Thoughts in a Haystack

It's funny, but in America it is always the "right" that is accused of censorship. Whenever implications of burning books or attempts at squelching free speech are made, it is always the "conservatives" that get the blame. ...

The left are the most intolerant, mean-spirited, unfair vermin that one could ever associate with. Their whole philosophy is based on lies, and the perpetuation of those lies, no matter what the evidence shows.

Viewpoint discrimination is the club that the intolerant-ones wield. If they don't agree with your position they simply prevent it from being presented. The idea of "informed debate" is something that is anathema to them. Not only won't they allow "the other side" to be presented, they deny there is another side. Their ideas win the day because they only allow their ideas on the field.

In the land of the delusional, the irate man is king.

And no one is more irate than Dave Daubenmire. What triggered his high dudgeon? Why, the attempt to "censor" Tim Tebow's mom. So what government agency has stepped in to shut up the mother of an athlete? Why, none, of course. It seems that Focus on the Family is going to air an antiabortion ad during the Super Bowl and Women's Media Center, the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and other groups are protesting and asking CBS not to air the ad.

Amusingly, there is another tizzy over Super Bowl advertising going on:

After days of deliberations on whether to run a controversial Super Bowl ad from gay dating site ManCrunch.com, CBS has not yet reached a decision.

The 30-second spot shows two men excitedly watching the game, before their hands brush as they both reach into a bowl of chips. Suddenly, the two begin making out, much to the shock of a guy sitting close by.

According to a rep for the dating site, which operates under the slogan "Where Many Many Many Men Come Out to Play," the ad was submitted on Monday, January 18th. When the site followed up on the status of the ad on Friday, January 22nd, they were told by CBS that "the spot hadn't been officially approved yet" by network standards, and that "all the Super Bowl spots were sold out."

So what does the religious right (specifically, Donald Wildmon's American Family Association) do? Why, just what those liberal vermin do:

A gay dating website is trying to get an ad run during the Superbowl that promotes a day dating website. The ad features two men making out. I can't imagine CBS would be dumb enough to actually approve this ad, but if they do, the backlash will be huge. ...

The ad most likely won't air, even if approved, but there is a chance that it will be approved and will be shown during the Superbowl.

If you want to contact CBS to complain about this ad send an email to [CBS Audience Services].

Pot. Kettle. Black.

There is, or course, much other lunacy in Daubenmire's screed, not least his take on ID, which was what attracted my attention in the first place:

Look at education. The left, which has a death grip on education policy, has elevated “viewpoint discrimination” to a new level. Ponder these examples and ask yourself why we allow this bilge to go unchallenged.

The idea that a Creator is responsible for our existence on this planet is not even permitted to be discussed in the classroom. Hiding behind the “religion is not science” argument the Darwin-worshippers will not even permit the mention of Intelligent Design to be uttered in our “public schools.” Although recent studies show that over 75% of the public believe that they were “created”, the left will still not even allow the theory to be discussed along side their own “closely held religious beliefs.”

Of course the idea that God is responsible for the creation of the world can be discussed in public schools ... public schools just can't give preference to any one religious belief over another or over non-belief. There are these things called "comparative religion classes" that Daubenmire seems ignorant of (along with more than his fair share of other things).

And ID can be discussed in those sorts of classes or in social studies classes or even in classes on the history or philosophy of science. Just not in science classes for the obvious reason that ID ain't science.

But, then again, Daubenmire apparently thinks there is no such thing as science ... there's only “closely held religious beliefs,” into which he lumps the science of evolution.

Daubenmire is so obsessed with religion that everything begins to looks like it to him.
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