Today's Battle : The Crucifixion of Amanda Simpson

[Butterfly]

Today's Battle : The Crucifixion of Amanda Simpson
A.E. Brain
By Zoe Brain
06 January, 2010


http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2010/01/todays-battle-crucifixion-of-amanda.html


I know. I know. There will be those who say all that matters is whether or not Simpson is qualified for the job. And I know there will be those who will wonder why I am even writing about this considering there may be more important topics to discuss but here's a newsflash for you: The transgender thing doesn't play well with millions of conservative Evangelicals. Sorry if Biblical absolutes offend you or are so "1950 ish" but don't think conservative Evangelicals are apologizing for it.

[Muffin]

If anyones focus should be directed anywhere it should be toward ignorant prejudice people such as this:-

Wow, this is unbelievable. These deviants are held up and glorified and then put into positions of governance! These creatures should be exiled. Amazing that this he/she/it changes their gender and then parades it in front of everyone. Just goes to show that these creatures are sick and are really not interested in what they profess and that their aim is to shove it in everyone's face and demand that they be accepted as normal-which frankly is as far from normal as possible.

Taken from your link. Sickening really. And these are the kind of people that watch letterman and believe every word.

[tekla]

And these are the kind of people that watch letterman and believe every word.

Umm, no they don't, and no they don't.  The Freepers, the WND, the FoF, and all those people are not watching Dave, I'm quite sure they hate Dave as much as they hate on Amanda.  They don't watch the MSM at all, they have TV sets tuned permanently on FOX, they watch and listen to Glenn Beck and Rush and call anyone to the left of St. Sara a RINO.  They think the Republican Party is far too far to the left and needs to be purified.  They think that Obama was born in Nigeria and his election the result of a half-century old conspiracy to somehow put him in the White House.  They home-school their kids because they don't much like science.  They think secular humanism is a religion.  Whatever else they are doing, they are not watching Letterman.

[Muffin]

Tekla don't mince my words please, infact don't quote or speak to me ever. I've noticed we are very different people with differing opinions and it would be best to not communicate at all.

[Alyssa M.]

Gee, I thought communicating with very different people with differing opinions was one of the best things about the Internet. I guess I was wrong. 

[Just Kate]

And these are the kind of people that watch letterman and believe every word.

Umm, no they don't, and no they don't.  The Freepers, the WND, the FoF, and all those people are not watching Dave, I'm quite sure they hate Dave as much as they hate on Amanda.  They don't watch the MSM at all, they have TV sets tuned permanently on FOX, they watch and listen to Glenn Beck and Rush and call anyone to the left of St. Sara a RINO.  They think the Republican Party is far too far to the left and needs to be purified.  They think that Obama was born in Nigeria and his election the result of a half-century old conspiracy to somehow put him in the White House.  They home-school their kids because they don't much like science.  They think secular humanism is a religion.  Whatever else they are doing, they are not watching Letterman.

I think that is the most well done portrayal of my southern baptist Texan family I've ever seen.

[Tammy Hope]

I like the blogger's position, and i like the willingness to take on those commenters head on by replying.

It's something I hope to do more of - to say "I am both trans and conservative and you folks are an embarrassment"

BUT

let's also acknowledge the truth: the EASIEST thing to do on-line is find a comments section full of complete single-digit IQ morons on pretty much ANY subject.

Go watch a youtube video - ANY youtube video, they are there.

Go to a sports article or blog, they are there.

ANY place where comments - particularly anonymous comments (and yes, signing "Tom, Dallas TX" is anonymous, even though there's a name there) are allowed, such stupidity will reign.

So in that sense what would be shocking would be to find a thoughtful discussion on the merits of the article or situation at hand, not that you can quote idiots all night.

[tekla]

Ahh honey, I never mince words, not when I can quote them exactly.  If you don't like what you said, it sure ain't my fault you said it.  Something about hoisting and petard comes to mind.  And this is very deadly and very serious American politics.  And we play that game for keeps, because if we lose, we lose forever.  Last best hope of humanity and all.

And I'm sure you can't even imagine this stuff.  Are there people, in mass, gathered praying (and fervently I might add) for the death of the Prime Minister?  Cause we have that here.

Do you have a group of people in your country, large enough to constituent a political movement on its own who thinks that nuclear weapons were given to them by god to deliver unto you nation the rest of the world for Christ?  Cause we do. (Oh yeah, and not a minor point, we have nuclear weapons and we have used them.  Twice.  Don't doubt the USA.)

And we have had lots, and lots of morons who dismiss these people, who neglect them, who ignore them, and every single time they do, they get their ass handed to them on a silver platter.

Last time a bunch of people ignored them, those people got an anti-gay marriage deal, not just put into law, but put into the State Constitution.  Not a minor deal.  And not just any state constitution, the State Constitution of the State of California, one of the most liberal states in the Union.

And, for the record.  One.  This is American politics, if you are not American, your opinion is just that.  And not important.  Second.  This is the internet.  If you write something for public consumption, you best be able to defend it.

Because what I wrote in response to you was not wrong, it was dead on.  You don't know these people I do.  They are as serious as a heart attack twenty miles from the closest person, and a hundred miles from the closest clinic.  In other words, they are absolutely toxic and poison, and deadly to the American system.  I don't kid about them.  Neither should you.

[Muffin]

You assumed what I quoted to be about the original topic, my sentence "And these are the kind of people that watch letterman and believe every word." Was about the quote I quoted. IMO I believe that the general POV of letterman watchers to be of the quote that I quoted on the grounds that lettermen is both boring, unfunny and retarded himself.
I'm sorry I'm not american to be able to have a personal opinion about something happening there, how foolish of me to try.
Also the fact that you felt so inclined to correct me speaks volumes.

[tekla]

Your right, it does.  I live here.  It matters a lot.  And, again, I don't want to discount them or play them off, even Laura will agree that these are not the people watching and listening to Dave.

[Muffin]

!!!!!!!!!!!! ok just to clarify. you honestly believe that people with this opinion...

Wow, this is unbelievable. These deviants are held up and glorified and then put into positions of governance! These creatures should be exiled. Amazing that this he/she/it changes their gender and then parades it in front of everyone. Just goes to show that these creatures are sick and are really not interested in what they profess and that their aim is to shove it in everyone's face and demand that they be accepted as normal-which frankly is as far from normal as possible.

...don't watch the letterman show?
I know a lot of different kinds of people watch letterman but without looking at stats I'm still pretty sure there are a lettermen viewers with this opinion
(The one I quoted above^^^).
OH wait that's right I don't live in america so what would I know.

[Hannah]

Jon Stewart has a nightly show as well, and it's a hell of a lot funnier than David Letterman ever was. You should see how he mocks Glen Beck, oh my gawd it's awesome. Having never seen glen beck, I actually checked him out after seeing one of Stewarts parodies and...there wasn't much difference.

[Tammy Hope]

!!!!!!!!!!!! ok just to clarify. you honestly believe that people with this opinion...

...don't watch the letterman show?
I know a lot of different kinds of people watch letterman but without looking at stats I'm still pretty sure there are a lettermen viewers with this opinion
(The one I quoted above^^^).
OH wait that's right I don't live in america so what would I know.

tekla is right that the religious crowd who has no stomach for "sexual deviance" also has no stomach for Letterman

and you are right if you are saying that there are a lot of people who consider us "deviants" who never set foot either in a church or a political rally.

I would also point out that tekla has a Californian's (San Fransican's?) view of those "dangerous" religious folks which isn't entirely accurate (more so of the activists than of the average joe but even then it's overstated) but this ain't the thread to bang my head against that particular wall again.

In any case, I think you are talking past each other because of the fundamental mistake often displayed of thinking that the ONLY reason people hate us is that they are religious.

'Taint so.

(but technically, when tekla says the religious folks don't like Letterman that's largely true)

Post Merge: January 10, 2010, 04:47:57 AM

Jon Stewart has a nightly show as well, and it's a hell of a lot funnier than David Letterman ever was. You should see how he mocks Glen Beck, oh my gawd it's awesome. Having never seen glen beck, I actually checked him out after seeing one of Stewarts parodies and...there wasn't much difference.

You have to watch a lot of Beck to see what people like about him (including me).

Now, if you don't share ANY of his political points of view you still won't like him BUT just watching any one episode or segment won't give you a full picture.

I've seen him do many wonderful thoughtful interviews (the one he did with Jon Huntsman recently of the Cancer Hospitals was better than most any of your traditional interview shows do - looked like something from Dick Cavett or Tom Snyder.

I've seem him do what can only be seen as Stewart-type comedy and do it well (although as with Stewart, if you are the butt of the joke you don't like it so well)

I've seen him do the weepy emotional shtick which personally I think makes him too easy a target for his critics but he's also very good at self-mockery on that point.

He does a couple of different stage shows (one is a Christmas thing) that are well done.

He DOES have flaws which I don't like - I think he is too heavy handed about religion sometimes, I think he should NEVER yell as he does on the radio sometimes (leave that for that moron Michael Savage who deserves all the flack Beck takes)


but Bottom line, if Beck were on the left, the same folks who criticize his show now would like him BETTEr than Stewart or anyone else currently doind similar stuff on the left. (and right wingers would hate him of course)

Those who don't like Beck dislike his positions far more than his shtick.


(and of those, probably a significant majority don't even know what his positions are - it's enough that he's on the right)

[Kate Thomas]

Letterman has had his shot at Amanda and has moved on to other easy one liners.  The only agenda he had was a few chuckles at Obama's expense. but hey  making jokes is his job. pushing for social change is not.

The real problem is the folks who promote hate tword those that they do not know.
It is far to easy to demonize someone or some group, rather then take the time to learn just who they are.

[Alyssa M.]

I kind of like Letterman, actually. I mean, he's as lame at times as any other comedian, but I don't see how anyone could say he's terribly political. Sure, he knocks Obama -- just like he knocked W, Clinton, H.W., and Reagan before. But he mostly does it in an offbeat, absurdist manner, and most of his stuff isn't political at all. What's the politics in dropping a bucket of paint off of a building? Oh, yeah, one other thing: the conservative wingnuts have been boycotting Letterman since the Palin incident last June. So ... there goes that theory.

But, really, why is it such a big deal? You don't understand the demographics of the viewership of a show in a country you don't even live in. So what? Consider yourself edified.


(And, yes, I think Jon Stewart's show is a lot funnier. Also, waaaaaaay more political. But that's okay, 'cause he's a lefty, and his opinions are correct, right?)

[cynthialee]

I watch Beck and John Stewart.
Beck because I want to be in the know when the right plans on starting the next American civil war, and Stewart for a laugh.
They are both entertaining and highly political. But if I was grading them on entertainment value alone I would have to say Stweart is much more entertaining.
jmho

[MaggieB]

I agree with Tekla. She is totally correct that Prop 8 was manipulated into our Constitution by religious people and the Mormon and Catholic churches. Now it seems certain that Prop 8 was enacted illegally by election fraud. One doesn't have to be from liberal San Francisco to see this. My area 120 miles south is quite conservative. I once was too until I finally woke up to the fact that I was massively lied to and manipulated by the these people. They are anti-LBGT, anti-education, anti-logic and against any belief system except the modern incarnation of what used to be Christianity.

Instead, I have educated myself in a wide spectrum of information and by my understanding, liberals are closer to our interests by far. The conservatives fool ordinary people to support corporations and extremists while these poor people are their victims too.

I loved the you tube video of Beck being photographed for his crying pictures. He is a phony and an instigator doing the tactic of telling a lie between two truths. He is no better than a person screaming fire in a crowded theater.

Letterman is an ignorant fool who will say anything if he gets a laugh. What impresses me about this episode is that it raised the issue of transsexuality to even more national attention. The result is that the opposition now has us even more in their cross hairs. I have read op ed pieces on conservative sites that are downright scary since this has come to light.

Maggie

[Tammy Hope]

I loved the you tube video of Beck being photographed for his crying pictures. He is a phony and an instigator doing the tactic of telling a lie between two truths. He is no better than a person screaming fire in a crowded theater.

you loved the youtube video of a person being photographed being subjected to the same routine devices to produce on-camera tears that are employed routinely in the industry to produce that effect...

Employed by the way because the people the photo shoot was for - a liberal newsmagazine - WANTED a "crying shot"?

Why, exactly?

Are you so ...no, I won't choose a word here because I don't want to be insulting - are you REALLY saying that it proves Beck is more dishonest because they faked tears for a photograph?

Seriously?

Sure, you can think all manner of evil about Beck if you want but THAT is your evidence?

[MaggieB]

Laura,
I don't spend much time remembering all the plethora of things that Beck did. I do recall him joking about killing Nancy Pelosi by poison. He is far too much of a buffoon to waste any discussion on, the Jerry Springer of political journalists. I'll tell you what, let's let you win this one. He is the salt of the earth and the protector of American corporate democracy. Mind if we drop it now?

Kay

[tekla]

He is the salt of the earth and the protector of American corporate democracy.
You forgot ruggedly handsome.