It just doesn’t stop. Everywhere I turn I run into an argument that demonstrates a new low for critical thinking. I was reading an MSN analysis of a State of the Union address and they called the President out for having misled the people regarding job 
creation. The President said that “500,000 manufacturing jobs have been created in the past 3 years” and MSN called it a lie because in reality there was a net loss of 600,000 manufacturing jobs since Obama became president.
So much for the “left-wing media bias” we keep hearing about. Of course the right-wing media jumped all over Obama’s “lie.” Except, that it wasn’t a lie.
This link pretty much tells the story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_losses_caused_by_the_late-2000s_recession.
What it tells us is that from January 2009 to March of 2010 there was a huge net loss. What just a modicum of reasoning and critical analysis informs us is that those job losses are the result of a gigantic recession that became bottomless in 2008 and was not about to magically reverse itself. In fact, the worst single month of the recession was the month Obama was sworn in. Nothing could be implemented that would immediately change the economic direction of the deepest recession in 80 years. Any such idea is pure fantasy rhetoric. In fact, it’s pure stupidity.
It’s actually quite incredible that we started gaining more jobs than we were losing as early as March 2010 and, although job creation ebbs and flows, it has remained consistent. Obama’s claim of adding 500,000 manufacturing jobs in the three years that followed that month is actually quite realistic. There was a mountain of previously lost jobs to climb and we are still climbing out, but what depth of journalism came into play that couldn’t deduce that and instead did the easy math that totalled net losses from a recession?
Stupid. Just plain stupid.
Texas Congressman Steve Stockman invited Ted Nugent to be his guest at that State of the Union Address. His guest was a man who was quoted saying, “Suck on my machine
gun, Obama!,” and “Let’s start the armed revolution!” And let’s not forget this thoughtful chestnut: “Wish the South won the Civil War!”
Charming. And Republicans wonder why we’re having trouble taking them seriously.
I saw an article in the Unification Church’s “Washington Times” that accuses the federal government of mandating new parameters to define Religious Freedom. The Times author sees as an encroachment on religious rights, any denial of the right to exclude gay Americans from civil rights.
The article also states that Christian pharmacists were told to find other professions because their religious beliefs, with regard to the morning-after pill, were unacceptable. The truth is that state and federal courts ruled that the pharmacists have no obligation to sell the pill. Contrary to the point the article was trying to make about “government imposition” on religion, the courts upheld the rights of the pharmacists….just like they’re supposed to.
I was shown a conservative website that asks why there is no “White History Month” when there is a “Black History Month.” They see that as being prejudicial against white people. One comment offered, “White people have made contributions to America, too!” They continued, “We can’t say ‘nigger’ but they can. How is that fair?”
Sigh.
“White people have not been persecuted by design in this country,” I replied, knowing that logic wasn’t going to make any difference.
“White people were not sold as slaves. Instead white men made the rules that excluded other races from civil and human rights for hundreds of years and even though our laws now prohibit the exhibition of prejudices, the reality of injustice continues. The recognition of contributions from a race that was maligned from its entry into this nation, by acknowledging a Black History Month, is far more interesting and serves a far greater purpose toward continued improvement than would a celebration of White History. Our history books basically tell white history already- don’t you think?”
“Commie liberal!” came the reply.
Stupid. Just plain stupid.
But…I soldier on, along with many of the rest of you, trying to get some rational thought into the public discourse. It gets tiresome and tedious at times…but then there’s always a new twist from the New Right Wing that gets my dander up and gives me the strength
to keep on fighting.
“Rape is something God intended,” said one.
“Carbon Dioxide is not a threat to the environment,” said another.
“Evolution is a lie,” chimed yet another.
“Just more ebonic mumbo jumbo!” cries Ted Nugent, the new Great Communicator.
Stupid. Just plain stupid.
