that white coats moment

[realthog]

Over at the WordNutsDaily, Ann Coulter has a new article casting scorn upon the notion that the democratically elected President of the USA might be a Muslim -- a conspiracy theory which, it's been my impression, the WorldNutsDaily has done much to foment in between its claims that President Obama was born in Kenya, or Lilliput, or Mars, or anywhere but where his publicly available birth certificate says he was born.

So Coulter's suddenly become a voice of (relative) sanity?

Er, not quite.

Here's the start of her piece:

The nonsense about President Obama being a Muslim has got to stop. I rise to defend him from this absurd accusation by pointing out that he is obviously an atheist.
[. . .]
The only evidence for Obama's Christianity is that he faithfully attended the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years.

And the only evidence we have that Ann Coulter is a Christian is that . . .?

Okay, I'm stumped.

Comments

[mastadge.livejournal.com]

What's worse in the US now? To be a Muslim or an atheist?

[realthog.livejournal.com]

What's worse in the US now? To be a Muslim or an atheist?

Hard to say, really. Obviously you have hordes of ignorant thickoes terrified of Muslims; at the same time, those thickoes seem to think it's to Muslims' credit that at least they're completely irrational they have faith. Atheists, according to the current rubric coming from the ignoramus faux-Xtian US Right, are ethical scum and likely tools of Satan because it is impossible to have any morality at all unless it is based in the bosom of Jesus -- you know, the God-given morality and spiritual hi-piety that brought us, say, the Ku Klux Klan and the Spanish Inquisition.

It's all very hard to understand unless you live here. While the US has some of the best universities, etc., in the world, it has an extraordinary bulk of citizens who, to the nearest decimal point, have no education at all -- who are quite extraordinarily ignorant, and who expect their ignorance to be pandered to. Natch, various corporate interests are only too happy to do the pandering, because they recognize the commercial value of having a large population of ignorant fuckwits who'll do what they're told.

Not with a bang but with a deliberate rejection of the intelligence that has brought us the distance we've got: somehow, more pathetic than any whimper.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely. Of course, when I explain to my students that Confucius was (a) a teacher ethics and (b) not a believer in gods, they tend to get very, ahem, confused.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

they tend to get very, ahem, confused

Confuced?

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Several of them find the idea of political theory confucing. I still recall, with horror, the essay that began "Confucius was a major figure in the early development of Western Europe."

The class sat in silent horror as I thundered, "Did I, or did I not, explain that the reason I included Confucius in the curriculum was precisely because he was not European?"

[realthog.livejournal.com]

You thundered? This I find hard to believe.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

So did the students.

A bass=baritone voice can be an extraordinary asset.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

to the nearest decimal point

Oops! That should be "to the nearest decimal place", of course.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

As an atheist, I'd say the latter. However, we have heard nothing from the Baha'i lately.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Ha! I've just realized who you are -- my earlier response was based on the assumption that you were one of the Brits who occasionally visits and whose moniker is vaguely similar. So, apologies for having taught you to suck eggs . . .

[deliabarry.livejournal.com]

Oh, now. You're looking for logic where there is none to be found.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Every time I read something by Coulter I'm reminded of the supposedly bright kids who used to hold court when my daughter was about eight.