Re: Ever wonder how PHANTOM, Buster, Tracey12, and the rest of the rightwingnutjobs came to be so ignorant? Here's your answer.

[Tom Sr.]

On Apr 27, 2:30 am, Kicking Ass and Taking Names
<PopUlist...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwV3kuKG4Nw&feature=player_embedded
>
> Progressive radio host Mike Papantonio sang the praises of author
> Susan Jacoby on his radio show on Friday, echoing the theme of her
> 2008 book The Age of American Unreason in saying,
> “Anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism have become almost epidemic
> in America,” and saying the only hesitation one should have in reading
> the book is how scary her findings are.
>
> “Chances are, if you are one of those corporate media-following bone
> heads who still believe that weapons of mass destruction were found in
> Iraq, or Saddam Hussein blew up the Twin Towers, or Obama is a secret
> Muslim, or Obama wants to take your guns, or Obama has FEMA prison
> camps set up for Teabag Republicans, then search no further,” said
> Papantonio, who is also president of the National Trial Lawyer
> Association. “You truly are the undereducated, child-like,
> impressionable, irrational, dangerous cog in America’s political
> system that puts Democracy most at risk.”
>
> In her book, Papantonio explained, Jacobs found that more than 40
> percent of Americans under the age of 44 did not read a single book
> over the course of the previous year. And their concentration had
> deteriorated to the point that politicians needed to condense their
> messages into 8-second soundbytes to grab their attention, leading her
> to conclude that the country was now “ill with a powerful mutant
> strain of intertwined ignorance, anti-rationalism and
> anti-intellectualism,” compounded by schools’ increased emphasis on
> passing standardized tests instead of comprehensive education on
> subjects like civics and humanities.
>
> “If the Susan Jacobys are right and anti-intellectualism is a trend in
> America, then spoon-feeding our children with facts and figures
> designed merely to pass a standardized test will never prepare them to
> preserve democracy,” Papantonio said. “The truth is when we firmly
> grasp timeless themes that can be found in novels like The Grapes of
> Wrath, Elmer Gantry or 1984, we are on our way to better protecting
> democracy against the Mitch McConnels, the Rush Limbaughs, the Rand
> Pauls, Peter Kings, Louie Gohmerts, the Bill O’Reillys and Glenn Becks
> who infect the process of intelligent conservative rational thinking.”
> *************

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States and there always
has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant
thread winding its way though our political and cultural life, nutured
by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as
good as your knowledge.'"
-- Isaac Asimov

.


-----
-----
Please Note:

In select newsgroups my post will be followed by an out-of-date, cut-
and-paste, SHRIEKING ranting and raving post by Bob Milby Jr., aka
Patriot Games, aka Buster Norris, aka 10,000s of Sockpuppets -- Winner
of The alt.usenet.kooks Awards: Palmjob Paddle (July 2008)*, KO0k of
the Month (Sept. 2012)**, and the Order of the Holey Sockpuppet (Oct.
2012)!***

* This award is given to the person who gets spanked (as in,
thrashed) the most in a given month by other posters or even himself.
** Given to someone whose Kookery is judged to have surpassed all
others.
*** For those most prolific in the art of, abiet thinly,
disguising their net.presence behind whatever nose and glasses they
can concoct.

We hope to return you to more rational posting after this brief,
psychotic interruption.
------
------

[Kenny McCormack]

In article <f65e8de8-88f9-4efb...@i3g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>,
Tom Sr. <thomas.sw...@gmail.com> wrote:
...

>"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States and there always
>has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant
>thread winding its way though our political and cultural life, nutured
>by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as
>good as your knowledge.'"
> -- Isaac Asimov

There is nothing per se wrong with this pervasive Culture of Dumb that is
America today. In fact, it is the ultimate goal of all of our labor-saving
devices - there's really no need to *do* or *know* anything anymore, since
it is all taken care of for you by various forms of automation.

In fact, I could tell that this is where we were headed, as early as the
70s, where it was already clear that education had become a pro-forma
exercise.

But, and this is the key, it (the Culture of Dumb) *is* incompatible with a
labor-and-money based economy. I.e., it is incompatible with a culture
based on St. Paul's central dictum of "You don't work, you don't eat".

Solving this problem *is* the primary problem that we face in the coming
decades and centruies. That is to say, transitioning from our current
economic and social model to the one found in (among others) the movie
"Logan's Run" and the book "Player Piano".

--
People who say they'll vote for someone else because Obama couldn't solve
all of Bush's messes are like people complaining that he couldn't cure cancer,
so they'll go and vote for cancer.

[Patrick]

Tom Sr." <thomas.sw...@gmail.com> wrote:

>"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States and there always
>has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant
>thread winding its way though our political and cultural life, nutured
>by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as
>good as your knowledge.'"
> -- Isaac Asimov

When we were at peace, Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now there's a
war, so Democrats want to raise taxes. When there was a surplus,
Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now that there is a mild recession,
Democrats want to raise taxes.
Ann Coulter

[Tracey12]

On Apr 27, 7:27 am, Patrick <pbarker...@woh.rr.com> wrote:

> When we were at peace, Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now there's a
> war, so Democrats want to raise taxes. When there was a surplus,
> Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now that there is a mild recession,
> Democrats want to raise taxes.
> Ann Coulter

Tom sure seems to have his panties in a wad today. Is it that time of
the month?

[Reaper G]

Of course, you could say the same about Sid9, Yoorghis, and BIG BIRD.

[Robert Westergrom,1900 Harvey rd.,Wilmington,D.E]

On Apr 27, 7:27 am, Patrick <pbarker...@woh.rr.com> wrote:

The ONLY tax a progressive will complain about is Colorado's proposed
30% tax on pot.

[Ron]

On Apr 27, 7:27 am, Patrick <pbarker...@woh.rr.com> wrote:

How do taxes correlate to the original topic?

[Robert Westergrom,1900 Harvey rd.,Wilmington,D.E]

On Apr 27, 11:47 am, Yoorg...@Jurgis.net wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:18:47 -0700 (PDT), "Robert Westergrom,1900

> Leaving out the major fact:
>
> "that during the eras of the highest taxation, there was more jobs,
> more innovation, more growth, and more progress"
>
> After the lowering of taxes---the wealth/investor class did not have
> to "Create" ....they merely "took in"- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Tell us. How does raising taxes create jobs?? I'll sit here and wait
for your in depth analysis.

[Patrick]

Ever wonder how the rest of the rightwingnutjobs came to be so
ignorant?

Aren't we discussing liberal nutjobs?

[Patrick]

Yoor...@Jurgis.net wrote:

>OTOH---the historic record of conservatism (especially with religious
>nuttery attached) is replete with obstruction, racism, and denial of
>most of all the good things we accomplished which did make us better.

Liberal Wars

When some claim that President Bush shouldn't
Have started the Iraq war, you should try to remember the following::

FDR led us into World War II.
Germany never attacked us ; Japan did.
From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ..
An average of 112,500 per year.

Truman finished that war and started one in Korea.
North Korea never attacked us .
From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ...
An average of 18,334 per year.

John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962.
Vietnam never attacked us .

Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire.
From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ..
An average of 5,800 per year.

Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent.
Bosnia never attacked us .
He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three
Times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on
Multiple occasions.

In the years since terrorists attacked us , President Bush
Has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled
Al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and North Korea
without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who
Slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking

But It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno
To take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons
In Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to < B> find
The Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to
destroy
the Medina Republican Guard Than it took Ted Kennedy to call the
police
after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick

It took less time to take Iraq than it took To count the votes in
Florida!!!!

[Patrick]

Yoor...@Jurgis.net wrote:
>
>However, the public and historic record of conservatism has absolutely
>no significant record of ever producing any policy or legislation that
>made America a better place to live.

>OTOH---the historic record of conservatism (especially with religious
>nuttery attached) is replete with obstruction, racism, and denial of
>most of all the good things we accomplished which did make us better.

The basic foundations of American conservatism can be boiled down to
four fundamental concepts. We might call them the four pillars of
modern conservatism:

The first pillar of conservatism is liberty, or freedom. Conservatives
believe that individuals possess the right to life, liberty, and
property, and freedom from the restrictions of arbitrary force. They
exercise these rights through the use of their natural free will. That
means the ability to follow your own dreams, to do what you want to
(so long as you don’t harm others) and reap the rewards (or face the
penalties). Above all, it means freedom from oppression by
government—and the protection of government against oppression. It
means political liberty, the freedom to speak your mind on matters of
public policy. It means religious liberty—to worship as you please, or
not to worship at all. It also means economic liberty, the freedom to
own property and to allocate your own resources in a free market.

Conservatism is based on the idea that the pursuit of virtue is the
purpose of our existence and that liberty is an essential component of
the pursuit of virtue. Adherence to virtue is also a necessary
condition of the pursuit of freedom. In other words, freedom must be
pursued for the common good, and when it is abused for the benefit of
one group at the expense of others, such abuse must be checked. Still,
confronted with a choice of more security or more liberty,
conservatives will usually opt for more liberty.

The second pillar of conservative philosophy is tradition and order.
Conservatism is also about conserving the values that have been
established over centuries and that have led to an orderly society.
Conservatives believe in human nature; they believe in the ability of
man to build a society that respects rights and that has the capacity
to repel the forces of evil. Order means a systematic and harmonious
arrangement, both within one’s own character and within the
commonwealth. It signifies the performance of certain duties and the
enjoyment of certain rights within a community.

Order is perhaps more easily understood by looking at its opposite:
disorder. A disordered existence is a confused and miserable
existence. If a society falls into general disorder, many of its
members will cease to exist at all. And if the members of a society
are disordered in spirit, the outward order of society cannot long
endure. Disorder describes well everything that conservatism is not.

The third pillar is the rule of law. Conservatism is based on the
belief that it is crucial to have a legal system that is predictable,
that allows people to know what the rules are and enforce those rules
equally for all. This means that both governors and the governed are
subject to the law. The rule of law promotes prosperity and protects
liberty. Put simply, a government of laws and not of men is the only
way to secure justice.

The fourth pillar is belief in God. Belief in God means adherence to
the broad concepts of religious faith—such things as justice, virtue,
fairness, charity, community, and duty. These are the concepts on
which conservatives base their philosophy.

Conservative belief is tethered to the idea that there is an
allegiance to God that transcends politics and that sets a standard
for politics. For conservatives, there must be an authority greater
than man, greater than any ruler, king, or government: no state can
demand our absolute obedience or attempt to control every aspect of
our lives. There must be a moral order, conservatives believe, that
undergirds political order. This pillar of conservatism does not mean
mixing up faith and politics, and it certainly does not mean settling
religious disputes politically. It also does not mean that
conservatives have a monopoly on faith, or even that all conservatives
are necessarily believers.

Each of the four pillars is closely related to all the others.
Liberty, for example, is considered a gift of God and must be
protected by the rule of law. The rule of law itself is dependent on
the natural law—a transcendent law reflected in every orderly and
civilized society, demarcating good and evil. Tradition and order are
best reflected by our common law—a law developed over centuries by
reasonable people in their everyday lives, which sets the rules for
social order consistent with the past. And tradition is an important
dimension of belief in God. What could demonstrate tradition and order
more fully, for example, than the Old Testament and the history of the
Jewish people, or the doctrines of the Christian Church?

http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=1813

[FirstPost]

Their warped rationale is their belief that people of wealth are so
greedy that raising taxes will make them work even harder in order to
maintain their own personal bottom line thus creating more jobs etc.
A rationale that has been proven to be wrong time and time again BTW.

However the reality is that they don't give a rats ass about job
creation or any benefit to the economy. It boils down to their
extreme jealousy of those with luck or who have worked harder than
themselves and they simply want to see those individuals punished for
their success.

[Tom Sr.]

On Apr 27, 10:42 am, Reaper G <reap...@aol.com> wrote:
> > "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States and there always
> > has been.  The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant
> > thread winding its way though our political and cultural life, nutured
> > by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as
> > good as your knowledge.'"
> >                   -- Isaac Asimov

> --

> Of course, you could say the same about Sid9, Yoorghis, and BIG BIRD.

But it would not be true of them.

[Tom Sr.]

On Apr 27, 10:14 am, Tracey12 <tracey12em...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Apr 27, 7:27 am, Patrick <pbarker...@woh.rr.com> wrote:
> > When we were at peace, Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now there's a
> > war, so Democrats want to raise taxes. When there was a surplus,
> > Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now that there is a mild recession,
> > Democrats want to raise taxes.
> > Ann Coulter

----------
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/04/24/yet-another-study-shows-low-iq-and-right-wing-ideology-go-hand-in-hand/

*Yet Another Study Shows Low IQ And Right-Wing Ideology Go Hand-In-
Hand*
by T. Steelman
2013/04/24

Okay now, liberals, don’t get all smug and conservatives, don’t get
defensive. The studies hit a hot-button trifecta – examining
intelligence, racism and ideology – and our ability to remain
objective may be strained. But… it is what it is so let’s dive right
in.

The first studies of the correlation between intelligence and racism
were done in the U.K. and involved children born in 1958 and another
group born in 1970. The children’s intelligence was tested at age
10-11 and at age 30-33, their levels of social conservatism were
measured. Verbal and nonverbal intelligence at the early ages was
gauged using words, symbols and shapes. The later tests used four
methods of testing cognitive abilities. The average IQ for comparison
was set at 100.

The adults were given statements with which to agree or disagree
dealing with social issues such as women working outside the home and
what children should be taught in school. They also answered questions
as to whether or not they’d work with people of other races. Once the
data was crunched, those children who tested low on the IQ tests grew
up to be adults who were racist. It also showed that the people with
lower cognitive abilities had less social contact with people of other
races.

Gordon Hodson of Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canada
and his colleague Michael A. Busseri, examined these and other
studies. Their findings were published as Bright Minds and Dark
Attitudes: Lower Cognitive Ability Predicts Greater Prejudice Through
Right-Wing Ideology and Low Intergroup Contact.

“This finding is consistent with recent research demonstrating that
inter-group contact is mentally challenging and cognitively draining,
and consistent with findings that contact reduces prejudice.”

The point here is that one’s cognitive ability determines how easily
one can grasp complexities and that right-wing extremist ideologies
(and racism) cater to this handicap. Of course, extremist left-wing
ideologies can fall into this trap as well, but few of them are as
harmful as right-wing ones. For example, a right-wing view that all
foreigners are scary and wish us harm becomes everyone is kind and
wishes us well through one left-wing prism. One of these things is not
like the other, though.

“Socially conservative ideologies tend to offer structure and order,”
Hodson said, explaining why these beliefs might draw those with low
intelligence. “Unfortunately, many of these features can also
contribute to prejudice.”

Further, these findings may relate to homophobia as well. In another
U.S. study, Hodson and Busseri compared 254 people who had the same
level of education but possessed different levels of abstract
reasoning. They found that people whose abstract reasoning abilities
were poor tended to be homophobic. Just like in the U.K. study, these
people had also had less contact with gays and were more accepting of
authoritarianism.

Dr. Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, says that the
findings are correlational, hence they can’t conclusively prove that
low IQs lead to prejudice. The studies would have to compare identical
people, which is not possible. But it does point to the idea that
people who lack the cognitive ability to process complexity tend to
adhere to strict ideologies:

“Reality is complicated and messy. Ideologies get rid of the messiness
and impose a simpler solution. So, it may not be surprising that
people with less cognitive capacity will be attracted to simplifying
ideologies.” (source)

This is not to say that all conservatives are dumb or that all
liberals are smart. That’s far too simplistic a conclusion to draw.
But the predominance of extremist right-wing ideology amongst those
with a low-IQ is too common to ignore.

Another interesting study has shown a correlation between American
symbols or cues – such as the flag or the word, “patriot” – and
increased aggression in judging other people. These cues also
increased the subject’s tendency to fall back onto war imagery and
language. This occurred regardless of political affiliation or other
factors. So when Fox News (or any other network) precedes a story with
one of these cues, it tends to increase their viewer’s aggression
towards who or whatever the subject of the report may be. Explains a
lot, doesn’t it?

What can we conclude from these studies? Strictly speaking, they have
their flaws but, overall, I believe that they have been able to draw a
connection between low IQ in the form of reasoning and abstract
thought and racism and authoritarian ideologies. From here, perhaps we
should try to teach children how better to reason and extrapolate as
well as to empathize with others. Hopefully, those who have a vested
interest in keeping people stupid won’t be able to block these
efforts. And if they do, then parents, it’s up to you. Teach your
children well.
----------

> Tom sure seems to have his panties in a wad today.  Is it that time of
> the month?

Does 'ittle baby Tracie-waice need to take a nappie?

I suspect you do, given how many times I've kicked your ass today,
Loser KooK.

[Patrick]

On Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:34:47 -0700 (PDT), "Tom Sr."
<thomas.sw...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Apr 27, 10:14 am, Tracey12 <tracey12em...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Apr 27, 7:27 am, Patrick <pbarker...@woh.rr.com> wrote:
>> > When we were at peace, Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now there's a
>> > war, so Democrats want to raise taxes. When there was a surplus,
>> > Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now that there is a mild recession,
>> > Democrats want to raise taxes.
>> > Ann Coulter
>
>----------
>http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/04/24/yet-another-study-shows-low-iq-and-right-wing-ideology-go-hand-in-hand/
>
>*Yet Another Study Shows Low IQ And Right-Wing Ideology Go Hand-In-
>Hand*
>by T. Steelman
>2013/04/24
>
>Okay now, liberals, don’t get all smug and conservatives, don’t get
>defensive. The studies hit a hot-button trifecta – examining
>intelligence, racism and ideology – and our ability to remain
>objective may be strained. But… it is what it is so let’s dive right
>in.
>
>The first studies of the correlation between intelligence and racism
>were done in the U.K. and involved children born in 1958 and another
>group born in 1970.

Funny how all these studies come to the same conclusions.
I'm waiting for the one that says it's an indication you're ugly and
your mother dresses you funny.
Very insecure, these Lefties.

[Paul Duca]

why don't you show or tell us about all that YOU have, thanks to good luck and hard work?


Paul

[Paul Duca]

Dunbass/fatass Patrick thanks conservatism for what he's got, and can't begin to understand why everyone else can't even be FORCED to go along, much less obey voluntarily?


Paul