hint, Howie: the more we hear about this kind of thing, the more you lose touch with the center. No matter how any biblical references you pull out.

(h/t Michelle Malkin)

Posted by caltechgirl at April 27, 2005 01:37 PM
Comments

After reading some of those comments on that DU board, I have only one question: How do I clean myself off now??!

Speaking more generally of the DU, this may be slightly OT— then again, perhaps not: last night I attended a meeting of our local Lions Club, at a tavern in a nearby town. On the wall right next to the bar was a poster, with an American flag on it and underneath it the text: "God Bless America" —George W. Bush, September 11, 2001

And suddenly I suffered a flashback to my long-ago days in the academic halls of political correctness, and I thought to myself, gee, I'm glad I no longer live from day to day in a setting where people would reflexively mock and sneer at a poster like this...

As for those comments on that DU board, I repeat: How do I clean myself off now?!

Posted by: Paul Burgess at April 27, 2005 06:46 PM