Last Call

Steve M on the NPR Schiller/James O'Keefe gotcha story, where O'Keefe's crew of brave gonzo "journalists" got outgoing NPR Foundation exec Ron Schiller on tape admitting he thought the Tea Party rank and file are basically a bunch of racists:

This has upset a lot of people who think all Muslims are sharia-seeking jihadists, and who think all liberals are ideologically indistinguishable from Stalin and Mao.

Can we at least not lie to ourselves? As this becomes a big scandal marked by endless self-righteous huffing and puffing, can we at least tell the truth, which is that this is not a debate about neutrality or privatization? Can we admit that if the ideological poles were reversed -- if NPR were a culturally conservative government-funded organization, and a prominent representative of the organization revealed right-wing cultural biases on tape -- the people who are howling right now would be rushing to the representative's defense?

We know this because they defend religious right military chaplains who proselytize. We know this because they still greatly admire General Jerry Boykin, the guy who said of a Muslim enemy, "I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol" (and who was promoted rather than disciplined after saying it).

The point is that the military is part of the government, and is culturally right-wing -- and the right never deounces ideological statements like Boykin's that cross the line. As we discuss Schiller (and we will, endlessly), let's at least try to remember that. Let's try to remember the obvious fact: that this is about the right trying to win one for its side, not about trying to keep things balanced. The right would have no problems whatsoever with a government-funded Fox News, and I don't care how much rightists deny that.

Now, why would anybody think the Tea Party folks are racists, or at the minimum led by racists who are cynically manipulating racist fears of a changing demographic?

Steve's right however:  Republicans could give a damn, they just want NPR off the air.  That's what happens when people disagree with them.  It's just collecting another scalp in the name of controlled ignorance.

And speaking of controlled ignorance, James O'Keefe III, the awesome ninja video dude behind the "Secret agent Senator's office break-in" faked video and the "ACORN pimps and hos" faked video and the "CNN Surprise Boatsecks" video invented a fake Evil Mooslim organization complete with faked web site in order to try to trick NPR into taking a $5 million donation from them.  NPR didn't bite.

Pamela Geller, on the other hand...

You'd think they'd learn that everything the guy says is basically a lie.