Saturday, January 22, 2011

Piven: Beck shouldn't be calling attention to what I say

  It's very uh hum, interesting, that the MSM is completely uninterested in threats, real or imagined, that rain down on conservatives, such Eric Fuller who threatened the Tucson tea party founder last week with death after taking his picture or the daily death threats Palin receives.
  Yet here we are with the NY Times defending Frances Fox Piven who claims that she has received death threats for her stand on worker revolution.
  The NY Times article indicates that Glenn Beck's interest in Piven stems from her 60s stand on overwhelming the system with welfare claims and demands for freebies for all. You know, the whole Al Sharpton "We want the same houses, same stuff, same dough as you all got" mentality.
  To be fair, the NYT article does mention that Piven is still functioning in academia and only recently called for a worker revolution that would look like Greece.
  From the NYT, this is what she said:


Her assertions that “an effective movement of the unemployed will have to look something like the strikes and riots that have spread across Greece,” and that “protesters need targets, preferably local and accessible ones,” led Mr. Beck to ask on Fox this week, “Is that not inciting violence? Is that not asking for violence?” Videos of fires in Greece played behind him

  This is what the Greek protests looked like:
Fromt the NYT article, Piven responds to what she really meant to say:
“That is not a call for violence,” Ms. Piven said Friday of the references to riots. “There is a kind of rhetorical trick that is always used to denounce movements of ordinary people, and that is to imply that the massing of people itself is violent.”
  So this rhetorical trick she's calling for isn't a call for violence. 
  Hm.
  Well, here's the deal, Ms. Piven.
  You're a public figure.
  You've made statements that sure sound and look like a call for violence to most average people.
  When you do things like that, people are going to have feelings for your positions on issue.
  This is no excuse for violence on the part of the people who are reacting to those positions, but it's absolute demagoguery to claim that the person who reported what you said is inciting violence against YOU.
  Please.

6 comments:

  1. So rioting for selfish motives is good but demonstrating for responsible government for the good of all is evil. Nice work if you can get it.
    Forgive me if I ask a question not related to this post. What is going on in Betty Sutton's district? Charlie Cook shows her district to be a toss up. He also shows Indiana 2 to be a toss up but Donnelly only won by about 4000 votes and I'm sure the legislature can find enough Republicans in the adjoining districts to gerrymander him into retirement. Sutton on the other hand did pull 56% of the vote and the rumor is it's Dennis the menace who will lose his seat.

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  2. I haven't been following it since the election.
    We heard Tom Ganley, her tea party opponent, speak and were very impressed. His name is Tom Ganley but things didn't go well. She threw all kinds of mud. It seemed really dirty to me (big surprise).
    The guy's spiel was that he faced the mob and won; unfortunately the same didn't apply with the congresswoman.
    Right before the election, there was an incident in which supposedly (and conveniently, I might add) a "Republican tea partier" filed a suit claiming he groped her.
    While you never know what's true and what's not, it all just seemed so convenient.
    Then she won. It's really amazing how these things happen. I haven't heard much about the gerrymandering, just know that it's all in the works, now that Ohio has turned red.
    I'd sorta like to keep Kucinich around. I think he's (sort of) honest about his liberalism and everyone knows he's loony anyway so he doesn't do much damage. I think I'd prefer she lose hers.
    And Marcy. I want Marcy gone. THAT is possible, I think.

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  3. I had a really good Congressman before Brad Ellsworth came along. John Hostettler served for 10 years. When he was defeated he came home and went back to being an engineer for Vectren not a lobbyist or "political consultant". Furthermore he declined to take his pension. He bucked Bush on the Iraq war, the Katrina boondoggle, and No Child Behind. He had a 100% rating with the NRA and Right TO Life. He announced he would challenge Evan Bayh for the Senate and was the only credible candidate in the field when Bayh announced his retirement. When Bayh announced the Gop establishment pulled Coats into the race and of course he won. Ellsworth was replaced by Larry Bucheon, a thoracic surgeon. He was not the Tea Party favorite but I wasn't sold on their person figuring she was just an opportunist so I voted for him in the primary. He has never contributed to or been involved in a political campaign before now. He was not connected to the local Republican party. He would kill the Depts of Education&Energy in a heart beat. You really would prefer him to Marcy!

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  4. I have to admit I am thoroughly disgusted at the whole Romney thing going on in New Hampshire. I want this "next guy in line" method of choosing candidates to be gone. You're right, in that we can respect people who make reasoned decisions and take stands based not on opportunism, but what's good for the country. Wouldn't that be a delightful change.
    Those departments NEED to be gone and the money funneled back to their states where it originated.
    Coats. Bah. Look at Murkowski. Bah.

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  5. Ok Romney won the poll but the Tea Party took over the GOP.(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/politics/23hampshire.html)
    And things are not going well for RINO Lugar.(http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/Tea-Party-working-to-unseat-Lugar)

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  6. Yes, I saw that and noted the other. Hopeful that things will continue to change. I don't think it takes the same kind of stuff we've been doing, like marches and gatherings that have a hint of revolution (peaceful, of course). I think it'll take persistence, organized meetings where we meet the candidates and hash out the agenda, dollars to candidates WE pick (even if they turn out like O'Donnell) and constant vigilance.
    No, we aren't going anywhere. We aren't forgetting and we aren't easing up.
    RINOs need to find other jobs. Or retire. Just retire.

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