Someone get the smelling salts for the wingnuts, because Ted Kennedy’s life’s work was mentioned at his funeral. How dare they?
If these idiots had been around then, they probably would have been outraged that the cause of civil rights was mentioned during MLK’s funeral.
jeffreyw
Not mentioning health care at Teddy’s funeral would be like not mentioning D_Day when Eisenhower died.
The Other Steve
Did you hear Noel Gallagher is quitting Oasis?
Indylib
I suppose that these same people where offended when the word conservative was mentioned at Reagan’s funeral.
General Winfield Stuck
Jaysus Christ on a pogo stick. JUst was reading the braintrust over at Protein Wisdom. Jaw dropping concern for the integrity of Teddy’s funeral service and all that, shameless libtards. In between screes of “hope Ted Kennedy burns in hell”. someone mentioned Sarah pimping Trig on anti-abortion politicking and of course that was different. Also.
Then there’s Bush filling the east room with “Snow Flake” babies to justify his culture of life numbnuttery on Embyo Stem Cells. The ones in in-vitro clinics waiting for the dumpster.
All this on a day the WAPO goes all in for the neo-con torture project. And BTW, though I don’t often read Sullivan because he really is a republican on most issues, he is spot on today in rebuttal to the WAPO nonsense. A must read.
The idiocracy never rests, not for a single damn day.
Rey
But yet, David Gergen on CNN was complaining that Obama did not shake his fist when giving the eulogy, proclaiming that healthcare needs to be passed for the sake of Teddy. The wingnuts are exhausting– Up is down, left is right, dark is light, they have completely lost their freakin’ minds.
MikeJ
I thought Teddy’s kids went out of their way to say nice things about Republicans, although they did admit it was the hardest lesson they learned from the old man.
mgordon
From what I have been reading on wingnut websites today Kennedy was conspiring against Ronald Reagan with the KGB. Strange it didn’t come out until the week of his death eh?
Leelee for Obama
These lovelies just need to get some mental health care. Since Dems are not planning to leave any American out of the American Plan, they will be much better off when the HELP bill is passed and signed. It will be against their will, I’m sure, but some thorazine or at least paxil is definitely in order.
hoosierspud
Are there any sane, civilized Republicans left in this country?
General Winfield Stuck
@mgordon:
They are completely insane. Even some of the ones who made an effort to not be, or at least sound that way. They are digging through ancient files of past wingnuttery, and bigotry (see NRO wistfully recollecting it’s segregationist past for a little modern day spit and polish) in efforts to find a new and improved narrative that will pass muster with the intractably crackered core of the GOP. It will take of lot dolling up the facts for prime time, but it’s all a long war anyways. Unless it jumps to the real thing of politics by other means./
Leelee for Obama
Help! I have been trapped in moderation land. Not sure what I said
a href=”#comment-1348676″>hoosierspud: I don’t think so, no.
Warren Terra
And they would have demanded prominent speaking roles for George Wallace and Strom Thurmond at the memorial service.
JD Rhoades
They may not agree with what you say, and they will defend to the death their right to tell you not to say it.
jenniebee
They were outraged that civil rights were mentioned at Coretta Scott King’s funeral, or has that gone down the memory hole?
Also, for a little false equivalence of our own, at the memorial service, Orrin Hatch plugged a song he wrote. No, really.
Leelee for Obama
@Rey: I thought letting the kids and others do the politics as intercessionary prayers was inspired!
Tonal Crow
@Rey:
Alas that it were so. But the Masterwingnuts want world domination, and the Underwingnuts’ nuttery produces just the rhetoric they need to accomplish that goal. What’s happening is similar to the old saw:
Our task is to determine how to thwart this plan. Suggestions?
SiubhanDuinne
@hoosierspud/6:10 pm
Shorter me: No.
burnspbesq
@hoosierspud:
At last count, there were 163. But they are dying off fast. We need to capture a breeding pair and house them somewhere safe from predators so that they can repopulate and someday be reintroduced into their natural habitat. The model would be what Cornell did for the peregrine falcon.
General Winfield Stuck
I have to quit reading right blogs. Unhealthy it is.
Incertus
I thought Amanda at Pandagon put it best when she wrote, a few days ago, that she would want her death politicized, if it came to that. Same for me. If people look at my life as inspiring (which would be a little odd) then I damn well want that inspiration put to some use after I’m gone, and any conservative who has a problem with that can kiss my ass.
MikeJ
@SiubhanDuinne: completely OT, and not to criticize, but there’s a feature here that you may not be aware of. Instead of typing “@hoosierspud/6:10 pm”, you can simply click on the little up and left pointing arrow next to the time on the comment you wish to respond to. You’ll automagically get a header like on this comment. I only point it out because it took me forever to accidentally stumble upon it and I wish to save you the struggle.
burnspbesq
@General Winfield Stuck:
Here, have one of my Li*inopr*l. That’ll help get your BP down.
A Mom Anon
I honestly think the only way to make this mess stop is for individual wingnuts to be publicly shamed where they live,literally. By their neighbors,the guy at the coffee shop,the auto mechanic,the PTA committees,etc. If they were shunned and laughed at daily in their routines(I assume they leave the house sometime besides going to the wingnut welfare mill),embarassed by people they thought were impressed,then perhaps it would at least slow down. Of course someone would have to inform the neighborhood if they didn’t know,and maybe they wouldn’t give a shit anyhow.I’ve kinda lost faith in my fellow man lately.
I’ve always wondered if (for example)Malkin’s neighbors know who she is and the vile crap she spews regularly. I’d like to think if they did know,they’d have little to do with her. Or not,hell,I’m so over most human beings I’m not sure anything would help at this point.
MikeJ
Even without the stars, that word’s not on the spam list, unless jcole added it himself.
jenniebee
First verse only of America the Beautiful just sung as Kennedy’s hearse is paused for Vickie to greet the congressional staffers. Even for a Kennedy funeral, I guess the second verse is too “soc1alist” these days.
(that’s the one that concludes: “America, America, God mend thine every flaw! Preserve thy soul with self-control, thy Liberty with Law”)
Demo Woman
Patrick Kennedy said it best when he quoted his father
jenniebee
@A Mom Anon: shame doesn’t work on people who already have a martyr complex. Treating them as irrelevant usually does, though.
Warren Terra
@ MikeJ, #21
Yes, but unfortunately the automated version, while it does hyperlink the comment, doesn’t give either its number or its time. It isn’t always convenient to use the hyperlinks to identify the comment in question, especially on a mobile device. This is why I prefer to enter the number by hand rather than use the automatic function, and it could explain why Siubhan chooses to enter the time stamp manually.
kay
@Incertus:
It’s a little ridiculous.
The Kennedy’s were nothing if not political, and they didn’t consider “political” to be a slur or “politics” to be an ignoble calling, or they would have stopped running for office.
I’m sort of enjoying it.
I love when conservatives get all huffy and indignant over “good form at State occasions”. It’s when they’re at their nit-picky, nosy neighbor silliest.
What’s Michelle wearing? Did she show up drunk or anything? :)
Warren Terra
@ my own comment #28
Anyone else seeing an odd mix of fonts and replacement of apostrophes with a code there? I swear I didn’t to anything particularly unusual in composing the comment …
Leelee for Obama
Seeing Robert Byrd sit there for hours in his wheelchair waiting for Teddy nearly broke my heart. I picture him casting his vote for the Health Care Bill and dying right there, like John Quincy Adams. He’d love that.
General Winfield Stuck
@Demo Woman:
A high honor indeed!
General Winfield Stuck
@Warren Terra:
Yes. but odd is relative here in WordPress Hell. And not altogether unusual.
SiubhanDuinne
@MikeJ / 6:26 pm
Oh, thanks! I know, and I love that feature — but sadly, it doesn’t work when I’m on the BlackBerry, which is most of the time. I stumbled on it accidentally a few weeks ago and was so disappointed when I found out it didn’t work from the ‘Berry. But I genuinely appreciate your mentioning it. Always open to shortcuts.
Warren Terra
@MikeJ, #24
1) If Cole is able to edit the list, why do references to [email protected] still get send to Moderation Limbo?
2) If he is only able to add words … well, don’t be giving him ideas. Next thing we know a whole thesaurus entry of words commonly used to deride Tunch will have been added to the list.
kay
@Leelee for Obama:
You’re so much nicer than me. I was thinking “step down and get someone in there quickly that can vote on something”.
He’s the master parliamentarian, right? Is it wrong for me to hope he’s counting?
SiubhanDuinne
@WarrenTerra/6:39 pm
What you said (should have read your comment before I responded, but yes, that’s exactly right).
jenniebee
If you go to one of those sites, he’s got a link to a twitter feed that has created the hashtag – really, what is wrong with people? – #canceloutaprayerrequest.
Honestly, if I didn’t think Margaret Atwood would sue me for stealing her idea, I’d seriously put together a business plan for Dial-A-Prayer. Its time has clearly come.
Leelee for Obama
@kay: I thought that myself. It’s possible he might just do that-but somehow, the staying power he’s shown since his wife died makes me think he’s saving himself for something big.
kay
@Leelee for Obama:
Just a little stratergizing, that’s all I’m asking. I won’t get all crass and offend Peggy Noonan.
Demo Woman
Mom Anon and Siubhan, Not there is hope that Chambliss will ever be a real man but he did say
““I commend the president for spending political capital to bring this issue to the forefront,” said Chambliss. “We’ve talked about reforming health care for years, but we’ve never gotten around to it.”
Chambliss reached across the aisle as Senator Ted Kennedy, a champion for health care reform, [lost his battle with cancer].
“The Senate is a family,” said Chambliss. “We are all good friends within the Senate, and Senator Kennedy was a great legislator.”
Kryptik
Don’t forget…some of these wingnuts are the same who invoked Kennedy by saying that we should take it easy on the health care reform bill, because he wouldn’t want a BAD (read: not wholly and totally bipartisan) bill to go through. Trying to invoke the image of the great deal maker…
….forgetting that Kennedy was a supporter of single-payer way before it was chic.
So…yeah, go figure, a guy’s pet cause was mentioned at his funeral. I’m sure when Gore dies, people are going to mention his tireless work for the environment, and we’ll have Exxon and their paid cronies crying foul.
So when was politicizing the death of someone who was highly political (being…you know…a *politician* and all) become a problem? I could understand politicizing a random soldier or someone who died senselessly in something unrelated. But…being a well known long time politician….er…yeah.
Kryptik
@Kryptik:
And as an addendum….Huckabee. Enough said, what with the posts on him earlier and all.
Mark S.
@Warren Terra:
Because every thread will devolve into discussions about Das Kapital.
Leelee for Obama
@kay: Oh, go ahead and offend Peggy> She’s been offending the be-jeezus out of me for several weeks now.
I like her sometimes, and I don’t say comity is a bad thing, but she knows the wingnuts are batshit, and acts like they don’t exist.
Skepticat
@hoosierspud: @hoosierspud: None that is willing to wear the (R) in public.
Leelee for Obama
@Demo Woman: Saxby Chambliss said this? I’m gonna start looking for the Lord, cause the Apocalypse is nigh.
Skepticat
Oh good grief, that’s supposed to be a capital R instead of a register mark. Yes, at the risk of annoying John, I’ll whine about the lack of an edit function.
SiubhanDuinne
@DemoWoman/7:06 pm
Thanks, I hadn’t seen that. I would so like to think there were a core of sincerity to his comment, but I’m kind of a cautious, cynical Charlie Brown kicking the football when it comes to Chambliss. Teddy’s life tells me that atonement and redemption are possible, but Saxby has a long way to go before he begins to make up for what he did to Max Cleland in 2002. But that said, I’m a little bit heartened that he even had the nice words.
jenniebee
@Warren Terra: If you take cialis off the list and put spacecialis and cialisspace on the list, you’ll keep the spam out and stop the socialism moderation problem.
Demo Woman
@SiubhanDuinne: The political insider blog on the AJC had it. The whackos were concerned. I have a feeling that there are 99 Senators reflecting that they will not be honored in the same way that Kennedy was.
The political insider also had Oxendine’s proposal for a new highway conveniently going through Manny’s Tavern and East Atlanta.
SiubhanDuinne
@DemoWoman: for some reason that I don’t want to explore too carefully, I’ve ended up on Oxendine’s mailing list. Every day or so I get a press release about how he’s leading in the polls, championing the rights of the unborn, and putting hate on public option health care. Laying eminent domain on Manuel’s Tavern totally doesn’t surprise me.
I still have TV on in the background waiting for the Arlington interment, and it occurs to me that no matter how much we all might bitch about the inanity of the commentariat, it’s an unenviable task they have. I wouldn’t want to have to vamp for hour after hour into a live mic, and I sure couldn’t do it without resorting to cliche and fatuous remarks now and then.
Leelee for Obama
Loved the smack-down Keith just handed Tweety about “Why isn’t the President at Arlington?” I thought myself that Barack didn’t want to make it about him, and Keith said the same thing. Tweety took it back! Color me stunned again!
shelley matheis
Doctor Cleveland
I hate when a politician’s funeral goes on and on about the deceased’s politics.
Also, when a writer’s funeral goes on and on about the departed person’s books, or when a filmmaker’s funeral goes on and on about some old movies.
Did you catch any of Updike’s funeral? All the shilling for the man’s old novels … somebody wants to move that backlist, huh? And back when Billy Wilder died, and everyone at the funeral went on and on about Some Like It Hot This, and The Apartment that. Please! Why don’t you just offer the DVDs for sale.
(Actually, from the wake and funeral, you might also think that Kennedy had been a character in a Melville novel. The number of sailboat-racing stories was enormous.)
jenniebee
@Demo Woman: I’ve been thinking exactly the same thing, about the other Senators’ reaction to this. They’ve been thinking about politics. Now, after seeing people’s reactions to Kennedy’s passing, they will be thinking about achievement.
Skepticat
@SiubhanDuinne:
As television is a visual medium, they don’t have to vamp hour after hour–they could just shut up and let the pictures tell the story, adding comments only when something needs to be explained. But noooooo, they forget it isn’t radio. This is part of why I refuse to own a television.
shelley matheis
SiubhanDuinne
@Skepticat. Yes, good point, and they could do with a lot more shutting up and letting the pictures tell the story. But with the agenda 2+ hours behind schedule, and a lot of the pictures looking (not to be disrespectful) like a low-speed car chase through the streets of DC, I can understand why they felt the need to say stuff. Also, I’m sure if they went more than a few seconds without saying anything, the producers would start yelling into their earpieces (obviously exempting C-SPAN).
Leelee for Obama
Guess somebody wanted a bit of politics spoken about at Teddy’s funeral! That letter to the Pope was a remarkable thing to hear and I’m so stoked that the Cardinal read it! Let the wingnuts go all apeshit over that!
Kryptik
@shelley matheis:
Probably. They just aren’t in Washington or on teevee.
Kind of like how the only prominent self-identifying Christians you find given any sort of real exposure are jackasses like Steve Anderson, Pat Robertson, Bill Donahue, etc. (in other words, the ‘leaders’ who make the sane people of their group look bad, and yet steer the public discourse for their group).
dmsilev
Today’s wingnuts would probably have yelled at Abraham Lincoln for having the nerve to bring up politics at a memorial for American soldiers.
On second thought, most of today’s wingnuts would have been on the other side of that war.
-dms
Linkmeister
@Skepticat: Now there’s a thought.
Vin Scully’s a master at letting the pictures tell the story; maybe CNN/MSNBC should hire him for these special occasions.
(When Gibson hit that home run in the ’88 World Series [apologies to As fans] Vinnie just shut up for about 90 seconds. That’s why you hear Jack Buck’s call “I don’t believe what I just saw!” on the clips.)
Warren Terra
My two cents on Das Kapital, or rather on discussions thereof: Why exactly is it that for some reason the title of this book is always preserved in the original German, including the freaking article? It’s not like we do this when discussing other books written in foreign tongues – not, at least, in our normal discourse, as opposed to in bibliographies or when speaking in a particularly pompous manner. Is it just a clever trick to make this book alien?
LongHairedWeirdo
The wingnuts were upset when someone dared mention at Coretta King’s funeral that he was bugged by the feds; how dare they bring up such a hot topic when it was clearly a scold of Bush who was engaging in illegal wiretapping.
Linkmeister
Because a book titled “The Capital” would be confusing?
Mein Kampf is never translated either, come to think of it.
matoko_chan
Allahpundit deplores the attractive Kennedy kids speaking at the funeral.
Do you know why that is?
Because his side’s kids are all creepers.
Leelee for Obama
I’ve never seen Mein Kampf spoken of in any other language, either. Maybe it’s because it’s German, and people suspect they’ll be punished somehow?
matoko_chan
creepers
kommrade reproductive vigor
Duh! According to The Big Book of fRiechtard Eteeket, Chappaquiddick is the only appropriate topic for discussion at Sen. Kennedy’s funeral.
Warren Terra
Sure, but a book titled “Capital” wouldn’t be confusing in the slightest.
Good point – although I’m obviously perfectly fine with any tradition that tends to alienate that book. Not that Marx’s Capital should be taken as some sort of gospel – but it’s not really sufficiently outrageous a book that it deserves such special treatment of its name.
Although, speaking of gospel, “The Bible” is also referred to using an untranslated word (though I suspect that the word in actual Greek is a little bit different, albeit complicated by the use of a different alphabet).
General Winfield Stuck
@matoko_chan:
Allahpundit used to have a functioning brain cell or two, for a winger. He has gone full raving tea bagging fool lately. His latest cause is torture apologist and all the winging wraiths he calls commenters make me wonder if the Death Panel thing might worthy of actual debate.
He and Ed and the rest of Chickenhawk Brigades hide behind layers of wetsuit protected registration blog boards, where no one can question their dedication to turning America into Idi Amin’s wet dream of screaming cell blocks manned by squads of patriotic fingernail pullers. Meanwhile, the The Monster Queen lays egg after egg of hate filled wanking wingnuttery to kept the Mighty Wurlitzer turning.
Fuck em with abandon. They are not my countrymen, regardless of technicalities.
Linkmeister
@Warren Terra:
You understimate your fellow citizens, I’m afraid. SWAG: 30% would think it was a Margaret Truman novel about a building in DC.
HRA
makoto_chan: I could not stand to go beyond a few comments there. We do have a sick element in our citizens and they really do need healthcare to be passed sooner rather than later.
JWW
Well John,
I read the post, so what’s your point?
I guess I missed it. All the others seem too make of it what they will!
steve s
@Leelee for Obama: Hopefully if he dies right before the vote, somebody will *cough* nudge his arm.
General Winfield Stuck
Weekend at Bobs.
Allan
I was browsing the gift shop in the Sitka, Alaska airport, killing time waiting for my flight home, when the retiree manning the cash register struck up a conversation with me. Since everyone there knows everyone else, he knew some of my relatives.
Anyway, when I mentioned how my mom laments that it seems like all her friends are dead now, he remarked that “if Obama and the Dems get their way, all us old folks will be dead.”
To which I looked him in the eye and said, “Yes. You are absolutely right. Which is why all of us young people, including your grandchildren, voted for him.”
arguingwithsignposts
@Warren Terra:
No, it’s basically the same – Biblios.
Let me see if I can get it via HTML: βιβλιοσ – which is sort of funny, because the bible is made up of a bunch of small books, so it would more appropriately be termed a collection or something.
(if the HTML rendering doesn’t work, sorry, I don’t have teh edit function)
Tropical Fats
It’s almost as if they hadn’t spent the better part of the last 20 years naming everything that couldn’t outrun them after Ronald Reagan.
arguingwithsignposts
@arguingwithsignposts:
although that last sigma should be rendered ς since it’s at the end of a word.
Warren Terra
@arguingwithsignposts, #80
Actually I knew the word was usually transliterated “biblios” – but I figured that to be a somewhat different phenomenon; unlike Marx’s Das Kapital, the Bible’s commonly used name has changed from a simple representation of the foreign word, acquiring both a spelling and a pronunciation inconsistent from its origins, and so it has become its own English word. That’s not quite the same thing as idiosyncratically failing to translate a foreign title, although I suppose it’s the logical result of doing so for a long, long time.
Ben S.
@Allan:
Brilliant!
Nellcote
@Leelee for Obama:
>“Why isn’t the President at Arlington?”
Gee, maybe the Secret Service didn’t like the idea of the Prez. sitting in the dark in a large park, what with all the gun nuts feeling their oats.
amk
@Allan:
LOL. I would have loved to see the reaction of that poor misinformed man.
Comrade Kevin
@Linkmeister: Or a CBS soap opera from the 1980’s.
Jacob Davies
@Demo Woman: “I have a feeling that there are 99 Senators reflecting that they will not be honored in the same way that Kennedy was.”
I thought this was worth repeating. And I really hope some of them start thinking, “Shit, what have I ever done that anyone is going to remember me for?” Being a do-nothing waffler is not enough.
Although one would’ve hoped this would have occurred to them before now. But there seem to be any number of people in the Senate who, having been elected, don’t seem to feel any great urgency to actually do anything except waffle.
Persia
@Rey: NPR was concern trolling about the same thing. For fuck’s sake, it’s a funeral.
arguingwithsignposts
@Jacob Davies:
The senate is, in large part, made up of too many Very Important People who can’t get a damned thing done, and will, therefore, never receive the honor that has been given TMK.
If TMK had just been Jack and Bobby’s younger bro. who happened to be in the Senate, he wouldn’t have gotten that big send-off either.
Elections matter, but results do even more. Maybe they’ll learn, but I fucking doubt it.
jenniebee
Julius Caesar, wingnut version (abridged)
Act I Scene I
Second Commoner:
But, indeed, sir, we make holiday,
to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph.
MARULLUS
Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?
What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot-wheels?
You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!
Scene II
BRUTUS
What means this shouting? I do fear, the people
Choose Caesar for their king.
CASSIUS
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
CAESAR
Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’ nights:
CASSIUS
Caesar is encouraging obesity!
CASCA
And so
he fell. When he came to himself again, he said,
If he had done or said any thing amiss, he desired
their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three
or four wenches, where I stood, cried ‘Alas, good
soul!’ and forgave him with all their hearts: but
there’s no heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had
stabbed their mothers, they would have done no less.
Act II
BRUTUS
We shall be call’d purgers, not murderers.
Act III Scene I
CAESAR
Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar.
Dies
CINNA
Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!
Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.
CASSIUS
Some to the common pulpits, and cry out
‘Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!’
BRUTUS
Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar’s body.
You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Caesar,
And say you do’t by our permission;
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral: and you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.
Scene II
BRUTUS
Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my
cause, and be silent, Had you rather Caesar were living and
die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live
all free men?
First Citizen
This Caesar was a tyrant.
Third Citizen
Nay, that’s certain:
We are blest that Rome is rid of him
ANTONY
But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
I found it in his closet, ’tis his will:
Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad:
‘Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;
For, if you should, O, what would come of it!
Second Citizen
Most noble Caesar! We’ll revenge his death.
Act IV
CASSIUS
Antony was sympathetic! That’s not fair!
BRUTUS
He said that Caesar did stuff for common people
Instead of repeating our talking points
CINNA
Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose
And we give them as much freedom as they can take
They should love us
BRUTUS
DAMN YOU ANTONY BEAUCHAMP!
davidj
@A Mom Anon:
“I’ve always wondered if (for example)Malkin’s neighbors know who she is and the vile crap she spews regularly.”
Probably not. Malkin, last I heard, lives in the Maryland outer suburbs of Washington, DC. Residents of those places drive their monstrous SUVs in and out of their garages (the vast, ugly doors to which are the most prominent features of their houses) and (especially if they have a lawn service instead of a huge riding mower) may never actually set foot on terrain, let alone interact with neighbors in any way other than as traffic congestion. It’s the perfect setting for Malkin, and it’s rather frightening how many other people seem willing to live (if that’s the word) that way.