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Brawling With Reading Comprehension

The Brew City Brawler decided to go after me, but completely got it wrong. 

(As a side note, I’ve provided the link.  I’ve noticed a trend on the Left side of the Wisconsin blogosphere to NOT actually provide links to conservative sites when they attack them.  Personally, I think it’s a breach of blogging etiquette, but to each his own.  The Brawler did provide a link - good for him or her.)

Anyway, he takes on this paragraph what I wrote into my latest column. 

For decades, the crooks of Tammany Hall in New York City routinely stuffed ballot boxes, twisted arms, and invented vote tallies to make sure that their fellow crooks were elected into office. During the LaGuardia administration and for several years afterwards, Tammany was so corrupt that it was none other than the “Prime Minister” of the mob, Frank Costello, who pulled the strings of New York politics.

And says:

Owen likes to say he’s a history buff, but linking LaGuardia and Tammany is just stone-ignorant, as revealed by a simple glance at wikipedia:

The problem is that I didn’t make any such claim.  The reference to LaGuardia was to provide the context of the time period.  I could have also said “during the 30’s” or “during the Roosevelt Administration” or “during Hitler’s Administration” or something, but I settled on “during the LaGuardia administration.”   

Actually, LaGuardia took away much of the power from Tammany Hall by cutting them out of their previous role in patronage and cracking down on corruption.  What this did is make Tammany Hall Dems more reliant on the Costello in order to get money for their campaigns.  Since the Mob was paying more of the bill for Tammany’s activities, they also took more control - including inserting more of their own folks into leadership positions. 
Sorry, Brawler, but you need to work on your reading comprehension before going on the attack.  I’ll wait for you to update your post.

Posted by Owen at 1100 hrs
Politics + Politics - General + The Blog

1. “As a side note, I’ve provided the link.  I’ve noticed a trend on the left…”

   That’s funny.  I’ve noticed the opposite trend.  Like here:
   http://realdebatewisconsin.blogspot.com/2008/01/words-i -thought-i-would-never-say-i.html

   “...I don’t care to link to either of those blogs, you can find them yourselves…”

   Ya know, as someone who doesn’t identify with either of the traditional parties, I really have to say that the guys on the left are generally nicer and more fair even if they’re equally wrong.  That said, you’re an exception Owen.  And so is “The Brawler.”

   Posted by jesusisjustalrightwithme on January 16, 2008 at 1223 hrs




2. I agree with your analysis JIJARWM.

   Is Owen’s place more civil because he habitually posts pictures of and discusses weaponry? 

   Talk softly and carry a big stick.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1331 hrs




3. Brew City is an illiterate fool. Look at the quote he proudly displays at the top of his main page:

   “0ne of those pathetic bloggers who tries to make a living out of attacking other bloggers and media folk in an effort to illicit a reaction and draw traffic to his site.”—Owen Robinson of Boots and Sabers

   Note his use of illicit where he obviously means elicit. What a tool. Are all lefties so proud of their ignorance?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1359 hrs




4. So is when Left are calling people, on the right Nazis or Homophones or Racists or War Mongers they are being nicer and more fair?  Oh wait don’t forget the every popular for the last 4 years Chickenhawk usually spouted by someone with not one day of military service.  Another example of left being fair and rational.  I wont even go into the BDS for the last 8 years.

   Mike at Pundit Nation makes his living insulting the intelligence and beliefs of bloggers on the right I guess since he is always saying “I was only joking” that makes him nice and fair.

   I am sorry there is just as much hate on the left side of the blogosphere as anywhere on the right.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1426 hrs




5. Can’t we just agree that both sides of the “culture war” are descipable, name-calling bigots trying to stir up a conflict to feed their deep psychological need for an enemy to measure themselves against and a team to belong to (and destroying the political landscape in process)?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1459 hrs




6. Yes we can.  Thank you Jason.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1504 hrs




7. Can’t we just agree that both sides of the “culture war” are descipable, name-calling bigots trying to stir up a conflict to feed their deep psychological need for an enemy to measure themselves against and a team to belong to (and destroying the political landscape in process)?

   Yes.  And I’ve come to the conclusion that political blogs in general (though not all) feed (if not define) that beast.  I think I’ll start filling downtime with podcasts (music, history, genealogy, literature) rather than reading blogs.  Besides, Jefferson Davis is running in Menomonee Falls again and I can’t take another four months of reading blog posts from people who actually like him.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1606 hrs




8. Note his use of illicit where he obviously means elicit. What a tool. Are all lefties so proud of their ignorance?

   
   Comment #4 from Owen at http://www.bootsandsabers.com/index.php/weblog/permalin k/sicko_education/

   The BCB is one of those pathetic bloggers who tries to make a living out of attacking other bloggers and media folk in an effort to illicit a reaction and draw traffic to his site.

   I think Brew City Brawler was “quoting” Owen’s own comment -I guess for sake of accuracy, he should have put (sic) after using Owen’s use of “Illicit” instead of “Elicit”

   So, who exactly is the ignorant one here - the lefty or the righty?  Owen for incorrectly using “illicit” instead of “elicit”, or BCB for not indicating that he was quoting Owen verbatim, and should have inserted “sic” for the sake of those who come to sites like this demanding perfect spelling & punctuation?

   Personally, I find it hard to be that accurate because the font size is so tiny in the comment box - I need at least 12 pitch myself before I get close to accuracy.  Kind of reminds me of the person who tries to get out of a traffic ticket because the cop mispelled the street name or something like that.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1615 hrs




9. I thought of pointing that out too mht, but I didn’t because I did not want to make anyone feel like an “illiterate fool” or a “tool”.

   I am just kidding Andy.  Please refrain from the name calling it is not becoming, especially when you are wrong.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1640 hrs




10. As a leftist blogger (retired and now returned) I can say with certainty that both sides can be quite mean. I have noticed the “Old Lady Owen” thing in headlines for some time now - it looks dumb. I also noticed that at least one blogger has an entire category called simply “Owen Robinson”.
    While it’s true that constant hounding of one “opponent” sometimes is interpreted by the press as “outcry from the blogosphere” and hurts the target, there are may more other times when such targeting is just deadly dull, obsessed looking and will backfire. Such targeting also does not take into consideration the proven “no such thing as bad publicity” concept. Proven true by Madison Avenue types and Hollywood celebrities. Like - it doesn’t matter WHY they say your name - just so they keep saying it. In America ,more often true than not that ther is no such thing as negative publicity.

    So the part about this that seems funny to me as a blogger is this attention is just cementing Boots and Sabers as the cornerstone “righty” blog in WI. Everybody feels like their blog is their “baby” they spend a lot of time on it. Owen gets called by the media and gets attention above other bloggers. When that happened to XOff he became Alpha dog, and the bootlicking was obvious and frenzied (watch his cameo-appearances on other blogs “ooooh Xoff” baby! LOL). If it happens to someone else on the right, people get jealous and angry I guess. All this would be solved if everyone forgot about you guys and came over to MY blog. Bring cash and leave donations too, it will ease your troubled minds. As a leftist I’m always willing to help work towards world peace you know. But I think people are mostly pissed ‘cause you’re a skilled blogger, everyone knows it, and the fact that you’re on The Wrong Side is secondary.

    Come election time everyone will all say “I can work across the aisle” which is complete bullshit. The “aisle” is US man, the aisle is us.
    Peace and Other Commie-Pinko Sentiments everyone….
    

    Posted by Jody Thompson on January 16, 2008 at 1644 hrs




11. Wait, Jefferson Davis is running again?

    Posted by Cindy on January 16, 2008 at 1919 hrs




12. So, who exactly is the ignorant one here - the lefty or the righty?  Owen for incorrectly using “illicit” instead of “elicit”, or BCB for not indicating that he was quoting Owen verbatim, and should have inserted “sic” for the sake of those who come to sites like this demanding perfect spelling & punctuation?

    I would say anybody who thinks Wikipedia qualifies as a legitimate source.

    I mean come on its not exactly checked for historical accuracy you know!

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 1938 hrs




13. For the record, yes, I screwed up and typed the wrong word in that comment and the Brawler quoted me accurately.  So sue me.  It was a comment under a post.  It’s not like I completely misread a paragraph in an attempt to attack someone, although I wouldn’t put that past me either

    Posted by Owen on January 16, 2008 at 1948 hrs




14. To be honest Owen, when I first read your post, I thought you were trying to tie LaGuardia to the mob and to voter fraud.  After your explanation, I can see your side, but it wasn’t the clearest.

    The second part of your post echoes Brawler’s, with the exception of who each of you are crediting.  That could be put on perspective, spin, or level of research.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 16, 2008 at 2151 hrs




15. So is when Left are calling people, on the right Nazis or Homophones or Racists or War Mongers they are being nicer and more fair?

    Stop it.  I can’t laugh anymore it hurts too much.  So is when ...?  Ouch.

    You sound like a 5th grader complaining about being hassled on the playground.

    Posted by Tim on January 18, 2008 at 0835 hrs

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