So much pale white flesh! I think I'm blind! Well, ok, they had one Indian guy, one Hispanic, and a black lab- there's your Republican diversity. (Sounds like a joke: a Hispanic, an Indian, and a black lab walk into RNC headquarters...)
The saddest thing is the infant already being brainwashed. I weep for the future of our country.
I think what struck me about the photos is the schoolyard lameness of the whole thing, as if this were some kind of football rivalry. Hey, you showed 'em-- wore a mocking t-shirt by their doors! Nice one!
But, yeah it is school-yard lame. My Republican uncle isn't like this at all. It's true that he doesn't care about Gitmo or torture--he just wants his taxes low, and I'm pretty sure he makes more than $200k, so they are unless he's getting hit by the AMT--but he wouldn't sport a T-shirt or go out of his way to endorse this.
What motivates people to go to all that effort to promote something despicable?
I think this is right. One of the things the bandarlog guys are good about is the recognition that a lot of political affiliation is now mostly a matter of cultural identification. This is why issues, and lies, and consequences don't have as much effect as we expect; it's not (for a lot of people, and to varying degrees) about those things--it's about the team.
I agree with 12, an idea which, again, has Volk-ish undertones. Those not on the team are somehow less than human, and can be treated in a subhuman fashion with a virtually clear conscience.
To 9: I think the apostrophe is intended to convey that G'itmo is an abbreviation of G(uantan)amo. Given that there's no way to get from Guantanamo to Gitmo by simply removing letters, it's an example of stupid attempted pedantry, but I don't think it means anything beyond that.
damnit, Trip, you made the one point I was going to make.
Seriously, the Limbaugh crowd get off on telling themselves they're being transgressive. If your mom and pop put you in this crap when you were 3, you won't fall into that trap.
"What motivates people to go to all that effort to promote something despicable?"
Defensiveness, of course. Pride in the US, and great offense at the notion that the US could do anything seriously wrong, which feels, rather understandably, like a personal attack on one's self, as well as upon the greatness of one's great country, the greatest country on Earth.
So obviously such terrible things said against U.S. practices must be false, and therefore must be responded to and mocked. They're not, in their view, of course, promoting something despicable; in their minds, they're responding to a terrible and completely false, slanderous, attack upon the U.S.
Not a great mystery, really. Sad, but not a mystery.
At least the real fascists had impressive graphic design, a heck of a stage manager (Speer) and quite a good filmmaker (Riefenstahl). These guys are just pathetic.
Any estimates on how many decades of un-reset Tivos are on display in those pages?
these guys are so daring - risking life and limb to entertain the viewers of rushlimbaugh.com - my god, did you see the danger?? one guy is standing next to A POSTER!!!
Fontana, you are always spot on. I like your 'name' too. Go ahead and puke or minimize or laugh off this nazi stuff... but "One of the hallmarks of fascist movements is the worship of violence and aggression, coupled with a hatred and disdain for the weak." Not all the Nazis were as intelligent as Speer. Not all the posters so artful. Some just splattered blood in the streets. Bullying and meanness are this administration's hallmark unlike any in modern history.
So do you want to go get a six pack and cruise around in a Volkswagon?
Ogged's comments seem about right to me. It's about team identification more than anything else. Seems significant that several of the Gitmo Gang were attending sporting events or wearing baseball/sports attire with their orange shirt. The degree to which these people feel "endangered" by holding their views is a really complicated problem, though.
Well, at least it's diverse lot, you know?
Posted by pjs | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:42 PM
The pix w/kids in Gitmo gear are especially disheartening. You know those kids are lost to the dark side already.
The captions are pretty lame; suggesting derring-do on the part of people wearing Gitmo gear in the vicinity of Democratic offices and the like.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:45 PM
So much pale white flesh! I think I'm blind! Well, ok, they had one Indian guy, one Hispanic, and a black lab- there's your Republican diversity. (Sounds like a joke: a Hispanic, an Indian, and a black lab walk into RNC headquarters...)
The saddest thing is the infant already being brainwashed. I weep for the future of our country.
Posted by SP | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:46 PM
Annie- and one holding a picture of HILLARY!!! Wow, he's got balls to wear that shirt around a reproduction of an image of a Democratic senator.
Posted by SP | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:47 PM
One of the hallmarks of fascist movements is the worship of violence and aggression, coupled with a hatred and disdain for the weak.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:49 PM
Man, I want to puke now.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:49 PM
I think what struck me about the photos is the schoolyard lameness of the whole thing, as if this were some kind of football rivalry. Hey, you showed 'em-- wore a mocking t-shirt by their doors! Nice one!
Would be sort of funny as a prank, but....
Tell the one about the lemon chicken again!
Posted by FL | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:51 PM
The brochure is even worse.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:57 PM
Anyone know why there's an apostrophe after the "G"?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 2:58 PM
I'm with you ben.
But, yeah it is school-yard lame. My Republican uncle isn't like this at all. It's true that he doesn't care about Gitmo or torture--he just wants his taxes low, and I'm pretty sure he makes more than $200k, so they are unless he's getting hit by the AMT--but he wouldn't sport a T-shirt or go out of his way to endorse this.
What motivates people to go to all that effort to promote something despicable?
Posted by bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:00 PM
Just saw the cat. Kids in Gitmo gear are bad enough; dogs are worse, but they're crossing the line w/the cat.
#7 made me think of them running to and from Democratic doors like doorbell ringers on Mischief Night.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:00 PM
as if this were some kind of football rivalry
I think this is right. One of the things the bandarlog guys are good about is the recognition that a lot of political affiliation is now mostly a matter of cultural identification. This is why issues, and lies, and consequences don't have as much effect as we expect; it's not (for a lot of people, and to varying degrees) about those things--it's about the team.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:02 PM
I agree with 12, an idea which, again, has Volk-ish undertones. Those not on the team are somehow less than human, and can be treated in a subhuman fashion with a virtually clear conscience.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:05 PM
To 9: I think the apostrophe is intended to convey that G'itmo is an abbreviation of G(uantan)amo. Given that there's no way to get from Guantanamo to Gitmo by simply removing letters, it's an example of stupid attempted pedantry, but I don't think it means anything beyond that.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:08 PM
I blame Brooks for encouraging people to think of political affiliation as a kind of ethnicity.
Posted by slolernr | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:09 PM
Damn you guys are too smart. You've made all the points I would have made.
I can only point out that club G'itmo is promoted by White/Male/heavy/middleaged/facialhair people.
Don't worry about the kids in the clothes - they'll rebel.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:17 PM
Pedantry or pedanticism?
Posted by slolernr | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:18 PM
damnit, Trip, you made the one point I was going to make.
Seriously, the Limbaugh crowd get off on telling themselves they're being transgressive. If your mom and pop put you in this crap when you were 3, you won't fall into that trap.
Posted by text | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:23 PM
"What motivates people to go to all that effort to promote something despicable?"
Defensiveness, of course. Pride in the US, and great offense at the notion that the US could do anything seriously wrong, which feels, rather understandably, like a personal attack on one's self, as well as upon the greatness of one's great country, the greatest country on Earth.
So obviously such terrible things said against U.S. practices must be false, and therefore must be responded to and mocked. They're not, in their view, of course, promoting something despicable; in their minds, they're responding to a terrible and completely false, slanderous, attack upon the U.S.
Not a great mystery, really. Sad, but not a mystery.
Posted by Anonymous | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 3:54 PM
That last comment was by me; I don't know why my name didn't show up.
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 6:07 PM
It's like wearing a gigantic beltbuckle with "dumbass" spelled in rhinestones.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 07-22-05 9:17 PM
At least the real fascists had impressive graphic design, a heck of a stage manager (Speer) and quite a good filmmaker (Riefenstahl). These guys are just pathetic.
Any estimates on how many decades of un-reset Tivos are on display in those pages?
Posted by Doug | Link to this comment | 07-23-05 6:09 AM
these guys are so daring - risking life and limb to entertain the viewers of rushlimbaugh.com - my god, did you see the danger?? one guy is standing next to A POSTER!!!
Posted by silvana | Link to this comment | 07-23-05 7:57 AM
After scanning over the Orange Revolution, I've come to the surprising conclusion that Rush Limbaugh is slimmer than most of his listeners.
Posted by oyster | Link to this comment | 07-23-05 8:07 AM
Agreed with 12 and 19, and the saddest fucking thing is the soldiers and Camp Ramadi. They're going to win lots of hearts and minds.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 07-23-05 12:37 PM
Fontana, you are always spot on. I like your 'name' too. Go ahead and puke or minimize or laugh off this nazi stuff... but "One of the hallmarks of fascist movements is the worship of violence and aggression, coupled with a hatred and disdain for the weak." Not all the Nazis were as intelligent as Speer. Not all the posters so artful. Some just splattered blood in the streets. Bullying and meanness are this administration's hallmark unlike any in modern history.
So do you want to go get a six pack and cruise around in a Volkswagon?
Posted by Judy | Link to this comment | 07-23-05 1:29 PM
"Bullying and meanness are this administration's hallmark unlike any in modern history."
IJWTS: Nixon. Nixon, Nixon, Nixon.
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 07-23-05 2:28 PM
I wonder how many of them have a glowstick shoved up their behind. Based on their expressions, it appears that most of them do.
Posted by josef | Link to this comment | 07-24-05 5:25 PM
Ogged's comments seem about right to me. It's about team identification more than anything else. Seems significant that several of the Gitmo Gang were attending sporting events or wearing baseball/sports attire with their orange shirt. The degree to which these people feel "endangered" by holding their views is a really complicated problem, though.
Posted by Chuck | Link to this comment | 07-27-05 10:22 PM
choices and the amount of the bet It is the players responsibility to video keno Meanwhile Captain Teague was shouting more instructions at his men .
Posted by Jaime Nathen | Link to this comment | 01-25-06 3:39 AM