Davids Medienkritik: SPIEGEL ONLINE: Dissent is no longer patriotic in America... »

Posted By Klarissa 2 months, 3 weeks ago in News

For the past eight years, left-wing commentators and media such as Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow, Daily Kos and the Huffington Post railed virtually non-stop against President Bush and Republicans. Night after night they blasted conservatives as fascist war-mongers and law-breakers....

Now that Democrats are in power, however, Marc Pitzke has suddenly identified great danger in outlandish and outspoken media personalities who dare oppose the authorities. In fact, one of his more recent articles is entitled "Right-Wing Polemicists: The Revolution is Coming!" According to SPIEGEL's (on) crack reporter, pundits like Glenn Beck of Fox News, radio host Mark Levin, and actor/blogger Chuck Norris are at the head of a dangerous and increasingly "militant" right-wing movement with close ideological associations to the militias. This despite the fact that they are criticizing the powers-that-be using essentially the same approach employed by Olberman, Maddow and Arianna Huffington for years. (Apparently, outspoken dissent is not patriotic, noble, or courageous when carried out by non-leftists...)

Pitzke goes on to crudely characterize the tea party movement as a phenomenon of the far-right.

What he fails to mention is that not only Republicans, but many Democrats and Independents question the wisdom of trillion dollar budgets likely to burden future generations with mountains of debt.

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Klarissa

Berkeley conservative. Don't ask to be my friend unless you have a real bio.Eat your dessert first, life is uncertain. Bridge player, water ...

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  • 60%
    Klarissa2 months, 3 weeks ago

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    Marc Pitzke to German Readers: Trust U.S. Homeland Security

    And what proof does Pitzke offer to convince readers that the threat posed by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News is real? The heavily criticized Department of Homeland Security report on right-wing radicalism. Of course Pitzke completely fails to mention that the report was widely panned, that the Obama administration immediately distanced itself from the paper, or that DHS Secretary Napolitano called the report "not worthy" and said it "should never have been released" - as reported by the Washington Post:

    “The report was not worthy of this department, or of veterans,” Napolitano said to Rehbein, according Legion spokesman Craig Roberts, who attended the meeting. "It was very badly written and should never have been released," she said."

    But that doesn't stop Pitzke from using the report as evidence. (And by the way: Since when has SPIEGEL ONLINE accepted the United States government as a reliable source?)

    To top it all off, and ensure that German readers get really scared, Pitzke mentions that Americans are buying more guns. Right-wing cowboy bastards...

    Here again, Pitzke and SPIEGEL are making their own bias and lack of journalistic professionalism rather obvious to those willing to take a slightly closer look.

    When Democrats go out on a limb and bash the opposition it is justified and noble, when Republicans do it - it is dangerous, militant, and a grave threat to society.

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    Striker1012 months, 2 weeks ago

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    I guess author thinks that freedom is a right-wing thing. Well it's a shame that freedom has fallen so low on the totem poll as to have become less important than the priority rush into communism.

    Annie, git yer gun! Let's us'n go fix this dad-burn "society".

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  • 78%
    mesodude2 months, 2 weeks ago

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    "I guess author thinks that freedom is a right-wing thing. Well it's a shame that freedom has fallen so low on the totem poll as to have become less important than the priority rush into communism."

    --Whatever...When I or anyone I know raised objections to any aspect of our involvement in Iraq or the criminal and questionable activities of Bush and Cheney during the past 8 years, I seem to remember that cons (many of whom were sacrificing nothing whatsoever) introduced us to charming phrases like "cut and run" and "wave the white flag of surrender" etc. In fact, you people thought dissent was anything but patriotic when you were cheerleading for Bush's war in Iraq. Why have those of you on the right suddenly changed your tune? Thanks.

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  • 73%
    ConquerorWyrm2 months, 2 weeks ago

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    I seem to remember 8 years of hyper-patriotism recently. I remember hearing Limbaugh on the air in the 80's and the Radio domination of the 90's. I remember very strongly as well because to even be accused of not liking the Republican President at the time was to invite some doofas with a cheap slogan printed in red-white & blue on his hat to get in your face and scream some version of "I wish you AmeriKa haters would just get the hell out of here. If you love Saddam so much, why don't you move to Iraq!" I got this treatment one late night as I sat in a Denny's with a copy of a speech W had made. I had been working and had missed it and wanted to read it. Some guy at the table next to mine asked me what I was reading. I said "It's a copy of Bush's speech tonight." Above was his response...just because I had a copy of the speech and was reading it!

    Oh, for ever so long has the Republican Party sanctioned and encouraged decrying those who oppose them to be un-American. It is a cherished art form within that community. What is shocking is, all the while they are now weeping and wailing and with great pretense pretending to now cry that they are being done to as they themselves do to others with such golden relish. The funny/sad part of it is that while they are claiming the Dems are calling them un-American, they are doing the most un-American thing possible...they are attempting to deny the Constitutionally mandated transfer of power and playing excessive on the old rhetoric.

    Me? I've been calling it like it is for some time now...Republicans! If you hate America so much, why don't you leave!

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    earthlingerer2 months, 2 weeks ago

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    It's easy to build upon, and continue the policies started in the last eight years. Face it, the nation has been fascist for YEARS.

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    • 82%
      mesodude2 months, 2 weeks ago

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      Klarissa, one question for you: Where was neocon concern about protecting dissent during the 8 years Bush and his blindly partisan suppoters were slamming, smearing, ridiculing, firing, ostracizing, and labeling as traitors and cowards anyone who said a discouraging word about Iraq or suggested it was a bad idea? Thanks.

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    • 30%
      Klarissa2 months, 2 weeks ago

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      you libs loved it when a German wrote about "far right" - but you can't stand it when a German writer in Spiegel writes about the far left.

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    • 75%
      icono12 months, 2 weeks ago

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      Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.----- Howard Zinn

      "Men in authority will always think that
      criticism of their policies is dangerous.
      They will always equate their policies
      with patriotism, and find criticism subversive."
      -------Henry Steele Commanger 1902-1998 Historian and Author

      "The mission of the Gestapo expanded steadily as, from 1933 onward, 'political criminality' was given a much broader definition than ever before and most forms of dissent and criticism were gradually criminalized. The result was that more 'laws' or lawlike measures wereput on the books than ever."---- Shelia Fitzpatrick
      Source: Accusatory Practices: Denunciation in Modern European History, 1789-1989, 1997

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      • 63%
        icono12 months, 2 weeks ago

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        "It is maintained that a society is free only when dissenting minorities have room to throw their weight around. As a matter of fact, a dissenting minority feels free only when it can impose its will on the majority: what it abominates most is the dissent of the majority."---------Eric Hoffer
        (1902-1983) American author, philosopher, awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

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        • 50%
          icono12 months, 2 weeks ago

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          "The Tenth Commandment sends a message
          to socialists, to egalitarians, to people obsessed with fairness, to American presidential candidates in the year 2000 -- to everyone who believes that wealth should be redistributed.And that message is clear and concise:
          Go to Hell."-------P. J. O'Rourke
          (1947- ) US humorist, journalist, & political commentator

          The 10 Commandment from;
          http://www.apostolic.edu/biblestudy/files/10th-com...

          By M.G.Blankenship

          "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's."

          COVETNESS = "is when DESIRE becomes INORDINATE or UNLAWFUL"
          It's NOT WRONG for a man to desire a HOUSE, WIFE, CAR, PET, JOB etc... But it's wrong to desire your neighbors... house, wife etc...
          THIS LEVEL OF DESIRE PLANTS THE SEEDS OF WILLINGNESS TO: hurt, steal, kill Coveting it desire run rampant w/o control.
          It will injure, hurt, even destroy to get what it wants!

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