NON-BREAKING UPDATE: Kossack RASalvatore adds some CHOMSKYFACTS, here
************
A few days ago, a diary shot up the recommended list. The headline was designed to get people angry and it did get me angry at first. There was one problem. The headline was bullshit and it was obvious at the time it was bullshit. The diary headline was Palin holding anti-Obama rallies on military bases.
The diary further asked "Isn't it illegal for anyone to hold anti Commander-in-Chief rallys on a military base?" What was the problem? If you followed the link to the story, you saw it wasn't true. She wasn't holding a rally, let alone an illegal anti-Obama rally. She was holding a book signing. And the military seemed well aware of possible issues, so they were going to limit Palin's activity to just signing books. That was it. The diary got 700 comments and 300 tips. And it was bullshit.
Well the Palin book signing and come and gone, so what was the outcome?
Did Palin hold a rally?
Did she rail against Obama?
Did the Military avert its eyes?
No, she came in, sat down and signed books.
Palin’s tour bus, with large photos of her plastered on the sides, pulled up to the store around 11:15 a.m., and she walked in, sat down and started signing books, without any opening remarks. The Army had asked Palin not to make a speech, to avoid giving her a platform from which to criticize the commander in chief, President Barack Obama.
Palin chatted only a moment or two with each person as she signed, almost always making a point to speak with children who came along with their parents.
Wait, did she write some super secret code?
As helpers placed opened copies of the book in front her, Palin signed with her right hand and squeezed the hands of fans with her left. She looked people in the eyes, for a second or two.
She hugged a few. She thanked them all.
To keep the line moving, she would not personalize the signatures; she wouldn't pose for photos, and she wouldn't sign anything but "Going Rogue."
Apparently, the Republic is still standing.
In the comments of the diary, I called it hyperventilating bullshit and now that the event has occurred, that conclusion has been born out. There were several problems with the diary.
- It twisted the truth of what was known, putting the worst possible spin on it.
- It jumped to conclusions and the worst conclusions at that.
- It was ignorant of what military bases are like. (They are like small towns and a book signing on military base is not unprecedented.)
- It assumed the military authorities would not know how to handle something like this.
- It assumed military personnel would act the fool, while on active duty.
- Because it was Sarah Palin, the diarist was blinded. Blinded to most likely outcomes and blinded to the free speech issues involved.
- It was outraged for outrage's sake.
For the above reasons, it was an embarrasment to Daily Kos and was worthy of Glenn Beck or Free Republic or Matt Drudge or Andrew Breitbart.
*Title Edited to comply with this rule for diaries, which I didn't know about.
Profanity is prohibited in titles. The use of asterisks is acceptable.
Decided to add a new tag: Hyperventilating BS. Feel free to use it when necessary.