REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Liberalism Is a Hoax

POSTED BY: AURAPTOR
UPDATED: Friday, December 12, 2014 18:10
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Friday, December 5, 2014 6:59 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Talk about a dramatic entrance. When the St. Louis Rams took the field last Sunday, several teammates raised their hands, palms out. It was an act of solidarity with Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager killed last August in a struggle with a white police officer. Moments before his demise, it is said, Brown raised his hands and pleaded: “Don’t shoot.”

Since then “hands up, don’t shoot” has become the rallying cry of protesters and rioters furious that the officer, Darren Wilson, was not indicted by a grand jury. There is just one problem: It is not clear that Brown put his hands up. Nor is it certain that he said, “Don’t shoot.” On the contrary, the evidence released by the grand jury suggests that the fatal incident began when Brown assaulted Wilson.

Indeed, the foundations of the Brown story have been eroding from the moment a St. Louis television station broadcast security video from the convenience store where Michael Brown, prior to his fatal encounter, stole merchandise and assaulted a clerk. It was for example claimed that Brown was shot in the back. The evidence before the grand jury showed that he was not.

Is the movement to “de-militarize” the police that was sparked by Brown’s death therefore based on lies? “Those questions may never be answered,” says The New York Times, which campaigned for the indictment of Officer Wilson and sympathized with the violence and looting that has plagued Ferguson, Missouri, after the grand jury announced its decision.

Well, maybe those questions won’t be answered. What I do know is that the Times would be much more definitive and much more emphatic if the empirical data conformed even in the slightest to its preferred narrative, to its politicized storyline of pacific young black men gunned down needlessly by racist cops. What I do know is that the sensational and electric assertions made by liberals to further their agenda, especially on issues of race and sex, have a habit of being untrue. And it is the recurrence of such factually suspect accounts that raises troubling questions about the relation of liberal myth to human reality. (The case of Eric Garner, in which there is video of the deadly engagement, is different and should not be conflated with the fable of Ferguson.)

Liberal myths propagated to generate outrage and activism, to organize and coordinate and mobilize disparate grievances and conflicting agendas, so often have the same relation to truth, accuracy, and legitimacy as a Bud Light commercial. Marketing is not limited to business. Inside the office buildings of Washington, D.C., are thousands upon thousands of professionals whose livelihoods depend on the fact that there is no better way than a well-run public relations campaign to get you to do what they want. What recent weeks have done is provide several lessons in the suspect nature of such campaigns.

The 2006 Duke Lacrosse case is the paradigmatic example of a liberal rush to judgment when the perceived victim is a minority (in that case, a black woman) and the alleged perpetrator a straight white male. But it is not the sole example.

In 2007, an instructor at Columbia’s Teachers College specializing in racial “micro-aggressions” and under investigation for plagiarism discovered a noose hanging from her office door; when she was fired the following year for academic malfeasance it was widely suspected that she had put the noose there herself. The racist graffiti and Klan sightings that rocked the Oberlin campus in 2013 and served as the basis of an antiracism campaign were later revealed to be a left-wing “joke.” And of course the leader of the Michael Brown protest movement, tax cheat Al Sharpton, was involved in the Tawana Brawley hoax of 1987.

Recently critics noted serious flaws in the reporting and writing of a Rolling Stone article that purports to describe a violent gang rape in a University of Virginia fraternity house. The article was the basis for the university’s decision to suspend Greek life on campus for the duration of 2014. The magazine was evasive in its response to the challenges. Then, on Friday afternoon, it released the following statement: “There now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie’s [the alleged victim's] account, and we have come to our conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced.” The story is false.

Does it even matter? Some liberals are upfront that the factuality of these cases is secondary to their political import. “Actually, in both the case of the UVA rape and in the case of the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri,” says a writer for the New Republic digital media company, “the major takeaway of recent weeks should be that our systems do not work” (emphasis in the original).

What the New Republic means by “our systems” is our systems of power: the institutions through which a free society allocates resources and decision making, chooses priorities, delegates responsibilities and authority. It is the goal of contemporary liberalism to command these institutions—in particular institutions resistant to the left such as police and fire departments, fraternal societies and private clubs, the military and extractive industry—and to alter them according to fashionable theories of equality and justice. The details are unimportant so long as the “takeaway” is communicated, the desired policy achieved.

It is sometimes difficult to understand that, for the left, racism and sexism and prejudice are not ethical categories but political ones. We are not merely talking about bad manners when the subject turns to Michael Brown or UVA or Thomas Piketty. We are talking about power.

“The new elite that seeks to supercede the old one, or merely share its power and honors, does not admit to such intention frankly and openly,” writes Vilfredo Pareto. “Instead it assumes the leadership of all the oppressed, declares that it will pursue not its own good but the good of the many; and it goes to battle, not for the rights of a restricted class but for the rights of almost the entire citizenry.”

Such is the conduct of our new elite, the archons and tribunes of the “coalition of the ascendant,” which proclaims itself the advocate of minority rights, of the poor, of the sick, as it entrenches its power and furthers its self-interest.

For an example of that rising and fabulist elite, look no further than Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist who in a 2013 speech confided that the passage of Obamacare was due to a “lack of transparency” and “the stupidity of the American people or whatever.” Here is a highly compensated professional, who has received close to $6 million in consulting fees from state and federal government, admitting to like-minded audiences that the Obama administration rigged the process at the Congressional Budget Office, and that the law was written so if states did not establish health exchanges they would not receive Medicaid subsidies (the government is now arguing the opposite before the Supreme Court).

The response? More lies: Nancy Pelosi says she’s never heard of Gruber, and the president and his former secretary of Health and Human Services minimize his role in creating their signature legislation. (Gruber visited the White House, including the Oval Office, more than 20 times.) Gruber hasn’t been delivering speeches over the last few years. He’s been delivering confessions. And his words only embitter the recollection of other Obamacare promises that have been exposed as false: that the law would cut the deficit, that it would lower health care premiums by $2,500, that if you like your plan you can keep your plan.

What are the apocalyptic predictions of climate alarmists but Sorelian myths intended to shape legislation, regulation, and the culture in the radicals’ favor? To merely profess agnosticism on the subject of global warming is to elicit calls for one’s removal from the Washington Post. Yet the “pause” in warming has lasted for more than 15 years, leaving puzzled climate scientists, whose jobs depend on the imminence of crisis, speculating that the heat is hiding somewhere in the ocean. The “Climategate” emails revealed an insular and opaque scientific community sensitive to the political and financial ramifications of contradictory data. The sharknado-like hurricanes that environmentalists predicted as a consequence of global warming have yet to appear. Indeed, no hurricane has made landfall on Florida in nine years.

I gave up predicting the weather the first time I didn’t do my homework in expectation of a snow day and was proven wrong. Nevertheless I recognize the political appeal of climate change, the rhetorical power of a threat to correlate forces, to direct their activity. Not to mention the aromatic whiff of potential economic rewards. Retrofitting an economy for a post-fossil fuel world is a business opportunity for well-connected entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk or the coal baron, radical environmentalist, billionaire, and Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer, who is on record that the government-subsidized green energy bonanza is above all an opportunity “to make a lot of money.”

So much of contemporary liberalism reeks of a scheme by which already affluent and influential people increase their margins and extend their sway. Liberalism, mind you, in both parties: the Republican elite seems as devoted as their Democratic cousins to the shibboleths of diversity and immigration even as they bemoan the fate of the middle class and seek desperately the votes of white working families.

Just-so stories, extravagant assertions, heated denunciations, empty gestures, moral posturing that increases in intensity the further removed it is from the truth: If the mainstream narration of our ethnic, social, and cultural life is susceptible to error, it is because liberalism is the prevailing disposition of our institutions of higher education, of our media, of our nonprofit and public sectors, and it is therefore cocooned from skepticism and incredulity and independent thought. Sometimes the truth punctures the bubble. And when that happens—and lately it seems to be happening with increasing frequency—liberalism itself goes on trial.

Has the jury reached a verdict? Yes, your honor, it has. We find the defendant guilty. Liberalism is a hoax.

http://freebeacon.com/columns/liberalism-is-a-hoax/

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Friday, December 5, 2014 7:03 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


To Our Readers:

Last month, Rolling Stone published a story titled "A Rape on Campus" by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, which described a brutal gang rape of a woman named Jackie at a University of Virginia fraternity house; the university's failure to respond to this alleged assault – and the school's troubling history of indifference to many other instances of alleged sexual assaults. The story generated worldwide headlines and much soul-searching at UVA. University president Teresa Sullivan promised a full investigation and also to examine the way the school responds to sexual assault allegations.

Because of the sensitive nature of Jackie's story, we decided to honor her request not to contact the man she claimed orchestrated the attack on her nor any of the men she claimed participated in the attack for fear of retaliation against her. In the months Erdely spent reporting the story, Jackie neither said nor did anything that made Erdely, or Rolling Stone's editors and fact-checkers, question Jackie's credibility. Her friends and rape activists on campus strongly supported Jackie's account. She had spoken of the assault in campus forums. We reached out to both the local branch and the national leadership of the fraternity where Jackie said she was attacked. They responded that they couldn't confirm or deny her story but had concerns about the evidence.

In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie's account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced. We were trying to be sensitive to the unfair shame and humiliation many women feel after a sexual assault and now regret the decision to not contact the alleged assaulters to get their account. We are taking this seriously and apologize to anyone who was affected by the story.

Will Dana
Managing Editor

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/a-note-to-our-readers-2014120
5




( there's your mythical ' rape culture' , folks. )

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Friday, December 5, 2014 9:41 PM

JONGSSTRAW


Well who ever said any of it wasn't a hoax?

Politics (power) means getting what you want.

Getting what you want means making money.


Everything else is just bacon grease for the useful idiots.


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Friday, December 5, 2014 11:01 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Well who ever said any of it wasn't a hoax?

Politics (power) means getting what you want.

Getting what you want means making money.


Everything else is just bacon grease for the useful idiots.




I'd compare it to a religion. Believe what you're told, and don't you DARE ask to see any proof, or point out any discrepancies in " the story ". Or else, be branded a heretic, or worse ... RACIST !

* Hands up, don't shoot ! * - But that never actually happened. We know this because Dorian rescinded his claim, and the evidence agrees.


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Friday, December 5, 2014 11:59 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:


I'd compare it to a religion. Believe what you're told, and don't you DARE ask to see any proof, or point out any discrepancies in " the story ".



You just described your modus operandi to a T. Parrot your favourite shock jocks, believe everything said by Fox, ignore evidence that doesnt fit your understanding of events, attack anyone who says anything different.

Are you a hoax? I hope so.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014 6:08 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:


I'd compare it to a religion. Believe what you're told, and don't you DARE ask to see any proof, or point out any discrepancies in " the story ".



You just described your modus operandi to a T. Parrot your favourite shock jocks, believe everything said by Fox, ignore evidence that doesnt fit your understanding of events, attack anyone who says anything different.

Are you a hoax? I hope so.




You'll have to do better than that.

Title of this thread comes from the linked article above. Probably could more properly be stated that TODAYS liberalism is a hoax, but what the heck.

Specific and irrefutable examples are given. The only one ignoring evidence would be you.

This has nothing to do w/ FOX, or any talk radio hosts, and everything to do w/ the world as it is.

Your childish " nuh-uh ! Is not ! " reply is about what I'd expect. Emotion based, void of evidence.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014 1:09 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Hmmm... just because SOME allegations are found to be untrue doesn't mean ALL allegations are untrue, and to imply that all are untrue ignores evidence. To dismiss ALL allegations made by liberals because SOME allegations are weekly founded, and then to dismiss liberalism and liberals in general on the basis of a few scattered events is a perfect demonstration of the very thing that RAPPY claims to decry: a belief-based approach to the real world.

Personally, I don't think any "ism" is worth a cup of warm spit, and that includes liberalism, conservatism, capitalism, socialism, neo-liberalism, or libertarianism. A pox on all of their houses, I say.

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014 1:21 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


I tend to agree Signy. The 'isms' ask us to believe things on faith. Anything taken on faith is a religion. I think if a proposal can't explain to you how it will accomplish its aims in direct, concrete steps, it's asking for belief. We should test ALL such proposals for the presence of direct, concrete steps AND the absence of vague generalities (eg: 'the market' will magically make it work), or at the very least, subject them later to the scrutiny of evidence.




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014 6:00 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


How about the Duke Lacrosse team?

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Saturday, December 6, 2014 6:42 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


So, since you didn't read this (you CAN read, I hope), here it is, again: "Hmmm... just because SOME allegations are found to be untrue doesn't mean ALL allegations are untrue ..."




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 2:27 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


...........And extreme, right wing, death squad fascism isn't, especially when it's disguised as so much Conservatism. Hoax indeed!


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Talk about a dramatic entrance. When the St. Louis Rams took the field last Sunday, several teammates raised their hands, palms out. It was an act of solidarity with Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager killed last August in a struggle with a white police officer. Moments before his demise, it is said, Brown raised his hands and pleaded: “Don’t shoot.”

Since then “hands up, don’t shoot” has become the rallying cry of protesters and rioters furious that the officer, Darren Wilson, was not indicted by a grand jury. There is just one problem: It is not clear that Brown put his hands up. Nor is it certain that he said, “Don’t shoot.” On the contrary, the evidence released by the grand jury suggests that the fatal incident began when Brown assaulted Wilson.

Indeed, the foundations of the Brown story have been eroding from the moment a St. Louis television station broadcast security video from the convenience store where Michael Brown, prior to his fatal encounter, stole merchandise and assaulted a clerk. It was for example claimed that Brown was shot in the back. The evidence before the grand jury showed that he was not.

Is the movement to “de-militarize” the police that was sparked by Brown’s death therefore based on lies? “Those questions may never be answered,” says The New York Times, which campaigned for the indictment of Officer Wilson and sympathized with the violence and looting that has plagued Ferguson, Missouri, after the grand jury announced its decision.

Well, maybe those questions won’t be answered. What I do know is that the Times would be much more definitive and much more emphatic if the empirical data conformed even in the slightest to its preferred narrative, to its politicized storyline of pacific young black men gunned down needlessly by racist cops. What I do know is that the sensational and electric assertions made by liberals to further their agenda, especially on issues of race and sex, have a habit of being untrue. And it is the recurrence of such factually suspect accounts that raises troubling questions about the relation of liberal myth to human reality. (The case of Eric Garner, in which there is video of the deadly engagement, is different and should not be conflated with the fable of Ferguson.)

Liberal myths propagated to generate outrage and activism, to organize and coordinate and mobilize disparate grievances and conflicting agendas, so often have the same relation to truth, accuracy, and legitimacy as a Bud Light commercial. Marketing is not limited to business. Inside the office buildings of Washington, D.C., are thousands upon thousands of professionals whose livelihoods depend on the fact that there is no better way than a well-run public relations campaign to get you to do what they want. What recent weeks have done is provide several lessons in the suspect nature of such campaigns.

The 2006 Duke Lacrosse case is the paradigmatic example of a liberal rush to judgment when the perceived victim is a minority (in that case, a black woman) and the alleged perpetrator a straight white male. But it is not the sole example.

In 2007, an instructor at Columbia’s Teachers College specializing in racial “micro-aggressions” and under investigation for plagiarism discovered a noose hanging from her office door; when she was fired the following year for academic malfeasance it was widely suspected that she had put the noose there herself. The racist graffiti and Klan sightings that rocked the Oberlin campus in 2013 and served as the basis of an antiracism campaign were later revealed to be a left-wing “joke.” And of course the leader of the Michael Brown protest movement, tax cheat Al Sharpton, was involved in the Tawana Brawley hoax of 1987.

Recently critics noted serious flaws in the reporting and writing of a Rolling Stone article that purports to describe a violent gang rape in a University of Virginia fraternity house. The article was the basis for the university’s decision to suspend Greek life on campus for the duration of 2014. The magazine was evasive in its response to the challenges. Then, on Friday afternoon, it released the following statement: “There now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie’s [the alleged victim's] account, and we have come to our conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced.” The story is false.

Does it even matter? Some liberals are upfront that the factuality of these cases is secondary to their political import. “Actually, in both the case of the UVA rape and in the case of the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri,” says a writer for the New Republic digital media company, “the major takeaway of recent weeks should be that our systems do not work” (emphasis in the original).

What the New Republic means by “our systems” is our systems of power: the institutions through which a free society allocates resources and decision making, chooses priorities, delegates responsibilities and authority. It is the goal of contemporary liberalism to command these institutions—in particular institutions resistant to the left such as police and fire departments, fraternal societies and private clubs, the military and extractive industry—and to alter them according to fashionable theories of equality and justice. The details are unimportant so long as the “takeaway” is communicated, the desired policy achieved.

It is sometimes difficult to understand that, for the left, racism and sexism and prejudice are not ethical categories but political ones. We are not merely talking about bad manners when the subject turns to Michael Brown or UVA or Thomas Piketty. We are talking about power.

“The new elite that seeks to supercede the old one, or merely share its power and honors, does not admit to such intention frankly and openly,” writes Vilfredo Pareto. “Instead it assumes the leadership of all the oppressed, declares that it will pursue not its own good but the good of the many; and it goes to battle, not for the rights of a restricted class but for the rights of almost the entire citizenry.”

Such is the conduct of our new elite, the archons and tribunes of the “coalition of the ascendant,” which proclaims itself the advocate of minority rights, of the poor, of the sick, as it entrenches its power and furthers its self-interest.

For an example of that rising and fabulist elite, look no further than Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist who in a 2013 speech confided that the passage of Obamacare was due to a “lack of transparency” and “the stupidity of the American people or whatever.” Here is a highly compensated professional, who has received close to $6 million in consulting fees from state and federal government, admitting to like-minded audiences that the Obama administration rigged the process at the Congressional Budget Office, and that the law was written so if states did not establish health exchanges they would not receive Medicaid subsidies (the government is now arguing the opposite before the Supreme Court).

The response? More lies: Nancy Pelosi says she’s never heard of Gruber, and the president and his former secretary of Health and Human Services minimize his role in creating their signature legislation. (Gruber visited the White House, including the Oval Office, more than 20 times.) Gruber hasn’t been delivering speeches over the last few years. He’s been delivering confessions. And his words only embitter the recollection of other Obamacare promises that have been exposed as false: that the law would cut the deficit, that it would lower health care premiums by $2,500, that if you like your plan you can keep your plan.

What are the apocalyptic predictions of climate alarmists but Sorelian myths intended to shape legislation, regulation, and the culture in the radicals’ favor? To merely profess agnosticism on the subject of global warming is to elicit calls for one’s removal from the Washington Post. Yet the “pause” in warming has lasted for more than 15 years, leaving puzzled climate scientists, whose jobs depend on the imminence of crisis, speculating that the heat is hiding somewhere in the ocean. The “Climategate” emails revealed an insular and opaque scientific community sensitive to the political and financial ramifications of contradictory data. The sharknado-like hurricanes that environmentalists predicted as a consequence of global warming have yet to appear. Indeed, no hurricane has made landfall on Florida in nine years.

I gave up predicting the weather the first time I didn’t do my homework in expectation of a snow day and was proven wrong. Nevertheless I recognize the political appeal of climate change, the rhetorical power of a threat to correlate forces, to direct their activity. Not to mention the aromatic whiff of potential economic rewards. Retrofitting an economy for a post-fossil fuel world is a business opportunity for well-connected entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk or the coal baron, radical environmentalist, billionaire, and Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer, who is on record that the government-subsidized green energy bonanza is above all an opportunity “to make a lot of money.”

So much of contemporary liberalism reeks of a scheme by which already affluent and influential people increase their margins and extend their sway. Liberalism, mind you, in both parties: the Republican elite seems as devoted as their Democratic cousins to the shibboleths of diversity and immigration even as they bemoan the fate of the middle class and seek desperately the votes of white working families.

Just-so stories, extravagant assertions, heated denunciations, empty gestures, moral posturing that increases in intensity the further removed it is from the truth: If the mainstream narration of our ethnic, social, and cultural life is susceptible to error, it is because liberalism is the prevailing disposition of our institutions of higher education, of our media, of our nonprofit and public sectors, and it is therefore cocooned from skepticism and incredulity and independent thought. Sometimes the truth punctures the bubble. And when that happens—and lately it seems to be happening with increasing frequency—liberalism itself goes on trial.

Has the jury reached a verdict? Yes, your honor, it has. We find the defendant guilty. Liberalism is a hoax.

http://freebeacon.com/columns/liberalism-is-a-hoax/


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Sunday, December 7, 2014 2:32 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Rolling Stone deserves the criticism it's getting for failing in the one area of journalism that is considered paramount even to a journalism student - follow up the claims by the subject, always follow up.

Of course, that would be wasted on you - the reasonable gathering of facts is not within your mindset.


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
To Our Readers:

Last month, Rolling Stone published a story titled "A Rape on Campus" by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, which described a brutal gang rape of a woman named Jackie at a University of Virginia fraternity house; the university's failure to respond to this alleged assault – and the school's troubling history of indifference to many other instances of alleged sexual assaults. The story generated worldwide headlines and much soul-searching at UVA. University president Teresa Sullivan promised a full investigation and also to examine the way the school responds to sexual assault allegations.

Because of the sensitive nature of Jackie's story, we decided to honor her request not to contact the man she claimed orchestrated the attack on her nor any of the men she claimed participated in the attack for fear of retaliation against her. In the months Erdely spent reporting the story, Jackie neither said nor did anything that made Erdely, or Rolling Stone's editors and fact-checkers, question Jackie's credibility. Her friends and rape activists on campus strongly supported Jackie's account. She had spoken of the assault in campus forums. We reached out to both the local branch and the national leadership of the fraternity where Jackie said she was attacked. They responded that they couldn't confirm or deny her story but had concerns about the evidence.

In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie's account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced. We were trying to be sensitive to the unfair shame and humiliation many women feel after a sexual assault and now regret the decision to not contact the alleged assaulters to get their account. We are taking this seriously and apologize to anyone who was affected by the story.

Will Dana
Managing Editor

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/a-note-to-our-readers-2014120
5




( there's your mythical ' rape culture' , folks. )


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Sunday, December 7, 2014 10:12 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Rolling Stone deserves the criticism it's getting for failing in the one area of journalism that is considered paramount even to a journalism student - follow up the claims by the subject, always follow up.

Of course, that would be wasted on you - the reasonable gathering of facts is not within your mindset.


SGG




You literally could not be more wrong, even if you tried.

Responsible gathering of facts IS within my mindset, as I've ever been critical of the Left's rush to judgement on Feguson, Duke Lacrosse, or the RS fake rape story.

That's kinda the whole point here. Liberalism props up causes instead of dealing in fact.

I am , to the contrary, all about the facts and the evidence.

" Science as a candle in the dark " is sort of a motto I hold to, from Sagan's Demon Haunted World. One of my all time favorite books, along w/ Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things.


Quote:


...........And extreme, right wing, death squad fascism isn't, especially when it's disguised as so much Conservatism. Hoax indeed!



what in the wide world of sports are you even talking about ? Can't even offer up any examples, can ya ?

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 10:42 AM

JONGSSTRAW


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Responsible gathering of facts IS within my mindset, as I've ever been critical of the Left's rush to judgement on Feguson, Duke Lacrosse, or the RS fake rape story.

That's kinda the whole point here. Liberalism props up causes instead of dealing in fact.

I am , to the contrary, all about the facts and the evidence.


Stirring words! You've always been a beacon of truth, justice, and the American way. I salute you!





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Sunday, December 7, 2014 11:36 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


So, no rapes have EVER occurred at Duke - or UVA - or anywhere? No innocent unarmed blacks have EVER been killed at Ferguson - or anywhere?

There are NO problems that exist - anywhere? So 'Liberalism Is a Hoax' - right?


Speaking of liars ...




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 11:51 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

originally posted by 1kiki:
So, no rapes have EVER occurred at Duke - or UVA - or anywhere? No innocent unarmed blacks have EVER been killed at Ferguson - or anywhere?




When such REAL events happen, write about them. Report THEM. Don't phony up stories to elevate causes into a massive nation wide movement. That only does more harm, and solves nothing.

But you bringing up the horrors and injustices of the world brilliantly makes the point ! It doesn't matter if Tawana Brawley or the Duke lacrosse team stories were 100% false . Bad things ARE happening, so it doesn't matter if we get the RIGHT perpetrators, as long as SOMEONE pays, huh ?



Quote:



There are NO problems that exist - anywhere? So 'Liberalism Is a Hoax' - right?


Speaking of liars ...



2013 Lie of the Year: 'If you like your health care plan, you can keep it'

It was a catchy political pitch and a chance to calm nerves about his dramatic and complicated plan to bring historic change to America’s health insurance system.

"If you like your health care plan, you can keep it," President Barack Obama said -- many times -- of his landmark new law.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/dec/12/lie-year-i
f-you-like-your-health-care-plan-keep-it
/

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:03 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


So, do no rapes occur anywhere? Do no innocent black men ever get shot by police anywhere? You failed to address those points.




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:08 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:
So, do no rapes occur anywhere? Do no innocent black men ever get shot by police anywhere? You failed to address those points.



You're blind to things you simply don't want to see.

I absolutely did address those points.


When they happen, report on them.

Why are we still talking about this ?

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:15 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


So, do no rapes occur anywhere? Do no innocent black men ever get shot by police anywhere? You failed to address those points. Two times. Are you going to make it three?




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:18 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:
So, do no rapes occur anywhere? Do no innocent black men ever get shot by police anywhere? You failed to address those points. Two times. Are you going to make it three?




When such events occur, report them.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:22 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


And so, when people attempt to keep those events from happening again, especially if they are disproportionate, and therefor systematic, is that goal to make a more just society a hoax?




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:26 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


And there is it. To MAKE SOCIETY.

Innocent blacks get shot, innocent whites get shot. The proportion is exactly the same.

1 person to 1 person.

The Left tries to make 'systemic' issues where there are none.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:37 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


"is that goal to make a more just society a hoax?"
"And there is it. To MAKE SOCIETY."



You seem to have a problem with trying to make a more just society. As if that goal were somehow suspect. Why is that?




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:51 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


I have a problem with how the LEFT views a " just society " .

Instead of following the laws, and making everyone abide by them equally, the Left wants to redress decades or centuries old " wrongs ".

'Hate' crimes, instead of just crimes.


'Social' Justice, instead of justice, for all.

It's nothing but a phony intellectual circle jerk, and the Left is hell bent on getting everyone involved.

No thank you.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:05 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Instead of following the laws, and making everyone abide by them equally ...

And what if the laws themselves are unjust?




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:06 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Instead of following the laws, and making everyone abide by them equally ...

What if the laws themselves are unjust? And what if the laws don't address existing injustice?




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:10 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


You mean like going the speed limit ? Having a picture ID when voting ?

Crazy talk.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:28 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


No, not like that, rappy. You've got to think bigger.

BTW- I heard an interview of a woman who personally knows the woman who reported the campus gang rape. She took the victim's statement at the time, and there is no doubt in her mind that the crime actually took place.

Just because Rolling Stone did a very poor job of reporting doesn't take away from the event. Those who read the story .... if they were alert and looking for evidence, as the go-around in the MH17, Russia invades Ukraine, and Ferguson threads emphasize ... would have noticed the gaps in reportage. They wouldn't have believed the story at face value, nor would they have felt personally betrayed by the evidence gaps.

Allegations are just that: allegations. The only way to take them seriously is after a thorough and impartial investigation, when as much evidence as available is assembled. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable, so physical evidence needs to be gathered. If people would just stick with a modicum of objectivity, there would be fewer innocent people on death row, and the real perpetrators would be in jail.

This has nothing to do with liberalism or conservatism specifically, and everything to do with "confirmation bias".

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:32 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


I wasn't there. I don't believe any side of the story.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:43 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Rappy, rappy, rappy


Surely you remember that 'whites only' laws existed very recently. And before that, slavery was legal in some places. Does that seem like a just society? What about 'kettling' laws. Don't they seem like a curtailment of the constitutional guarantee of people to peacefully assemble and petition the government? What about the overwhelming victimization of women by rape? Does it seem just to you that society victimizes a select portion of its population? Do you think that laws have been unjust in the past? Do you think that there are unjust laws in the present? Do you think that society has unaddressed injustices?

You see, I think you're a 'law and order' aficionado, especially as applied to others. And a 'rights' kinda guy, especially as applied to yourself. But not so interested in justice, which must be equal for all, or it loses its meaning.




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:47 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
No, not like that, rappy. You've got to think bigger.

BTW- I heard an interview of a woman who personally knows the woman who reported the campus gang rape. She took the victim's statement at the time, and there is no doubt in her mind that the crime actually took place.



Well great, as long as there's no doubt in HER mind, why fret over a trial, evidence, and such. And no need to NAME any of the accusers, just put EVERYONE on trial !

Brilliant.

Quote:



Just because Rolling Stone did a very poor job of reporting doesn't take away from the event. Those who read the story .... if they were alert and looking for evidence, as the go-around in the MH17, Russia invades Ukraine, and Ferguson threads emphasize ... would have noticed the gaps in reportage. They wouldn't have believed the story at face value, nor would they have felt personally betrayed by the evidence gaps.

Allegations are just that: allegations. The only way to take them seriously is after a thorough and impartial investigation, when as much evidence as available is assembled. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable, so physical evidence needs to be gathered. If people would just stick with a modicum of objectivity, there would be fewer innocent people on death row, and the real perpetrators would be in jail.

This has nothing to do with liberalism or conservatism specifically, and everything to do with "confirmation bias".




Well, we humans do love to jump to conclusions, I'll give you that.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 1:51 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:
Rappy, rappy, rappy


Surely you remember that 'whites only' laws existed very recently.



Actually, I don't. While they DID exist, I wasn't around for any of that, and thus can't " remember ".

That's not the world I grew up in. Sorry.

Quote:

And before that, slavery was legal in some places.


I didn't grow up in that world either. ( though slavery IS taking place in many parts of Africa... today.)

Quote:

Does that seem like a just society?


It didn't seem like it to the Founders of this country either, but there was a war fought, and that was taken care of, so... what's your point ?

Quote:

What about the overwhelming victimization of women by rape?


Rape is illegal. Those caught for it get punished, and rightfully so. Are you suggesting that men be more victimized by rape, to make things even ?

Again, what is your point ?

Murder is illegal too, btw. Don't see such an outcry for those shot , killed in Chicago as I do about a fake RS story, or the 2 criminals who decided to fight the cops , thinking that'd be a wise decision choice to make.

Meanwhile, cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal is the freaking toast of the elites in Lefty town.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 2:11 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Ahem. I said you remember THAT - not you remember THE TIME WHEN ... so you DO remember THAT those laws existed ... and you DO remember THAT slavery existed ... that's a start.

So, were those laws unjust? A simple yes or no will do.

What about 'kettling' laws? Are they unjust? A simple yes or not will do.

If rape is illegal, is the application of the law equal? A simple yes or no will do.

Is a society that chronically victimizes select subpopulations just? A simple yes or no will do.




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 3:05 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER



Quote:


You literally could not be more wrong, even if you tried.

Responsible gathering of facts IS within my mindset, as I've ever been critical of the Left's rush to judgement on Feguson, Duke Lacrosse, or the RS fake rape story.

That's kinda the whole point here. Liberalism props up causes instead of dealing in fact.

I am , to the contrary, all about the facts and the evidence.

" Science as a candle in the dark " is sort of a motto I hold to, from Sagan's Demon Haunted World. One of my all time favorite books, along w/ Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things.



Hahahahahha.. Stop, please. I just spat out my morning coffee.

You Jokester, you...

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 4:38 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
How about the Duke Lacrosse team?


Or drug-crazed murderous criminal thug Treyvon Martin?

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 4:44 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Quote:

"Asking whether or not a victim is telling the truth is irrelevant," Ms. Hess proclaimed. "It's just not important if they are telling the truth.




INVESTIGATION: LENA DUNHAM ‘RAPED BY A REPUBLICAN’ STORY IN BESTSELLER COLLAPSES UNDER SCRUTINY

In her just-released memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham describes her alma mater, Oberlin College, as "a liberal arts haven in the cornfields of Ohio." After a month-long investigation that included more than a dozen interviews, a trip to the Oberlin campus, and hours spent poring through the Oberlin College archives, her description of the campus remains the only detail Breitbart News was able to verify in Dunham's story of being raped by a campus Republican named Barry.


http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2014/12/03/investigation-lena-d
unhams-republican-rapist-story-falls-apart-under-scrutiny


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Sunday, December 7, 2014 4:58 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Because not-so-bright-Bart can really determine the truth after all this time. Whatever.

I see you're digging yourself in deeper into another RapFact®. Because in the entire history of the country you can find a few rather tenuous examples of things that may not - or may- be true, and a few places where you completely misinterpreted what people were saying (that's on you, btw), you're SURE any call for justice is a hoax.

Just like you think that if there's snow in your backyard it means global warming doesn't exist.

And you still can't bring yourself to admit that there have been and are unjust laws. Or that unaddressed injustice exists in society.

Well, I'm sure no one ever accused you of being the sharpest knife in the drawer.




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 5:48 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Crying 'rape' , or 'racism ' where there is none is not only wrong, it hurts the legitimate cases when they do happen.

I'm not misinterpreting anything. You're just bent because I don't blindly fall in line with the senseless ' rape culture' crap that the Left is trying to phony up.

Unjust laws ? Sure. No beer sales on Sunday. Glad my state finally over turned that silliness.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 7:30 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


And you still can't bring yourself to admit that there have been and are unjust laws. Or that unaddressed injustice exists in society.

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv-datasheet-a.pdf

In a nationally representative survey of adults:

• Nearly 1 in 5 (18.3%) women and 1 in 71 men (1.4%) reported experiencing rape at some time in their lives.

Are all those women lying? How about the men? Is the CDC lying? For every 13 women raped, one man is raped (usually by another man). ... they estimated that 93.7 percent of male rape perpetrators are male. http://thehathorlegacy.com/rape-statistics/ Does the overwhelming number of women raped compared to men constitute an injustice experienced by a segment of society? Does the overwhelming percentage of male rapists indicate a culture of entitlement? Is it not correct to characterize it as a rape culture?




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014 8:45 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:


Talk about a dramatic entrance. When the St. Louis Rams took the field last Sunday, several teammates raised their hands, palms out. It was an act of solidarity with Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager killed last August in a struggle with a white police officer. Moments before his demise, it is said, Brown raised his hands and pleaded: “Don’t shoot.”

Since then “hands up, don’t shoot” has become the rallying cry of protesters and rioters furious that the officer, Darren Wilson, was not indicted by a grand jury. There is just one problem: It is not clear that Brown put his hands up. Nor is it certain that he said, “Don’t shoot.” On the contrary, the evidence released by the grand jury suggests that the fatal incident began when Brown assaulted Wilson.


Indeed, the foundations of the Brown story have been eroding from the moment a St. Louis television station broadcast security video from the convenience store where Michael Brown, prior to his fatal encounter, stole merchandise and assaulted a clerk. It was for example claimed that Brown was shot in the back. The evidence before the grand jury showed that he was not.



Naturally people are upset at the death of a young person, and explanation was and is needed regarding the procedures that brought this to bear and the responsibility of the policeman involved to prove that there was no other course of action available to him. His testamony appears flawed. But nevertheless trial by social media is now the only avenue left to find justice.

Quote:


Is the movement to “de-militarize” the police that was sparked by Brown’s death therefore based on lies? “Those questions may never be answered,” says The New York Times, which campaigned for the indictment of Officer Wilson and sympathized with the violence and looting that has plagued Ferguson, Missouri, after the grand jury announced its decision.



Really, New York times has supported looting and violence?

Rather than de-militatise the police, perhaps a look at training and the use of deadly force. A well trained police force should only use deadly force in a minimal number of situations. Police can be trained to deal with a wide range of situtions involving aggression without using their guns, and these should be a priority.

And if deadly force should be used there should be high levels of scrutiny as to whether it could be done differently. Police should not be killing members of the public on a regular basis.

Quote:

Well, maybe those questions won’t be answered. What I do know is that the Times would be much more definitive and much more emphatic if the empirical data conformed even in the slightest to its preferred narrative, to its politicized storyline of pacific young black men gunned down needlessly by racist cops. What I do know is that the sensational and electric assertions made by liberals to further their agenda, especially on issues of race and sex, have a habit of being untrue. And it is the recurrence of such factually suspect accounts that raises troubling questions about the relation of liberal myth to human reality. (The case of Eric Garner, in which there is video of the deadly engagement, is different and should not be conflated with the fable of Ferguson.)


Pot meet kettle.

Quote:

Liberal myths propagated to generate outrage and activism, to organize and coordinate and mobilize disparate grievances and conflicting agendas, so often have the same relation to truth, accuracy, and legitimacy as a Bud Light commercial. Marketing is not limited to business. Inside the office buildings of Washington, D.C., are thousands upon thousands of professionals whose livelihoods depend on the fact that there is no better way than a well-run public relations campaign to get you to do what they want. What recent weeks have done is provide several lessons in the suspect nature of such campaigns.

Pot meet kettle.

Quote:

The 2006 Duke Lacrosse case is the paradigmatic example of a liberal rush to judgment when the perceived victim is a minority (in that case, a black woman) and the alleged perpetrator a straight white male. But it is not the sole example.


Or conversely, when right winged commentators rush to defend the rapists, as in that recent case of so called basically decent young men garnering sympathy for their ruined lives after being convicted of rape at a college.

Quote:

In 2007, an instructor at Columbia’s Teachers College specializing in racial “micro-aggressions” and under investigation for plagiarism discovered a noose hanging from her office door; when she was fired the following year for academic malfeasance it was widely suspected that she had put the noose there herself. The racist graffiti and Klan sightings that rocked the Oberlin campus in 2013 and served as the basis of an antiracism campaign were later revealed to be a left-wing “joke.” And of course the leader of the Michael Brown protest movement, tax cheat Al Sharpton, was involved in the Tawana Brawley hoax of 1987.


"Widely suspected." ?? Glad this bozo is sticking to evidence.

Quote:

Recently critics noted serious flaws in the reporting and writing of a Rolling Stone article that purports to describe a violent gang rape in a University of Virginia fraternity house. The article was the basis for the university’s decision to suspend Greek life on campus for the duration of 2014. The magazine was evasive in its response to the challenges. Then, on Friday afternoon, it released the following statement: “There now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie’s [the alleged victim's] account, and we have come to our conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced.” The story is false.


bad journalism should be condemned. Who is rushing to the support of Rolling Stone here?

Quote:

Does it even matter? Some liberals are upfront that the factuality of these cases is secondary to their political import. “Actually, in both the case of the UVA rape and in the case of the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri,” says a writer for the New Republic digital media company, “the major takeaway of recent weeks should be that our systems do not work” (emphasis in the original).


Yeah, because killing unarmed black men should be cause for celebration???? If you can't look at your systems after deaths of the public, WTF do you need to happen?

Quote:

What the New Republic means by “our systems” is our systems of power: the institutions through which a free society allocates resources and decision making, chooses priorities, delegates responsibilities and authority. It is the goal of contemporary liberalism to command these institutions—in particular institutions resistant to the left such as police and fire departments, fraternal societies and private clubs, the military and extractive industry—and to alter them according to fashionable theories of equality and justice. The details are unimportant so long as the “takeaway” is communicated, the desired policy achieved.


Oh my, where to start on this gem of a paragraph. Firstly, should not all these institutions face public scrutiny. Isn't important that police in particular bhave the highest standard of ethics, the most rigorous processes to prevent corruption and abuse? What happens in places where police powers exceed the capacity of the public to question them? Hmmmm.

"Fashional theories of equality and justice" I say again WTF? What was your Constitution supposed to be about? What are the foundations of your nation based upon? How are thse fucking FASHIONABLE and not IDEALS everyone should strive for. FUCK
Fashionable theories

Quote:

It is sometimes difficult to understand that, for the left, racism and sexism and prejudice are not ethical categories but political ones. We are not merely talking about bad manners when the subject turns to Michael Brown or UVA or Thomas Piketty. We are talking about power.


Yes, because Lord knows, we wouldn't want ethics and politics to mix, would we.

Quote:

“The new elite that seeks to supercede the old one, or merely share its power and honors, does not admit to such intention frankly and openly,” writes Vilfredo Pareto. “Instead it assumes the leadership of all the oppressed, declares that it will pursue not its own good but the good of the many; and it goes to battle, not for the rights of a restricted class but for the rights of almost the entire citizenry.”


So what? What's so bad about pursuing the good of the many, not just your own selfish needs and desires. As for it not being an open agenda, I call BS>

Quote:


Such is the conduct of our new elite, the archons and tribunes of the “coalition of the ascendant,” which proclaims itself the advocate of minority rights, of the poor, of the sick, as it entrenches its power and furthers its self-interest.



Give me the new elite anyday rather than the old one, which seeks to prop up its own power and interests and says SCREW YOU constantly to the poor and disadvantaged.

Quote:

For an example of that rising and fabulist elite, look no further than Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist who in a 2013 speech confided that the passage of Obamacare was due to a “lack of transparency” and “the stupidity of the American people or whatever.” Here is a highly compensated professional, who has received close to $6 million in consulting fees from state and federal government, admitting to like-minded audiences that the Obama administration rigged the process at the Congressional Budget Office, and that the law was written so if states did not establish health exchanges they would not receive Medicaid subsidies (the government is now arguing the opposite before the Supreme Court).


Well having had many discussions with Americans of right winged persuation who were so astounded at the concept of public health because, you know, it cant be done, and who were clearly SO STUPID that they didn't even realise that public health care exists in EVERY OTHER FIRST WORLD NATION and quite a few developing nations. I'd say stupid pretty much summed it up.

Quote:

The response? More lies: Nancy Pelosi says she’s never heard of Gruber, and the president and his former secretary of Health and Human Services minimize his role in creating their signature legislation. (Gruber visited the White House, including the Oval Office, more than 20 times.) Gruber hasn’t been delivering speeches over the last few years. He’s been delivering confessions. And his words only embitter the recollection of other Obamacare promises that have been exposed as false: that the law would cut the deficit, that it would lower health care premiums by $2,500, that if you like your plan you can keep your plan.


here's what this sounds like to me "boo hoo, my idealogical ideas are being knocked off the perch by someone else's idealigical ideas."

Quote:

What are the apocalyptic predictions of climate alarmists but Sorelian myths intended to shape legislation, regulation, and the culture in the radicals’ favor? To merely profess agnosticism on the subject of global warming is to elicit calls for one’s removal from the Washington Post. Yet the “pause” in warming has lasted for more than 15 years, leaving puzzled climate scientists, whose jobs depend on the imminence of crisis, speculating that the heat is hiding somewhere in the ocean. The “Climategate” emails revealed an insular and opaque scientific community sensitive to the political and financial ramifications of contradictory data. The sharknado-like hurricanes that environmentalists predicted as a consequence of global warming have yet to appear. Indeed, no hurricane has made landfall on Florida in nine years.

I gave up predicting the weather the first time I didn’t do my homework in expectation of a snow day and was proven wrong. Nevertheless I recognize the political appeal of climate change, the rhetorical power of a threat to correlate forces, to direct their activity. Not to mention the aromatic whiff of potential economic rewards. Retrofitting an economy for a post-fossil fuel world is a business opportunity for well-connected entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk or the coal baron, radical environmentalist, billionaire, and Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer, who is on record that the government-subsidized green energy bonanza is above all an opportunity “to make a lot of money.”



Cause climate deniers are not about the bottom line. Please "Plot idea: 97% of the world's scientists band together to contrive an environmental crisis and are exposed by a plucky band of oil companies and millionaires."

Quote:

So much of contemporary liberalism reeks of a scheme by which already affluent and influential people increase their margins and extend their sway. Liberalism, mind you, in both parties: the Republican elite seems as devoted as their Democratic cousins to the shibboleths of diversity and immigration even as they bemoan the fate of the middle class and seek desperately the votes of white working families.

Yeah, what? Isn't the idea of a paragraph that it contains one basic idea?

Quote:

Just-so stories, extravagant assertions, heated denunciations, empty gestures, moral posturing that increases in intensity the further removed it is from the truth: If the mainstream narration of our ethnic, social, and cultural life is susceptible to error, it is because neo-conservatism is the prevailing disposition of our financial institutions, our powerful military, of our government, of our media and our incredibly powerful corporations, and it is therefore cocooned from skepticism and incredulity and independent thought. Sometimes the truth punctures the bubble. And when that happens—and lately it seems to be happening with increasing frequency—neo-conservatism itself goes on trial.

Has the jury reached a verdict? Yes, your honor, it has. We find the defendant guilty. This whole article is a hoax.



Fixed it for ya.


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Sunday, December 7, 2014 11:03 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:

Does the overwhelming number of women raped compared to men constitute an injustice experienced by a segment of society? Does the overwhelming percentage of male rapists indicate a culture of entitlement? Is it not correct to characterize it as a rape culture?




Nope and nope.


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Sunday, December 7, 2014 11:56 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is
whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies


I wonder what he calls men who are covered for their Viagra.




SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Monday, December 8, 2014 1:04 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:

Does the overwhelming number of women raped compared to men constitute an injustice experienced by a segment of society? Does the overwhelming percentage of male rapists indicate a culture of entitlement? Is it not correct to characterize it as a rape culture?




Nope and nope.




So the stats are acceptable to you? Or incorrect?

C'mon, Rap. Stop dancing around issues. You condemn and disagree, but have you ever actually explained an opinion in any more detail than 3 lines?

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Monday, December 8, 2014 5:01 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


So what you are telling me is that FACTS, not hearsay, are at the heart of the matter.
What, pray tell, FACTS do you have that Benghazi was a conspiracy. What documented proof do you have that the IRS singled out the fucking Tea Party bullshit artists, who claim that they are patriotic and believe in the Constitution.

You claim to be all about the FACTS, let's have it, right now! And I'm not talking about the latest rantings of Glenn Beck and Rush Limpdick.

Do you have proof that the president was born in Kenya? Out with it.
Did Hilary order a stand down? Come on, produce the document or documents that any of this actually took place.

Rolling Stone fucked up. For the life of me, I don't see what this has to do with liberalism. It's un-professionalism, yes. It's lack of journalistic fundamentals, granted. But liberalism? The writer and editors of this piece should be whipped with a wet noodle for their total disregard of basic journalistic principles. It wasn't lying, it was flat out journalistic laziness. It was "what were they thinking" and "are you kidding me" time.
No reporter worth his salt would ever agree not to follow up a story, if anything it would pique my interest as to why this woman wouldn't want me to follow up. See, now that right there, that should have been a RED flag.

No Bullshit! No rhetoric! Just FACTS!

The young woman lied to the reporter who committed the cardinal sin of not following up a lead, and the editor fucked up and allowed it to happen. Not the first time that has happened in journalism, in general. Normally the Rolling Stone magazine is pretty good when it comes to in-depth stories. They were duped, plain and simple, shame on them for being so naïve.

Liberalism is a Hoax is your opinion, not a fact.

Here's a fact, and an example: Cliven Bundy - 21 years ago he stopped paying his grazing fees, because HE does not recognize the authority of the federal government. True or not?
Federal agents seized his cattle and, in the melee, stun-gunned his son. True or not?
Hundreds of armed militia supporters from neighboring states flocked to Bundy's ranch to defend him from the BLM agents enforcing the court order.
True or not?
He claimed to be within his rights and would shoot any federal agent who fires upon him. He also stated that he only would recognize and obey Nevada law. True or not?

But, as a matter of fact, he was in violation of Nevada law and was dead wrong. True or not?

You wanted an example, well, there you have it!


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Rolling Stone deserves the criticism it's getting for failing in the one area of journalism that is considered paramount even to a journalism student - follow up the claims by the subject, always follow up.

Of course, that would be wasted on you - the reasonable gathering of facts is not within your mindset.


SGG




You literally could not be more wrong, even if you tried.

Responsible gathering of facts IS within my mindset, as I've ever been critical of the Left's rush to judgement on Feguson, Duke Lacrosse, or the RS fake rape story.

That's kinda the whole point here. Liberalism props up causes instead of dealing in fact.

I am , to the contrary, all about the facts and the evidence.

" Science as a candle in the dark " is sort of a motto I hold to, from Sagan's Demon Haunted World. One of my all time favorite books, along w/ Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things.


Quote:


...........And extreme, right wing, death squad fascism isn't, especially when it's disguised as so much Conservatism. Hoax indeed!



what in the wide world of sports are you even talking about ? Can't even offer up any examples, can ya ?


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Monday, December 8, 2014 5:11 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


When was the last time a white man was shot 6 times and killed by a black cop, or white cop for that matter? An unarmed white man or teen!


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
And there is it. To MAKE SOCIETY.

Innocent blacks get shot, innocent whites get shot. The proportion is exactly the same.

1 person to 1 person.

The Left tries to make 'systemic' issues where there are none.


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Monday, December 8, 2014 5:55 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
When was the last time a white man was shot 6 times and killed by a black cop, or white cop for that matter? An unarmed white man or teen!


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
And there is it. To MAKE SOCIETY.

Innocent blacks get shot, innocent whites get shot. The proportion is exactly the same.

1 person to 1 person.

The Left tries to make 'systemic' issues where there are none.




What difference, at this time, does it make ?


Oh, then there's this...

Quote:


Unarmed White Teen Gunned Down by Black Cop… Where’s the Outrage?
Thursday, November 27th, 2014

Recently an 18-year-old University of South Alabama student, Gil Collar, was shot and killed by a campus police officer.

At the time of the shooting, the student was under the influence of LSD and exhibiting erratic behavior around the campus police station.

A two-minute video of the incident was played for the media by the Mobile County sheriff’s department.

A security camera mounted on the campus police station at the university and recorded most of the entire incident including the shooting. (H/T ReadyChimp)

Collar was seen acting “aggressively” in the short video, first walking up to the campus police station, pounding on the window and then walking away from it. He then walked back up to the station and again retreated.

At that point, black police officer Trevis Austin stepped outside from the station with his gun drawn and pointed at Collar, who reportedly had his “arms outstretched and palms open,” according to Austin.

The two then moved around the building, with Collar kneeling at one point and then standing back up and walking toward the officer. The officer had his firearm trained on the white student as he approached the officer.

They both moved into the yard and though the camera shot from that angle was partially blocked, it showed Collar dropping to the ground after having been shot once in the chest.

The entire incident played out within thirty seconds after Austin came out of the building.

Jere Beasley, attorney for the Collar family, said about the shooting, “I can tell you without reservation nothing we saw in the videotape justified the use of deadly force in this case.”

Sound familiar? The point is that while we may never know if deadly force was justified – where is Al Sharpton on this one?

This was a black cop shooting an unarmed white teenager. Why aren’t predominantly white neighborhoods being set on fire right now? Why aren’t whites looting, rioting and flipping over cars?

This incident, which eerily parallels in many ways that of the Mike Brown shooting, clearly and unequivocally shows that race-baiters like Sharpton, Holder and even Obama himself know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to pushing racial tensions over the edge.

http://conservativetribune.com/white-teen-shot-by-black-cop/




And this...


Quote:

Georgia teen holding Wii remote shot by cops at his front door: family lawyer
Christopher Roupe, 17, was shot by a Euharlee police officer on Friday when he answered the door. Police say he was pointing a handgun, not the video game device. Roupe was an aspiring Marine, his family said


http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/georgia-teen-holding-wii-remo
te-shot-cops-front-door-family-lawyer-article-1.1619842






Happens more than you hear. Which is why you ( and everyone else ) are being whipped up into a frenzy by the MSM which focuses on certain crimes, but not others.

But it seems most here just want to fight, ignore truth, and toss around ad hominems for those who don't conform w/ their PC fascism.

'tis the season, I guess.

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Monday, December 8, 2014 11:02 AM

JO753

rezident owtsidr


Cosidering the opening post, Rappy: Why dont you rite a book?

You can start a lucrativ career in the verdant anti-Obama expozay field! Its still the hottest segment uv the rite wing propaganda industry, so you coud quickly establish a solid rep and gain a sizable following befor Obamaz term endz.

----------------------------
DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early

http://www.nooalf.com

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Monday, December 8, 2014 11:26 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


It's been done.

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Monday, December 8, 2014 11:55 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Not only that Magon's, but he can't count. There were three questions, not two.

In fact, he doesn't even read them before he posts. It's a tactic of his. Which is why all the facts and logic (or as he puts it: logic AND reason!) are wasted on him. But slowly he reveals what he is inside. His favorite daydream? Sex with Jessica Alba "... by surprise. From behind." Women who want insurance to pay for birth control? Sluts. Men whose Viagra IS covered? Not a problem. One in five women raped by men? Not a problem.

Quote:

Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:

Does the overwhelming number of women raped compared to men constitute an injustice experienced by a segment of society? Does the overwhelming percentage of male rapists indicate a culture of entitlement? Is it not correct to characterize it as a rape culture?




Nope and nope.




So the stats are acceptable to you? Or incorrect?

C'mon, Rap. Stop dancing around issues. You condemn and disagree, but have you ever actually explained an opinion in any more detail than 3 lines?






SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Monday, December 8, 2014 1:03 PM

JONGSSTRAW


Way to go Mav! You've really got the psycho libtards hooked and fried on this one. Yee Haw!

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