The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Know thy Enemy' Edition...
The ancient Chinese military tactician Sun Tzu (400-320 BC) wrote in his acclaimed work, The Art of War...
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
I whole-heartedly believe in that wisdom and think that progressives should peruse conservative web sites regularly in order to keep up with current conservative trends, strategy and dogma. i.e Know thy Enemy.
That said, the question is... Do you read any conservative web sites and if so, which ones?
The replies, in the order they were received...
Adam in NoHo was first with...
I read some of the Freeper reaction to various topics when user posts get cut and pasted into Pam's House Blend. Ugh- the ignorance is enough to make me ill the once or twice a month that happens. It's hard to listen to voices that are that will-fully misinformed.
DC Madman is next...
No, I prefer to not waste my time with conservative web sites. The many progressive blogs do a good job monitoring the conservative wasteland finding the shiny nuggets of wingnuttery. I suspect conservative web sites are mostly populated by the unreachable 25 percenters who are authoritarian followers. Any attempt to reason with them is wasted and will be met with ridicule and hostility rather than rational discussion. I'd much rather take on a conservative in a public forum like a letter to the editor where I have the chance of swinging a borderline 25 percenter to my side. Conservative web sites are not good for my blood pressure.
Joe with the Big J adamantly wrote...
No, no, no. I don't read anything by the conservatives. It's all lies and it raises my blood pressure. Besides, I know all those sonsabitches are out to get me and I don't have to read about it. Oh yeah, I know what you're thinking. Well just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
(LOL. No, Joe, I wasn't thinking that! Really, I wasn't!)
Paul in Seattle warns...
That Art of War quote is quite true in most ways because for every Ying there is a Yang.
Perusing whack job web sites or listening to Pigboy or InsHanitty or Glen Blech or the Wiener Savage may give you insight on their vileness. But the cost is that one feels slimed and dirtied by that exposure.
As Spock once said "Constant exposure does result in a certain amount of contamination"
or as Nietzsche said "If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
(Yikes! Why am I suddenly hearing the theme music to The Twilight Zone? Haha...)
lbradway asks...
Why bother with radical conservative web sites?... Every comment on freerepublic is copied and pasted and thrown up on every blog and local newspaper site anyway.
DanD said...
Well, yeah it's true, the neo-version of "conservative" does know its enemy well because -- before those Trotskyites became conservatards -- they were nothing more than a Democrat wingnut crowd.
So, are you wondering if the "progressives" of the Democratic Party should fight fire with fire?
Or that they should only study "the enemy's" tactics in order to know what they're fighting ... . As my experience has revealed, to know your enemy, you only need to know yourself. Yet now, within the very heart of the Obamanation, while no longer being considered "cool," torture is still religiously being ignored, at least as far as eliminating it is concerned.
Objectivity, that's where it's all really at. Never get too (personally) involved with your enemies methods and tactics, lest they begin affecting your own agenda, especially when you start treating their methods as subjects of admiration. That's what actually happened to the Republican Party. That group's core of "true believers" were so intent on "fighting" its own mirror-image enemies of communism and fascism that it has functionally become its own worst nightmare ~
In that famous observation of Pogo, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
(I plead guilty to that concerning some of my life's decisions, I'm tellin' ya, haha!)
joe with the little j with some recommendations...
Hi Bob... I don't go to wingnut sites, I get my info from Bart, Zepp, MoJo, Marty, Media Matters, Jon Stewart, Colbert and MSNBC's Rachel, Keith and Ed. I get angry enough just watching and reading what they say, let alone going to the enemy web sites. Bob, I was sorry to see that MSU lost to N. Carolina in basketball but
at least it was between two Blue States.
(Yeah, the Spartan loss was a bummer. Particularly so for me as I had picked them to go all the way and was in the running for $10K in a national contest. Oh, so close! But, they made us proud because so few thought they'd get that far. Thanks, joe!)
SallyP(al) surprisingly reports...
Before the election, NO! I just couldn't take the bold-faced lying by the cable news, the right-wing talk show hosts, and yes, many newspapers. You (not specifically you, but the collective "You") can say a lot about the left: Ie. "Too lib er al." "NOT patriotic," "Too many social programs," "They do not wear flag pins..." but we DON'T freaking lie about them - blah, blah, blah - and the location of WMDs in particular...
But now, that has changed. Yes, on occasion I do listen to the Right-wing A-holes - always whining because President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, or various other Democratic targets, did this - or that - only yesterday they were PO'd because he, "Didn't adopt a Pound dog!" Of course I still hate them, and usually want to punch their lights out after two minutes of their claptrap crapola... But at least I can now get through the two minutes before barfing...
Charlie says ...
Seldom
While your point is well taken, I seldom look at them; I looked at Free Republic a few years ago when I first got wind of it, and decided rather quickly that it wasn't worth the time. I am, now and then, subjected to Limbaugh or Hannity, and that is enough. It is also giving most of them too much credit by calling them "conservative." Though I can't find a reference to it, and though he mentioned in an interview
that he listens to talk radio, Chomsky has stated that progressives looking at right-wing sites is a needless distraction, though of course he can instantly see through things that most of us need to do research
to refute. I do, when I encounter trolls on progressive sites, explore their arguments and investigate their claims if they are not transparently ludicrous; this is often helpful, and can be quite revealing. One thing I pay particular attention to is climate disruption and its deniers. If one does peruse right-wing sites, one
should also probably visit liberal/progressive sites such as FAIR and Media Matters, which spend more time refuting the so-called conservative arguments than most of us have.
(Chomsky also said " If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all". I agree with him entirely in that regard)
And, Tom Loud )O( Yer Friendly Neighborhood Folksinger, running a bit late, chimed in with:
I gotta chime in late on the question of "Know Thy Enemy" I do read the American Concervative. They were kind enough to send a free subscription of the hard copy. I do recommend it. www.amconmag.com It was fun to watch the old line concervatives pronouncing the death of the Rupublican party at the hands of the Neo-Cons. This issue contains a warning about, are you ready?, The Foreign Policy Initiative!! The teaser states plainly that it's PNAC again AND that Iraq is their fault. Off sets the blythe staments about "liberal's contempt for human life".
I also keep an eye on sites that watch Rush and Faux and the like for me. I do click on the links and many times pass good stuff around to my list.
I also watch the RNC pages and C-SPAN. Mmmm, Congressional porn...
A war of ideas is fought, first, with words. Take some time and know what they say to each other and it is much easier to refute. Mostly they are repeating talking points that have bullets instead of facts and citations. If you read real things you will find it as natural as breathing to shot down a bullet with a fact attached to a citation.
Remember! 4 out of 5 factual statistics are made up on the spot! Citations Rule!
Well, Poll-fans, a grand turn-out... I am surprised, though, that the answers were unanimous in that there is little, if any, interest in what the competition is up to in their own words. As for me, yes, I do. Not many, but I do... Progressively, I also read Buzzflash, Common Dreams, DU, AHNC, MoveOn and Bartcop (of course!) daily. I check in with The Progressive and The Nation at least 2-3 times a week. Alternet and Consortium, too.... So there it is! Thanks to all responders and as I always say, Yer the Best!
New Question
The 'Fantasy Island' Edition
Time out! I'm callin' a 'time out' from reality this week... No politics. No Economics. No wing-nuts. No war... Let's engage in a little reverie, shall we? C'mon! It'll be fun!
Given that you had the time and wherewithal to go anywhere you'd wish for a dream vacation, where would go to and what would you do once there?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
Michael Dare
Absolutely Everything Else
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
MAUREEN DOWD: The Aura of Arugulance (nytimes.com)
[George] Lucas explained politely as I listened contritely. Anakin Skywalker is a promising young man who is turned to the dark side by an older politician and becomes Darth Vader. "George Bush is Darth Vader," he said. "Cheney is the emperor."
Paul Krugman: Erin Go Broke (nytimes.com)
The slogan "Erin go bragh," used as a declaration of Irish identity, could also be read as a prediction for the world economy.
Ted Rall: Americans Lose Their Savings and their Minds
When the revolution comes, the tribunal will turn to two sources to determine who should be arrested: a list of the 500 highest-paid CEOs and the Styles section of "The New York Times."
Roger Ebert: How I believe in God
When I was in first or second grade and had just been introduced by the nuns to the concept of a limitless God, I lay awake at night driving myself nuts by repeating over and over, But how could God have no beginning? And how could he have no end? And then I thought of all the stars in the sky: But how could there be a last one? Wouldn't there always have to be one more? Many years later I know the answer to the second question, but I still don't know the answer to the first one.
FRANK RICH: The Bigots' Last Hurrah (nytimes.com)
WHAT would happen if you crossed that creepy 1960s horror classic "The Village of the Damned" with the Broadway staple "A Chorus Line"? You don't need to use your imagination. It's there waiting for you on YouTube under the title "Gathering Storm": a 60-second ad presenting homosexuality as a national threat second only to terrorism.
Alan Franks: "Bob Dylan: the world's greatest poet?" (timesonline.co.uk)
Bob Dylan may dismiss himself as 'a song and dance man' but critics cite him as a major cultural force of our age.
Lady Gaga Explains Her "Poker Face" (advocate.com)
Of the catchy dance anthem, GaGa explains that the song is about being with a man but fantasizing about a woman; hence, a man must read her "poker face."
RACHEL SHATTO: Showing Some Skin (curvemag.com)
"Allure" magazine has managed to do what untold legions of fan girls have dreamed of doing: They got Eliza Dushku, Padma Lakshmi and Chelsea Handler to get naked, and ladies-it was worth the wait!
AMBER RIVARD: Corey Aughtry (curvemag.com)
Exploring androgyny and gender-bending through self portraiture.
RACHEL SHATTO: "Pam Grier: From '70s Icon to Modern Day Dykon" (curvemag.com)
The life and career of the notorious Pam Grier.
answered:
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Record breaking heat - over 100°. Ack.
Connie, Myrtle-the-turtle's 'mom' called, identified her, and then came by & took her home.
The signs we posted in the neighborhood did the trick.
Woo-hoo!
Los Angeles Visit
African First Ladies
A group of African first ladies began a two-day meeting in Los Angeles on Monday to forge U.S. partnerships to try to improve health and education of women and girls in African communities afflicted by AIDS.
The wives of the presidents and prime ministers of Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, Zambia, Cameroon and 10 other nations teamed up with U.S. health experts, nonprofit groups and a clutch of celebrities to promote their work.
Hollywood actresses Diane Lane, Maria Bello, Robin Wright Penn and Camryn Manheim were among the celebrity women who attended an opening day luncheon.
The charitable group of 22 first ladies was formed in 2002 and is called African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering. It was set up to highlight the vital role of women in education and healthcare in the world's poorest continent.
African First Ladies
Facing Cancellation
'On The Bubble'
With the broadcast networks' "upfront" presentations to advertisers less than a month away, it's do-or-die time for "bubble" series, those modestly rated shows walking a fine line between renewal or cancellation.
Not all shows that haven't been renewed yet are in jeopardy: For such series as CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," which traditionally gets picked up at the last minute, and ABC's "Ugly Betty," the orders are just a formality. But that can't be said for a dozen or so other series anxiously awaiting their fate.
CBS has the most, including a quartet of long-running procedurals -- "Without a Trace," "Cold Case," "Numbers" and "The Unit" -- along with freshman drama "Eleventh Hour."
Of Fox's two bubble series, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Dollhouse," sophomore "Terminator" is considered all but gone, while freshman "Dollhouse's" chances are 50/50.
Over at the CW, "Reaper" is gone, while the prospects for "Privileged" have improved, and the show is now considered for a possible midseason order.
'On The Bubble'
Austria To Return Art
Gustav Klimt
The Austrian city of Linz has acted to return a masterpiece painted by Gustav Klimt to the heirs of a Jewish woman killed in the Nazi Holocaust.
Linz Mayor Franz Dobusch has recommended the painting of a woman, believed to be worth around 15 million euros ($19 million), be transferred from its Lentos art gallery to the descendants of Aranka Munk, the city said on Monday.
It cited the findings of an independent expert, Sophie Lillie, who confirmed the painting had been seized from Munk by the Nazis after she was deported to a concentration camp where she died in 1941.
Gustav Klimt
Finally Arrives
Digital Tolkien
A major new name has been added to the digital library: J.R.R. Tolkien.
E-versions of the late author's multimillion-selling "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy were released Monday, with "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" planned for next month and other works expected before the end of the year, publisher HarperCollins announced.
Tolkien's books, like other older works, were published well before the digital age and negotiations for e-rights is often time consuming. "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Lolita" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" are among the many classics still unavailable.
Digital Tolkien
Hospital News
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking, the British mathematician and physicist famed for his work on black holes, was rushed to a hospital Monday and was seriously ill, Cambridge University said. Hawking has been fighting a chest infection for several weeks and was being treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, the university city northeast of London, the university said.
"Professor Hawking is very ill," said Gregory Hayman, the university's head of communications. "He is undergoing tests. He has been unwell for a couple of weeks."
The illness had caused Hawking to cancel an appearance at Arizona State University on April 6.
Stephen Hawking
Stinks Of Rupert
'Slumdog Millionaire'
Indian police are investigating claims and counterclaims by the parents of a child star in "Slumdog Millionaire" after a British tabloid alleged the father tried to sell the 9-year-old girl to an undercover reporter.
The accusations further complicated the lives of the families of the slum-dwelling child stars, who have come under intense scrutiny since the movie skyrocketed to Oscar-winning fame and grossed more than $300 million worldwide.
Khurshid Begum, the estranged mother of "Slumdog Millionaire" star Rubina Ali, filed a complaint with Mumbai police on Sunday after News of the World reported that the father planned to put her up for adoption. The British newspaper said the deal was allegedly offered to one of its reporters posing as a sheik from the Mideast.
The newspaper - owned by News International Ltd., the main British subsidiary of News Corp., which also owns "Slumdog" distributor Fox Searchlight Pictures - said the father was demanding millions of rupees, worth the equivalent of $400,000.
'Slumdog Millionaire'
183 Times In 1 Month
Waterboarding
CIA interrogators used the waterboarding technique on Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the admitted planner of the September 11 attacks, 183 times and 83 times on another al Qaeda suspect, The New York Times said on Sunday.
The Times said a 2005 Justice Department memorandum showed that Abu Zubaydah, the first prisoner questioned in the CIA's overseas detention program in August 2002, was waterboarded 83 times, although a former CIA officer had told news media he had been subjected to only 35 seconds underwater before talking.
The Justice Department memo said the simulated drowning technique was used on Mohammed 183 times in March 2003. The Times said some copies of the memos appeared to have the number of waterboardings redacted while others did not.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating the CIA interrogation program, which under unidicted war criminal George W. Bush also included slamming prisoners into walls, shackling them in uncomfortable positions and depriving them of sleep.
Waterboarding
Ponies Poisoned?
U.S. Polo Open
Ladies in their spring dresses and men in casual linen suits sipped champagne and nibbled hors d'oeuvres as they waited for the U.S. Open polo match. What they ended up with was a field of death.
Magnificent polo ponies, each valued at up to $200,000, stumbled from their trailers and crumpled one by one onto the green grass. Vets ran out and poured water over the feverish, splayed-out animals. But it was no use. One dead horse. Then another. Then more. And within a day, 21 horses were dead.
State veterinarians were still performing necropsies but suspect the horses died from heart failure brought on by some sort of toxic reaction in their bodies. Possibly tainted feed, vitamins or supplements. Maybe a combination of the three.
While polo club officials and several independent veterinarians insisted the deaths appeared to be accidental, it remained a mystery that puzzled and saddened those close to a sport that has long been a passion of Palm Beach County's ultra-rich.
U.S. Polo Open
Longer Than Thought
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is even greater than once thought.
A two-year government mapping study has uncovered new sections of the ancient Chinese monument that total about 180 miles (290 kilometers), according to a report posted on the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping Web site.
Using mapping technologies such as infrared range finders and GPS devices, experts discovered portions of the wall - concealed by hills, trenches and rivers - that stretch from Hu Mountain in northern Liaoning province to Jiayu Pass in western Gansu province, the official China Daily reported Monday.
The newly mapped parts of the wall were built during the Ming Dynasy (1368-1644) to protect against northern invaders and were submerged over time by sandstorms that moved across the arid region, the study said.
Great Wall of China
Marker Off By 2.5 Miles
Four Corners
Tourists who think they're putting a hand or foot in each of four states at the Four Corners area are apparently missing the mark - by about 2.5 miles. National Geodetic Survey officials say the Four Corners marker showing the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah is about 2.5 miles west of where it should be.
The only place in the United States where four state boundaries come together was first surveyed by the government in 1868 during the initial survey of Colorado's southern boundary. The survey was inaccurate.
Officials said Monday the accurate location lies to the east of U.S. 160 in Colorado and northeast of the San Juan River as it flows into New Mexico.
Four Corners
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