OK. Wait. “Lack of patriotism” in the press is a problem at the same time that the press being “politicized” is a problem? If the Perfesser isn’t careful, his eyes are gonna get stuck like that.

This is all I need to permanently remand my opinion of Blair to the “just like Glennbot” category. He and Glenn both pick on the more objective sources available as partisan, while ignoring bladly slanted media. It’s the continuing neocon/neoliberal’s postmodernist redefinition of reality as but another arbitrary, partisan position.

I’m so utterly sick of the passive-aggressive bullshit from the so-called moderate Wingnuts. “Oh, sure, doing X is wrong and I don’t condone it, but I understand why people want to do it and those who openly oppose X are fucking wrong/stupid/traitors/etc.”

Tucker Fucking Carlson is the master of the genre but Ye Olde Perfessore is a close second.

I usually fall over laughing when right wingers describe the BBC as left wing. Left Wing is an all round insult for anyone or any organization which disagrees with the ‘rah rah war’ position.

I have my own issues with the BBC but I will always defend it, there is a small group of people here in the UK who want to break up the BBC, they hate the Beeb because they have to be against it.

“Lack of patriotism”???? wtf? I can think of at least one occasion where the BBC had a gag order issued after “sensitive” information had been leaked to them. The story about the leaked info became the story about the government censoring BBC news content. Haven’t seen that happen yet in the states. So yes, I think Bradrocket’s original take as the UK government becoming more creepy and authoritative is not so far off base, at least from what I’ve seen living here.

*please note that I think most news media in the UK – especially print media – is shite. But it would be a scary thing if indeed some “regulation” were instituted just because the government didn’t like what was being said about them. Boo freakin’ hoo says I.

Lack of patriotism and honesty,

The simple fact that Glennbot can put the words ‘patriotism’ and ‘honesty’ together like that, while completely ignoring the fact that this administration considers them to be mutually exclusive, just further underlines his complete intellectual bankruptcy.

Of course, talking about der Professer’s intellectual bankruptcy is about like discussing the wetness of rain, so…

So, any bets on how long it’ll be before Ye Ole Perfessor becomes the Dean of Regent University Law School? He seems like a natural for the position…

shorter Perfesser: those are some short skirts the MSM is wearing.

Yeah, the media are all lying about iraq. Those 3500 american kids are just over there, playing fun games with those half-million iraqis, they’re gonna be home for dinner, so why is the press saying that they’re dead? You just wait, and better get a couple more chairs for the dinner table..

mikey

how can this man be teaching people about the constitution

Lack of honesty is grounds for regulation? Has he watched Faux?

Is Insty sure he wants the government stepping in to ensure quality in verbal communications? That’s only “utility” or “cull” grade output he’s trying to pass off as fit for human consumption, after all.

Just wtf is “Euro-style press regulation”?

Shorter Perfessor: The zeroth amendment should read “the following freedoms are null and void if used in any way to disagree with my personal opinions”

This might be some very well orchestrated saber rattling. In the US, at least, virtually every time the federal government has threatened regulating mass media, particularly entertainment but other media as well, the industries under scrutiny sidestepped and introduces some form of self-regulation.

Blair’s not stupid. He understands how crippling a regulated press would be and so he makes such comments in the hope that English media will be a bit better at self policing.

I do really wish we had Page 3 girls in the US, that would be a nice thing to adopt from British journalism.

Found this beaut at Townhall.com. I know it is off topic but what is a guy to do when he sees something as idiotic as this.

Hope SadlyNo finds this worthwhile.

On replacing Wyoming’s senator.

“Just forward one name to the Governor: Lynne Cheney. Actually, this is not a bad idea whether or not Cheney is a candidate. Why give the Democratic Governor, who will no doubt be on the phone with Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer throughout this, any discretion at all?”

“‘Just forward one name to the Governor: Lynne Cheney. Actually, this is not a bad idea whether or not Cheney is a candidate. Why give the Democratic Governor, who will no doubt be on the phone with Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer throughout this, any discretion at all?'”

But don’t you DARE call us unprincipled, partisan hacks, who give fuck all about good governance!!!

“Just wtf is “Euro-style press regulationâ€??”

Seriously, every European rag I’ve ever laid eyes on is pretty full of scathing attacks on the institutions of the Continent. Perhaps that is what the Perfeser means – regulation = permitting the press to scrutinize inept and corrupt leadership. I can see why that concept gets his panties in a bunch; it is, after all, the inept and corrupt leadership present in the United States that permits him to “earn” a paycheck.

Kathleen, that was fab.

“I’m sure that government regulation will be worse than press freedom, but irresponsible behavior tends to produce demands for government regulation.”

Our boy Glenn would *never* approve a government policy rounding up journalists and sending them to internment camps! Of course, should such a law happen to get itself passed (append list of useful models here), he would do his patriotic duty and report all the names on his Little List of non-patriotic journalists — as long as he could do the reporting by phone, or even better email, and didn’t have to wait in line or give his real name.

And once his uncivil, foulmouthed, sexually suspicious journalist neighbors had been taken away, he’d scurry over under the cover of darkness and steal — I mean, appropriate for loyalty testing — their nicer kitchen appliances.

That’s the problem with us progressives: We see everything as political. It’s just as though narcissism, greed, envy, and sloth weren’t the highest forms of human philosophy!

OT, or maybe not totally OT, since it’s about my very own wingnut perfesser:

As some of you recall, I was very worried when I found out my American Gov prof was an Iraq 28 percenter and a hard core anti-choicer. Well, I have to eat some crow:

Two papers and a quiz into the semester, and I have a perfect A. I didn’t pull any punches about my position, either. Turns out she isn’t a complete loon. You can express differences of opinion, and she is willing to debate the point, without getting all shrieky or anything. So I guess I’m guilty of a little partisan paranoia myself, and I am humbled and somewhat ashamed of myself.

I still don’t think that her plugs for rabid anti-choice organizations and planning to have a military recruiter in to talk to the class about ponies and rainbows brought to Iraq by the USA are really appropriate ways to teach government, and we can’t get through a class without at least one reference to her views, but at least she grades fairly, and I think I can get through this okay.

Gah, must run, I’m spending half my life in the law library… I miss whole days on here. Sadly, yes…

Candy, I’m thrilled to hear that your prof retains professional standards in grading — not least because it means I didn’t give you totally sucky advice on the earlier thread.

One suggestion: you might consider asking her whether she’d be willing to have a thoughtful, articulate war critic come in to balance the military recruiter’s talk. You could even volunteer to line someone up, in the interest of helping to create a well rounded discussion of the issues . . .

Turns out she isn’t a complete loon. You can express differences of opinion, and she is willing to debate the point, without getting all shrieky or anything.

There’s plenty of reasons for your initial impressions, Candy, and more show up right here on Sadly, No! every day.

I’m glad to hear that you’ve made out o.k.

I have to wonder how your professor justifies the behavior of so many of her peers.

Smiling Mortician, I’ve thought about that very thing, maybe calling Vote Vets or Veterans for Peace and seeing if they do that sort of thing.

Thunder, it’s really kind of sad, because she is so obviously just scared to death of the “terrorists among us” perhaps “living right here in this country, right next door!” Like most of these people, she’s very frightened of the Islamic bogeyman.

That’s kind of what worries me about wingnuts in general. Scared people do crazy things. I’m afraid that maybe the extreme right wingers, like the Patriot and Minutemen types, (not the chickenshit Cheetos brigade, of course), might be gearing up to do some very nutty stuff now that normal, non-batshit insane Americans start to wake up and realize that the war on terra ain’t ‘zactly working out as advertised.

The only ‘Euro-style press regulation’ I support is that the Graun stop fucking paying Glenn Reynolds for occasional spews of bullshit.

So what does Glenn Harlan Reynolds teach at the University of Tennessee?

Sophistry 101?

So I guess I’m guilty of a little partisan paranoia myself, and I am humbled and somewhat ashamed of myself.

Candy:

It’s not paranoid to be concerned that a professor who uses very emotional propaganda on her class may have other, and less savory, ways of enforcing her views. I am glad to find that she doesn’t, but you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.

Especially in the hyperpoliticized educational atmosphere that we have now, one should ask the questions you were asking. You were only looking at the situation and trying to plan for contingencies.