Sometimes, it's useful to revisit old tempests in teapots to get some perspective and see what the truth is, outside the media spin cycle.

On May 23, a rather - ahem - heated right wing web site, Little Green Footballs, decided to hyperventilate over Rachel Ray's choice of wardrobe for a Dunkin Donuts commercial. It seems that the kaffiyeh has been declared a symbol of Palestinian solidarity by the PLO back in the 1930's, so obviously Rachael Ray was supporting the Palestinians in some sort of crypto-fashionista sort of way.

What the hyperventilators failed to recognize was that the kaffiyeh - or shemgahs, as the British call them - are extremely useful garments in the climate of Arab nations. So useful, in fact, that our own troops wear them. Here's the picture proof.

As we all watch the election slowly unfold, it's important to keep your eyes wide open. Kos and the diarists here are terrific, but it's a very good idea to look at some of the right wing blogs to see what "the opposition" is saying. You get a better chance of seeing whether you are or are not in an echo chamber, can occasionally find some good writing, and might even learn a thing or two.

A caveat: I voted for Bush the last two elections. This year, I finally saw how utterly bankrupt the Republicans are in terms of ideology, and I'm hanging my hopes on Obama and a better way. But that doesn't mean I erased my old bookmarks... feel free to use a convert's old tricks.

Here are they are, then: some of my favorite right-wing blogs. Some are good for "enemy research"; some are just good reading for the non-political topics that come up; and some are just nifty. Browse around. It's a big Internet. The more you listen, the more you learn.

A caveat before you good exploring The Dark Side of the Force: Don't troll. Just don't. It's not worth it, really. I'm entirely convinced that no one has ever won an argument, ever, on the Internet... and honestly, in the end, it's just tacky. Read. Don't write. Be respectful of the other guy, and treat them as you'd like to be treated.

This is hilarious stuff. It's a frontpage article from L.G.F. titled: Islamic Terrorists Have Constitutional Rights

#7  pegcity 6/12/08 9:37:56 am

so Jury trials for terrorists?

Why not have them all in Seattle

I guess Seattle is like Kriptonite for Kangaroo Courts. Yea Seattle!

#10  Pyrocles 6/12/08 9:38:51 am

The Left sees Islamist terrorists as their footsoldiers for bringing about the "revolution"... Of course they want them made legally equal to us and free, if possible.

This one probably had to stick his tinfoil hat in the microwave for a couple of minutes to charge up it's magic, before this revelation came to him. A believer in vast islomo-leftist conspiracies.

#21  loppyd 6/12/08 9:41:02 am  

As I just heard Rush say, the MSM calls this a defeat for the Bush Administration when in reality is a defeat for the USA.

Love the enemy of thy enemy.

/MSM

This one lets HeadRush do all his hard thinking for him. A simpleton who is a political zombie at HeadRush's command.

Update 1 (of 2): John Aravosis has found even more garbage on McCain's site: "McCain's Web site talks about the anti-Christ being 'a Jew,' Hillary being a 'bitch,' Obama being a 'Muslim fag,' and America bringing 9/11 on itself"

:: ::

Yesterday, the Little Green Freakshow (aka Little Green Footballs) lied when it claimed that Barack Obama's website reveals a disturbing pattern of antisemitism. (Edit: Also see this post from Comments from Left Field on how the stuff they did find was likely an example of cut-n-paste political sabotage.)

As some of you know I am a psychologist. This is not backed up by an empirical study with a huge study size, so take it for what it is worth, my observing people's behaviors on here and LGF the two political sites I normally post on <More after the break>

So Michelle Obama said something the Freepers don't like and they're inventing mean names for her.

So Barack Obama borrowed some bon mots from a buddy and Little Green Footballs smells blood in the water.

So Red State and Rush want Hillary to win because they think they can beat her.

So.  What.

You there, with your finger on the pulse of the American Taliban, sitting in a puddle of your own urine and wringing your sweaty hands: get a grip.

Tonight at 5:00 p.m. EST ends the voting... finally.   You can vote once a day as per the rules.

At this moment LGF is beating DailyKos by 2,200 votes.  Although in the past few days, Fark has taken an overwhelming lead of everyone.

Vote for DailyKos

The 2007 Weblog Awards voting is underway.  DailyKos is a contender in the Best Online Community category, where currently Little Green Footballs is winning by 32%.  Are you comfortable with that?  Polls close November 8, 2007.  You can vote once a day.  

Little Green Footballs is beating DailyKos by 32% - VOTE NOW

Read on for more polls and information.

It's okay to get Bibles in Oklahoma, where a crazed fanatic Catholic blew up the Mrrah Federal Building about 12 years ago. But when the Oklahoma Governor's Ethnic Commission gave away copies of the Quran, Rep. Rex Duncan got a little perturbed and wrote a few letters to his 149 colleagues. Firtunately, only about 24 of the legislators share Duncan's maniacal views.

   Like many of you, I hate "littlegreenfootballs" (HERE in case you missed it). "LGF" is nothing more than a breeding ground for ignorance and hate, especially hate of the Muslim religion. LGF takes ignorance to a new, lower level. As I mentioned before, they started their own little takeover of the popular news site "Digg"

    Apparently, Digg condones the ignorant hate of Muslims. I guess as far as Digg is concerned, "community" means "group of racist assholes". I guess that makes me not a "racist asshole" - because they kicked me out of the Digg "community". (btw they were only half right, I am an asshole)

What could be the most frightening thing to commenters at a well-known right-wing hate site? Muslim footbaths. That's right - Little Green Footbaths ;-o

Liberals have better things to do than read conservative blogs, right?

I suppose that's why folks start rolling their eyes whenever I mention what Michelle Malkin or LittleGreenFootballs has been up to lately.

All too often, liberals make the mistake of dismissing their political opponents as “idiots,” and busying themselves with in-fighting, self-congratulation, and one-upping each other in the rush to criticize Republican leaders and the Religious Right.

Cross-posted at The Seminal.

When is this bullshit going to stop? There is a diary just post, not about 12 diaries below this one that posits the question, was Pat Tillman killed by Cheney/Rumsfeld's orders? Its already on the front page of LGF:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/...

That took, what, half an hour? Zero intellectual honesty over there.
Continue to see the screen shot:

UPDATE: Tillman troll diary was posted at 1022 EDT. The LGF Bullshit Post was posted at 8:27 PDT. You do the math. This was a blatent setup and they were caught. If Johnson at LGF has a shred of fucking integrity, he should retract and apologize. He wont though, because he is an stupid evil man.

UPDATE 2: The diary I refer to is the one that is exactly 12 spots below this one.

France, with a Muslim population of approximately five to six million, has the largest Muslim minority in Western Europe. Internal politics surrounding the "Muslim question" in France have been marked by bitterness, especially during several headscarf bans and the riots of November 2005.  Though the French government has worked successfully with both foreign-born and French-born Muslim leaders in the past to improve its relations with the Muslim community, it has also deported a number of radical imams and preachers. High-profile leaders likeTariq Ramadan are controversial, viewed by some as dangerous demagogues with terrorist ties, by others as progressive voices capable of leading Muslim youth in a bid for successful integration into French society.

I'm going to confess a moral failing here. There have been a few diaries lately discussing the concepts of moral crimes, repentance, and forgiveness.
My crime is that I slow down for car wrecks.
I did it a few times today.
This is only one of them.
I'll show you my take-out plate from Joe's Hidden Comment Bar and Grill - with free bonus dishes I never ordered, kinda like a Chinese takeout place - below the fold.

It's funny that even the American neo-fascists are kicking PM Ehud Olmert while he's down. After the Winograd report on Israel's devastating war on Lebanon last Summer, the right and the left seem united against Olmert (who at the moment has a 3% approval rating).

But if you think the assholes over at LGF care an ounce about the poor children charred to death under American-supplied bombs, you'd be - of course - mistaken.

Little Green Footballs' readership is taking a moment to consider Jeffrey Feldman's new book, and the review of it running on this site's front page.

To kick off the discussion, the posting observes:

It’s more than a little reminiscent of the manipulative cult-like techniques of Scientology. They spend an enormous amount of time and energy trying to get their "framing" just right.

First, i want to offer my condolences to the American people for the great tragedy that has befallen them these past days. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost, and with those that remain.

I really didnt want to write this diary, inlight of the mourning that has befallen America, but a quick glance at LGF will show you Johnson has continued to attack dKos, even at a time when there is far more important things to be thinking about. So to all of you who find this distasteful i apologize.

At such a time there has been of course much speculation as to the motive of the killer. More speculation has been sparked today after the revelation that the killer signed his suicide note "Ismail Ax". You can imagine the conclusions the LGF'rs have drawn.

I would not be doing this at this particular time if it hadnt become evident that charles johnson will not cease his attacks on dKos, another of which is currently on his front page. If chucklenutz johnson is willing to continue defaming dkos even at a time like this, i will now expose the way LGF has reacted to the shooting at VT.

see the disgusting things said after the jump