Tag Archive for 'hypocrisy'


24
Dec
2010

US – The Land of Hypocrites

Published in Rant. Closed Tags: , , , .
original article

While condeming other countries for inhumane treatment of detainees the US Government is at the same time using the same inhumane treatment on its own detainees in a deliberate effort to break them.

I’m referring to the treatment of Bradley Manning, the person alleged to have leaked secret information to Wikileaks. He’s been held in solitary confinment for seven months now. He’s been denied pillows and blankets for no apparent reason. He’s not allowed to sleep when he wants to, and his one hour per day “exercise” time has strict limitations, for example he’s not allowed to run for some reason. There is no good reason for any of it. He’s not on suicide watch, although I guess if this keeps on going for much longer, he soon will be. It seems as if his treatment is entirely punitive. He’s been punished for something he’s not even been convicted yet. Not only that, but even if he was convicted his treatment would still not be appropriate.

There are significant second order consequences to treating people like this, as outlined in the article, but what’s most interesting is how the general opinion has changed in recent years to accept treatment of this kind, becase “those rotten terrorist belong in jail”. As described by Glenn Greenwald:

I think the worse part, is that very few people care what kind of conditions the incarcerated endure. We have essentially accepted prison-rape. The New Yorker piece asks is solitary confinement torture? I’d ask, even if it is torture, whether we even care?

It’s the perfect example of do as we say, not as we do. On the other hand the US is always preeching to other non-democratic nations how important human rights are and you savages are doing it wrong, and then on our own backyard we’re doing the EXACT same thing. Other countries are catching on to the deceit. So much for the “moral superiority”. It even looks like human rights organizations are investigating US for violations of human rights due to this.

And before some Internet tough guy starts accusing me of defending Bradley Manning’s actions…I’m doing no such thing. If he actually did what he’s alleged to have done, he’s guilty and deserves appropriate punishment for his crimes. Torture is not an appropriate punishment, especially since he hasn’t actually been convicted of anything yet.

-TPP


31
Aug
2008

In Soviet Minneapolis, a thought crime lands you in jail

Published in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

Reports are pouring in from the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention that protesters are being rounded up by local law enforcement raids prior to the convention. “Anarchists” are raided, handcuffed, jailed and then released without any charges being filed. If there are charges filed, they are for things like fire code violations. That, of course, is an age old Soviet tactic for shutting up dissent.

The targets of the arrests are calling the raids as blatant attempts to intimidate and stop them from protesting during the convention. This sort of crap belongs in Soviet Russia and has no place whatsoever in the US.

It’s interesting that this is exactly the same sort of stuff that landed the NYPD and New York City in hot water during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. A Supreme Court Judge fined New York City $1,000 per detainee back then. I guess the police in Minneapolis thinks they can get away with it this time.

It is also very interesting that stuff like this doesn’t seem to happen during the Democratic National Conventions. What is it about the Republicans that cause everyone involved ignore things like The Constitution? Oh, wait…never mind.

-TPP

  1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30arrests.html
  2. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/30/police_raids/index.html
  3. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/31/raids/index.html
  4. http://www.startribune.com/local/27703754.html

10
Mar
2008

Eliot Spitzer – you slutty slut

Published in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , .
original article

I posted an article on this blog some time ago titled “Eliot Spitzer – you ignorant slut“. I didn’t know at the time how right I would be. Maybe I’m clairvoyant or something.

I’m bit of a video game enthusiast. I’ve been one for almost 30 years now and I don’t have any intentions on giving it up any time soon. I get a bit pissed off when ignorant sluts, like Eliot Spitzer, go and talk about my favorite hobby as if people who do that sort of thing are some sort of deviants and violent psychopaths, or just steps away of becoming such. I get even more pissed off when said ignorant sluts are doing so in such a hypocritical manner it’s obvious to anyone who knows anything about what’s being said.

With that, let’s examine some choice quotes from our fine Governor Eliot Spitzer when he was giving speeches about the “dangers” of video games, shall we?

I find it unacceptable that every day, children are buying “Grand Theft Auto,” which rewards a player for stealing cars and assaulting people. In that game, children can even simulate having sex with a prostitute…

That one is from an April 20th 2007 speech titled “Our Children’s Agenda“. Yes, there’s nothing quite like simulating having sex with a prostitute. Except maybe actually having sex with a prostitute, which in New York State is a felony. The Governor scores!

From the same speech:

Our Safe Games Act will create a mechanism to ensure that stores cannot sell video games that contain excessive sex and violence to children. In addition, we are directing our agencies to undertake public outreach efforts to teach parents and children about the harmful effects of these games.

Yes, there’s nothing like teaching our children harmful things through video games. Except maybe teaching them harmful things by example. Do as I say, not as I do, Governor?

“The Entertainment Software Rating Board does have a rating system that warns consumers of content unsuitable for children, but it’s often ignored,” claimed Spitzer. “Laws protecting underage kids from harmful products are nothing new – laws preventing kids from buying cigarettes serve as just one example. But currently, nothing under New York State law prohibits a fourteen-year old from walking into a video store and buying a game labeled “Adult Only”…

That one is from his introduction of the Safe Games Act, a piece of legislation designed to keep disgusting sexual and violent video games out of the hands of underage children. Yes, there are no laws preventing underage children from buying “adults only” video games (just like there are no laws to prevent underage children from seeing “adults only” movies, btw). But there are laws preventing horny married men from buying sex across state lines. A former Attorney General of New York State and current #1 Man of the State should be expected to know that, I think. Maybe he just forgot. I know blood flow in the brain is sometimes obstructed when the blood is more needed down you-know-where. It can sometimes affect memory functions, I believe.

Let’s see if the fine Governor still has the (blue) balls to pursue his anti-video game legislation, which not only is almost surely to be unconstitutional but now also quite hilarious.

Schauenfreude. Gotta love it!

-TPP


03
Jul
2007

Apparently playing a District Attorney doesn’t make one respect the rule of law

Published in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President’s decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life.

Those are the words of Fred Thompson, a would-be presidential candidate for the Republican Party, and an actor who plays a New York City District Attorney in TV series Law and Order. Apparently his role as the guardian of the rule of law in the TV series doesn’t extend to his real life.

There are plenty of “good Americans” sentenced to prison terms each and every day in this country. Most of them don’t have personal friends in the White House, so they actually end up serving their sentences.

-TPP


27
Feb
2007

Ban the Bible

Published in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , .
original article

Before you flip completely out, I’m not really calling for a ban on the bible. However, if the people advocating for violent video game bans would follow their argument logically, they should. They won’t, of course, because they’re all hypocrites.

Utah’s Brigham Young University recently conducted a study on 490 students about the psychological affects of reading violent passages in the bible. The study found a correlation between exposure to scriptural violence that is condoned by God and increased aggression.

What makes this study interesting to me is the similarity of it to studies on video game violence and how they affect children. The same correlation has been found on quite a few studies on video game violence. The affects of violence on people are exactly the same between reading violent scriptures in the bible and playing violent video games.

What’s different between the studies on video game violence and violence in the bible is that nobody will ask the politicians to ban the bible from underage kids based on this new study. All kinds of Christian moralists and family values advocates have, however, been advocating for various levels of video game bans for years based on similar studies on video game violence.

This study is the perfect way to show the stupidity and downright dishonesty of the video game violence “debate” in this and other countries. One wonders how the Christian moralists and other blowhards will react to this study and the inevitable comparison between it and the studies on video game violence.

-TPP


07
Jan
2007

Disney supports torturing blacks and mass murdering Muslims

Published in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .
original article

An ABC affiliate radio station KSFO in San Francisco Bay area has been a home of some pretty despicable right wing lunacy for quite some time.

A blogger called Spocko called them out on it by contacting the radio station’s advertisers with examples of the station’s radio jockeys’ hate speech in the form of audio clips pulled off the air. VISA pulled their advertisement based on Spocko’s letter to them.

That’s when the fun started. ABC/Disney corporate lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to Spocko asking him to stop using their copyrighted material or face criminal charges. Apparently the ABC/Disney lawyers have failed to read the Fair Use portions of the copyright law.

What Spocko was doing is basically exactly the same as what The Daily Show does on a daily basis. The difference is, of course, that The Daily Show is backed by a powerful media company (CBS/Viacom), and Spocko is not.

Spocko had to cave in, because he doesn’t have the resources to fight a multi-billion corporation. He shut down his blog, and is now spreading the word on ABC/Disney’s abuse of the legal system on the blogosphere.

It’s pretty interesting that ABC/Disney is ok with the hate speech of its affiliates, but the moment that hate speech translates to losing ad revenue, they start shooting down the messengers. Let’s all go hug Mickey Mouse, yay!

Read the blog post about the issue at Daily Kos and spread the word.

Here’re some examples of KSFO hate speech.

-TPP


27
Dec
2006

Oh, the irony

Published in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , .
original article

A company that has built part of the fence between Mexico and USA has been found knowingly employing illegal immigrants.

-TPP


15
Sep
2006

Charge Nancy Grace with murder

Published in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , .
original article

Melinda Duckett, a mother of a missing two-year-old, was interviewed by Nancy Grace, one of the attack hounds pretending to be TV journalists. Within 24 hours of the interview Melinda Duckett committed suicide. In the interview Ms. Grace came inches short of actually accusing her of killing her baby. In her usual style Ms. Grace was presuming her interviewee was guilty, just because Ms. Grace thought she was.

Melinda Duckett might’ve very well killed her baby, who knows. However, when an interviewer knows her interviewee has a history of suicide attempts and is already distressed, would it be wise to push as hard as Ms. Grace did?

It probably wouldn’t, but then Ms. Grace never has cared for anything other than her ratings, so it doesn’t really come as a great surprise to me she would recklessly endanger the life of Melinda Duckett.

I suppose she thinks she did a great service to the mankind for what she did. I’m sure she also thinks the guilty deserve anything they got coming to them. Too bad Melinda Duckett wasn’t found guilty by anyone else than Ms. Grace at this point.

Take Nancy Grace off the air, and arrest her for murdering Melinda Duckett.

Update: Melinda Duckett’s family is sueing CNN and Nancy Grace

-TPP


10
Oct
2005

The hypocrisy of anti-video gaming laws

Published in Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .
original article

Arnold Schwarznegger signed a law banning selling violent video games to minors or face a $1,000 fine.

Funny how this man, who made his millions from extremely violent movies affording him his successful bid for Governor of California, is now the champion of anti-media-violence.

The Wired article sums up the hypocrisy pretty well with their last sentence: “Consider that your final irony: Politicians work hard to ban virtual torture — while working just as hard to allow it in real life.”

-TPP – Save the Children!


09
Aug
2005

Privacy is in the eyes of the beholder

Published in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , .
original article

There’s been some interesting debate recently on whether or not police can search your garbage without a search warrant. Apparently the police, district attorneys and judges think they can. They seem to believe since that stuff is put there to be discarded and people know it’s going to be handled by sanitation workers and even sorted for recycling there is no expectation of privacy, so it’s ok for the police to search it without a search warrant. And they routinely do.

Journalists of the Willamette Week newspaper in Portland, OR decided they’d exercise their rights to search this public depository of personal information by going dumpster diving in the Police Chief’s, the Mayor’s and the District Attorney’s garbage cans.

They then went to said persons asking whether it was ok to search garbage. All of them said yes…until the reporters told them they had gone through their own garbage. How the tables suddenly turned.

The Police Chief was so upset he cut the reporters off midsentence and stopped the interview. The Mayor summoned the reporters to her office and nearly arrested them on the spot. The District Attorney, however, was playing the “hahhah, it’s funny” game and apparently wasn’t upset at all.

-TPP