Comments on: The Collins Quartet & the local Birchers

By: The Humanist

The Humanist — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:13:03 +0000

Hey James - the candidates in question could learn a lesson from (then Candidate) Obama: "I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in a statement released by his aides. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree." - Barack Obama, January 2008, statement made one day after knucklehead Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen criticized Obama because his church (Trinity United Church of Christ) in Chicago was giving an award to Minister Farrakhan. Lesson: when confronted by an association (however tangible) with vile racism and intractable paranoid conspiracy theories, divorce yourself from said crowd immediately and decisively.

By: James

James — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:35:28 +0000

True, it’s a different thing, but it doesn’t asnwer the question I was asking. So lets take it a little further and say that Obama was endorsed by the Nation of Islam, which he was. Then lets see what some of the people in N.O.I. believe and say and that means Obama must agree with them? Hrmm… again, as others have stated, this is a LOCAL election and a disagreement with a NATIONAL perspective. But you know… pot knows best when kettle is black after all they are both on the stove. I’m not really much for either side. I probably lean right on most things, but I find the rhetoric on both sides lacking for whit. Also the teaparty movement doesn’t really recognize any organized leadership, spokeperson, or figurehead so for one blogger or moderator to put their stamp of approval on a candidate means … what exactly?

By: Christopher Smith

Christopher Smith — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:42:04 +0000

Accepting votes and accepting an endorsement are two different things. But, thanks for playing.

By: James

James — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:32:46 +0000

So should candidates refuse to accept the votes of people that they dont agree with? Should Byron Brown dismiss supporters on the East Side simply because they are only voting for him because of his race? Likewise for any candidates that receives votes only because they have the right friends, influences, cars, business connections, or pets? I might allow that Kearns should not have accepted Palandino’s money, but why not? He doesn’t have to espouse Carl’s political views to accept his support. Simply because a group you don’t like gets behind a candidate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t like that candidate. Similarly it’s a weak way to attack someone you don’t like. The voters in Buffalo that, when asked if they were voting for Brown, stated “He’s the black one right?” or Palandino wanting to get his name in the news by throwing his money away speaks a lot more about them then it does the candidates they are supporting. Why don’t you ask the candidates a question about what they think about an issue that is relevant to Buffalo? Instead of wasting your time informing us, once again, that you don’t like the teabaggers? We get that.

By: Maybe I was Wrong About the Crazies | WNYmedia.net

Maybe I was Wrong About the Crazies | WNYmedia.net — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:38:14 +0000

[...] Anti-Christ based upon some numerology. To me, its easy to dismiss a couple websites that I think Alan spends too much time perusing. But somehow hearing it on the radio today, on a “news program,” made it a lot worse. [...]

By: Tony M

Tony M — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:39:20 +0000

“Overview of America” from the John Birch Society is an excellent video that all should watch. Americans need to educate themselves on the roots of why this nation was designed as a Republic and how it has degenerated into a democracy.

This 29 minute video explains the basics on forms of government such as Republic vs Democracy vs Oligarchy. Also, a little is covered on capitalism vs other economic/social systems.

“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
- Ben Franklin

By: Haterade

Haterade — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:40:43 +0000

Hudson – how about that latest mistaken release from your pal Timmy ?

By: Starbuck

Starbuck — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:39:28 +0000

You’d have a much better argument if Coniglio’s rants were on tape or video instead of apparently in a Google Groups forum that requires login to see.

I’ve no reason to doubt that you guys are correct in your claims about Coniglio, but it sounds like a time consuming thing for a candidate to check on web forum writings of individuals who endorse them.

When confronted with this sort of explicitly ignorant drivel, Dixon and Hardwick punted – they accepted the endorsement anyway, and did not even take care to denounce the specific rantings…

When were Dixon and Hardwick confronted with the specific rantings to which you refer? Was the “confronting” just an emailed URL link pointing to Geek’s blog post?

Do Dixon and Hardwick even take the time to click on every link that anybody emails to them? Maybe in this case they clicked on it, but it’s possible they didn’t.

Then if they did click the link you emailed, and then take the time to read Geek’s post, the next thing some people might demand they do is click the links in Geek’s post to confirm the source he quoted and try to verify that Coniglio really wrote what you wrote about him writing. Otherwise they’d just be refusing an endorsement based on what you guys say.

How much time and effort is reasonable to expect a candidate to spend on things like this?

By: Jonas

Jonas — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:31:43 +0000

Coniglio basically advocated for mass genocide of all African-Americans on the internet, the most public forum possible, and he was dead serious. I am not a big fan of guilt by association, but anyone who voluntarily works with such a person, is quietly condoning their view. If this was just the typical tea-party “Obama is a communist” nonsense I would not feel this way, but calling for genocide is seriously fucked up.

By: Byron

Byron — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:12:49 +0000

I’m fairly sure that Coniglio will stick to the “lower taxes, smaller government” script and not bring teh crazy if he makes any public appearances on behalf of the Collins Four, just as (I would bet) the Freeners’ public speeches stick to the same ideas and don’t (I assume) go into preferring the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution or their other crazier ideas.

That’s what interesting to me about this: the glimpse behind the curtain of the local teabagger movement. How any more of them have ideas like Coniglio’s, I wonder?