Medved to headline islamo-farcical awareness

College Republicans are a national conservative campus fringe group historically in an epic battle for relevance with the more wholesome Young Republicans. Nearly invisible on the UW campus, it's lonely being campus conservatives. The group exists only on paper, and doesn't even maintain a website. The uproar they're raising this week is small but the noise is disproportionately large considering their tiny membership. Famous former College Republicans: Karl Rove, Lee Atwater, Grover Norquist, and Jack Abramoff. One of their alums may be elected President next year, although they won't be bragging about it: Hillary Clinton was president of her College Republican chapter during her freshman year at Wellesley.

We're reading Frank Rich's excellent, The Greatest Story Ever Sold which chronicles in a concentrated read the selling of the Iraq war by Bush administration honchos as they fanned out into the media peddling the nuclear fear factor.

There's plenty we're hearing out of Washington these days that reminds us of that war of fog put up in 2002-2003 that led us into that most disastrous foreign policy adventure in modern history.

And in the here-we-go-again, Dep't: Cheney rattled the sabers Sunday sharing his violent neocon wet dream of dealing with Iran by telling a friendly think tank, "Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions."

Another disturbing drumbeat was the University Washington College Republicans' proclamation this week as Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

The event, according to its website, is intended to "confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat." Guaranteed to elicit protests from Moslem student groups and make headlines in liberal Seattle, they'll host two public events: a showing of "Suicide Killers," a documentary about suicide bombers, at 7p Wednesday in Smith Hall, and a talk by syndicated neocon talk host Michael Medved at 7p Thursday in Kane Hall.

(Photo: the apoplectic Medved is an unapologetic neocon and unswerving supporter of Bush and his war).

This so-called event won't likely be more than the sum of the media attention they can scrape up- which probably won't be all that significant judging from the way they handled a scheduled appearance on The David Goldstein Show Sunday night.

Tom Walker, UW College Republicans president first agreed to appear, but then at the last minute claimed "scheduling conflicts," and backed out. He later explained by e-mail he'd be happy to go on Dave Ross Show- obviously unprepared or too chickenshit for a vigorous debate, and certainly inadequate as a spokeshole for a controversial event that lives and dies on media attention.

This "Whack A Raghead for Jesus Week," comes under the umbrella of the Los Angeles-based David Horowitz Freedom Center who are bringing it to 100 college campuses all over the country.

Horowitz is a far right wingbat with a long history of extremism on both ends of the political spectrum. Raised by parents who were card-carrying Communist Party members in the 1950's, he came all the way over to the after Vietnam. He's known for these kinds of campus hi-jinks always designed to attract attention to himself.   

These folks should know about fascism, Chip Berlet, writing for the Southern Poverty Law Center, identified Horowitz's Center for the Study of Popular Culture as one of 17 "right-wing foundations and think tanks support[ing] efforts to make bigoted and discredited ideas respectable."

The College Republicans are a Republican fringe campus group historically in constant competition for relevance with the more wholesome Young Republicans. Both the Campus Republicans and the Horowitz group clamor for media attention- it's lonely being campus conservatives. On the UW campus they're invisible, exist only on paper, and don't even maintain a website.   

Always pushy and politically incorrect, CR sponsors edgy events with maximum handles for the right-wing media to grab . Remember their headline-grabbing 2003 UW campus bake sales to oppose affirmative action? They charged whites $1 for a cookie, and blacks and other minorities only 25 to 95 cents. Doughnuts were available for 50 cents to everyone except Asian Americans and whites, who were not permitted to purchase them. They were cable news and talk radio lunch for a week.

You may also remember the direct mail scam exposed by The Seattle Times' David Postman and Jim Brunner during the 2004 campaign. Campus Republicans sent direct-mail solicitations with "Republican Headquarters 2004" and "Republican Election Committee" letterheads in an aggressive fund-raising campaign that misled and shook down senior citizens who thought they were giving to the Bush and other top Republican campaigns, but who were actually giving it to CR. In the end, nearly 90% of the money spent by the CR went to a shady direct-mail vendor who employed a former CR chairman.

Comments

[DT]

Duh, yeah, right on! I believe when lefties espouse controversial ideas, especially on college campuses, it's a good thing. It's all about free speech and getting people to think. But when righties have controversial speakers, it's bad! They don't think like me, therefore they must be commiting hate-speech. I think it's important to demonize people who don't think like me. I think it's important that controversial views on the left be supported and heard, but I think controversial views on the right must be demonized and protested against. I am tolerant of other views, but only if those views are similar to mine. Since I am a good person, my views must be right and good. So if peole look at things differently that me, they must be bad people. That's basically my logic. People who don't think like me are evil.

[Duffman]

I basically ignore groups like this...on BOTH sides.

[Upton]

You mean Dori and the girl's basketball team aren't going to be there? What about Frank Shiers and the daughter he never shuts up about?

[Michael B]

I thought University was supposed to be about the exchange of ideas, or is it just lefty ideas that are worthy of discussion?

[joanie]

Name even one "lefty idea" that is similar to this disgusting piece of intolerance and hate that has been celebrated on campus at the UW. C'mon, you said there were "lefty" ones. NAME ONE.

I'm curious just what that would be DT and Michael B?

After that, you can send your money to the next campaign sponsored by these ditto-heads: probably a nostalgic reunion of the KKK.

[chucks]

joanie
Why the obsession with the KKK?
I know a lot of conservatives and even more libs/pergressives. Do not know anybody that likes, appreciates or supports them. The only two names that I know that were ever associated with that criminal organisation are David Duke and Robert Byrd. Duke was drummed out of the Republican Party and Byrd has achieved a position of power as a Democrat.
In the real world, there is a group of Islamic terrorist in this world that are committed to you and I converting to Islam. They have stated unequivocally that if we do not convert, they will kill us.
Now, I have not read anything from the group sponsoring Islamo-Fascism Awarness Week. But I do think that it is not unreasonable to listen to what they have to say or what evidence they put forward. Now you can generally expect them to have their voices silenced by the pergressive folks at the UDub and other liberal institutions around the nation. That is what libs do. If it is not towing the democrat/liberal/pergressive line, it should not be heard.
Now, let us just wait and see how this plays out.
Lib ploy, silence the disinters.

[sparky]

Hey kids! Next month we will be featuring "Scary Black People"! We will take a field trip down to 1st Avenue so you can see the Scary Black People in their natural environment, drinking from a small brown paper bag!

And don't miss December, just in time for the holidays when we feature " Jews Killed Jesus AND Christmas"!

January will bring back the ever popular " How Mexicans Want To Steal Your Job After They Finish Weeding Your Flowerbeds." Sign up early--this one fills up real fast!

[sparky]

Oops..forgot to mention our very generous sponsor-- College Republicans. "We are too rich to fight in a war, but hey, we will let YOU go!"

[chucks]

No Sparky, I believe it is "The boss wants to give your job to illegal migrant Mexicans because he can exploit them, pay them half the money and abuse them. They won't complain. And they don't get no stinking union.
After you get done with your field trip in Seattle, bring the children to south Pierce County. Most of our brown bag toting, off ramp invading bums are white.
You should teach them that bums and derelicts come in all races. Be fair and balanced.

[chucks]

Just curious sparks. What is the political make up of our armed forces? What is the income of the parents whose sons and daughters have chosen to serve?
When you make that statement, have you broken down family income to geographical regions? What other criteria have you taken to account?
Just curious sparky. I know that my libtard brother, whom I love dearly has a son who is a Marine. Big brother makes over $200 k per year. But my brave nephew was just deployed from beautiful 29Palms, CA to that wonderful tourist spot, Iraq.

[coiler]

Ohhh, those "mexicans". How would the boss give a credentialed job to an illegal? Wouldn't that be obvious? Why complain now, no one complained during the economy 10-12 years ago, only now.

[chucks]

coiler
By credentialed jobs, are you talking about Teachers, programmers, accountants, stock brokers etc.? Yep, those jobs are not at risk.
What about garbage truck drivers, carpenters, roofers, factory workers, ditch diggers etc.
Those are the jobs being lost to illegals every day. The family wage jobs that our parents and grandparents had. That young man that screwed up and did not finish high school used to get those jobs. With those jobs, he could support his family.
Millions of illegals have slipped into our country in those ten or twelve years. They obviously did not get your or my job. They have some body's. As long as it is their job and not ours, then it must be ok.

[sparky]

chucks, thank your brother and your nephew for his sacrifice. He is one brave kid!
My comment regarding income/going to war is based on the work of an organization called "Operation Yellow Elephant" which goes to campuses nationwide and urges the Young/College Republicans to sign up and join the military and fight in this war they think is so great. Overwhelmingly, the response has been,,,"uh no, I can do more good for my country by getting a high paying job and staying right here." War is fine as long as someone else fights it, and that goes all the way up to the top in the White House.

My sister in law was in the Navy and she said her experience was that the majority of troops she came in contact with were from families who made less than 50K a year. I am sure there are exceptions like your nephew.

[coiler]

So where does your outrage lie? With the employers? Will there be a march on corporate America this afternoon to take back the jobs and demand better wages?

[Karl Barks]

I believe the objective of Michael's post is to highlight how stupid, small and ineffective this group and their rightwing, made-for-tv protests are. Its organizers are dupes of partisan grown ups and aren't willing or able to argue its merits unless it's in a friendly media venue or one they think they can control. More astroturf from the right, because their real grassroots are so far out of the mainstream and and so disengaged they must set up these rhetorical Potemkin villages, in lieu of a real movement.
Maybe this should be called chickenhawk-fascist awareness week.

[Duffman]

chucks: you may be interested in this...kind of explains how we came about to be free to express in all ways. [Sorry, it's a bit of a long read, but if you haven't previously seen this..you may enjoy]

Who Protects Our Rights

[sarge]

Right on, Karl, the rigthties have shriveling grassroots. This president, his war, and his incompetence have shaved off whatever independent support they had, and turned off an entire new generation. These so-called College Republicans represent such a minuscule fraction of kids their age, they are hardly worth noting. They can bitch about the university campuses, but losing the educated, professional classes is a real problem for the very future of their political existence. If I were them I'd start recruiting and winning the hearts and minds of their peers rather than making these pointless efforts to get attention outside their campus communities.

[Duffman]

..again, sarge is such a kiss-ass.

[sparky]

Duffman, you slobber all over Puts every time he posts something.....

[YellowPup]

It's interesting how the right has so discredited itself and so over-exploited the danger of terrorism for its petty racist, tactical, and political ends, that this faction of it feels now that they need an "awareness week" for terrorism.

I guess the orange alert strategy can only get you so far.

[coiler]

And they still haven't caught osama binWho? Must have lost interest.

[chucks]

Thanks Duffy
Some of these clowns will never get it. They don't have it within them.
They will never understand the police officer who runs towards gunfire. They will never understand the fire fighter on the roof of a burning building with a chain saw. The will never understand the Coastie who jumps out of a helicopter into twenty foot seas to save a complete stranger. They will never understand the young Marine, Soldier, Airman, or Sailor standing between them and a Burkha.
Thank God for those who serve and feel no need for an excuse.
And I am impressed that you read Blackfive. You probably read Mudville Gazette, Sgt Hook, Iraq the Model or some of my other favorites. You just moved up a notch in my book.
Now, if we can just get you past Hillary. LOL

[coiler]

Wahh! It's a neo-con pity party.

[bobo]

Medved is claiming victory for Republicanism because Bobby Jindal got elected in Louisiana despite the Bush disastrous handling of Katrina.

[chucks]

Do you suppose that some of the people in Louisiana recognize that first responders to any emergency are local and state? Maybe the folks down there are not as dumb as you thought.
Or maybe a large part of the people that rely on gummint hand outs to live moved out and never came back. So the voters left are people who believe in being self sufficient and not to rely on gummint.
Maybe when the 8.0 to 9.5 earthquake hits western Wa in the future, our state will become conservative because all the Seattle libs got sucked up by liquifaction. (I do hope to never find out)
But that is just the first of many Republican victory's to come. Middle America will be heard. Us conservative hicks will just not go away.
Sorry

[sparky]

From Americanresearchgroup.com, Middle America has spoken:

George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has dropped to 25% as nearly seven in ten Americans say the national economy is getting worse according to the latest survey from the American Research Group. This matches the lowest approval rating for Bush recorded by the American Research Group....

A total of 8% of Americans say that the national economy is getting better, 18% say it is staying the same, and 69% say the national economy is getting worse....

A total of 18% of Americans say they believe the national economy will be better a year from now, 27% say it will be the same, 53% say it will be worse, and 2% are undecided....

A total of 38% of Americans rate the national economy as excellent, very good, or good and 61% rate it as bad, very bad, or terrible.

[coiler]

Yes, idiot Bush has had over 6 years to fix it. Doesn't work in Peoria anymore....he is a failure. No wonder the coalition of the willing has dropped off the map. He cannot be trusted worldwide. Even Putin said don't fuck with us last week...

[Duffman]

So, MAKE SURE you vote for Mrs Clinton...not voting is not an option this time around; let's make it a LANDslide win, a mandate as strong as can be!!!
You're making the case.

[chucks]

You are correct sparky and coitus. The Dow was at 7600 in Sept. 2002 and has now dropped to 13566. The NASDAQ was at 1172 and has now dropped to 2753.
The S&P was at 815 in sept, 2002
and has now dropped to 1506.
Of coarse unemployment is at 4.7%, which is considered full employment. Anybody that really wants a job can find one. Can you imagine how high the unemployment rate would go if we did not have all of those millions of illegal folks here. Maybe a few folks would have got decent raises if not competing with the undocumented for jobs.
The economy will take a down turn. Usually does in an election year for POTUS. At least when it is an open seat. The press will, of coarse only cover the bad. How the hell can anybody tell that things are ok if the Times just tells you how crappy it is. Does not matter that you have a regular pay check. The Times (all of um, NY, LA, Seattle etc.) says you are going to lose your job. You better believe um. Then you quit buying stuff. Then the people you don't buy stuff from quit buying stuff. Eventually it comes back to people are not buying your stuff. Then the economy is bad.
Is this going to end up being a double post? If so, sorry.
Are we off topic enough yet.

[coiler]

it dropped 367 points on Friday alone...the fed has pumped billions into the sub-prime failure in 1-day as an attempt to cover up the massive blood-letting. What's next, print more money?

[chucks]

What cover up? We are all aware of the sub-prime woes. That is going to be a huge mess. I just hope th gummint stays out of it. The fools who made those loans are responsible for their own losses. The fools who packed their income to qualify for loans get no sympathy here either.
No doubt that there is some good ole white collar crime as well. We gots us plenty o room at Leavanwoth for them. And its not the one by hwy 2.

[DT]

Joanie, you're making a common mistake many people make. You are looking at things from your perspective only. It's not for you to decide what is and is not hate-speech or intolerance. It's for the offended party to decide. So while from your perspective, left-of-center speakers may not be hate-filled or intolerant, but to others, they may be. You do believe other people's opinions and feelings count, don't you?

[bobo]

Genital mutilation. Burkas. Beheadings for having extra marital sex. I will never understand why any woman would willingly submit to Muslim Sharia law. Islam is a horrible, degrading, dehumanizing, brutal and insane 7th Century religion.

[nevets]

Sparky, are you hinting your actual age here.

"My sister in law was in the Navy and she said her experience was that the majority of troops she came in contact with were from families who made less than 50K a year."

Your lie is starting to become clearer now.

[DT]

It's not PC to point out the flaws of fundementalist Islam. Even athiest liberals will object. A common technique they, and Muslims use when encountering the type of facts bobo mentions is they will do one of two things, or both: They will make some comment about how extreme Islam is no worse than extreme Christianity or Judiasm. Or they will try to accuse you of being Islamophobic. It's a debate technique to get you on the defensive, and shift the argument away from the facts.

[nevets]

And with that picture, is Michael sterotyping Arabs as ruthless killers who shoot young ladies in soccer fields for pleasure?

[Recife]

We all know that Islam is the religion of peace. I mean everyone knows they were just tending thier sheep and living thier peaceful lives until mean ole Bush/Cheney/Haliburton/blackwater started murdering them. and the picture above.....well that's just taken out of context, it is really a Al Jazeera PSA about how evil guns are.

[bobo]

Michael Medved is accurately labeling all radical Islamic bloodthirsty lunatics as people who shoot women in the head.

[Steve]

coiler said:
And they still haven't caught osama binWho? Must have lost interest.

And if a Dim is elected, how soon will Bin Laden be killed/captured?

I will go with captured as you wouldnt want your hero to be killed.

[coiler]

it will never happen little man, so far there is no interest. Go back to your GI Joe dolls and Sgt Rock comic books

[Recife]

If Hillary gets elected, Bin Laden can focus on Pakistan. The only people who will have anything to fear will be innocent women and children in Idaho and Texas ( just a friendly reminder about real crimes........Ruby Ridge and Waco). The real shame will be when New Delhi is smoking ruins and Islamabad is destroyed in retaliation. And you wonder why the current administration is telling both parties hopefuls to becareful about what you promise.

[disgrunt]

What a bunch of pea brained babies!

Medved and Horowitz are self-hating Jews, who love to get into arguments.
They were the obnoxious argumentative Young Repubs (former Libs) in college, and are still that way. I knew them then. Pathetic losers with soapboxes.

[KS]

So, who is the worst for those who have piled on ? The conservatives or the Islamofascists ? I am asking this because you people who aren't sure are not grounded in reality- get a grip ! Nuff said.

[KS]

So, who is the worst for those who have piled on ? The conservatives or the Islamofascists ? I am asking this because you people who aren't sure are not grounded in reality- get a grip ! Nuff said.

[joanie]

First of all, klueless, learn how to post. You're redundant on every post lately.

Chucks, first of all, you did not answer my question. I don't think you can. I don't think you will even try. "Dodge and duck chuck."

So, you throw out this crapola that only gives you the opportunity to continue spewing hate. You seem to love to hate. But it is not going to further peace or reason in any way. If you choose to believe all muslims are evil, so be it. I think that is stupidity at its highest, but that is your way. Thank all that is good that you are in the minority.

And my reference to the KKK is not obsessive - you'd have to prove that. The KKK is/was a fact. It was composed of haters just like you. Some of them, like Byrd, learned. Go to the "Hate" celebration and join your fellow haters in the orgy of hate. You could be right up front finding even more reasons to hate. Just think, you can come back and teach your grandkids to hate. Although, I'm sure they're getting quite an earful from you everyday. You love to hate.

Sparky, good job. But it seems your irony was lost on the illiterate masses here. Since haters only seem to hate more and more, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of your little vignettes come true one day. I recall the Japanese bashing back in the days when Detroit was losing jobs. Instead of directing anger at corporate management which made poor car design choices,(Repugnants should certainly understand poor choices!), they chose to hate the Japanese people who had nothing to do with the car industry here or in Japan instead. I bet you were one of the Japan-haters in those days, chucks. I just bet you were. Illegals taking all our jobs; Japs taking all over our car industry. I can hear you now.

DT, I have every right to voice my feelings regarding hate speech. The mere term "Islamo-fascist" is a hate term. Just like the N word and all the other angry words you conservatives seem to find for everything you hate. And DT, you keep talking about civility while condoning incivility and hatemongering on the part of the right. What a hypocrite you are.

And chucks, just as all Christians do not blow up abortion clinics, or Oklahoma federal buildings, not all muslims believe in the kinds of activities you name. There are religious customs that you might think are evil or just bad; but it isn't our right or entitlement to hate them for their customs. Frankly, it isn't any of our business at all what they do.

For you to condone any group that promotes hate for another group of people is wrong. That you don't know that at your age is unacceptable. You hate all Mexicans because of illegals. You don't hate the CEO's or farmers or stores or construction companies that hire them. It is easier to just hate the Mexicans.

You hate people on welfare. You hate "gummint."

God, you've got a lot of hate in you. I'm glad I'm not you.

And, DT, for the record, HATE is not a "controversial" idea. And anybody who espouses HATE is not a good person. You are a fool.

[DT]

Joanie, I'm not a Republican. I'm not a conservative. I vote D about 90% of the time. I'm also an independent thinker. You vote on an issue how your party tells you vote. I make up my own mind.

What may be throwing you about my political affiliation is that I believe in freedom of speech and diversity of thought for everyone, not just for people who think like me.

People, when you read-through Joanie's post, listen to the sublte hate. Listen to her intolerance. Watch for how she demonizes those who do not think like her. Look at how she'll take someone who may be against illegal immigration, and twist it so they all of a sudden now are this hate-filled monster who hate all Mexican people. Don't fall for it. Look at how she equates (just as I fortold) extremist Muslims with extremist Christians, even though if you Google terrorist acts, the religion of the terrorist is Muslim 95% of the time. And look at how she says it is none of our business if a Fundementalist religion wants to abuse and murder women.

Read over her post. Does she sound like a compassionate, loving, tolerant person to you? Or does she sound like someone who demonizes others (by accusing them of being hate-filled) who do not think exactly like her?

I

[shadow]

DT is still practicing psychology I see.

[joanie]

Well, we finally agree on something. I demonize hate. I hate "hate." I'm intolerant of hate.

Yes. You got it. Completely. You may now join the rest of the Good Germans The people who allowed Hitler to reign supreme weren't all Nazis you know. Just "Good Germans" like you.

So much for your empty pop psychology, DT. It isn't worth the space it took on BW to write it.

[chucks]

joanie
Just when I think we are going to get along. There you go again. Acting like a bitter ex-wife.
First off, what question did you ask me? None on this thread that I can see.
Let me see, I was selling Fords and Buicks when the Japanese started to take over the car business here. So, what the hell, I sold Honda's for the next ten years. It was a great run.
Let me see, what else. Oh yes, as we have discussed, my first ex-wife is Mexican-American. Lets see now, she is still one of my best friends. Oh ye, our kids are half her and her families blood. According to your "logic", I should hate them. Let me see, what else... Oh yes, my daughter got married a few years ago. No biggy, most people do. Her Maid of Honor was black, not only was he black, but he is gay. Flaming at that. One of her bridesmaids was black, one was from Belize, two were white. My youngest sons first girlfriend was also black. They dated for a couple of years. Point and only point is that we do not "hate" in our home based on race, gender, sexual "ornamentation", religion or any of the other bullshit accusations that you have so generously thrown at me. Suppose if my kids were taught to hate, they would make different choices.
Now joanie, as far as the illegal aliens go, they are gate crashing uninvited folks who come here and drive down wages. They go to emergency rooms for common colds and broken bones etc, and don't pay the bills. It will not effect your job because you have one of those nice cushy gummint-union teaching jobs. Wont effect your medical costs because you have gummint supplied insurance.
Gotta get ready for work and get the grandkid to school.
continued....

[Duffman]

Spot on, chucks; great retort. It's crystal clear to anyone with a brain...joanie is the hate-filled one. [But I believe only thru the political realm - from an argumentative basis; on a personal level she's probably kind and considerate and full of compassion]