Roundup and Commentary - 5/18/09

Have a firm handshake.

15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever

I remember there was a time when I was embarrassed to be a Mr Rogers/PBS fan--I was 4-6 years old, & my cousins were watching cartoons, and laughed at me for wanting to switch over to my special friend--but looking back, I'm proud to've known the man... ...figuratively, anyway... I'm pretty sure he affected how I see things, even to this day.

mental_floss Blog - 15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever

I'll give you all the info on my favorite reason--#5--but you'll have to follow the link for the rest of the stories.

01. Even Koko the Gorilla loved him

02. He Made Thieves Think Twice

03. He Watched His Figure to the Pound!

04. He Saved Both Public Television and the VCR

05. He Might Have Been the Most Tolerant American Ever
Mister Rogers seems to have been almost exactly the same off-screen as he was onscreen. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first. Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead face them and say, with sincerity, “God loves you just the way you are.” Often this provoked ire from fundamentalists.

06. He Was Genuinely Curious about Others

07. He was Color-blind

08. He Could Make a Subway Car full of Strangers Sing

09. He got into TV because he hated TV.

10. He was an Ivy League Dropout.

11. He composed all the songs on the show...

12. He was a perfectionist, and disliked ad libbing.

13. Michael Keaton got his start on the show...

14. Several characters on the show are named for his family.

15. The sweaters.

h/t to Brett McKay (brettmckay) on Twitter

Roundup and Commentary - 5/14/09

It does no good to try to impress a person with some thought he can't relate to.
But if you can make him realize the obvious, that might change his life.

Commentary:

Bachmann: Remember the Amero! (Old post UPDATED, in reply to another Donald Douglas link) and American Power: Will Leftists Launch 'Currency Trutherism' Against Nouriel Roubini? (Read the post, follow the conversation in the comments.)

Dirty Carrie, Sarah Palin, and free speech: American Power: Palin Backs Prejean, Blasts "Liberal Onslaught" (Before anyone gets excited, "Dirty, nude, Carrie Prejean" is one of the top google set of search terms. I don't, in fact, think Carrie Prejean is a dirty girl, and challenge those gleefully counting all the blog hits to verbally denounce those pervs coming to their political blogs for the nudie pix, and to change the wording of their posts so that they no longer show up. You "Rule 5" folks know who you are...)

The drunk dating habits of wingnut trolls: Kind and Gentle Progressive Eruptions: MICHELLE OBAMA MAKES TOP 100 LIST FOR MAXIM MAGAZINE'S "HOTTEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD"

Ephemera:

Wordie: RepMasterBarebacker3: Sorry girls... The "college man" behind clever nicknames like this one is already married... ...and besides, I have it on good authority that he's a doodiehead.

Roundup and Commentary - 5/13/09

The key to everything is to find balance. - George Lucas

Commentary:

Investigate how America came to torture, and let the political and legal chips fall where they may, without regard for partisan politics: American Power: On Torture, Democrats Have No Decency

Roundup and Commentary - 5/11/09

What works for you may not work for someone else. So what makes you think your way is so much better?

Commentary:

Satire? Close, but no meatstick: And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Everyone's Racist, But the Racists

Ephemera:

Conservative lesbian makes with "teh gay prez" joke that's sweeping wingnuttia like a CA wildfire. By golly, it's almost like satire -- but no, it isn't: Activism wasn’t the only thing Barack experimented with in college … — Cynthia Yockey

Roundup and Commentary - 5/10/09

Commentary:

Someone doesn't know what satire means: And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Everyone's Racist, But the Racists

"'taking down' 'nihilist' windmills like a punchdrunk Don Quixote," Gay Marriage Strikes Again: Part 2

Mother’s Day: 5 Things (still) Worth Knowing

It's a repeat from last year, and yet, it's still fresh and timely. Also see: Mother's Day Proclamation, another retread from Mother's Days past.
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mental_floss Blog: Notes on the History of Mother’s Day: 5 Things Worth Knowing

Mother’s Day: 5 Things Worth Knowing
by David K. Israel - May 8, 2008 - 4:49 PM

1. Mother of the Pharaohs

As with many of our calendar-specific events and customs, some of the earliest records of a society honoring a mother can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, who held an annual festival for the goddess Isis, sometimes referred to as the Mother of the Pharaohs.

Given the following list of a.k.a.’s, it’s no wonder she had her own day of celebration (top this moms!): Queen of Heaven, Mother of the Gods, The One Who is All, Lady of Green Crops, The Brilliant One in the Sky, Star of the Sea, Great Lady of Magic, Mistress of the House of Life, She Who Knows How To Make Right Use of the Heart, Light-Giver of Heaven, Lady of the Words of Power, and She Who Dominates the Remote (okay, okay, but she probably WOULD have, had there been remote control domination issues at the time).

2. Magna Mater

Of course, the Greeks and Romans had to have something like an Isis day, too. In Greece, there was a special day to celebrate the annual spring festival, in honor of Rhea, the Mother of Zeus, a.k.a., “The mother of the Gods.” The Roman’s (and some Greeks) called her Cybele, or Magna Mater. According to a few sources, male Magna Mater wannabees would castrate themselves, don women’s clothing and assume female identities. (Do we know any modern-day mom’s who’ve had the same effect on men?)

3. The Mother of all Churches

As Christianity spread through Europe, it became fashionable to honor the church in which one was baptized. People would honor their “mother church” with flowers on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ. Then, in England, in the 1600s, a decree took hold, widening the celebration to include actual mothers, and voila, we have the birth of “Mothering Sunday,” as it was called. Christians were also allowed to eat on this Lenten Sunday, which meant a one-day break from the 40 day pre-Easter fast. In addition to flowers, it was a time for families to travel in order to be together, much like our present-day Mother’s Day.

4. The Hymn for Womyn

What do Mother’s Day and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” have in common? Julia Ward Howe, of course. It was her eyes that saw much more than the glory of the coming of the Lord. In 1870, 12 years after penning the infamous lyric, she wrote a Mother’s Day Proclamation that said:

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts…
We women of one country
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.

It was an anti-war protest of sorts, in which she insisted on an international Mother’s Day celebrating peace and motherhood. She proposed July 4th, but ultimately June 2nd was picked as the day. The new holiday, however, slowly fizzled out and by 1900, it was no longer celebrated.

5. The Hallmark of Hard Work

Then, in 1908, Mother’s Day was born again at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, thanks to the efforts of one Anna M. Jarvis, who was looking to honor her mother Anna Reeves Jarvis, who’d recently passed away after spending more than 20 years teaching Sunday school at the church. Every mom who showed up to the memorial received 2 white carnations. The event was so successful, Anna quit her job and went all over the country petitioning state governments, women groups, churches, anyone who’d get behind her cause to create a national Mother’s Day. Her hard work paid off and in 1912, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day. Two years later, good old President Woodrow Wilson signed it into national observance, reserving the second Sunday in May as the official Mother’s Day. And there was much rejoicing in the offices of Hallmark. (You think I’m joking, but the card company was founded in 1910, so it’s entirely possible.)

Roundup and Commentary - 5/9/09

All people are born free and equal.

X-Post: Donald Douglas sez: Democrats are Racists

American Nihilist X-Post

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American Power: Mainstream Bigotry and Racism on the Democratic-Left

Once could parse the thing, explaining why each of his allegations makes no sense (in fact, someone did), but sometimes Donald is best exposed as the intellectually and morally bankrupt individual he is by simply reading his own words.

You have to read the whole thing to get the full effect, but here is my favorite paragraph:

"But, of course, the nihilists endlessly deny leftist bigotry and intolerance, for example, at my Garofalo post, where Repsac3 suggested that "No single individual is representative of the whole group." So true, that's why you have to link around to show just how common leftist bigotgry is today. What we find is that genuine, widespread, and MAINSTREAM bigotry in contemporary American politics is on the radical left end of the spectrum. See more of this at American Nihilist, Impending Arrival of BlackState

There's "widespread mainstream" bigotry on the "radical left" (defined in this piece and others as the Democratic party)? Associate Professor of Political Scienc,e Donald Douglas... You're one of the few whose performance is so bad, you should quit your day job. You are no doubt the weakest link. Thanks for sharing, though...

Others Blogging:
alicublog: IRONY-POOR BLOOD
Whiskey Fire: Black Ghost Pie
Sadly, No! � Creep Learning Curve
(Read the comments... They're at least as good as the posts, themselves...)

Roundup and Commentary - 5/8/09

Remember other people's birthdays.

Blog Post:
Donald Douglas sez: Democrats are Racists

Commentary:

Namecalling, Lies, and disingenuous wording; All in a day at American Power: American Power: Old-Fashioned, Un-Subtle Bigotry Against Traditional Families

Donald Douglas misses the point. The only person responsible for offensive words and deeds are the individuals that perform them, not everyone in the political or social group to which they belong.: American Power: Mainstream Bigotry and Racism on the Democratic-Left

More reaction to Donald Douglas' "Dems are bigots" post"

Roundup and Commentary - 5/7/09

America was not built by conformists, but by mutineers. - Jim Hightower

Commentary:

More about bigotry, or the lack of it: Beer: Definitely a check; Steers: Well, he eats red meat, so check; Queers: Eh, not so much | Comments from Left Field

The "outrageous" "offensive" tip of the movement iceberg: American Power: Inside the Mind of an Extremely Bitter Gay Man

"Breeder": Homosexual slur for people who contribute to population growth, or term for those who have kids, but don't parent them? (or, is it just a member of a good 80's band?): American Power: Old-Fashioned, Un-Subtle Bigotry Against Traditional Families x2

The establishment clause, and the art of not being "better than": Conservatives Live in a Different Moral Universe than Liberals-- And Here's Why It Matters

Posting the name of God in public, Hate speech, and Political correctness: Is it just me...

Roundup and Commentary - 5/5/09

The secret of life is balance, and the absence of balance is life's destruction. - Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary:

"People don't understand the dictionary—it's called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. {SNIP} I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children." - Joe (Sam), the (non) Plumber. But Donald Douglas, (the Professor) says Sammy Joe's not a bigot: PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts - More on JTP’s Comments as well as, Beer: Definitely a check; Steers: Well, he eats red meat, so check; Queers: Eh, not so much - Comments from Left Field

Roundup and Commentary - 5/4/09

The angry people are those who are most afraid.

Commentary:

Response to a non-response: Immoderate Monk: "Biological Equality" Man of Straw

"...NEVER let an opportunity go to denigrate the president" or, How people gawking at the president & his wife out on a date in public become an "army of followers": American Power: Obama's Army of Followers It takes a real mean streak...

Blacks self report feeling better about their standard of living since Obama took office. Real, or a "PlacebObama?": American Power: Change! Blacks Better Off Under Obama

Roundup and Commentary - 5/2/09

Respond to rudeness with kindness.

Commentary:

Partisan political pettiness (compared to remembering those killed on 9/11, anyway), socialism, and of course, tea bagging: Is it just me...

Specter ain't the only one who came out: Flopping Aces - Specter Comes Out - Philly Bloggers Respond

What's in my pocket? W.R. Case & Sons “What’s In Your Pocket?” Pocket Knife Giveaway | The Art of Manliness

X-Post: American Power: Professor Douglas Catches "Nihilist" Spelling Error!

American Nihilist X-Post
---

Professor Donald Douglas caught "nihilist" blogger Dr. Hussein Biobrain's misspelling of the name of newly minted Democrat Senator Arlen Specter as "Arlon" late yesterday, and did his best to broadcast it throughout his network, posting about it as a blog post or comment on at least three different blogs. While it appeared to be big time news to Donald, reaction to the misspelling from friend and foe alike was pretty much non-existent. As of the time of this writing, no one has verbally joined in and laughed with professor Douglas, or defended Biobrain's letter choices at any of Douglas' posts on the subject. We'll update this post should that change.

Meanwhile, we take you to Donald's most wordy comment on the subject, found at his own "American Power" blog: Arlon the Democrat!:
---
Look, we all make mistakes blogging, and in the blogosphere your adversaries will be the first to point them out!

If anyone would know that, it'd be Donald. When he's not making his own errors, he's writing outlandish posts like this one, making fun of some "enemy nihilist" who did.

So, let me take this opportunity to get a good laugh out of Dr. Hussein "There's No Class Warfare" Biobrain and his post on Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, "Arlon the Democrat."

No, no one really knows why Donald occasionally tosses in irrelevant links to arguments he's lost, like the one here about class warfare, except to say he apparently thinks he came out on top, there... Sad.

Yes, that's right: "Arlon" Specter. I thought Dr. Biobrain was laying down the snark, since that's pretty much all the guy does (being unable to provide actual critical commentary and analysis on the issues). But no, this post is genuine, "Arlon the Democrat":

Notice Donald's need to keep talking about his delusion that he is superior to the person he's attacking, telling the reader--without proof, as usual-that Bio is unable to provide actual critical commentary and analysis on the issues. (Like Donald does in this brilliant critical commentary about Bio's misspelling of the word "Arlen," I guess...)

One of the big things I don't understand about the debate on Senator Specter's switch to the Democratic Party is how his detractors imagine they're making any sense ....

I think we're going to see a different Arlon Specter. I think Arlon is looking out for Arlon and that means he's going to be siding with us. Not that he'll take the lead on much or give as much support as we'd like, but I predict that he'll be a much better Democrat now that he's a Democrat.

Okay, I admit it: I typed in Arlen "Spector" when I first wrote about the defection yesterday, but caught it before hitting "publish." Maybe Phil Spector's murder conviction had something to do with it, being recent news and all.

This is the kicker... Donald's misspelling of "Specter" is perfectly reasonable... It was a simple mistake that could happen to anyone. Professor Douglas even goes out of his way to rationalize it. But Biorain's misspelling of "Arlen?" Completely different. Proof of sheer stupidity, even. It's classic Donald Douglas.

But "Arlon"?

Where in the world did that come from?

It's a misspelling, Professor. It probably just seemed right, at the time... (How many people do you know named Arlen, anyway...?)

Pray tell, what are your theories?

Klingon?

Doubt it.

A Biobrain turn-on?

Oh look... It's Donald Douglas' big gay Malaysian lover, again... The last time Donald went on a mostly off-topic posting spree to a whole bunch of other folks' blogs like this, it was because he found a link on someone's blog that lead to a website, which in turn linked to a blogroll with 1290 blogs listed on it, and one of the blogs on that list belonged to Donald's new man-crush, a gay Malaysian guy who Donald keeps posting about, all the while accusing everyone else of being "too gay friendly," if ya know what I mean, because there are less than six degrees of internet separation between this gay Malaysian and the folks on my blogroll... (Of course, Professor Douglas is on my blogroll...) I debunked his batshit crazy theory at length here, but Donald is not one to let go of a bone, no matter how rancid.

Beats me?

We pretty much always beat you, Donald... We suspect that that's why you're so cranky.

Maybe Dr. BioDenialistBarebackerNihilist needs to take a break from Reppy's place so he can catch up on some actual news and information!

Actually, apart from the unfortunate misspelling that has so entranced professor Douglas, Bio offered a pretty cogent analysis of the actual news of Arlen's party switch. Perhaps you agree, or perhaps you don't, but one would have to be a fool to suggest that Bio was not discussing actual news.


Posted by Donald Douglas at 5:32 PM Labels: Democratic Party, Radical Left

---

Fascinating stuff, obviously. But of course, that's not all...

Check out his contribution to Bio's blog, where the dreaded misspelling actually took place:

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"Arlon? Klingon?

Dr. BioDenialistBarebackerNihilist needs to step away from the TV!

It seems to me it's professor Douglas who has this fascination with TV sci-fi languages, not Bio...

I'm looking for the snark here, but I think you just don't know how to spell the guy's name...

I think he's on to something here... The professor must be a super-genius, to've figured that out...

Or, maybe you've just heard of Arlen Specter right now, this week...

A theory disproved by the post to which Donald's replying, not that he'd notice... (The fact that he recognized the spelling error is itself kinda surprising...)

...when he threw whatever principles he had to wind in selling out to the dark side.

Popular opinion on both sides of the aisle seems to be that Arlen Specter was always on the fence, politically. The theory that he's suddenly changed his principles is not widely accepted by much of anyone.

But please, don't correct it. This is gold. No wonder you blog anonymously, LOFL!!

It took Donald three tries to get every word in a comment correct last night. (He deleted the evidence, of course, but those who get comments via e-mail see all the deleted, disappeared commentary...) The idea that a misspelled word in the blog post of an "enemy" so tickles him says a lot about the kind of man Donald really is...

Yo, I have an accountant here who can help you pay WAY more in taxes! Ouch!"

Ouch, indeed.
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Still want more? Donald apparently did. Not content to shoot his "misspelled word" wad at Bio's blog and his own, he next came to visit here at American Nihilist, and spread his happy at a post having nothing to do with Specter, Biobrain, misspellings, or anything else that might be considered vaguely relevant.

While the content was removed from that post for being off-topic, it was cleverly kept alive and viable, for a post such as this one. Here then, is that missing content:

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I love it, "Arlon the Democrat!".

You nihilist nasties are the best!
---

Man... If that don't show us, nothing will.

When I confronted professor Douglas about his off-topic post, his reply was some whiney rant about this blog, having very little to do with anything up to now, not even the all important spelling error:

Repsac3: Take it down. Take American Nihilist down, okay. Your whole program is an attack on me personally, and my blogging, and my values.

You are full of hypocritical baloney!

I posted to American Nihilist because that's your anti-Douglas blog. I did not post at Batnutz, or What'd I Say, or ... well, any of your other half dozen excoriation blogs.

I commented at where you guys attack me as Doug the Dog and God knows what else.

TAKE IT DOWN! Then I'll respsect your space.

My favorite part is, of course, the spelling error in professor Douglas' comment. When I casually call him on it in the next comment, saying, "Donald, I think you've already proven that it's highly unlikely you'll ever "respsect" me or my space. You're just not a particularly "respsectful" person...", his reply is a case in karmic justice:

"...unlikely you'll ever "respsect" me..."

God man, learn to spell. You're getting to be as bad as Biobrain.

Being identified as nihilist is an ideological characterization, not a personal attack. That is what you and your henchmen are, nihilist.

I seriously doubt anyone would believe "Doug the Dog" has anything to to with debating ideas. In fact, this blog is about ideas. American Nihilist is about excoriating me personally, and in the most demonically deviant way. The stuff you and your allies post there is literally beyond belief. And you love to play gotcha ...

Yet, now you hypocritically cry foul.

Of course, turnabout is fair play. Quit your whining or take it down.

That's right... Donald Douglas attacks me for his typo. Brilliant. Typical. Donald.

I also love how his blog is about ideas. Ideas like how to attack people for spelling errors, apparently...

There's more, including how Donald finds it significant that missing a typo is different from missing an actual spelling error--a distinction that seems to make him feel less stupid for his typo and his attacking me for it, I guess--and his suggestion that I write this post (Thanks professor.), but you can follow the existing links and read the whole thing for yourselves...

In another recent post, Donald Douglas threw a little hissy fit about people not believing he is a college professor, or worrying about his students. (He'll tell you "Note here that I am just reporting this, not complaining.," which he seems to think inoculates him from the obvious conclusion that most reading it will draw from his rant; he's complaining.) And, while he tries to make it about ideology, the vast majority of folks that I've seen questioning his being a professor do so after reading one of these unprofessional, immature, petty attacks on others over things like spelling errors, that are sadly so frequent on his blog. I think most Americans want to believe that when they send their kids to college, it isn't to have them taught by someone who will comment on three separate blogs about a guy's spelling error. I think they expect more...

Roundup and Commentary - 5/1/09

Wake up and watch a sunrise at least once a year.

Blog:

American Power: Professor Douglas Catches "Nihilist' Spelling Error!

Commentary:

Gay marriage, diplomacy, and definitions: The Joan of Arc, and/or Joe the Plumber of the Anti-Gay Marriage Movement

There just isn't enough good news...

11-year-old hero saves
friend's life

Lonnie Knight receives award for
quick thinking

Cynthia Smoot
BROOKSVILLE - 11-year-old Lonnie Knight and 10-year-old Roderick Reynolds have been friends since pre-kindergarten. But they never imagined that one of them would save the other's life.

Read the rest here.

Roundup and Commentary - 4/30/09

America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense...human rights invented America - Jimmy Carter

Commentary:

Donald Douglas, superiority, spelling, nihilism, and underlying arguments: American Power: Arlon the Democrat! x2