Ann Coulter Review of "Godless: The Church of Liberalism"

Actually Terry, it's tomorrow night.

I agree about Carlin. I paid good $$ to see his show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and he came across exactly like you said, a bitter and angry old man. Too bad, as I really used to enjoy his material.

It should be a good show tomorrow.

 

What was the mistake, exactly? It was a long time ago and I'm a bit fuzzy on the details. Was it that Massachussetts had a parole program or that it was too lenient? What was Dukakis' role in Willy Horton's release?

The GOP didn't just exploit racial fear, they contributed to it - not a shining moment for them. Didn't Roger Ailes say he regretted this one?

But Coulter's "analysis" totally reeks - her brush is so broad she slops slime over those who had nothing to do with it.

 

Willie Horton was a LWOPer. Life without parole. Massachusetts wanted criminals re-introduced to society with work furloughs, so they started giving weekend work to inmates. Willie Horton, it was agrued, should not be a candidate for this, as LWOP meant he had no chance of being re-introduced. He should not be released to work. Dukakis, the GOP alleges, in a presidential run, released him anyways, to curry favor. (Remember, I said alleges) But the undeniable fact is, Dukakis put over 80 first-degree murderers back on the streets.

Willie Horton left Massachusetts, and traveled to Maryland, where he proved Dukakis wrong, by killing Cliff Barnes, and raping & torturing his fiance, Angela Miller.

George H.W. Bush's campaing did use this as an issue to win on, and the Democrats cried racist, for what reason, I don't know. I don't know how capitalizing on this could be racist.

Can you dig up any info on Roger Ailes ?

 

Daisy, I believe it was the late Lee Atwood, strategist for the GHWB's campaign that repented of the whole dirty tricks and "Willie Horton" issue, just before he died.

 

I imagine a lot of regret happens on deathbeds of politicians. No matter what side. But from what was Atwood repenting ?

So I ask again, how was capitalizing on this mistake "racist". Maybe lowdown, but "racist" ?

 

Not to change the subject, as I want to hear the details people can find out about Duke & Horton.......

Just to prove I'm not a mind-numb Coulter robot, (from some of you, I'd consider it a compliment) I'd like to dispute what she says here....

"Water. Liberals are worried we're going to run out of something that literally falls from the sky. Here's an idea: Just wait. It will rain. Every possible personal use of water combined -- steam baths, swimming pools, showers, toilets, and kitchen sinks -- amounts to 10 percent of all water usage. Agricultural use accounts for about 70 percent of water usage and industrial use more than 20 percent."

I would consider agrigultural use in the same category as personal use. And in a lot of places, water don't fall outta the sky.

 

I thought I remembered an image of a black hand breaking into an old couple's house, but that's not how it went. I found the Willie Horton ad: Link to ad, choose GWHB '88, click on 5th down left. You might also want to watch the "Revolving" ad for an example of effective ads.

 

I couldn't find a black hand ad, I did watch the revolving door, and the Willie Horton ad. I gotta tell ya, I'd have given ole' Willie an express ride to the death chamber the first time around. He never would have had to ask for furlough.

Her example is a good one. Killers should not be able to walk the streets, and good intentions should be tempered with good sense. Letting Willie go was a mistake, whether or not you agree with the death penalty. And to bring it up in a campaign, even if only to show your opponent weak on serious crime, seems like fair game, to me.

I saw nothing even remotely racist in either example.

 

Coulter in her usual "factoid" mode:
And, I mention again, this was in the Soviet Union. Soviet engineers couldn’t make Jell-O.

One image:
http://www.nak.no/flynytt/nr-1-04/flynytt-flanker.jpg
The Soviets could (and did) build amazingly good equipment. And our military knew it. They took Soviet Engineering very seriously indeed.

This one is as good as her "National review is violating my Constitutional rights by not publishing my writing." rant. I can only suppose she knows what she is doing, and is toying with the gullible to see how far she can go and still keep them loyal.

 

You demonstrate the problem well. She puts in a snide remark, and you focus on that, and ignore the bigger point.

Barbarian ponders "What's the bigger point ?"

Well, the bigger point is, Chernobyl was a disaster, but fell far short of the damage originally reported. Three Mile Island wasn't a disaster at all. The U.S. Navy sure has done a great job harnessing nuclear power, & the obstructionism hindering us building nukes has hurt America.

 

I guess the point is, "yes, Coulter says incredibly stupid things, but that's incidental."

Maybe to you... I agree with you that Three Mile Island wasn't a disaster at all. Even Chernobyl, which was a disaster, killed fewer people with the explosion of a nuclear plant than Bush did with fake WMD.

BTW, it's true. Lee Atwater, before he died, repented and asked Dukakis for his forgiveness. Dukakis, to his credit, gave it.

 

Where was the racism ?

I imagine concentrating on the Willie Horton case was probably pretty soul-wearing. Perhaps that's why he did it.

But I'm sure glad (now) that this was made a campaign issue. Surely we couldn't trust a man that would do this, to put the safety of everyday Americans first.

 

I didn't say anything about racism. I doubt if Atwater was really a racist. He just had polling data that said he could use a black man to make crime a lot scarier. So he did. He was willing to exploit racism, but I doubt if it was personal. It was just business.

He clearly was ashamed and repentent, and so perhaps he got square with God before he died. I hope so.

The irony, of course, was that the program was implemented before Dukakis was governor, and he issued an executive order as governor ending it.

Not quick enough, of course. But that wouldn't have made a good smear campaign, so Atwater "improved" the story a little.

That's why he asked for forgiveness.

 

First of all, Horton was black. Perhaps that fact just obscures the whole issue.

Second, those murderers were released under Dukakis' watch. Perhaps he was busy, you know, running for pres while keeping Kitty out of rehab, but he should have been paying better attention.

Third, I don't consider it a smear. I saw nohing wrong with the commercials Daisy linked to, do you have any others ?

 

This has been fun, Galatian & Daisy, I hope you guys enjoy your evening, I gotta go to work for a while.

Thanx to the two of you for staying on topic.

 

But before I go, I know that Horton & Dukakis' presidential run were years apart, and it probably wasn't a nice thing for me to say.

 

Had to be. The focus group Atwater was going for would not have reacted so strongly to a white criminal.

Curtis, it was the whole issue.

True. Bush had several such cases when he was governor of Texas. So why didn't the Democrats do a Willie Horton on him?

The kind of people who would be emotionally hooked by that kind of thing, wouldn't vote democratic in the first place. And the non-racists would be angry at the democrats. And that's their core constituency.

Atwater realixed he had a weapon that was effective and could not be used by the democrats.

Perfect. Until he got cancer, and started thinking about the condition of his soul.

You may not think it's a smear. Atwater knew it was, and asked for Dukakis' forgiveness.

 

Bro. Curtis:

You know that I am quite fond of you.

Now, this wasn't directed at me, but perhaps you can share what Ann Coulter compared wishing someone a "Merry Christmas" to (in New York) in the article entitled "Ann Coulter 2005." What was it? Why is it that nobody who actually claims to like this woman never seems to want to comment on what she said?

It is not "slander" when I am referencing HER WORDS. Additionally, I have never wished someone a "Merry Christmas" with the intent to say that to which she has equated this phrase.


FTR: I am very fond of you as well, but you actually enjoyed Treason? It took a while, but I read that book, and it was horrible. Anyone who would suggest that Senator McCarthy is a hero or a good guy is either
1. attempting to instigate an argument
2. does not understand freedom or liberty

There are several intellectuals on the right that I read (and even enjoy). Ann Coulter, in contrast, lacks insight, humor, and her books are simultaneously predictable and juvenile. If you would like to read something from the right with substance, check out Strauss, Kristol (Irving, not Bill), or Buckley.

Regards to both of you,
BiR

 

No, the issue is a convicted first degree murderer was released, to repeat his crime.

 

Bir, I knew what was coming, & perhaps took it out on you.