One of the most popular features of the First Draft blog is Holden's Obsession with the Gaggle, in which Holden excerpts his favorite questions and responses of the day. Usually, it is a case study in how the press is handled and how they don't do their jobs, but sometimes, cranky old Helen Thomas or maybe one or two other old-guard reporters gets to stand up and ask a nasty. Like this:
Scott, last night, in an amicus brief filed before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Justice Department came down in favor of displaying the Ten Commandments in courthouses and statehouses around the country. The question is, does the President believe in commandment number six, "Thou shalt not kill," as it applies to the U.S. invasion in Iraq?
Indeed. You know, I'm pretty sick of hearing from fundies about the infallibility of the Bible, about how we're a "Christian" nation, about how we should have the Ten Commandments and prayer shoved down everyone's throats. And it's not because that's an inherently invalid opinion. Sure, that's fine if you feel that way. I happen to disagree, and I have the writings of the founding fathers in my corner, and that's the beauty of this Democracy.
No, what pisses me off is that these same people turn around and "nuke the ragheads". Or they fuck with poor people. Or they cheer at an execution. Or support torture. Atrios has a good comment about torture, politics and Mr. pro-torture-memo Alberto Gonzales, who is set to be our next Attorney General:
It is not partisan for anti-torture Democrats to oppose Gonzales. It is partisan for anti-torture Republicans to support him.
Pro-torture Republicans, of course, love the guy.
They treat religion like it is some kind of carte blanche to believe whatever the hell you want, no matter how mean or hypocritical, because as long as you mouth the words "Jesus Christ is Lord" or something like that, you are automatically in that I'm-better-than-all-of-you club. It's the same kind of combination of holier-than-thou condescension and annoying gloating that gets 10-year-olds a time out in this house. But for conservatives, it guarantees a seat at the pundit table or, with the right amount of cash and a cooperative media, an elected office or at the very least a policy-making position with no accountability.
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