Comments for Hopeandchange, Orwell style...

Hopeandchange, Orwell style...

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:01:32 -0600

Now THIS is scary...

Comment from SangerM on 2009-02-24

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:07:57 -0600

I know this is old news, but I have to tell you: What was REALLY scary is how truly stupid most of the people are who posted messages on the website this post linked to! I am appalled, really. To read that many uneducated, truly ignorant opinions in one place--from all sides of the issue(s) filled me with despair. Maybe it's the site, maybe it's the topic, but whatever the reason, that article was like super fly-paper for dunces.

No wonder the so-called 'educated elite' look down on everyone else with such confidence. I truly appreciate everyone has the right to an opinion, but sometimes I think the internet has just made it easier for the unintelligent to bother people.

Man, if people want to fret about an Orwellian future, they really ought to look hard at our public education system, since it seems to be turning out so many people who are just made to be the constituency for our modern newspeak politicians (of both parties).

ugh. I need to wash out my brain....

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-21

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:59:41 -0600

Oh well, I'm sorry, I can only be classy 6 days a week. Thursday was my day off.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-02-21

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:17:35 -0600

It was still tacky and tasteless, Josh... 8^ )

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-21

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:05:43 -0600

Oh and you're also missing the point here...George Bush isn't named George Hitler Bush, it's George Walker Bush. If he were named George Hitler Bush, then a few Adolf Hitler jokes WOULD have been in order. If you choose to go into business in the public eye with a goofy or unfortunate name (whether it is your personal name, or your organization's name), you DESERVE to get a few cracks about it. The Nazi references to W were about his actions, which was ridiculous and insulting, whereas the joke I made was about the Secret Services initials, which are just a pair of letters. If you want to say that I have the same initials as some mass murderer, well I guess you got me. If you want to say that I act like a mass murderer, you really should rethink that.

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-21

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:56:19 -0600

And, Josh, some people weren't seriously calling conservatives Nazis

They must be a little more moderate where you live, because I kept running into the ones who were dead serious.

Comment from Casey on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:26:13 -0600

And, Josh, some people weren't seriously calling conservatives Nazis, they were just taking the opportunity whenever the Bush administration got a touch heavy-handed with respect to security and Presidential privilege.

Which happened. More than once. Alas.

Me, I would have been happy to castigate the Secret Service for their paranoia, until I read John's take on this. I admit I never seriously considered the challenges they face right now. Poor bastiches.

Comment from HomefrontSix on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:54:24 -0600

I'm with AFS on this one. As much as I don't like the guy and didn't vote for him and prayed in earnest that he would not be elected, I want absolutely no harm to come to him or anyone around him.

And yes, the checklist is complete and I am thankful that the USSS (comes across better than my abbreviation of "SS", I'll admit) is in place to protect our President, I'd still not let them into my house without a warrant. I'll stand and chat with them all they want in my front yard or on the porch. Just not in my house.

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:22:28 -0600

Josh,
It might be me, but I'm not finding the humor in the link you posted. To equate USSS with SS denigrates the reputations of every honorable man and woman who has served that organization.

Josh isn't the first one to have made that connection, but the Secret Service is LIGHT YEARS away from that. Not.even.close. On the otter heiny, admitting one's Christianity could be tantamount to belonging to a hate group.

Like I said, I'm not seriously equating the Secret Service to the Schutzstaffel. I'm just taking this opportunity where they did something a little heavy-handed to make a joke about their inappropriate and, since the 1930s, unfortunate name.

Comment from AFSister on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:37:15 -0600

Bill's checklist matches mine. Lots of "checks" there.... and one giant one next to the "dip$hit" who pulled him over in the first place.

An unnamed yet reliable source told me that there have already been multiple attempts on Obama's life- all thwarted by the Secret Service. And if you look at pictures of him with his guards, there are a HELL of a lot more around him than there ever where with Bush. They're erring on the side of caution. As much as I don't wan thim to be our President, I don't want him killed either.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:25:17 -0600

I think that for President Obama, you are going to see the Secret Service err on the side of caution. His race makes him a polarizing figure to some segments of society - and it doesn't have to be a very big segment to make a stupendous mess. In reality, it only takes an segment of one to make it a mess.

And like it or not, someone assassinating President Obama would potentially cause a much larger backlash in the country than the assassination of any of his predecessors.

It's simply a fact of life, and the Secret Service guys have the mission to make sure it doesn't happen.

And let's be honest, we're all sensitive to it, right or wrong.

Comment from Cricket on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:35:42 -0600

Josh isn't the first one to have made that connection, but the Secret Service is LIGHT YEARS away from that. Not.even.close. On the otter heiny, admitting one's Christianity could be tantamount to belonging to a hate group.

The cartoon thing bugs the daylights about of me. Especially after eight years of referring to Bush affectionately as 'Chimpy McHitler'.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:47:04 -0600

Jon expended the electrons.

Comment from Jon The Mechanic on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:41:19 -0600

Josh,
It might be me, but I'm not finding the humor in the link you posted. To equate USSS with SS denigrates the reputations of every honorable man and woman who has served that organization.

Comment from BillT on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:26:28 -0600

First Amendment violation? Check.

Fixed and apology issued? Check.

SS checking on a possible threat on the life of the POTUS? Check.

SS not overreacting and reaching the sensible conclusion? Check.

Sounds like everybody did his or her job except the doofus who overreacted to a non-threatening bumper sticker and started the whole mess.

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-20

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:11:24 -0600

John I know, I'm not being serious. Which of course isn't always conveyed well over the internet, sadly.

I've just always thought it was a rather unfortunate coincidence of initials, particularly because "Secret Service" doesn't really have anything to do with counterfeiting...or personal protection, for that matter...

Comment from Boquisucio on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:28:33 -0600

Mr. Harrison may well become The Charter Detainee at the soon to be open Concentration Camp being built at Fort Sill.

Comment from ry on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:17:36 -0600

You know, I remember at least one headline where someone with an anit-Bush sticker was pulle over from awaysback. Same bs, different ADMIN. Let's not turn into the whiney babies THEY were when it was our guy in Damocles' chair. We have class, unlike that rude ruffian Siger. ;) (You know I'm teasing, right, Jay?)

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:51:35 -0600

I think you go rather too far in your snark, Josh, but I'm not willing to expend the electrons to explain why.

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:12:10 -0600

I found a realy great pin for the Secret Service to wear, I think it's really snazzy, what do you think?

Comment from Argent on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:58:49 -0600

Well it helps me be glad I live here.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:27:11 -0600

Snerk, Jason, you pick the funniest things to chime in on...!

Comment from HomefrontSix on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:55:44 -0600

I wouldn't have let the SS into my house. Get a search warrant. Regardless of the fact that I have nothing to hide, no one gets to come into my house and "just check things out". No way.

Comment from olga on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:10:11 -0600

Scary?! This is horrifying - not the police' "good faith" removal of the sticker - the USSS coming to the guy's house because of the extremely innocent bumper sticker!!! Are we back in the old good f##king USSR?!

I truly believe this man should file a lawsuit against the government , whoever ordered the USSS agents to go to the guy's house should be kicked out of the USSS and blacklisted, and a public apology should be issued from both the USSS and the President - during the prime-time on all f##king TV and cable channels...

Comment from Jason on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:06:01 -0600

Next thing you know, the Secret Service will be ousting people with "Down with Obama" t-shirts at Dem political rallies...

Oh wait, wrong administration.

Comment from JimC on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:53:05 -0600

Yep, sure is a "FREE" country. Get ready for more. When Putin and the Chicoms are telling OB not to go socialist you know things are bad. I wonder what Patrick Henry would have to say?

Comment from FbL on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:45:53 -0600

The part with the police officer I can understand. They were wrong, but I can understand that it could have been done in good faith. "Abort" could be seen as wanting to end Obama's life, but equating it to impeachent is a clever slogan that is certainly believable. So, just a simple misunderstanding.

But the Secret Service behavior in this case is appalling!

Comment from Josh on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:16:48 -0600

Why was it perfectly acceptable to have bumper stickers saying all sorts of quasi-threatening things against W but not The One? I never took police forces for being radically leftist...

Comment from AFSister on 2009-02-19

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:11:25 -0600

Wow... just... wow.....

I guess it's a good thing I removed my "I'd rather have Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency than have Obama BE the heartbeat of the presidency" bumper sticker, eh?