tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post746591510981872729..comments2024-03-28T04:12:17.506-04:00Comments on the daily howler: What could be wrong with teaching Huck Finn?<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-35872906343502410582022-02-11T09:39:57.599-05:002022-02-11T09:39:57.599-05:00'massive smear campaigns by the establishment ...'massive smear campaigns by the establishment media"<br /><br />What'd they do, pretend to care that Republicans were pretending to care about Trump's email protocols?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-17841998835715706792022-02-10T11:57:03.631-05:002022-02-10T11:57:03.631-05:00Yeah, right, because ballot-box stuffing and ballo...Yeah, right, because ballot-box stuffing and ballot harvesting are unheard of. ...not to mention massive smear campaigns by the establishment media in coordination with 17 intelligence agencies. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-29890093975741079592022-02-10T11:43:46.738-05:002022-02-10T11:43:46.738-05:00Garden of "Evil"? intentional descriptio...Garden of "Evil"? intentional description on your part?AC/MAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15472077052251486957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-52803873661634183332022-02-10T11:42:43.071-05:002022-02-10T11:42:43.071-05:00Mao, you are stereotyping. The whole Russian thing...Mao, you are stereotyping. The whole Russian thing was ridiculous. Yet so is the claim that the incumbent POTUS was cheated in the last election.AC/MAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15472077052251486957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-69684407865144075972022-02-10T10:16:24.466-05:002022-02-10T10:16:24.466-05:00Millions of brain-dead liberals (roughly: all of t...Millions of brain-dead liberals (roughly: all of them) are under the impression that Donald J Trump is a "Russian asset". <br /><br />Is that less laughable than the allegation that liberal cult is using fake construction workers to spy on infidels? <br /><br />Tsk. Nah, we don't think so. Not even close.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-65283458851366602522022-02-10T09:51:06.123-05:002022-02-10T09:51:06.123-05:00There is screaming during childbirth in the Bible....There is screaming during childbirth in the Bible. It was part of God's curse that women should give birth in pain, after Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Evil.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-57795558306826318532022-02-10T07:17:56.690-05:002022-02-10T07:17:56.690-05:00"Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) says Nancy Pelosi is ..."Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) says Nancy Pelosi is using Capitol Police officers disguised as construction workers to investigate his office."<br /><br />But we're supposed to take Southerners seriously and not laugh at them? In what universe?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-53716469844529098522022-02-10T07:02:34.272-05:002022-02-10T07:02:34.272-05:00No one was suggesting that 4th graders should have...No one was suggesting that 4th graders should have sex.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-10521208741438490952022-02-09T21:04:55.717-05:002022-02-09T21:04:55.717-05:00The 4th Grade is for Active Shooter Drills.The 4th Grade is for Active Shooter Drills.Bertohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00467132691948621846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-664134976246235702022-02-09T21:00:13.427-05:002022-02-09T21:00:13.427-05:00She’s a genius in Right-wing circles.
She may have...She’s a genius in Right-wing circles.<br />She may have even come up with the most intelligent, thought through, economic idea the Right has ever come up with : Let’s Go Brandon.<br />It’s not perfect, but it makes WAY more economic sense than supply side.Bertohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00467132691948621846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-35239583314190896632022-02-09T20:27:22.136-05:002022-02-09T20:27:22.136-05:00When you start with a bad funda nothing comes out ...When you start with a bad funda nothing comes out right (funda=fundamentals, for those not in the know). <br /><br />In the not so olden days, used to be, you, the parent, trust the teachers and trust the school. I did. Not anymore, the LGBTQ crowd has run amok. <br /><br />Back in 90s (1990s), serious and heavy debate, fight, on gay rights, the wrong side made wild predictions. We all teetered and scorned. Today, we all sorry to see the Wrong side was right. <br /><br />Some here say 'main purpose' to create 'protest movements', some humor it way in smart words and witty sentences. These folks, they should know, its not about Moms for Liberty; go ahead make them object of fun. This is about 'what' is a child and 'what' is not. About why we have set voting age of 18.<br /><br />About why we understand the need for age of consent for sex. And its not 4th grade, for those not in the know. Parag Adaljahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381306174331689243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-1758781629697935092022-02-09T19:08:43.225-05:002022-02-09T19:08:43.225-05:00The Daily Howler picked a bad fight here. One of t...The Daily Howler picked a bad fight here. One of the leading investigative journals, Propublica just wrote about this. Bob is really not telling the whole story here. This isn't like gerrymandering, it actually has an ideological bent, even if the main purpose might be to distract the public and create busywork for protest movements on both sides. But it's a partisan goal in both senses. <br /><br />https://www.propublica.org/article/a-push-to-remove-lgbtq-books-in-one-county-could-signal-rising-partisanship-on-school-boardsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-78505219689391998002022-02-09T19:01:45.920-05:002022-02-09T19:01:45.920-05:00Good catch, and yes, such loose kind off connectio...Good catch, and yes, such loose kind off connections have come to define Bob. Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288008924419574934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-64094122156817431542022-02-09T17:42:12.259-05:002022-02-09T17:42:12.259-05:00Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA) says:
""...Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA) says:<br /><br />""Not only do we have the D.C. Jail, which is the D.C. Gulag, but now we have Nancy Pelosi's Gazpacho Police, spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work that we do..."<br /><br />"As the Republican Accountability Project, which clipped the interview, noted, Greene had likely confused the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, with gazpacho, a traditional Spanish cold tomato soup made of raw, blended vegetables. "<br /><br />But we're not allowed to laugh? Oh come on now...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-18107088530133964142022-02-09T16:58:40.894-05:002022-02-09T16:58:40.894-05:00Wouldn't it be weird, dear dembot, if a nation...Wouldn't it be weird, dear dembot, if a national organization with funding and agenda to undermine autonomy make suggestions for one single county? <br /><br />What they do here is precisely what autonomy is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-73290695482563480742022-02-09T16:51:58.591-05:002022-02-09T16:51:58.591-05:00"At any rate, these are the ways we lose elec..."At any rate, these are the ways we lose elections, and with those elections the world."<br /><br />It is irritating when Somerby starts claiming that Democrats lose elections, when Biden is president and Democrats have won more than their share of the 20th century elections and look to have the advantage demographically going into the 21st century.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-54830073202707990032022-02-09T16:49:55.238-05:002022-02-09T16:49:55.238-05:00"We often move on to the way other such lesse..."We often move on to the way other such lessers are "triggered" by being exposed to the N-word in Huckleberry Finn."<br /><br />In fairness, Spiegelman said that it would be better to teach the book than to have someone encounter it later in life and believe that the book had been written in 2021, complete with the n-word (which is now taboo).<br /><br />Somerby seems unprepared to listen to Spiegelman and actually hear what he is saying. His own pique about being condescended to, which I consider to be a good deal in Somerby's hearing, not Spiegelman's intention or words, is preventing Somerby from hearing what is being said in this dispute. <br /><br />It does seem to me that the liberals Somerby quotes are staying focused on what may be better for kids. The right is focused on parental rights. We assume that these are necessarily congruent, but are they really? Somerby, oddly, ignores what Spiegelman said about teachers knowing what they are doing and knowing what is good for kids. He glossed right over that part, but it is at the heart of this dispute -- presuming that all adults want what is best for kids. This latter may not be true for conservatives, and if this is just a power play and an attempt at indoctrinating children of liberals, that should be made plainer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-20078003441704680792022-02-09T16:44:08.779-05:002022-02-09T16:44:08.779-05:00"he responded by saying that they do it much ..."he responded by saying that they do it much better in France"<br /><br />Actually, he said that they do it with a different set of assumptions and a different end goal (participation in democracy) in France. He never said or implied that the French way was better, although he did imply that he agreed with it.<br /><br />Somerby's chip on his big fat Southern shoulder is showing today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-57328549211493246112022-02-09T16:40:13.667-05:002022-02-09T16:40:13.667-05:00"As he spoke with Isaacson on Amanpour & ..."As he spoke with Isaacson on Amanpour & Company, Siegelman made little attempt to accept the board's assessment as a well-intentioned, minor difference in community values. "<br /><br />Is this really what was going on? There were no community or parental complaints about Maus. This strikes me as part of a conservative push to ban books it doesn't like on the part of certain school board members with an agenda much like the national attack on school curricula.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-27784815737806889972022-02-09T16:37:43.754-05:002022-02-09T16:37:43.754-05:00"no one admires Art Spiegelman's work any..."no one admires Art Spiegelman's work any more than Art Spiegelman does."<br /><br />How does this bit of snark contribute in any way to an evaluation of Spiegelman's opinions?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-83948504175225643672022-02-09T16:32:40.677-05:002022-02-09T16:32:40.677-05:00When many more children were born at home instead ...When many more children were born at home instead of in hospitals, all of the children, regardless of age, would be aware of the process, including screaming. There was no effort to shield children 9 or younger from realities of how babies are born, especially in rural areas.<br /><br />Even today, there are enough movies and TV shows depicting childbirth that even very young children will know that there is some screaming. A 9 year old girl is coming up on puberty. She needs to know what that is about. Men's squeamishness should not dictate what girls are told about their bodies and the realities of childbirth, which includes miscarriage with high frequency (10-20 percent of all pregnancies). It is part of the drama of women's lives. Keeping such things secret from men leaves them unprepared to comfort their daughters and wives, and that is a bad thing for society.<br /><br />Where did Somerby ever get the idea that children's literature should only be about rainbows and fantasy creatures and fun? Literature helps people work through their challenges, kids too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-78176623792785215592022-02-09T16:25:22.174-05:002022-02-09T16:25:22.174-05:00Moms for Liberty is a national conservative organi...Moms for Liberty is a national conservative organization with funding from folks like the Kochs and an agenda to undermine autonomy of local schools.<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/09/suburban-women-voters-organize/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-71147278068026860312022-02-09T16:21:31.461-05:002022-02-09T16:21:31.461-05:00"Something there is doesn't love a wall, ..."Something there is doesn't love a wall, Robert Frost once insisted. Also, something there is doesn't let a judgment by a conservative group escape our own withering sarcasm."<br /><br />Robert Frost's poem, especially that line, has nothing to do with this topic. Somerby seems to have grabbed it because of the phrase "doesn't love a..." and not because of the overall meaning of the line within the context of Frost's poem. Somerby does that a lot. It leaves us with a bunch of quotes that make no sense at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-19361171043635818252022-02-09T16:19:31.327-05:002022-02-09T16:19:31.327-05:00You are right, I found the actual complaint letter...You are right, I found the actual complaint letter:<br /><br />https://drive.google.com/file/d/16W9grkwSFsIPRQOSpQfnAHNJzvDH5Bkk/view<br /><br />Subsequently, it was widely reported that they wanted the books banned from the school libraries.Rationalistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-18945732718106798362022-02-09T15:27:56.719-05:002022-02-09T15:27:56.719-05:00According to a local paper, they didn't feel t...According to a local paper, they didn't feel that this book "should be banned from elementary schools in Williamson County, Tennessee", but merely removed from the elementary school curriculum. No problem with having it in the school library. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com