No, not me. I'm not down with the flu.
But I'm thinking the usual-suspect American whackos are.
The anti-American haters on the far right side of the national dial are down with swine flu. They are down with the flu, in the street-language way, because the swine flu issue gives them another opportunity to get their hate freak stoked.
At first glance, I thought it was all a brilliant counterinsurgency plan developed by Hip-Hopper, aka You B Da Man, Republican party leader, Michael Steele. Steele likes to, you know, get down. But on further examination, though Steele is, like, goofy…..even he isn't this hateful….
"Illegal aliens are bringing in a deadly new flu strain. Make no mistake about it," blares Michael Savage.
"I've blogged for years about the spread of contagious diseases from around the world into the US as a result of uncontrolled immigration," writes Michelle Malkin.
"What happens if there's a rash of deaths in Mexico… and if you're a family in Mexico and people are dying and Americans are not, why wouldn't you flood this border?" announces Glenn Beck. Link
According to those three Tea Party Patriots…..swine flu and undocumented immigrants are one and the same issue.
Same with these three….
Sean Hannity…12 seconds
Michael Savage…60 seconds
Neal Boortz….2:20
Yesterday I blogged about the GOP now being a full fledged cult, completely detached from reality, spouting the craziest stuff imaginable, disfellowshipping anyone tainted with the 'moderate', and organizing their group worship around goofy chants, faux-narrative hero worship, and a set of discredited and outdated superstitious beliefs.
How the cult leaders have handled the swine flu topic, in their insane hatred-of-the-darker-skinned way, is simply more proof that my evaluation of the Party of the Endangered Species, is accurate.
Here's a bit of non-cultic, non-hate freak, reality-based information on swine flu…..
1:35
Many conservatives have told me that the GOP's touchy obsessiveness with undocumented immigration is all about law and order and NOT about, you know, racist fears or hate of the alternative-skin color of the 'Other'. When it comes to the swine flu inspired, media hate-a-thon, in progress 24/7 on the cult-right…..it kind of looks like, you know, it's all about the hate.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Rev, if Bush were in office, the media would be the exact opposite. Just like the way they covered Hurricane Katrina. They won't let sh*t alone. They want to develope everything into a conspiracy and get the people in a turmoil. The media spinmasters have developed a trust among the people by telling the truth about 90% of the time and then spinning crazy talk 10% of the time. It has to stop. While they have their rights to free speech and interpretation we need to publically discredit these people. But how do we do it? You know that headlines and a touch of conspiracy sells news, you are a pro. When Rachel Madcow, the biggest conspiracy theorist of all is having a credible conversation about anything, our national security is in trouble.
The corporate media won't change. I'm convinced of that.
What will happen, however, is that the internet will fuse with the teevee in such a way, over time, rendering the corporate whores in main media, irrelevent.
I regard Maddow, oftentimes, as silly and condescending….but not a conspiracy theorist.
I'm not sure that main media tells the truth 90% of the time, either.
Is the Rev saying the swine flu DIDN'T come from Mexico ? That's news to me.
Where you're being dishonest (one of your defining traits) is where you pretend only the rightwingers in media hyped the swine flu. ALL of the media did it. All those reporters talking about closing the border weren't rightwingers, yet you single out the right for your hate rant, proving once again that the real hater is the guy you look at in the mirror every day. It's that lack of self-awareness thing again.
Today I heard a commentator on Fox News (I think it was Brett Baier) wondering aloud where all the hyperbole over the swine flu came from ? Hello, Brett, it came from YOU, the media.
My post was not about swine flu media hype.
It was about hatemongers in the media using the flu as an excuse to bash an old "hate" standby….Latino immigrants.
There is a distinction.
Yes, the media, ever the "shark attack" story lovers….went all in hyping what looks now like a minor outbreak…..but the Fox and Rush-types, as my post material clearly demonstrates, were all about connecting their hatred for dark-skinned undocumenteds with the flu outbreak.
As you probably already know, the flu was brought to the U.S by a class of school kids from New York.
I doubt any of those broadcasters said anything about 'dark-skinned undocumenteds,' Reverend. That was you.
You have some Mexicans living next door or something?
Hannity said, "Swine flu spreads from Mexico to the United States. Is this the latest border crisis ?"
Savage echos that sentiment, but then goes off on a conspiratorial rant about Islamists bringing the swine flu in. Savage does get pretty nutty sometimes, as I said before, just like the Reverend does. Savage is the about the closest thing I can think of to a rightwing version of the Reverend.
Boortz said he wasn't concerned much with the swine flu, but then also talks about bioterrorism, and the possibility that it could be introduced here via Mexico. Boortz admits he is only engaging in speculation, not stating anything as fact.
Nary a word about about hating Latinos in there, Rev. You suffer from Liberal Dissociative Disorder. You don't hear what people say, you hear something else. When you hear 'we need to control the flow of illegals from Mexico,' you hear 'racism.' That is YOUR problem.
Comparing Michael Savage to The Reverend! I'm crushed.
Pretzel logic ain't gonna' cut it.
Those haters mentioned in my post were the same guys getting their hate on over comprehensive immigration reform.
Like I said, you can argue that it's about law and order….it's not, because elsewhere these same nuts advocate for lawlessness….torture, wiretapping, etc.
This flu thing is simply another "opportunity" to bash latino immigrants.
Listen, don't blame me, or compare me with Savage. The GOP is the party of white Christians only. That's why white Christians are about the only group still voting GOP.
I don't think I've heard anyone really claim immigration reform is "about" law and order either, Reverend. The assumption would be that Mexicans are all criminals.
Maybe you should try and catch up on some facts because you sound like a racist.
Well, what is it then? What's the argument about?
Too many undocumenteds inside the U.S. Isn't that the problem? Aren't they here illegally? Wouldn't that make it a law and order issue?
And isn't the far right's problem with "comprehensive immigration reform", McCain style, amnesty? Wasn't that what talk radio was so upset about?
Doesn't amnesty pertain to, like, law and order?
Wasn't a "path to citizenship", including fines, without forced expulsion, rejected out of hand by the far right?
I mean, you tell me,……what is it that the far right wants on immigration?
Cause it sure looks like fear or hatred of latinos to me.
the virus, which has killed an estimated 150 people in Mexico, is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human. very worrying
There are myriad reasons to develop a sensible immigration policy, including public health concerns, Reverend.
I don't know what these new Mexican neighbors of yours have done to warrant the bigotry, but I'd suggest you just call the proper county or city authorities if needed then try to live and let live.
Did you know that in Europe in 1918 their was a strain of flu that came through rather weakly like this and then strengthened and came back through and killed 10's of millions.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/
It must be contained now. China has the best idea, however you probably think that what they are doing is torture huh Rev. Or at least crimes against civil freedom.
I expect public health officials to do their jobs….as it appears they are.
What I won't accept is the words of Villagers, hatemongers and political cretins exploiting a flu scare to amplify their immigrant bashing.
To deny that that exploitation is happening is simply willful blindness.