I've been doing some weblog surfing recently and have come across an interesting phenomenon: the pity seeking formula employed by the conservative webloggers. If some of their content wasn't so disturbing, it would be funny.
What contributes to the irony of the whole situation is the obvious slickness of their sites. For a bunch of set upon defenders of a besieged moral position, they sure seem to have huge amounts of resources available to them (no prefab templates like the one I use).
Their blogs are all of the highest quality. Graphic intense, full of bells and whistles, multi linked, and highly scripted. Judging by the number of feeds monitored and the amount of information posted, these sites are the work of more then just one individual posting his or her ruminations. They have to be full time endeavours run by a group or group of people. Concerned individual titles aside, there is no way that one person could have the resources and the energy to expend to create and maintain these sites.
I'm assuming that libel and slander laws are somehow not an issue for these people. If anyone spread lies about me like the ones I’ve seen on these sites, I’d be suing in a minute. Accusations of wife abuse laid at the feet of Michael Schiavo (leave it alone folks, the woman's dead and you lost that battle) and calling Hillary Clinton a lesbian are just a sample of the trash they spew. It amazes me that conservatives could ever accuse people on the left of whining when I read the stuff that they are passing off as information.
What I truly find amazing is that they're passing themselves off as victims of a vast and nefarious plot perpetrated against them by the media. Oh poor them, the horrible left wing press is out to get them. Good lord, don't they ever get tired of singing that false note? They don't even do it that well anymore. It almost make you miss the ranting of Spiro T. Agnew: "Nattering Nabobs of Negativity." Nobody can even come close to that for absolute nonsense, but at least it was funny and showed a flair for language.
The massively funny thing is the fact that the majority of the mainstream press is owned by the very people who support them. Did you know that most of the media outlets in the United States are owned by three corporations? Yep, three.
Here's an example of the mean spirited press that's out to get the good old defenders of the crown, I mean state. During the Gulf War one of these media moguls set up a series of pro war demonstrations, broadcast the marches from start to finish, and then reported them as proof of the wide ranging support for government policy. Yep, it sure is horrible to have the press against you.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
Wow, sure would be nice if you gave even ONE example or link so we could see these sites for ourselves.
Dave
2 - gonzo marx
here i must agree with Mr Nalle
gypsyman, lay out some fo these links, so the rest of us can see what you mean
3-5 of them should be more than enough to prove your points
thanks in advance...
Excelsior!
3 - Nancy
Please, yes. I need a good laugh. I'm always suspicious anyway of anyone or anything that wraps itself in the flag, no matter who or what they are, bearing in mind the great dictum, 'the first refuge of scoundrels is patriotism'. Perhaps that should be amended to, 'the first refuges of scoundrels are patriotism, religion, and victimization'?
4 - gypsyman
done,
There are now 5 links for your perusal. enjoy
gypsyman
5 - Dave Nalle
>>For Freedom We Stand<<
Interestingly, despite the religious elements, this site reads like it came right out of moveon.org. It's all anti Chinese paranoia and fearmongering.
>>Sailor In The Dessert<<
I don't see much of a plea for 'pity' on this one. It's heavy duty militaristic drum-banging for the most part. BTW, he's in the DESERT (you know, hot and sandy) not the DESSERT (cold and sticky).
>>Fundamentally Right
Stop The ACLU<<
Ok, bitching about the ACLU is not a pity-plea. There's plenty about the ACLU not to like, as well as some good that they've done. Seems only fair that some people spend their time bashing on them.
>>The Wide Awakens<<
No idea how you misspelled this one, but it doesn't work.
>>I think these should work.<<
Well, 3 out of 5. If the Dems could do that well in an election they'd have less to whine about.
BTW, these sites are NOT run by "millionaire, and billionaire fascists who exploit thousands of people on a daily basis". They're run by typical middle-class conservatives who may be misguided in some areas, but have the best interests of the country at heart, at least as they see it. Except maybe the Stop the ACLU site which appears to be a coalition of hard right wackos, but certainly not whiners.
dave
6 - Jay
LOL! Millionare? Hardly. My site is ran by more than just me, but none of us have very much money to put behind it. Wish we did. We do have a store, but business is slow. Whako??? I can deal with that description, I've been called worse.
7 - Juan Schoch
The pity re: Terri Schiavo is that there are a lot of idiots parroting Michael Schiavo's lies and spinning against Jeb on the lines that he tried to help Terri. Practically non-existent were the people attacking Jeb because he failed to save a very human life that was being threatened by not just Michael Schiavo but by a whole corrupt "legal" network in which he had connections. Re: Jeb, it was all show and Jeb was part of the reason why she was murdered because of covering for other corrupt officials and his close associations with those who had an interest in making sure she died. Wake up! If you were on the side of Michael Schiavo you were for murder of a prevented-from-getting-better disabled human life. You were for cold-blooded murder. Do some research.
http://tekgnosis.typepad.com/tekgnosis/2005/06/terri_schiavo_c.html
Post the following to as many blogs asking them to feature it as a regular post.. Also when contacting Jeb, or other officials via fax, snail mail or e-mail include this. Please spread this as far and wide as possible and ask others to do the same. Be creative,.:
Michael Schiavo's 30-70 Minute Gap Exploded Away Regarding 911 Call Seeking Assistance for Terri Schiavo charts prove a much larger gap in which Michael Schiavo did not seek help and also prove his various testimonies are merely concocted stories made up while under oath,.
Michael Schiavo asserts on Terri Schiavo's tombstone that she departed this earth on February 25, 1990 but failed to tell that to the medical malpractice jury when seeking and winning millions of dollars for her care. Charts explode away 30-70 minute gap mentioned by authorities regarding Terri's "collapse" and time Michael Schiavo waited in seeking help and add an additional 2 hour gap. In fact Michael's
accounts proven to be no more than stories hiding his complicity in her collapse. See the charts!
8 - Dave Nalle
Juan, that's not research, that's your blog. And having read it I have to say it's remarkably unconvincing. Don't you have anything better to do with your time?
Dave
9 - gonzo marx
Juan sez...
*you were for murder of a prevented-from-getting-better disabled human life.*
argh...why don't you "do some research" on this before you go any further with your blind drivel spouting...
read the autopsy report...look up the big words you can't seem to comprehend
there was NO way this woman could "get better", her brain was half the weight of normal, the areas that controlled, sight, thought, speech, voluntary muscle action and more...all gone, not hurt, but atrophied and destroyed...NOTHING could be done to help her because she was not there, just a body that could not even swallow anymore
as for the legal Issue...again, do some research...the main Judge involved went far above and beyond what was required by Florida Law in this matter, many years, many experts and various other Judges, all went over the case.
in the end, this Conservative Judge did exactly what he was supposed to do, he followed the Law. he did so in such a manner that all appeals Courts upheld his decision and the Supreme Court would not even hear the case, not once, but on multiple occasions.
from the record, it appears that it was proven this was no "activist" Judge, but rather a very strict "constructionist" who adhered to the letter and spirit of Florida Law
nuff said
Excelsior!
10 - Margaret Romao Toigo
"I mean how else did George Bush get elected if people don't actually believe that shit."
Only about 4 million or so people actually believe "that shit," but the other 50 million people who voted to re-elect President Bush did so mainly because they believed that Mr. Bush would be stronger in matters of national security than Mr. Kerry (some might also refer to this belief as "that shit," too).
A small but vocal minority can make itself seem large and representative of the majority with the duplication of its efforts and the manipulation of statistics.
Peruse some of these "pity" sites and take note of how the same names appear on the web sites of multiple organizations and how they all have pretty much the same references to polls and statistics as if they are all sharing the same database. And take note of how many of these sites seem to be running the same software and have similar interface designs.
11 - Bill
It's important to point out that Juan, aka "pc93", has had the complete lack of evidence for his conspiracy theories pointed out to him time and again, but it doesn't stop him from posting.
IIRC, Juan unconditionally believed Hammesfahr, who said he could literally have Schiavo walking again.
It was pointed out to Juan that Hammesfahr willfully falsifies his medical credentials (not a Nobel prize nominee) and lacks any support for his clinical claims (never been published in a recognized medical journal)
Juan can't back up anything he posts.
For example, he omits in his latest conspiracy theory that she was in ventricular fibrillation when the paramedics arrived.
V-fib means NO effective blood flow to the brain.
You can't get a field resuscitation with a 2-hour gap where she would have been in v-fib, as Juan asserts.
12 - Dave Nalle
>>Peruse some of these "pity" sites and take note of how the same names appear on the web sites of multiple organizations and how they all have pretty much the same references to polls and statistics as if they are all sharing the same database. And take note of how many of these sites seem to be running the same software and have similar interface designs.<<
I know what you're talking about Margaret, but I'm not sure it's a conspiracy. People see sites they like, download or purchase the same software, and it comes with some templates and they pick one that looks pleasant and familiar. It may not be a conspiracy, but a likeness of mind and similarity of interest.
Dave
13 - gypsyman
Dave I checked back on those links and to be honest I can't figure out why they don't work. It may be that I screwed up when I wrote down the addresses, I sometimes invert letters and such cause of a minor dyslexia, but I checked my list again against addresses and they seemed alright. Sorry about that.
An aside. Does anyone know why sometimes a person's whole comment makes into my Yahoo inbox while other times I only get an excerpt. I only found this out when I went to reply to somebody and discovered I had missed half of their comment.
gypsyman
14 - gypsyman
A prime example of my ability to make errors in recording is my previous comment where I couldn't even enter my own blog address correctly.
I'm trying to think up a cute excuse, but screw it, I just get careless sometimes.
gypsyman
15 - Nancy
What does the title subject have to do with the above anti-Schiavo rant? This person either a) can't speak English, b) is on drugs, or c) should be on drugs, but isn't.
16 - Margaret Romao Toigo
Dave Nalle wrote: "I know what you're talking about Margaret, but I'm not sure it's a conspiracy."
You've seen the similarities, too, huh?
I did not mean to suggest that there is some sort of conspiracy at work here, but rather that these groups that appear on the surface to be operating independently of one another are actually interconnected and share resources, such as IT professionals who choose, set up and maintain software.
The sharing of resources is not so much indicative of something sinister as it is a duplication of efforts for the purpose of making their movement appear larger than it really is.
The point here is not to make accusations of malfeasance, but to expose the smallness of a movement that claims to be quite large and representative of the majority.
And, yes, everyone, I know that every other special interest group does the exact same thing.
17 - Dave Nalle
But Margaret, most new blogspot users share IT resources and templates and often use other blogspot sites as starting points for content and certainly look very much alike. That doesn't mean they're necessarily connected in any other way.
Dave
18 - Nancy
Or it could mean they're one group intent on looking like several and that they are very much interconnected. This is one of the oldest web-tricks there is. Why would it be more likely to NOT be so, in your opinion?
19 - Margaret Romao Toigo
And neither are the numerous WordPress users who keep the default theme, save for perhaps replacing the header graphic. But this is custom software running on these sites, its not Blogspot or WordPress or even Movable Type.
And there is more to it than just software. The language (writing and speaking, not software) they use is the same, many of the names -- such as Tony Perkins, Tim and Beverly LaHaye and James Dobson -- appear in more than one place and most importantly, there are no conflicts, if there are ever any disagreements -- even minor ones -- between these different organizations, they are are never discussed in the open.
It is as if they are all one group with one mind, which is highly unusual for any political movement whose numbers are so supposedly large and whose goals are so numerous and broad.
All of it -- not just any one aspect -- leads me to believe that this so-called "movement" is not really a movement at all, but rather a small focus group that is doing a pretty bang-up job of making itself appear to be a movement.
20 - Dave Nalle
I wonder what software package or custom scripts they're using and where they came from. It's possible that someone is marketing a package to conservative bloggers specifically, sort of pre-packaged blogs with some pre-packaged content as well.
Of course, moveon.org is doing exactly the same thing, so we know it can be done. There's just as much uniformity of opinion and talking points style multiple posting going on from their various spin-offs and toadies, and while some of that is clearly constructed a lot of it is just true believers picking up on ideas they agree with and repeating what they hear in their own words.
Dave
21 - Margaret Romao Toigo
Indeed, there could be an outfit that provides custom CMSes to religious conservatives. Or maybe the software, scripts and interfaces were voluntarily written and designed by members of the group who have the necessary skills.
It's just a feeling I get when I am in a masochistic mood and go perusing the portals and blogs of religious conservatives to study the logical flaws in the various talking points and the twisted out-of-context interpretations and contrivances of the Bible and the Constitution, not any sort of conspiracy (when I want to study conspiracies, I usually surf web sites dedicated to the mysteries surrounding the JFK assassination and 9/11).
And just to be fair and non-partisan because I hate partisanship with every fiber of my being, I have noted the same dynamic among some of the more radical liberal groups, the similar software, the same names coming up over and over and even the lack of conflict.
Certainly some of it -- be it the radical leftists or the religious conservatives or whoever else is out there promoting niche market causes -- is the "true believers picking up on ideas they agree with and repeating what they hear in their own words," and that is often readily apparent on some of the smaller blogs, but there seems to be a "hive mind" at work among the larger, more professional-looking incarnations.
22 - Nancy
I've seen it from more than political orgs, Dave & MRT: a lot of lobbies are spouting this crap, under guise of being 'grassroots' organizations, but actually sponsored/paid/owned by this or that business group or lobby - usually calling themselves 'Americans for this or that-' or such other crap. Isn't this supposed to be illegal?
23 - Dave Nalle
Nancy, it may be supposed to be illegal, but it really shouldn't be illegal. They ought to be able to use any semi-duped and simple minded shills they want to spread their message.
Dave