The huge problem with Geller and Spencer is their intellectual dishonesty in this case (I don't know how many more). They constantly point to a single school district out of over 1000 and not only that it is not even the largest school district in San Antonio but one of the most leftist. It voted 70% for Obama in 2008 to give you an idea. Not even Berkeley on the Colorado (Austin) voted as far left.
Another problem is the level of power which the governor has over the school system. He has one appointment and that is the head of the State Board of Education. There are 15 elected members to that board and not a single one answers to the governor.
What Geller and Spencer are touting is no more than "breasts" on a boar hog.
They have been completely and totally intellectually dishonest in this matter.
Another possible reasons for the expired link is that the State Legislation made some curriculum changes this last spring (they have one heck of a lot more power than the governor in fact the Lt. Gov has more power since he is the gate keeper on which bills get to the chamber floor. There was a school book change last Sept. as voted by the state board. Even Geller has the link. The school year ended in May, and a new link is not yet up, but the website does make note that there is a change.
BTW, Geller has been a supporter of Bachmann. Her articles began to come out when Perry cleaned the floor with Bachmann in Iowa even after Bachmann won (bought) the Ames Straw Poll. Rather curious if Geller and Spencer want to consider timing.
That Perry could force the SAISD to wipe its site clean for his benefit is like me being able to herd flying squirrels. The voters in that district voted 70% for Obama in 2008
I considered the curriculum change scenario as well. But with the timing of the take down of the info the overload of servers seemed (slightly) more plausible. But only slightly.
Having looked over what I THINK is the curriculum, I'm wondering how a yearlong course at the high-school level could possibly cover anything except Islam.
In my view, Perry in the Oval Office would be an immeasurable improvement over what we've got there now.
Is Perry perfect?
No.
There is not a single perfect candidate in the entire GOP field -- particularly an electable candidate. This is not a unique situation if one looks back over the history of America.
So often I find myself feeling exactly the same as Epa on any given issue.
Epa says: What do they propose to do, nominate Gaffney and the sub rosa racists hiding behind anti sharia that he (apparently) accepts as part of the cost?
I respond: YES, sadly, that is exactly what I think they want, Epa. And, that is why I have been harping on it. I don't know what AOW or MR think, but that is what I think.
Epa writes: I cannot express the level of disappointment I feel over Spencer.
I respond: Yes, me too. This is pathetic.
Though, I must say, considering that he was, at all, a part of that VB BS, I think perhaps we should not be surprised.
Did supporting people like Fulgencio Batista and the Somoza's and the Duvalier's and countless other cretins help us against communism?
IMHO at best these brutal dictators were IRRELEVANT to the glacial global forces, and MAY have prevented the takeover of a SOCIALIST STYLE (europe anyone?) govt for a few years to a FEW DECADES, but supporting them cemented in the mind of those who wanted FREEDOM that outside our borders we were not a force for freedom.
Suppose HST had SUPPORTED Ho Chi Minh (who came to HIM first) against french colonialism?
Suppose we had forced out Somoza as we acted in the Phillipines?
How different would the paths been in Vietnam and Nicaragua?
Gaffney et al are making the same mistake as Allen Dulles and others back to FDR. Accepting sons of bitches and racists and their run alongs and think alikes as partners in the resistance to sharia will only convince others that racism is the force that counts against sharia, and compel them to accept that if they want to fight racism it is better SIT ON THE SIDELINES and therefore and NOT side with racists.
We must resist Sharia by ENSURING at every turn that racism has no place here.
We must INSIST that the same rights we expect to enjoy by DENYING sharia means that no one can even be REMOTELY threatened.
We must resist Sharia by ensuring that accusations are based in realty, not links of tenuous hysterical reactions.
Still, I'd wish Perry would show some signs that there is a jihadi movement out there and express the proper level of concern. To say he has the same "weakness" as Bush is holding the bar very low. Bush helped to whitewash the jihadi threat. I constantly hear the Bush reframe "Islam has nothing to do with it; it's only a few fanatics." Bush bought us time--that's all. As a nation we've squandered that time by not learning about the enemy.
Epa, It is said that many Dentists are people who are secret Sadists, so they choose the profession of Dentistry because it is an acceptable way of inflicting pain on their fellow human beings.
I have to wonder if people who go into Global Geopolitical Policy (like, oh, who should we say? Christine Brim for instance?) are, like dentists/secret sadists. Perhaps people like Christine Brim and Frank Gaffney who, after all, hired her, are secret Fascists.
Yeah, we tend to think they have good reason for their actions. Perhaps they are playing on a very large chessboard, and they are thinking many moves down the road. Maybe they are capable of some longer-term strategizing than we could ever imagine.
But, maybe Christine Brim really did propose allying with the BNP, when there was no pressing reason to do it (no hot War in Europe or America), simply because she is a fucking Fascist.
And, the hardest thing for me to accept is that maybe all these other people who are allied with Christine Brim and Frank Gaffney have more reason to be allied with them than that they are simply enamored with the idea that they get to hang out with someone important like Gaffney who, after all, worked for Reagan.
Jason, I understand what u r saying and I feel much the same way AS FAR AS RECOGNIZING THE NATURE OF THE ASCENDANT FORM OF ISLAM goes .. but the comparison to the alternatives are absurd.
Consider....what would an Al Gore's response to 9/11 have been with the Clinton admin's response to what happened to the Cole and in Kenya in 98 have been in mind? 75 Tomahawks and a mean letter to mullah Omar and a speech about respect and tolerance and extra state actors?
Do you imagine John Brennan, who stopped Clinton from killing UBL 3-4 times, and is now Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism will be unremittingly proactive compared to someone Perry is likely to appoint to that position?
How about who he might appoint in place of Napolitano?
I still have no favorite in this horse race and some of these people have yet to define themselves adequately, but we have to keep in mind at all times that GOOD is not the enemy of PERFECT.
And we also have to discern that a man such as Cain who has INSTINCTUALLY the right gut about appointing certain kinds of muslims to certain positions, articulated that in a horrendous fashion. That means he is not the MAN.
We, HERE, could use someone who has said things and articulated them along the lines of Newt, or John Bolton, but neither is possible.
In short, this is a democracy, and as always it's going to be near run thing ACROSS THE BOARD.
I'll take my chances with an electable nominee from the right of center rather than a perfect anti sharia person who sees the (I) voters reluctantly electing Obama again.
Wouldn't you?
That's why Spencer and Geller are performing in a way to concentrate attention on the idea that anti sharia people are fringe slandering crypto racist kooks who are just another kind of CofCC, and NOT on the dangers someone like Steve Coughlin exposed.
Epa, you’re absolutely right that it could be worse, much worse. But I don’t mind if Pam puts some pressure on Perry. I don’t know the details but Perry can easily put the issue to rest by a single strong statement of the jihadi threat.
No doubt Pam can overplay her cards and Perry will find no need to respond.
" But I don’t mind if Pam puts some pressure on Perry"
Do you think he noticed?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:44:00 pm
cjk said...
After listening and learning something about this all, I've come to the conclusion that my original gut feeling was correct; Spencer is right again. It doesn't matter if no school district used the curricula, what matters is that Perry fostered it in ANY way, saying just one district used it is an insult to one's intelligence....non argument.
Any deception or disingenuousness lies on the side of Perry's defenders inability to admit the seriousness of the mistake or even acknowledging a mistake.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:54:00 pm
Anonymous said...
Epa, Of course Perry's campaign did not notice, nor do they really need to. Geller and Spencer have no influence unless invite as guests some news opinion show. So what if 1,000 anonymous individuals start jabbering like Ronulans about Perry.
Anyone remember in 2008 when Ron Paul talked about the "NAFTA Superhighway" gobbling up millions of acres? Total across the board b.s.
Saturday, September 03, 2011 2:10:00 am
Or, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Rick Perry, and the Internet Cache Caper
[Image] The Boy Down Under
When last we heard from our Dynamic Duo, Batlass and Robert were scurrying about frantically trying to smear a certain Republican Presidential Candidate from the Great State of Texas and fend off the rest of the conservative blogosphere who are pretty much certain and in no uncertain terms contending these two Counter Jihad Titans had slipped on the falafel and bumped their noggins rather severly.
Their latest revelation that all was not well in Austin was the disappearance from Google of the links to the curriculum in question. Thus there must be some grand cover up afoot with Google and M. Perry in cahoots.
A little bit of Googling reveals the following and lays bare their lie. Or at least their misunderstanding.
Go ahead. Google Muslim Histories and Culture Project.
And you will see results. And some of those links should take you to the curriculum.
But they don't.
The cached pages still work and most of their links therein do as well but the ones to the MHCP pages do not.
Well, now isn't that curious?
Of course there must be some grand conspiracy to eliminate all traces of a connection back to the said Presidential Candidate from Texas.
No other explanation.
Really?
The razor, if you will, Mr Occam.
First of all, both Atlas and Spencer have a not inconsiderable readership. And they received a great many links to their posts on this issue, and those links all linked back to the San Antonio Independent School District's Muslim Histories and Culture Project.
Now, assuming that the school district is like so many throughout the country their servers may be good, or very good, but not likely able to handle the deluge of traffic that they quite possibly received when two large international blogs and countless more suddenly linked to them on what was sure to be a controversial issue.
So, they shut the problem area down. We did it all the time where I worked and our servers were far more robust than what SAISD's likely are.
But that sure doesn't make a good story, does it? Certainly doesn't keep the readers coming back for more.
Or the donors for that matter.
Keeping in mind that this is the day job for both Pam and Bob and too boot Pam has a new book coming out (written largely by Bob I'd wager) that might certainly see a boost in sales were they to become embroiled in a hot controversy of a certain Presidential candidate from Texas now way ahead in the polls.
Do I have anything like facts to back up these spurious contentions?
Nope.
Do they?
One thing is nearly certain, this little war that they have started is going to cause trouble for the Counter Jihad and Conservative Blogosphere. If they continue this ridiculous shrieking of theirs and the absurd claims we will be painted as all a bunch of kooks and so must our candidate be. The Matthews and Madcows and Sharpton's of the world will love that. They love having people like Pam and Robert around becasue they can always turn to them for baiting, to point the finger at them and say "Look! This is the kind of nonsense they represent! How can you take people like this seriously?"
That is if they can read their teleprompter properly. . .
Note: Portions of this post have been mysteriously edited by one Pastorius (the Joker)
UPDATE - The huge problem with Geller and Spencer is their intellectual dishonesty in this case (I don't know how many more). They constantly point to a single school district out of over 1000 and not only that it is not even the largest school district in San Antonio but one of the most leftist. It voted 70% for Obama in 2008 to give you an idea. Not even Berkeley on the Colorado (Austin) voted as far left.
Another problem is the level of power which the governor has over the school system. He has one appointment and that is the head of the State Board of Education. There are 15 elected members to that board and not a single one answers to the governor.
21 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formBravo.
Someone has to say it.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 1:21:00 am
The huge problem with Geller and Spencer is their intellectual dishonesty in this case (I don't know how many more). They constantly point to a single school district out of over 1000 and not only that it is not even the largest school district in San Antonio but one of the most leftist. It voted 70% for Obama in 2008 to give you an idea. Not even Berkeley on the Colorado (Austin) voted as far left.
Another problem is the level of power which the governor has over the school system. He has one appointment and that is the head of the State Board of Education. There are 15 elected members to that board and not a single one answers to the governor.
What Geller and Spencer are touting is no more than "breasts" on a boar hog.
They have been completely and totally intellectually dishonest in this matter.
Another possible reasons for the expired link is that the State Legislation made some curriculum changes this last spring (they have one heck of a lot more power than the governor in fact the Lt. Gov has more power since he is the gate keeper on which bills get to the chamber floor. There was a school book change last Sept. as voted by the state board. Even Geller has the link. The school year ended in May, and a new link is not yet up, but the website does make note that there is a change.
BTW, Geller has been a supporter of Bachmann. Her articles began to come out when Perry cleaned the floor with Bachmann in Iowa even after Bachmann won (bought) the Ames Straw Poll. Rather curious if Geller and Spencer want to consider timing.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 2:12:00 am
Bobbin The Boy Under
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 2:20:00 am
That Perry could force the SAISD to wipe its site clean for his benefit is like me being able to herd flying squirrels. The voters in that district voted 70% for Obama in 2008
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:04:00 am
I considered the curriculum change scenario as well. But with the timing of the take down of the info the overload of servers seemed (slightly) more plausible. But only slightly.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:09:00 am
Well, let's see,
Pamela is Batless
I am the Joker,
I guess that makes you the Penguin, MR.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:19:00 am
Cuz, we know who the Boy Under is.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:19:00 am
Wah wah wah wah wah!
The Penguin is a Republican!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:29:00 am
Having looked over what I THINK is the curriculum, I'm wondering how a yearlong course at the high-school level could possibly cover anything except Islam.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 11:13:00 am
This whole episode is now at the point where daddy yells into the back seat.... "DON'T MAKE ME COME BACK THERE"
Perry is not a dhimmi.
He may have the SAME weakness vis a vis what is going on inside Islam as W, but Bush did OK in that regard ON THE WHOLE
What do they propose to do, nominate Gaffney and the sub rosa racists hiding behind anti sharia that he (apparently) accepts as part of the cost?
I cannot express the level of disappointment I feel over Spencer.
Considering the manner in which he handled the VB episode this is just really disappointing.
Perry is not a dhimmi, the assertion is STUPID and is COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
Perry is NOT LIKE US. That's as far as it goes.
If the economy is not converted to growth NOTHING IN THE ANTI SHARIA MOVEMENT WILL MATTER.
HELLO.....CALLING ALL SINGLE ISSUE MORONS
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 11:57:00 am
In my view, Perry in the Oval Office would be an immeasurable improvement over what we've got there now.
Is Perry perfect?
No.
There is not a single perfect candidate in the entire GOP field -- particularly an electable candidate. This is not a unique situation if one looks back over the history of America.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 12:03:00 pm
So often I find myself feeling exactly the same as Epa on any given issue.
Epa says: What do they propose to do, nominate Gaffney and the sub rosa racists hiding behind anti sharia that he (apparently) accepts as part of the cost?
I respond: YES, sadly, that is exactly what I think they want, Epa. And, that is why I have been harping on it. I don't know what AOW or MR think, but that is what I think.
Epa writes: I cannot express the level of disappointment I feel over Spencer.
I respond: Yes, me too. This is pathetic.
Though, I must say, considering that he was, at all, a part of that VB BS, I think perhaps we should not be surprised.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 1:19:00 pm
ANALOGY:
Did supporting people like Fulgencio Batista and the Somoza's and the Duvalier's and countless other cretins help us against communism?
IMHO at best these brutal dictators were IRRELEVANT to the glacial global forces, and MAY have prevented the takeover of a SOCIALIST STYLE (europe anyone?) govt for a few years to a FEW DECADES, but supporting them cemented in the mind of those who wanted FREEDOM that outside our borders we were not a force for freedom.
Suppose HST had SUPPORTED Ho Chi Minh (who came to HIM first) against french colonialism?
Suppose we had forced out Somoza as we acted in the Phillipines?
How different would the paths been in Vietnam and Nicaragua?
Gaffney et al are making the same mistake as Allen Dulles and others back to FDR. Accepting sons of bitches and racists and their run alongs and think alikes as partners in the resistance to sharia will only convince others that racism is the force that counts against sharia, and compel them to accept that if they want to fight racism it is better SIT ON THE SIDELINES and therefore and NOT side with racists.
We must resist Sharia by ENSURING at every turn that racism has no place here.
We must INSIST that the same rights we expect to enjoy by DENYING sharia means that no one can even be REMOTELY threatened.
We must resist Sharia by ensuring that accusations are based in realty, not links of tenuous hysterical reactions.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 2:59:00 pm
Still, I'd wish Perry would show some signs that there is a jihadi movement out there and express the proper level of concern. To say he has the same "weakness" as Bush is holding the bar very low. Bush helped to whitewash the jihadi threat. I constantly hear the Bush reframe "Islam has nothing to do with it; it's only a few fanatics." Bush bought us time--that's all. As a nation we've squandered that time by not learning about the enemy.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:22:00 pm
Epa,
It is said that many Dentists are people who are secret Sadists, so they choose the profession of Dentistry because it is an acceptable way of inflicting pain on their fellow human beings.
I have to wonder if people who go into Global Geopolitical Policy (like, oh, who should we say? Christine Brim for instance?) are, like dentists/secret sadists. Perhaps people like Christine Brim and Frank Gaffney who, after all, hired her, are secret Fascists.
Yeah, we tend to think they have good reason for their actions. Perhaps they are playing on a very large chessboard, and they are thinking many moves down the road. Maybe they are capable of some longer-term strategizing than we could ever imagine.
But, maybe Christine Brim really did propose allying with the BNP, when there was no pressing reason to do it (no hot War in Europe or America), simply because she is a fucking Fascist.
And, the hardest thing for me to accept is that maybe all these other people who are allied with Christine Brim and Frank Gaffney have more reason to be allied with them than that they are simply enamored with the idea that they get to hang out with someone important like Gaffney who, after all, worked for Reagan.
Which is it? Fascism? or just out-of-control ego?
I don't know.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:38:00 pm
Jason, I understand what u r saying and I feel much the same way AS FAR AS RECOGNIZING THE NATURE OF THE ASCENDANT FORM OF ISLAM goes .. but the comparison to the alternatives are absurd.
Consider....what would an Al Gore's response to 9/11 have been with the Clinton admin's response to what happened to the Cole and in Kenya in 98 have been in mind? 75 Tomahawks and a mean letter to mullah Omar and a speech about respect and tolerance and extra state actors?
Do you imagine John Brennan, who stopped Clinton from killing UBL 3-4 times, and is now Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism will be unremittingly proactive compared to someone Perry is likely to appoint to that position?
How about who he might appoint in place of Napolitano?
I still have no favorite in this horse race and some of these people have yet to define themselves adequately, but we have to keep in mind at all times that GOOD is not the enemy of PERFECT.
And we also have to discern that a man such as Cain who has INSTINCTUALLY the right gut about appointing certain kinds of muslims to certain positions, articulated that in a horrendous fashion. That means he is not the MAN.
We, HERE, could use someone who has said things and articulated them along the lines of Newt, or John Bolton, but neither is possible.
In short, this is a democracy, and as always it's going to be near run thing ACROSS THE BOARD.
I'll take my chances with an electable nominee from the right of center rather than a perfect anti sharia person who sees the (I) voters reluctantly electing Obama again.
Wouldn't you?
That's why Spencer and Geller are performing in a way to concentrate attention on the idea that anti sharia people are fringe slandering crypto racist kooks who are just another kind of CofCC, and NOT on the dangers someone like Steve Coughlin exposed.
It's NUTS
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:17:00 pm
Epa, you’re absolutely right that it could be worse, much worse. But I don’t mind if Pam puts some pressure on Perry. I don’t know the details but Perry can easily put the issue to rest by a single strong statement of the jihadi threat.
No doubt Pam can overplay her cards and Perry will find no need to respond.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:25:00 pm
Pamela and Spencer have both already overplayed their cards, calling Perry a "Stealth Jihadist".
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:44:00 pm
" But I don’t mind if Pam puts some pressure on Perry"
Do you think he noticed?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:44:00 pm
After listening and learning something about this all, I've come to the conclusion that my original gut feeling was correct; Spencer is right again.
It doesn't matter if no school district used the curricula, what matters is that Perry fostered it in ANY way, saying just one district used it is an insult to one's intelligence....non argument.
Any deception or disingenuousness lies on the side of Perry's defenders inability to admit the seriousness of the mistake or even acknowledging a mistake.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 4:54:00 pm
Epa,
Of course Perry's campaign did not notice, nor do they really need to. Geller and Spencer have no influence unless invite as guests some news opinion show. So what if 1,000 anonymous individuals start jabbering like Ronulans about Perry.
Anyone remember in 2008 when Ron Paul talked about the "NAFTA Superhighway" gobbling up millions of acres? Total across the board b.s.
Saturday, September 03, 2011 2:10:00 am