…to completely and utterly geek out. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the lightsaber, the signature weapon of the Star Wars films:
Well, it turns out good old Earth science is much closer to making them work in real life than I ever would have guessed:
Truly, a ray of hope for humanity’s future at the end of such a grim week (hey, I’ll take what I can get).
I initially figured Capper was a shoe-in for the “Most Embarrassingly Self-Defeating Blogger in Wisconsin” Award—misattributing comments to people based on nothing but a first name, then digging in your heels when called on it seems pretty hard to top. But we have a new contender for the crown: our old pal Scott Feldstein.
Veterans of Wisconsin blog debates know Scott well as a foul-mouthed, hypocritical leftist who would rather conjure up dishonest, unconvincing reasons for ignoring & dismissing opponents’ views rather than actually debating them. In December, this charade devolved into an even more pitiful form: not only rationalizing why he shouldn’t believe his opponents’ claims, but fabricating reasons to suspect that his opponents don’t even believe their own beliefs!
His “reasoning” was—you’re gonna love this—pro-lifers don’t really see abortion as a human rights issue, because if they did, they’d all oppose abortion in rape/incest/life-of-mother cases, too, and they’d also support the sex-ed and condom distribution policies Scott likes; but because they don’t, it’s really all about controlling people’s sex lives.
Of course, Scott was confronted (by me and others) with credible arguments against all of this (by the way, here’s the latest counter-example to his anti-abstinence studies), but remained “skeptical.” Mind you, he couldn’t offer any good reasons for his skepticism, but proceeded to flaunt the nonsense anyway, as if he’d done…well, something to prove any of it or refute his opponents’ objections. As Allahpundit once said of Dingy Harry Reid, “like a two-year-old who’s just crapped on the carpet, he’s curiously proud of it.”
(Oh, and he also demanded to know what Planned Parenthood lied about, then when I told him exactly what Planned Parenthood lied about in painstaking detail, he ignored it for a hundred-something comments. ‘Cuz he’s such a stickler for the truth.)
But it gets better, my friends. Oh, does it get better.
This week, abortion came up once more on Boots & Sabers. Allow me to quote verbatim, so we can all revel in the majesty that is Scott’s madness:
If you believe—as you say you do—that a 3 month fetus is the legal and moral equivalent of a toddler, then you would either a) be storming the abortion clinic like Rambo to kill the murderous individuals who work there, or b) you’re a pathetic coward who wouldn’t risk his life to save roomfuls of innocent children from death. Of course there is a third explanation: You do know that 3 month old fetuses are not the moral and legal equivalent of you and me.
So, lemme get this straight: unless you also believe in abandoning the political process and the rule of law and killing abortion doctors, you don’t really believe in an unborn baby’s right to life.
There’s really only one way to respond to that:
Make no mistake: These aren’t sincere questions that Scott would stop asking if only someone would give him a good answer. He’s simply displaying a common tactic of left-wing hyper-partisanship: the need to attribute the beliefs of one’s opponents, no matter how sincere or well-argued, to any sort of ulterior motive other than the stated motivation, no matter how specious the evidence.
If Scott truly believes what he’s saying, then his ideology has so fully warped his mind that his capacity for rational, objective thought is completely gone. But I suspect he does know better. I think it’s all propaganda: he’s supporting a heinous practice, recognizes somewhat the odiousness of his position, and will throw out whatever he can to deflect moral judgment and make the other side the villains. Indeed, he deployed this gem of a point as a way of not answering The Family Guy, who noticed he described abortion as “sad and distasteful,” and asked the obvious follow-up: “If it’s nothing more than a lump of tissue, then why is it sad? Are you sad when you have a wart removed? It too was alive.”
Either way…pitiful.
UPDATE: As if we needed another indicator of how messed up the left-wing, pro-abortion mind is, consider the following: Scott says that because humans develop incrementally, meaning that in the period between just-conceived zygote and just-delivered newborn, increasing moral consideration should go along with increasing complexity (he also voted for a guy who had a a problem with those just-delivered newborns, but I digress). He also says that “a 12 week pregnancy can be terminated for any reason at all.”
Okay, so at 12 weeks, it must not be very developed or person-like, huh? I mean, it’s not like it would have any of the biggies, like a heartbeat, a fully-formed brain, or the capacity to feel pain.
Oh, wait. It has all of those things.
Something seems to have failed rather significantly in Scott’s efforts at drawing “reasonable” distinctions. How do you think he’d respond to that? If you guessed “dodge & deflect,” give yourself a cookie.
Pitiful. And monstrous.
Hey, kids! It’s time for another installment of Rave Reviews!
“Calvin, you’d better take a course in logic while you’re there at Hillsdale, because this piece is full of logical fallacies. Oh, and a course in journalism mightn’t go amiss either…you’re a very silly boy, Calvin.” – Peggy
“what a fool you are… drowned by politcal propaganda when you claim to be a student of the very institution you bastardise. you are subversley guised into behaving like a perfect pawn.” – king james
“Look kid I’ve met many of your kind before, you have Dick Cheney written all over you. You’re willing to watch other people shed blood and make the sacrifice, but to chicken shit to put your own ass on the line. Why don’t you put your education on hold and join the fight instead of being some little bitch cheering from the sidelines. But of course we know you won’t, because you rather see other young men and women die for your twisted un-constitutional agenda.” – Justin
“…afgan cave of a mind.” – Rhys
“The problem with you Calvin is that you’ve been listening to Sean Hannity your entire life. If that’s your perspective, if that’s all you know, how do you know any better? You shut off your mind to any opposing views…But I know you won’t change and luckily not everyone is as arrogant as you in their beliefs thinking that they know everything” – Mike
“You seem to have an absolute block in your mind about questioning anything that involves the military…I think it’s sad that you are unable to engage in an intelligent discussion of these topics.” – Aaron
“You Neo-Cons are definitely in denial. Who the hell told you that being Pro-War is Pro-American? […] you definitely need much more education than I thought.” – Branden
“…an Israel Firster.” – William R
“Perhaps you’re not evil, just coldhearted.” – GrrrlRomeo
“I am troubled that my alma mater Hillsdale is producing students of political science with such poor reading comprehension and listening capacities…an unprincipled young man who wishes to maintain present American global dominance without consideration of the damage it will do to our republic in the long run…my name is on plaques at Hillsdale, and yours isn’t.” – Marcus Brutus
“You are such a little drama queen…You are despicable…Calvin, the Defender of Pedophiles. Hey, NAMBLA just advocates ‘free speech.’ They don’t really do anything wrong. Calvin, go join, quick, you little punk.” – John Doe
“So, just labeling someone as crazy without challenging the points they brought up passes as political discourse at the mighty poli sci department of Hillsdale these days?” – infocyde
“Scores of those ‘fringy’ Birchers , whose biggest crime is sticking up for the Constitution, have something on the chicken-hawk college student writing this silly blog entry – they’ve served their country admirably in the military.” – Howling Hurricane
“Ad hominum attacks much?” – spinnikerca
“I am not a 9-11 truther but I don’t have a big problem with those who question government and demand more answers from government. As Glenn Beck would say, question with boldness. Just not 9-11! That’s because, unlike you and him, I am for liberty and freedom in all instances…The elitism card can only work for so long and at some point you neoconservatives will have to articulate where and why I’m wrong or else people will start to suspect you can’t.” – fatlibertarian
“Basically, gays can ride the bus, they just cant sit in the front. As you might say, “gotcha”. Try and twist yourself out of that pretzel, you thoughtless hypocritical carrier pigeon for hate.” – Joshua from NJ
“If ever I needed proof positive that you are motivated by contempt for gay persons, you have just provided me with that proof — without as much as a hint of a fig-leaf of covering rhetoric.” – Phillip Chandler
“Almost embarrassed??? That’s funny Cal, after the stuff you buy into and attemp to defend , I would say you’re not capable of embarrassment . Do all Repu….er ..uh …conservatives share your views ?” – badaboo
“It’s self evident Calvin , take off your political blinders , and if you still can’t see this for what it is …well , that’s not my fault . That’s on you pal.” – eyes wide open
“Love to see the Euphrates run red with Muslim blood don’t ya? Everything you guys spew is anti-Palestinian.” – Jacob
“If you don’t ever encounter difficulty articulating or defending your views, then that may mean that your views are predictable and derivative: They apparently present no challenge to you.” – CK MacLeod
“How sad that Calvin didn’t learn even the tiniest bit of logic and critical thinking allegedly taught at Hillsdale.” – Debbie Schlussel
Start your day right with hateful, ignorant analysis from your favorite knuckle-dragging, pro-gay/anti-gay war monger! Calvin Freiburger Online: shouldn’t you be reading?
The Conservative Armory: The Official CFO Store
Finally! All the intolerant, judgmental, right-wing wit and wisdom you’ve come to know and love from this blog is now available in pithy, wearable form! With tea parties and town halls popping up all over the place, it must be tough for poor Janet Napolitano to keep tabs on so many extremists. Why not help her out by proudly wearing your conservative views for all to see? It’s the compassionate thing to do!
Right now the store has a healthy mix of conservative, pro-life, historical, and anti-Obama t-shirts, plus one of the Web’s finest (and, near as I can tell, only) selections of anti-Ron Paul gear. I’ll be adding new designs as I think of ’em, so be sure to check back regularly!
UPDATE: I set the products to “Private” while I make some adjustments. It’ll be back up soon.
I made a new friend recently! He goes by the screen name “Marcus Brutus,” and attended my school, Hillsdale College, some time ago. Unfortunately, thanks to our disagreements about Ron Paul and the War on Terror, we didn’t exactly hit it off.
“Marcus” wants me to know that he fared much better academically than he supposes I did: “I’ll ask [Hillsdale President] Dr. [Larry P.] Arnn at the next fundraiser if you’ve had a chance to examine that desk of his yet…my name is on plaques at Hillsdale, and yours isn’t.” He doesn’t think I have much “intellectual cultivation,” or that I’d make it “as a secretary for any office in any level of the federalist society in [his] chapter.” Why, my heart positively shatters! (I don’t presume to be some great scholar, and I confess that I haven’t a single plaque to my name, but in my defense, I’m not exactly dead weight.)
His intellect, by contrast, is highly cultivated, and it’s very, very important for him that his readers know just how much, via seemingly-endless references to Scripture, English history, ancient Athens, and such. Since graduating, he professes to have had quite the accomplished career—Marine Corps, Iraq, application to the bar, even some time spent in Israel.
Unfortunately, I don’t think “Marcus’s” way of going about things is doing him any favors. In the spirit of friendship, allow me to humbly offer my fellow Hillsdalian some helpful advice.
It’s back, by popular demand! (And by “popular demand,” I mean “I felt like it.”)
“I know young Mr. Freiburger considers himself to ba a Christian; I wonder: what part of ‘thou shalt not bear false witness’ doesn’t he understand?” – Closet-Commie
“… you are an angry man!” – naturboy
“Freiberger is a perfect example of what’s wrong with this country and why it is becoming ungovernable.” – lisleil
“I do, however, find it disturbing when someone of that age simply repeats the tripe dished up on right wing radio.” – radioguy2
“This rant is nothing more than bitching by the right over Obama being elected!!” – geekyandwhatnot
“The same old ‘cut and paste’ rhetorical blather isn’t worth the time and effort necessary to conduct a ‘direct discussion’. However, it’s important to me that guys like Calvin know that I’m taking the time to read the work of others being passed off as his own.” – Marvin49
“…speculative drivel and unfounded conjecture…” – Justinfdl
“Just keep barking at your fellow citizens like a good little puppy and completely ignore the oligarchs screwing us all over.” – M_miller_t
“Wow, bigoted much?” – Michelle
“I need to ask if Calvin’s relatives own the Reporter? Is there any other reason they would continue to print this gibberish?” – FDL54935
“Bat s*** crazy seems to be an understatement when describing you…would you even recognize sanity, conscience, or even integrity if you saw it? I doubt it.” – Chris Liebenthal
“Using fallacies for the purpose of making a point just makes you pathetic at what you do.” – Oscar M
“You people See a Black face and automatically assume, Democrat!!!!!” – Houston
“I do not have much respect for your standards of evidence or with what has and has not been proved to you.” – Alonzo Fyfe
“Mr. Freiburg along with much of the right simply do not believe in equality and justice for all.” – kalebgage
“I’m wondering if he honestly doesn’t see himself implementing the very tactics that he criticizes on the political left. I also wonder why he won’t concede a single point.” – Gerald
“…the Neo-Cons like this blogger and their platform has been proven a complete failure…” – Gmartine
“Partisan sniping without any actual evidence.” – Anonymous
“You are losing. You are wrong and your are ‘Nuts.’” – Derrick Gaskin
“Oh!! It’s so much fun laughing at you pious little war warmongers. Your little shrieks are becoming more and more ridiculous as each day passes.” – Sex Panther
“Hello, Dr. Freiburger. Your astute knowledge of Psychology must be astounding to deduce and diagnose such a mental ailment from merely reading one comment in a blog post. Unless, that is, you’re practicing without a license, are you? I can understand it’s mush easier to label people then correct their error with reason, logic, and/or facts.” – Professor MacNamarra
“Back to the television my sheepish friend, I hear that they’ve found some new meadows for you to graze upon.” – Dan N
“Having read this entire thread, the concept that you think you are not only intelligent but funny as well is the most entertaining post for me by far.” – Devon
“Your opinions in this thread are simply not supported by anything other than your own myopic world view. How dare you attribute some simplistic slipshod approach to me. You do not know me…You basically just stuck your tongue out at me and said ‘Now you really done it! You’re stupid for thinking that’. Tell us why!” – Todd Owens
“You are a sad person and we all thank you for showing your true character…oops, lack of character. Now go back to sleep….sleep…sleep my friend. Just do as you are told and believe as we tell you to believe and go back to sleep.” – Marvin K Johnson
“…if you’re going to write a slanderous piece on Dr. Paul, you better watch out because it’s going to get ugly and his supporters won’t back down.” – Mike
“Calvin Freiburger does exactly what he purports to disdain, and that is too stick dogmatically to his simplistic beliefs about how the world works, then congratulates himself for being so objective.” – Thinkingman
Calvin Freiburger Online: Shouldn’t you be reading?
My apologies for how dead CFO’s been lately – life has been busy lately, and most of my blogging has been at NewsReal. But in about a week or so, we’re gonna be back with a vengeance. I’ve got lots of good stuff planned: fact-checking FactCheck over ClimateGate, putting pompous atheists in their place, a homosexuality firestorm overseas, and more. Stay tuned!
Milwaukee blogger Chris Liebenthal (Boots & Sabers regulars may know him as Capper) has a cookie-cutter post about the tightrope future Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will supposedly have to walk between the crooked & incompetent GOP establishment on the one hand, and the tea-party lunatics on the other. Blah blah blah…
Amusingly, the centerpiece of the post is a comment from somebody named “Calvin” on this post from Charlie Sykes’ blog. Out of the State of Wisconsin’s five-and-a-half-million people, there’s apparently only one right-winger by that name, so Capper pegs me as the commenter. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you’ve got the wrong man.
I do, however, appreciate being recognized as a “rabid right winger.” Remember, kids: Calvin Freiburger is precisely the kind of ignorant, intolerant, right-wing extremist scum your Homeland Security Secretary warned you about!
Calvin Freiburger Online: shouldn’t you be reading?
UPDATE: Understandably embarrassed at his blunder, Capper is digging in his heels in the comments, insisting that some nonexistent inconsistency between my words here and there somehow proves Sykes-Calvin and I are one and the same. Apparently his brilliant mind cannot grasp the concept that, in the comment he imagines to be a smoking gun, I was responding to a specific claim by Anonymous (who, now that I mention it, is probably the same “Anonymous” from that other article I was reading last week!). With such a tenuous grasp on reality and utter disregard for truth, no wonder the guy’s a liberal.
In all honesty, though, I should have known better than to waste my time wading into Capper’s cesspool – after all, a central tenet of the liberal playbook is to make a scandal out of the very act of defending one’s self from a vapid liberal attack. Live and learn, I guess.
In honor of what feels like the ten-thousandth time one of these bozos has given blogging a bad name, it seems like a great opportunity to revisit this Steven Crowder classic:
UPDATE 2: So it turns out that yesterday, Cappy whined about falling victim to the very same thing he did to me. You can’t make this stuff up…
UPDATE 3 (12/22/09): The Capster’s paranoia has been going on for even longer than I thought. If it weren’t so stupid, I’d be flattered.
As usual, there are a handful of criticisms of my Reporter editorial about free speech, most of them not worth addressing—the usual assortment of illogic & dishonesty (FDL54935—one of the liars referenced in my editorial—is a conservative? Yeah, right). One, however, warrants a response, as this isn’t the first time it’s reared its ugly head, and it won’t be the last:
DotingDad: “I wonder: when does he have time to do his schoolwork, since he is constantly writing these long-winded letters to the editor? Maybe Hillsdale is just about right-wing indoctrination, and as long as you subscribe to that, you’ll pass all your courses.”
Yes, Hillsdale College is a conservative-leaning school, but it’s also an honest one. Its mission is to provide students with a solid grounding in the foundations of Western civilization—Greco-Roman philosophy, Judeo-Christian morality, the political ideas of the English Enlightenment and the American Founding, and classical free-market economics. To be sure, genuine study of these things generally leads to ideas more in line with American conservatism than with progressivism. However, that’s a sign not of how biased Hillsdale is, but of what a radical departure progressivism was from pre-20th-century thought, as well as how factually inaccurate much of mainstream education is.
Most public schools are presented as impartial institutions with no aim beyond offering students a well-rounded knowledge base and preparing them for adulthood. Ideology is disseminated—sometimes overtly, sometimes by stealth—to an unsuspecting, often-apolitical audience, their parents forced to support the school with their tax dollars, the teachers state-approved authority figures in the lives of impressionable minors.
Hillsdale, however, is honest about its mission. The school’s emphasis on classical thought (which, as anybody actually familiar with the professors and the classes can guarantee, is a far cry from RNC propaganda) is out in the open; anybody considering Hillsdale is free to apply or not with full knowledge of its mission.
At most colleges, you can barely swing a dead cat without hitting some washed-up Marxist or an ex-Black Panther, and odds are he’d have tenure. K-12 public education has more than a little propagandizing of its own to answer for, too. Rest assured, if DotingDad is really that concerned about education, he’s barking up the wrong tree.
Ladies & gentlemen, I’m thrilled to announce that I’m embarking on a new chapter in my career as a conservative pundit: today I have joined the great team of bloggers at David Horowitz’s NewsReal! I’ll still be blogging here at CFO about the usual mayhem & merriment, but my contributions to NewsReal will focus on the goings-on in the world of cable news.
I’d like to express my most heartfelt gratitude to David Swindle, David Horowitz, and everyone else at NewsReal for this tremendous opportunity; rest assured I won’t let you down.
My friends, sit down, strap yourselves in, and enjoy the ride.
Conservative Standards 