Guess who lied about slavery

In recent days WBSM listeners have, again, been exposed to a number of falsehoods and historical manglings that obscure the facts of the gay marriage debate. The keystone assertion has been that "The Supreme Judicial Court upheld slavery which was only then defeated by the opposition of the people."

The line is aimed to undercut the argument that the SJC is a worthy arbiter of civil rights. The SJC has, gay marriage advocates claim, defended the fundamental civil rights of same sex couples. However, the SJC is hardly a final arbiter of civil rights if it is that very court which upheld slavery - an odious institution allegedly toppled by the "will of the people."

The trouble with this assertion is, firstly, that it is a barefaced lie and second that the announcer quickly adds that numerous courts in many states have rejected the gay marriage rights argument. It is curious indeed that you would claim a court cannot best determine civil rights and then claim that, anyway, so many other courts have already determined the viability of the rights in question.

Perhaps it is best to console ourselves with some truth from elementary level social studies : A constitution guarantees fundamental rights for all and limits the power of the government. The judiciary interprets the constitution and is the final arbiter of fundamental rights. It is recognized that judicial support for slavery ( especially the Dred Scott decision) erroneously judged the property rights of one group of individuals as more valuable than the civil rights of others – a failing common to 19th C judicial decisions. This failing was not overly common in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court which ruled in Roberts vs. The City of Boston (1849) that :

Slavery was abolished in Massachusetts, by virtue of the declaration of rights in our constitution, without any specific words of abolition in that instrument, or in any subsequent legislation.

Clearly, then, the true legacy of slavery in Massachusetts is that the SJC has the track record and the remit to exclusively decide what the rights of Mass. residents are or are not. I guess that local rep. hit the nail squarely on the head after all.

Lying about the GOP

Isn't it a wonder that the high caliber, POPULAR, right-talk radio shows don't talk about the 109th Congress's efforts to remove the right to sue for methyl tertiary-butyl ether pollution, defend billion-dollar companies from middle aged blue collar men afflicted with asbestosis and pleural plaques, or protect Pharmas from free market competition by evil chronically ill seniors, and cut health care benefits for army amputees that the president might jog with?

Perhaps they are too busy discussing flags, abortion, the "gay agenda", etc etc. Barry Goldwater, the founder of modern conservatism would laugh harder than I do. On yesterday's WBSM, our host, Ken Pittman said that Kerry Healy is "not a republican" because she is pro-choice. In fact, by the Goldwater standard, KP is no republican.

Pittman: Lying about Foleygate

It's getting weirder and weirder over at 1420 WBSM 2-6 daily.

In fairness to Ken, on this issue he has openly admitted (come out of the closet) that he is going to be rabidly partisan.

While discussing ( who else?? ) Gary Studds ( Rep. Gerry Studds) our host continues to diminish the Foley scandal and hype the 33 year old relationship between Studds and a 17 year old page - a relationship that took place in 1973. This involves more than a few lies, including the assertion that, in 1983, Studds was "cheered by Democrats" as he "came to the microphone with his seventeen year old page." Of course, this never happened.

While continuing to make the Foley scandal all about the democrats, Pittman cannot find a single democrat who said a thing he cares to contest.
Struggling for evidence he is compelled to lie about ( who else?? ) Barney Frank, asserting that Frank said " it's the Republican environment” that "made Mark Foley engage in this behavior" adding that Frank said that it "forces this sort of behavior."

If any of the conspiracy theorists are still following the real scandal, there's more: "Friends of the page were "enticing” Foley, Democrats "hacked into" the instant messages and George Soros "kept the messages."

There you have it. The real Axis of Evil : Teenage IMers, mysterious Democrat hackers, and George Soros pulling the strings.