It seems the big blogosphere flare-up of the past week has been competing guest columns in a Colorado newspaper (who says the old media is dead!) from Paul Campos and the Instapundit. Today’s installment is at the other Glenn’s.
My only comments on the whole spectacle:
1.) I pray to the little baby jesus (who, no doubt, is sittin’ in his crib watchin the Baby Einstein video) that the term ‘beclowned’ does not catch on. I fear, quite legitimately, that every hack right-winger will immediately incorporate it into their vocabularly. The term is hereby banned at Balloon Juice. Ricky Bobby quotes, however, are encouraged.
2.) Campos actually correctly used Godwin’s Law in the following quote:
the subsequent citation of “authorities” of whose existence the author was unaware ten minutes earlier; or the inevitable if rather surreal violation of Godwin’s Law (we bombed the Nazis so what’s wrong with assassinating Iranian civilians?).
Many are under the impression that Godwin’s Law means that any mention of Nazi’s (or Hitler) constitutes an immediate loss of the argument, when, in fact, the correct definition of Godwin’s Law is as follows:
“As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.”
If nothing else, this public squabble has provided the online community with an appropriate usage of Godwin’s Law. For that, I am eternally grateful.