moot Stands Up For Anonymity

From Ars Technica: 4chan’s moot takes pro-anonymity to TED 2010

If you can give 4chan praise on anything (and, given their past, you’d be hard-pressed not to do so – for all their faults, they’ve done quite a bit of good), then you can give them praise on their efforts to maintain anonymity, even outside their own site. Granted, their obsession with it is a bit puzzling – is one not entitled to credit for their own deeds? does anonymity give license for chaos to those who have no shame? – but it also gives one pause when one thinks about how much ill can be done that can be tied to a name forever thanks to the way things work online.

Panic! because there is no middle ground between anonymity and recognition that will please everyone. (And also because I’m still posting here, for some reason.)

Nat’l Institute on Media & the Family Shutting Down

From Gamespot: Media watchdog NIMF shutting down

For those who don’t have alarm bells ringing in their heads from that name, this is the group that releases a yearly “Video Game Report Card” – and has been reprimanded by the ESRB for inaccuracies in it. These are the people who coined the scare-word “killography” to describe violent games.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, and I hope the door hits you on the way out.

Sarah Pain is A… A.. DOUBLE QUITTER

Queen Quitter is back: After walking out on her state, she’s now walking out on the people who were waiting in the rain to get Quitter Queen to sign their copies of her vapid, lie-filled book.

And to think, there are people who want her to be President. I can imagine it: She stays in office for about a year, then walks off when the press doesn’t kiss her butt as much as she’d like. Then she gets a cushy hate-radio gig, and walks off that…

Tancredowned

From a diary at Daily Kos: Kos just made Tancredo take his ball and go home on TV

The short story is that they were discussing the VA Health System, and Tancredo made some kind of rude, liberal bashing thinly disguised comment to Kos, to which Kos responded to, awesomely and without fear, I might add. Kos said something along the lines of (in reaction the the Tancredo insult): “I didn’t get depressed and dodge the draft…”

Tancredo got PISSED, demanded an apology and said something about how he “won’t be insulted” and demanded an apology. Kos said “NO” and Tancredo removed his earpeiece and left. The cameras switched from split screen to just a shot of Markos, he finished strong, Shuster thanks him, and FIN.

I only caught the last few seconds of Tancredo’s little flameout, so I didn’t know much about it and thought I’d be hearing it secondhand. But lo and behold, the power of the Intertubes comes through again: Just how much of a WATB do you have to be to throw that kind of tantrum and storm off?

Panic! because these kind of whiners are given more airtime and credibility than people whose opinions actually matter.

Pat Boone: “Let’s Gas the White House”

No really – from Media Matters for America: In WorldNetDaily commentary, Pat Boone calls for “figuratively” gassing “varmints” in White House

So, uh, Pat? All that “figurative” talk doesn’t really disguise what you’re saying – it’s yet another not-so-veiled threat against the President. I know you’re got a lot of free time on your hands these days, what with nobody under the age of 65 giving a good GD about you, but do you really want to spend it in a federal prison? I’m betting you don’t have a lot of fans among the felons, Pat. Do you really want to find out firsthand?

Panic! because this kind of talk is getting more and more common.

Randall Terry Calls For Anti-Choice Followers to Burn Pelosi and Reid in Effigy

Randall Terry Urges “Burn In Hell Protests”; Abortion Foe Calls For Burning Pelosi And Reid Effigies

Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry is calling on people to burn effigies of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this Halloween, as part of a “Burn in Hell” video contest to protest the health care legislation in Congress.

Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, said Tuesday that the contest serves as a political and spiritual statement that “gives people a chance to peacefully vent their rage.”

“Peacefully vent”? I wouldn’t call this peaceful in any way – it’s implication of murder. George Tiller’s blood is already on this guy’s hands; does he want to shoot for more?

This isn’t even borderline criminal; it’s outright criminal. And it’s utterly frightening.

Call the WAAAAHMBULANCE

It’s on every Fox Noise show, without fail, and it has been all this week: “OBAMA WHITE HOUSE ATTACKING US! WHY ARE THEY ATTACKING US INSTEAD OF CONCENTRATING ON THE ISSUES?!”

First off, the administration is right on this, Fox is crap. Don’t blather their line at me, don’t give me this “THEY’RE FAIR EVERYONE ELSE ISN’T” shill crap, don’t point to fluff “studies” that “prove” that Fox is a shining beacon of fairness – the administration is right on this, Fox is crap. And yes, I’ve watched their garbage as much as I can stand; I put up with it every day at work.

Second, I have to wonder, as Phage told me earlier: “Um, you guys hate the Obama Administration’s stance on the issues. Shouldn’t you be cheering anything that keeps them from acting on things?”

Panic! because Fox is about to drown in its own tears over this.

“Lonesome Rhodes” Beck: “Why Is Obama Trying to Make Us Volunteer?”

I can’t make this stuff up. Media Matters: In conspiracy-laden attack on EIF service project, Beck says “It’s almost like we’re living in Mao’s China right now”

You saw it here first, folks (well, you probably didn’t): Lonesome Rhodes thinks volunteering is an evil on par with labor camps and gulags. Okay, so maybe he doesn’t come out and say it, but he may as well be – it’s what he’s going for here.

By the way, Beckerhead, one of the TV networks that’s part of this thing is FOX. You know, that network that spun off the steaming pile of propaganda you add to every day? I wonder how Rupert Murdoch feels about you essentially denigrating his network on-air?

White House issues new policy on Medical Marijuana:

Turns it into States Rights issue.

Holy smokes. (pardon the pun) This is the most progressive stance on drug policy we’ve seen from an administration, and I feel came right out of left field.

Wow.

Kill a gay man, get six months in prison.

All thanks to the “Gay Panic!” Defense.

This is absolutely sickening. To have the charge reduced to assault is adding insult to injury. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim.