It's funny, I hit "comment" thinking I had a clue.
I don't.
All I can get is that nobody cares about facts anymore. I can't say it's lefties, it's most people anymore.

Moynihan, I think, said you can have your own opinion, but you can't have your own facts.

Now you can. I've actually had people say that to me, "You have your facts I have mine..."

Buh? At that point I walked away.
The guy actually thought he "won" since I didn't reply.
He's the same one who said to me (when talking about global worming), "You believe the articles you want to believe, I believe the ones I want to believe."

No. No. No.
Hell no.

People decide what they want to believe and then work from there. Anything that disproves what they want to believe is a lie.

They also attacked Rush because sometime back in the 90s he said something about how much slavery accomplished and how "you could walk the streets at night".

Now, no one can find a clip of him saying that or a date or anything, all references just go from lefty to lefty quoting each other, it seems to have started with an un-cited "quote" in wikipedia that's "disputed".

But you know, they have their own facts so it's "true".

The crazies are on the march all over man, it's just how it is.

Eric you should be getting it.
This is a Roman sport and Vick is a prize Nubian gladiator forgiven his ruthless vulgarity.

I think Veeshir has it right. I rarely listen to Rush, but happened to hear part of his show on Monday when he was talking about the fake quote that had been attributed to him. This is just part of the lefty pattern these days where concepts such as "fake but accurate" rule their warped thinking.

After all, it's just like Al Gore shutting off the microphone of the Scottish journalist at an environmental journalism conference the other day when the fellow had the nerve to point out that Gore's movie is propaganda full of untruths. What does Gore care? It's "fake but accurate." Yeah, right.

Thank you for this post, which discusses something I've been thinking about since yesterday. I fear that the constant cry of racism cheapens it overall. People that see racism everywhere inadvertently send a message that one race is superior to another. That is, if anyone criticizes a certain race he's not politically incorrect, but rather morally incorrect because he dares to even criticize that race. You can find plenty of people crying "racism" about Michael Vick's justified conviction over torturing dogs--even though he took pleasure in it! He pays the price and goes right back to work (playing football, hopefully not torturing more dogs).
On the other hand, Rush Limbaugh makes criticisms that are provocative and (I'm trying to be as fair as possible here) might even suggest a hint of racism--maybe. But any suggested, even a microscopic hint of racism is condemnable and never forgivable. This is not racism on Limbaugh's part, but racial superiority on the others.
To me, it seems a hybrid strain of racism that actually elevates one race over another. How could I say such a thing? ...I guess I'm a racist.

Who knew 1984 was predicting our future?

This is happening in a country where free speech is a protected right.

Boggles the mind.

If you are black AND LIBERAL, you can pretty much do anything, say anything, lie about anyone, etc with no consequences. You can torture and kill animals and still play in the NFL.

If you are a white OR black conservative, and SPEAK the truth, you are EVIL. It is perfectly acceptable to slander you because even if you haven't said it, they are SURE you have thought it. Period.

This really sucks. I find it galling that the NFL jerks accepted a DOG TORTURER back to play the game, and then stand on their "pedestals" while they judge Rush Limbaugh. What pansies!!!! WOW! What a laugh.

As hypocritical as this is, it isn't a choice between Vick and Rush.

Vick is there because he has a talent, talent is rare.

Rush isn't because he has money -- they can get money from anyone.

Yes, this kerfluffle (thanks Taranto for bringing that word back) shows (again) the leftists willingness to politicize anything and go to any depths to "prove" their case. Fight it on those grounds - those apply anywhere not just a rich guy's club like the NFL.

Every one is equal in the brave new world of politically correct Left, but some are more equal than others. The truth is relative in these matters. The dull bourgeois truth of facts and evidence is trumped by the revolutionary truth of what could be, what should be. A lie told often enough becomes the truth, the revolutionary truth which is truer than reality. Some people see the truth as it is and ask why? The politically correct see the truth as it could be and ask, why not?

The defining characteristic of leftism is immersion in fantasy. Facts don't actually matter to them. Only the narrative matters. Limbaugh must be a racist and he must make racist comments because the narrative says he does.

I think it's the same dynamic as religious belief but instead of believing things about unknowable and untestable on complete faith, they believe things about the day-to-day world on the basis of faith. They have an utter and unshakable faith that Limbaugh and everyone else like is racist so they believe any fabrication that frames him as a racist.

No amount of evidence can shake their faith. We're stuck with this kind of behavior.

Actually, the NFL's reinstatement of Vick and the mainstream sports media's meek acceptance of his returning to the league is evidence that Limbaugh's comments about the league and media wanting black quarterbacks to succeed were spot on.

The league and media so badly want a star black quarterback that they'll give Vick a pass on his animal cruelty and a second chance to be a star. Liberal sports reporters will say that Vick paid his price to society at the same time that they'll call Rush a "pill popper".

The NFL is a hotbed of gay and Disney's ESPN is also a hotbed of gay.

Perhaps the reason that post-apocalyptic film fantasies are so popular is because the viewer gets a glimpse of a world without political correctness...a world where a serial animal abuser would be fed to his dogs...

Nobody wants to be slandered by fabricated quotes, but Rush will do better without the NFL than the NFL will do without him. Guys watch sports. Men have lives.

Umm, again with those fact things. Rush didn't lose his NFL commentary job over his opinion of McNabb, he lost it because his addiction to prescription pain killers was revealed.

Rush was (probably) correct about McNabb being overrated (there's always room for debate in sports!), but he should have stopped there. He didn't have the good sense not to drag political topics onto ESPN. He was there to discuss football, not the politics of football. He could have made his point ("McNabb is overrated") with statistics and anecdotes, and without exploring the underlying reasons why people want to overrate him.

He also should have had the good sense to avoid an unforced error. Limbaugh deliberately walked into the minefield that is racial politics, and when you walk into a minefield, you can't be too surprised when you step on a mine. It's not right that Limbaugh can't tell the whole truth about McNabb without being called a racist, but there's a lot of unfairness in race relations, and wise people learn to deal with them. Is it fair that only black people can use the n-word? No. Is it fair that we can't point out that someone was an affirmative-action hire? No. Is it fair that President Obama cannot be caricatured as a monkey, but all of his predecessors can be? No. But we deal with it, because fighting it isn't worth the headaches.

Limbaugh has more money than he could ever need. He's wildly successful. He's on the radio, do what he loves. But he blew his chance at a dream - pontificating on NFL football on ESPN - because he couldn't stow the political talk. I like Limbaugh a lot, but I can't feel sorry for him for the McNabb stuff. He should have known better.

"addiction to prescription pain killers was revealed" - isn't that the exact same reason Brett Favre got kicked out of the NFL?

Gunga:

Wrong. The two happened at approximately the same time, but Limbaugh was kicked off ESPN for his comments. Chris Berman apologized for those comments on the air the following week.

Then the Philly sports press is racist, because they think McNabb is overrated, too.

What Rush said about McNabb is completely true. Honestly, Rush just wanted McNabb treated fairly, treated like any other quarterback. Look at the individual, not the color or group they are in. If anyone was being racist, it was those who couldn't believe Rush said it. c'mon, we are all created equal here. end affirmative action NOW. It only hurts the african american community.

What Rush said about McNabb is completely true. Honestly, Rush just wanted McNabb treated fairly, treated like any other quarterback. Look at the individual, not the color or group they are in. If anyone was being racist, it was those who couldn't believe Rush said it. c'mon, we are all created equal here. end affirmative action NOW. It only hurts the african american community.

For a media outfit I think the standards are different. There is not just reality there is perception. I would be fine with a ban of Vick. I am okay with the black players saying they would boycott a Rush team, although it is easier to talk about than to refuse a fat pile of money.... But the important thing is that these decisions be made on ACTUAL FACTS, not slanderous fictions. If these made up quotes are radioactive things to say, and I agree that they are, is it not at least as terrible to attribute them to someone who never said them? All the talking heads who made hay with this stuff need to apologize on air or face litigation. I daresay Rush can afford the struggle better than CNN. MSNBC is being bid on by DirecTV, Rush could scuttle that or drive the bid price down 20% at least with a coordinated attack. And why should he not? Are the domestic enemies of the Consitution playing by T-ball rules? No, no they are not. Rush must push back, hard. We all must push back against this character assault from Left to Right of which Rush is merely the most prominent target. Your pockets are being emptied by the gub and it is rationalized among the Obamoids on terms nearly identical to the attacks on Rush. It is an exercise in fractal scaling. We are all Rush now and they are all Barack Hussein Obama... mmm....mmm...mmm

Limbaugh did not grovel the way Vick has.

If Limbaugh would recant all the things he never said anyway, hire Rev. Al as a consultant and contribute to Jackson's non profit, I'm sure some accomodation could be reached.

It got Vick back in the league.

The most amusing part of this tragi-comedy is that Rush Limbaugh doesn't need the NFL. Rush would have been a tremendous ASSET to professional football.

Rush loves the NFL and Football. He is also a proponent of excellence and there isn't a racist bone in his often "chubby" body (he's now lost about 80 lbs).

Listen to the IDIOTs like Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, fool from Texas, and of course Sheila Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton two unindicted criminals who should be in jail for extortion and incitement to riot and murder.

I've listened to Rush for twenty years and he has NEVER uttered a word that might be construed as racist. Go Rush! Screw you Dave Checketts, you gutless wonder.

There's nothing to explain here, except for this:

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - George Orwell, Animal Farm

When Rush challenged the accusations leveled against him by some of these flakes, one of them responded that they would not retract their comments until Rush could prove their source material is false. They can say whatever they want and it is up to you to prove them wrong.

The NFL is dead to me until Rush Limbaugh owns part of an NFL team. Jim Irsay (owner of the Colts), since you and so many players are bigotted against conservatives, this conservative is not buying your product. The NFL needs to clean up its act and embrace real diversity.

Yours,
Tom DeGisi

Facts do not matter to Democrats. In order for something to be "true", it is merely enough to wish it was so, or that it's *possible* it could be true.

If people believe it and you get the result you desired, it doesn't matter that it was false. For all intents and purposes, it was "true".

P.S. What AK said about Rush's comments about the media is true. I don't want politics in my sports commentary. I don't want it from the left and I don't want it from the right. When on ESPN commentators should shut up and sing, err, commentate. It's perfectly OK to say that McNabb is overrated on ESPN. It's not OK to bring up media politics on ESPN, no matter how truly stupid they are. Rush should have saved that for his radio show.

Yes, let's all hate Mr. Limbaugh because he points out the truth and isn't scared of being smeared by the media. And the media doesn't worry about facts anymore, do they?
Since they are, after all, stenographers for the present administration.

MMMM...MMMM....MMMM

This saying that someone did something like the idiots [farkers] who have made the website about Glenn Beck murdering a teenager, then saying that because he doesn't deny it, it must be true.

So if someone doesn't choose to respond to what are egregious and slanderous accusations [AND LIES], then the person is now considered guilty.

The left is missing something that is defined as "class."

At the time that Rush made the comment about Donovan McNabb, he was the second worst rated QB in the NFL. The QB with highest rating was Steve McNair (who also happens to be black), who went on the win co-MVP of the NFL in 2003. The point that Rush was making was valid at the time, but unfortunately Rush did not praise McNair at the same time.
I wish he had done so, then this particular controversy could have been diminished.

Heh - hey "those fact things" John,

Yes, "facts"... let's check some facts:

Rush made his infamous McNabb statement on or before Sept 28, 2003
(linky: http://www.theweek.com/article/index/101572/Video_Rush_Limbaugh_blasts_McNabb_in_2003)

Rush resigned on or before Oct 2, 2003
(linky: http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1001/1628537.html)
The entire mess was about his statement, nothing more. If you read the actual commentary at the time, that's very, very, VERY clear.

The issue with pills was first reported Oct 3, 2003 by the National Enquirer, and gained steam from there.

So, yeah, "again with those fact things."

I was disgusted by CNN's handling of this story, and I'm no fan of Rush Limbaugh. Seriously, a fake, unverified, inflammatory quote next to the very worst picture you could find in your photo archives? CNN producers, have you no sense of decency, sirs and madams, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?

George Soros is reportedly in this ownership group as well. So what I want to know is, will the odious Soros be allowed in as an owner? Certainly he does not meet Roger Goodell's higher standard either. Will CNN put his picture on the screen next to a swastika and a fake quote? (Might not need to be fake, though...)

So it the NFL's and the other critics' point that the NFL really does NOT want black quarterbacks to succeed? What's wrong with wanting them to succeed (along with otherly-hued QBs?)

So it the NFL's and the other critics' point that the NFL really does NOT want black quarterbacks to succeed? What's wrong with wanting them to succeed (along with otherly-hued QBs?)

"...the truth is that I and a great many other sportswriters have chosen for the past few years to see McNabb as a better player than he has been because we want him to be.
"

Sounds like the attitude towards the current President as well.

First of all: Dogs can be made to be very tasty meals. Quaterbacks are far more difficult to cook to a point where they will taste any good.

Second: the NFL should force Barbara Streisand to be an owner, and then do away with the win/lose philosophy. Football will be played for the betterment of the individual players and mankind. No more playoffs, superbowl, of any of those useless statistical number thingies.

"Facts don't actually matter to them. Only the narrative matters."

Script. Only the script matters, because mere reality is insufficient to properly support the left's inflated self esteem. A scripted and choreographed drama MUST be imposed, and the real world pushed aside if need be, even if it becomes necessary to slaughter real people.

Because only in movies can anything be perfect and things always work out the correct way in the end. Isn't creating a perfect world worth any price, even genocide?

"Will someone please explain to me how expressing the opinion that the media wants black quarterbacks to win is worse than such vicious torture?"

Veshir is on the right path. The games of the NFL are like the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome. But, there are differences. Our gladiators are not slaves beyond the terms of their contracts, and they are not killed at the behest of the audience. (Think of the carnage after last Sunday's Browns Bills 6 - 3 thriller).

The other thing is television. Because of television's entwinement with the Government (Remember how the management of NBC throttled the CNBC staff after Rick Santelli set off the tea party movement) critics of the regime cannot be allowed. Because of the NFL's entwinement with television, the same strictures apply to the management of the NFL; Ergo, no Rush.

The gladiators are a separate issue. They are mostly drawn from marginal or underclass black Americans. In those orders, the thug life is admired, and if possible, emulated.

Carrying guns (Plaxico Buress), dog fighting (Vick), and beating women (too numerous to mention) are incidents of the thug life. If the NFL sanctioned all of the manifestations of thug life, they would loose too many gladiators and adversely impact the salary structure of the league and the quality of its offerings.

The thug life is abhorrent to goodists, and to the middle and working class people who buy the watery beer that the NFL's advertisers sell. Which leaves the NFL in a bind. So, they fiddle and waffle, and play whack a mole with the most heinous and visible offenders (i.e. the ones who are so bad that the cops catch them and they get jailed), and ignore the rest.

It is an ugly but necessary compromise, that allows most fans to keep watching and betting on games, and allows the NFL to survive.

Any questions?

Thanks AK. No, the playing field isn't level. Yes, it is possible to beat the statists anyway.

Not only was Rush right about McNabb, but it made McNabb at least temporarily a better player.

McNabb is like my brother. He's basically gentle. To play well, he has to take the field a little bit angry with something to prove. McNabb has to have something that puts fire in him. The media fawning over what is usually no better than good journeyman quarterbacking takes that edge from him. McNabb is the sort of player that responds well to scrutiny, to criticism, to being benched for not doing his best. But what McNabb gets is a pass because he's a black QB. Rush didn't say anything that hasn't been said many times by fans in Philly, but in doing so he said what cannot be said in our society. He uttered the unutterable, what couldn't be said in 'polite society', and so he must be punished. Polite society is having their little revenge for revealing that the emporer wears no clothes.

As our country gets more and more divided, it almost seems like everything we do becomes a political choice. Do you really want to support that left-wing actor by buying a ticket to his latest piece of "art." If the NFL is okay with all sorts of anti-social behavior but finds Rush so appalling, should we refuse to watch it? I'm really not sure but I find myself shying away from spending money with people or institutions that no longer reflect my values. Eventually, I guess we'll be more balkanized and I'm not sure that's a good thing but I think it's sort of a natural reaction.(I'll have to put my foot down later though because I really hope the Saints win.)

How fast does Rush run the 40?

Ray Lewis was involved in a murder. They love him. He's practically the face of the NFL.

But I don't think he's a supply-sider.

Kurt (Oct 14, 9:02PM):
If, by "elevate one race over another", you mean "put one race beyond criticism", then I suppose political correctness does "elevate" blacks. However, what it really does is betray condescension on the part of politically correct whites and a deep insecurity on the part of defensive blacks. If you really believe someone else is your equal, you won't hesitate to be frank with them. And if you believe you are truly the equal of someone else, criticism from that person will not faze you. In my opinion, politically correct "liberals" are neither more nor less "racist" than their opponents. They simply manage their emotions in an evasive way, usually by projecting them onto others.

maybe they should sell the Browns to Vince McMahon?

Be more interesting than the last game.

I gave up on the NFL when they let Vick back in. As they don't want Rush, I'm never going back.

Maybe what the liberals would really like is two separate leagues. We can have the conservative football league and they have the angry radical league. We can just start dividing the country up even further. "I fly XYZ airlines because they are managed by conservatives not misguided liberals." We'd never even have to be aware of their nonsense. It'd be great!

Sanity is optional.

Eric,

I guess you hit a nerve. And also Instapundit - good work!

RSP · October 15, 2009 05:32 PM: You meant to direct your comment to "Jason · October 15, 2009 09:16 AM" and not to me. Names appear below the posts.

Nevertheless, I would agree with your general point. After about forty years, you would think that affirmative action would have served its original purpose and would have ended by now. But no, it continues on. That would only seem to illustrate your claims.