Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Bottoms Up



Barack Obama is celebrating his roots by visiting his ancestral home...in Ireland. The president's great-great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, was a shoemaker in the tiny village of Moneygall until 1850, at which time he moved to the United States in hopes that his great-great-granddaughter would someday get knocked up by an already-married Kenyan. And sure enough, his wonderful dream came true.

The president's visit to Moneygall is part of a week-long trip which will take him to Britain, France, and Poland...where he will no doubt reveal the names of other long-lost relatives ( like Lord
Huffington Obama, Jacques Obama, and Arkadiusz Boguslaw Obama) now that Donald Trump has gotten him interested in genealogy.

The Irish are commemorating the return of their kinsman with t-shirt sales which have slogans like "Is feidir linn" (which is Celtic for "Yes We Can") and "What's the craic, Barack?" which we don't entirely understand, but may be a reference to Obama's admission in "Dreams From My Father" that he enjoyed smoking marijuana in his youth, as well as "a little blow when you could afford it." Not that we're saying he's a craic-addict or anything.

In any case, it's all good fun - and the mainstream media is doing a great job of reporting every tiny little nuance of the president's visit to Ireland.

No doubt to make up for the fact that any meaningful news stories about Libya, Obamacare, or the economy are harder to locate than a leprechaun. And, in honor of Mr. O'bama, are just as likely to be filled with Blarney.

-

Nothing says "I'm a fun-loving, hard-drinking Irishman"
like a raised pinky finger and lofty disdain
.
-

43 comments:

Mike aka Proof said...

“Stout –dark and bitter” -Priceless!

Dave said...

It's probably a good thing that Mr Black Irishman O'Bama is wasting time in Ireland looking up the ancestral home of his multi-great grandfather, otherwise he might have decided he was bored and instead of just alienating and angering our only ally in the Middle-East, he might have decided to kinetically enforce the 1967 borders. Of course that shows what kind of raving lunatic he is; worrying about Israel's borders but not our own.

Another reason though that Coward-in-Chief might have left the country is that he is afraid one of those tornadoes tearing up the mid-west might decide to head for DC and do the country a favor. Or that the farmers he flooded out by blowing up a levy might decide to camp out on the White House lawn.

Bruce In KC said...

We've had two deadly tornadoes in my area this weekend, and there are close to 120 dead, and hundreds more injured. Thousands of people's lives will never be the same again, ever. What does the boy President decide is more important? Galavanting around Europe to visit his "heritage". He'll come visit Joplin next Sunday, after this latest junket is over.

You know what Mr, President? If this is the priority you give the safety and well-being of your own citizens, DON'T BOTHER!

Suzy said...

I don't get it.....he's so black...black heritage....black, black, black. But now he's researching his white heritage? Really???? Is he having some sort of identity crisis?

I think he IS an identity crisis. Stilt, that should be your next Leno comic...the 10 reasons Obama cannot figure out who he is....haha.

Jim Hlavac said...

Is that man on vacation again? I had no idea, no really; I was busy with life and I wake up today to find my president is boozing it up with foreigners. And what will he learn on this trip? What good does it do our country?

But then, "Moneygall"? The irony, for the gall of the man, demanding our money, like he does. So is that where he gets the weird idea that there's a pot of gold at the end of some rainbow he hopes is there? And "Falmouth"? Why, the man is either "foul mouth" or his mouth falls into mush. I'm not sure which.

Though maybe in between pint quaffing he can stop in at St. Andrews and get in a round of gold. I would not want the man exhausted when he gets to Poland and tells them he's giving them back to the Russians, you know, back to the pre-1967 borders or something.

Anonymous said...

Cloaking racially-motivated comments by equating "craic" with crack is EXACTLY what Anti-Tea-Party elements salivate for. Do your research or just come out and demand that the "darkies" be evicted from all positions of power.

For the record, "craic" in Gaelic means enjoyable conversation. It's like saying. "How are things going in your part of the world?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic

My Dog Brewski said...

Anonymous:
Stilton is always playing with words. It's part of his sense of humor. Had Obama never admitted to dabbling in coacaine, the connection would never have been made. Your leap to automatic racism says more about you than Stilton. Add some fiber to your diet and get over yourself.

Bruce In KC said...

In the immortal words of Sgt. Hulka, I offer the following advice. "Lighten up Francis."

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Anonymous- How absolutely fascinating that you immediately associate drug use with race! Which, frankly, sort of suggests that you're an anti-black racist. No wonder you don't want to sign your name.

And are you suggesting that I simply made up Obama's admission of drug use? Are you suggesting that such drug use isn't a character flaw, but is somehow linked to his race? And then you start referring to darkies?! As Jonah Goldberg recently said, that makes you "just two eyeholes in a pillowcase short of being a Klan member."

And it's fairly hilarious that you tell me to "do my research" on the meaning of "craic," since it's included in the freakin' article that I linked to. I was simply taking comic license by feigning ignorance. And feel free to look up "feigning" on Wikipedia.

There is no racism in my cartoons or commentary, because it's not in my head or heart. As My Dog Brewski points out, if you're seeing it anyway then it suggests you may need to sort out your own thoughts and feelings.

Doktor Paulie said...

Right, Anon, we're all a bunch of ignorant bigots here, bitterly clinging to our Bibles and guns. You got that right.

That reminds me of a story. This guy has been hearing for some time that a REALLY mean man lives on his street. He inquires carefully about where this mean fellow lives and goes to see for himself. He knocks on the mean man's door and tells the guy that answers his business, straight out. The guy says, "ME!? I'm not the mean man, he lives across the street." "You moron!" the first guy says. "That's not where the mean man lives! That's where I live!"

What folks voted overwhelmingly for BO back in '08 simply because he was black? THOSE would be the racists. Meanwhile, Anon, you entirely missed the point. But thanks for the reference. As Day By Day points out today, wikipedia and the internet really ARE the future, and that's not good for those who like to think of themselves as progressive.

Doc - Northern Nevada said...

The way I see it ... this is just Obummers way of pimping to the Irish vote! Hoping some of us will be a 'bit too tipsy' to realize what he is doing and go ahead and vote for 'someone with roots in the old sod' ... he really has shown he believes he can get away with this crap! Sadly, in many areas of society - he already has. "I was once one of you ... Vote for me!"
Can't make this my usual lengthy diatribe, as I am off to work. Have to be sure and pay my 'fair share' so more of the left wing liberal welfare mongers can sit at home watching thier big screen TV's and get ready to gear up to campaign and get out the vote for the Obummer and his crew of socialists!
Disclaimer: Attention Anonymous above - there is / are no racially motivated comments, nor even hints of anything 'off color' in this post. Welfare mongers come in all colors, sizes and all shapes and are equally sucking this country dry ... directly pursuant to the teachings of Alinsky & friends!

Anonymous said...

Anon back again - yes, Lightening Up is what we all should do. A sitting U.S. President with legitimate ties to Ireland is stopping to pay his respects to the country of his ancestors. It's happened before and will likely happen again (i.e. Moneygall, Ballyporeen, etc.). There are 36 million Irish-Americans. Or maybe next time it will be Mexico or India. I can't wait to see how excited people get about that turn of events.

Just trying to point out that claiming "I'm not a racist! If you saw it in there means you must be the racist!!" is the kind of thing that makes people NOT listen to your valid complaints. This kind of stuff is going to "Peter and the Wolf" your voice right out of the debate. That's the beauty of where we live, everyone has permission to speak. You don't have to like it, but you must defend their right to speak it aloud.

Suzy said...

**** That's the beauty of where we live, everyone has permission to speak. You don't have to like it, but you must defend their right to speak it aloud.*****


Ummmm....exactly.

That's the point of this entire blog.

Doktor Paulie said...

Yup, Anon, that's just what today's cartoon and this whole blog are all about: lightening-up. But the assertion that daring to poke fun at The Chosen One will cause millions to not pay attention to the core message just doesn't wash. After the absurd and frequently despicable spew that the left vomited on Bush, Republicans, and Conservatives, those supposedly sensitive millions still voted for BO and other leftist candidates in '08. It didn't bother them a bit. The comparatively far more restrained and appropriate humor found here will truly bother only those who believe that The One is a sacred object, not to be mocked. Very few of them had or yet have any objection to the alleged humor aimed at Bush, Republicans, or Conservatives.

JustaJeepGuy said...

Well, @Anon, I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of the people who don't like Barack Hussein don't like his white side, either. And a LOT of those people will willingly vote for, say, Herman Cain--and would vote for him over most of the white candidates. Where's the racism? In the eye of the beholder, as always.

Andrew said...

Our First Black President is now into uncharted territory. Like some Star Trek alien shapeshifter, he is proudly black--unless he is suddenly in the mood to decide to be white (and not just white, but Irish--and 1930s John Huston late-show over-the-top Benny-Hill-sketch Irish to boot).

I'm not surprised the MSM is grateful for the junket while gushing over the Emperor's new wardrobe. I'm more surprised that no one at the WH realizes how surreally unhinged this looks to the undecideds and independents.

It's beyond Benny Hill. More like Monty Python. Or The Twilight Zone.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Anonymous- I don't have a problem with Obama exploring his Irish roots. Or celebrating his Muslim roots. Or proudly proclaiming that he's the adopted son of a Native American couple who renamed him "Barack Black Eagle." But I do have a problem with his disastrous policies and a mainstream media which is more interested in photo ops and feelgood campaign pieces than reporting on critical issues. Which was the point of today's commentary.

And you're right, I'm not going to waste much breath debating who is or isn't racist here; I've got over two years of cartoons and commentary showing that I'm not, and you've got a post or two which strongly hints that you've got (ahem) issues.

And yes, everyone in this country has permission to speak (and I do defend their right to do so, and have gone to a lot of effort to create and maintain a forum for that purpose), but that doesn't mean that anyone is free from criticism of their opinions in case of kinetic cranial-anal inversion. Which, by the way, explains the echo when you talk.

And seriously, Anon, what in the living hell does "Peter and the Wolf" your voice right out of the debate mean?

Game over. Pick up your lovely parting gifts at the door.

Bruce In KC said...

Stilt, by parting gifts you mean the 55 gallon drum of Preparation H and the case of 80 grit sandpaper, to be used together.

Pete(Detroit) said...

Stilt, I think he confused 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' w/ "Peter and the Wolf" - as I recall, (perhaps incorrectly - it HAS been a while) Peter was the HERO of that tale, the wolf got killed, and the animals that were eaten, rescued.
Wish we could do that w/ my paycheck.
"Boy who cried wolf" was a cautionary tale about making up wild stories (accusations) for the sake of attention, and people quit paying attention to you. Kind of like playing the race card at any criticism of the Prez...???

"echo when you talk" - LOVE it, gonna have to remember that one...

WMD said...

Stilt,
Thanks for your last comment to Anon. I read and re-read her posts several times. To me it appears to be one non-sequitur after another.
All I got from it was that it was a not so veiled attempt to smear you as a racist. I guess. I can't really tell for sure.

Meanwhile, across the street and 600 miles to the west, I have a dream that one day someone who is a racist is someone who likes NASCAR.

Oh, wait, I guess that's not a good metaphor. I'm sure Anon thinks NASCAR fans are all racists (the bad kind).

Colby said...

Boy, Stilton, you stirred the pot past boiling yet again. Congratulations!

And you once again proved that "The Annointed One's" followers have only two responses to every criticism of their messiah. "Bush did it," or "Racism, racism racism!"

And, seriously, I don't think any of us has a problem with BO visiting Ireland and having a little fun. It's actually sort of cool in a way, but.... He took a giant dump on Israel, completely ignored what happened in Joplin, THEN flies off for a million dollar pint of f***ing Guinness. The guy is so wrapped up in himself, I really don't think he notices the big stuff. I don't think he gives a rat's ass about Israel, or Joplin, or Arizona being taken over by Mexican drug lords, or..... fill in the blank.

Pete(Detroit) said...

Colby, I'm just stunned that he has any supporters LEFT. Well, Other than ACORN, varous unions, and others he's bought.
And, of course, the die-hard socialists that really think gov't knows better how to spend your money than you do...
So, I guess, not really so surprised after all
>poutey face<

Anyway, speaking of AZ, rumor of the day is that the Palins have bought a place in Scottsdale, and she's thinking of running for US Senate... Like to see that, get her some 'legit' exposure, and 'traction' for a pres run later..

Anonymous said...

SJ - "Peter and the Wolf" is a classic Russian folktale. About a boy who is supposed to watch over the flock and protect them. He repeatedly calls for help from the village about a Wolf who isn't there. He enjoys the attention he gets from it so much that he keeps doing it. Then when the Wolf actually does show up, he gets eaten and no one listens to his calls for help because the villagers don't believe him any more.

Get it? You are Peter. Your noises are so ridiculous now that no one is going to be listening to you when you discover something that actually has some truth behind it. Well, there will be people listening to you but it'll just be a bunch of Peter's clamoring to get attention. No one will listen to you. No one will care about what you have to say because they will all think you don't have anything useful to contribute. For someone who knows the definition of "feigning," I would have thought you'd be able to follow the literary reference. You keep making noises about stuff that isn't really there and then when something actually goes down that really WILL crater this country into the ground....no one will be listening to you...

I'm done now. Insult away. You are actually good at it. It's very impressive. I mean, it's not like you've put this website out on the Internet where anybody can just wander in and comment on or criticize what you do here. Probably best to use your acerbic wit and command of the cunning insult to shut down voices and opinions contrary to your own.

Lighten up, indeed.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Anonymous- Yes, I know the story of "Peter and the Wolf" inside and out, and what you're referring to is "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." I guess as long as the story has a wolf in it, you don't really care about getting the details right.

And don't get all pissy and petulant saying that I'm trying to "shut down voices and opinions contrary to your own." I welcome other opinions and perspectives on politics and world events, and occasionally have even had my mind changed.

But the only opinion you offered is that I'm racist...and suggesting that I can't or shouldn't respond to that is nonsense.

By the way, if you want to man up and admit your "Peter and the Wolf" mistake in front of all the readers whose time you've wasted, I'll respect you a tiny bit more.

If not, I'd suggest you go back to your book of Fairy Tales and look up "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." I believe there's a picture of you under a bridge.

Anonymous said...

OK. I mis-spoke. Yes, I did mean "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." I'm sorry I mixed up my Fairytales. Yes, I made a mistake. But the point still remains....

I don't like what you have to say all the time. I would lay down my life to make sure you can say it. Sadly, I don't think most conservatives would do the same for someone who didn't follow their beliefs 100%. What's really sad to see is how quickly everyone piled on about the issue of race. Yes I did bring it up. I can't be the only one who could interpret using "dark" as part of the punchline in a joke about a black man as a veiled racial commentary. It's a poor argument to say that because I saw something in there I thought was a veiled racial comment, that that must be MY problem and not yours. You put these things out there without disclosing your entire thinking behind them. You can't be surprised that someone will interpret things in a fashion that is different than what you were thinking when you created it. Correct, there is no explicit racist reference in there. I apologize for insinuating that you, SJ, are racist.

Reading back through the comments, I love how many assumptions have been made about me. No one knows who I am. Yet no one hesitated to call me liberal or racist or, even a woman - as if all those terms are in an equal camp. So many voices all rising up against the one dissenter. All because I take issue with your attempt at humor in a comic strip. I'm anonymous. You have no idea what my beliefs are other than a difference on this one issue. I might even share some viewpoints with some of the commenters above. Do you see the problem with that? It's OK if y'all do it my direction, but there's no way you are going to stand for me doing the same. So I made a veiled attempt at calling you on my perception of racism. It appears I am wrong. How many of the above commenters would be willing to rescind what they said about me if they were proved wrong? There's an old saying about a pot and a kettle but I'll leave out the color part for fear that someone might think I've got race issues to deal with.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Anonymous- Okay, this is good. Now we're having a civilized conversation.

I'm never going to have enough space in either the cartoons or commentary to explain the reasoning behind every word that I put in. And some days, some people may not understand where I'm coming from. But if they read long enough, they should get an idea of who I am and what I believe, which should help clear up any gray areas.

You seem to think that referring to Michelle Obama as "dark" is unseemly (if not racist)...and I'll respectfully disagree. Saying that she's dark is no more racist than saying that Johnny Winter is pale...it's just a statement of fact. Is there extreme sensitivity in our culture when it comes to skin color? Sure, and I'd be an idiot not to be aware of it. But this president, more than any other, has turned people's fear of saying anything which could be racially misconstrued into a weapon, and I refuse to play his game. All I can do is not be racist...I can't change how others will choose to perceive me.

And you're right, it's interesting how people react (and make assumptions) absent complete information. I assumed you were not a liberal, but simply misguided. And I was actually writing a response to that effect when the "Peter and the Wolf" nonsense erupted and I got sidetracked.

If you read my commentary for today again, you'll see the whole point of it was that the press loves to report on trivia about this president while ignoring important news. That's it.

And I'll also suggest that if you read your very first response, you'll see that it was pretty inflammatory and could have been phrased better if your honest concern was (and is) the caution with which you think conservative opinions should be expressed.

This is a humor site...and humor can be a tricky and somewhat dangerous beast. And it's certainly possible that I could unintentionally cross lines of what's appropriate or permissible...but in my own mind, that didn't happen today.

So I hope you'll continue to visit, read the cartoons and commentary, and share your own opinions here - even the contrary ones. I'd like to think we can agree on some things and disagree on others without escalating things to a personal level.

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't he be researching his ancestors on his own dang dime?

Do you have a CLUE how much this obamanation jaunt is costing us? And for WHAT? What do WE gain from it?

I hate that jug eared quisling and his fugly beard.

pryorguy said...

Great stuff today, guys...apparently O'bama's got more roots than an elm tree!!

Doktor Paulie said...

Sorry, Anon, it doesn't wash. Whatever your opinion on everything else is, on this issue you have the same, or very nearly the same, opinion as the average leftist: that Obama is sacred and no mocking of him or spoofing of him is valid. This in contrast to their own continual spewing against Bush, Republicans, and Conservatives, where nothing is off limits. The complete hypocrisy is amazing. I presume, of course, from your protestations that you are outraged by the incivility of those leftists.

You and certainly the leftists, might like to think that poking fun of The Anointed One in certain ways, which you define, is taboo, and certainly the leftists hope to sell that absurd line so as to silence or nullify all effective criticism.Their first charge is always, "Racism!" They will not succeed because most Americans have a good fund of that commodity which is so rare on the left: common sense. They can tell if someone is making a racist comment or not, if someone is a bigot or not, if someone lacks a sense of proportion or not.

Ultimately, facts, logic and plain common sense will defeat the left, and those who either have or feign a finely-tuned hyper-sensitivity (at least in the PC dimension) in a desperate search for offense will have to get used to no longer dictating the agenda.

A thick skin is always a handy thing to have.

Doktor Paulie said...

Having a thick skin, by the way, is why I'm pretty sure everyone reading this blog today enjoyed the comments of Anonymous. But he/she/it has GOT to work on a better handle! Not to be critical.

Pete(Detroit) said...

Stilt - I'm kinda surprised Anon didn't call you out for being 'fattist' - Michelle may have a double wide caboose, but I don't think that really (quite) qualifies her as "stout"... some of the rest of her parts (see especially her upper arms) are quite svelte.
Just saying.
Not that *I* would want to wake up next to her, but that's you know, the whole 'bitter' thing.

Earl said...

Anonymous - Thank you for owning up to your mistake about "Peter and the Wolf." But please take a deep breath before you comment in the future and spend some time with past Hope n' Change cartoons and commentary. As Stilton says, humor can be very tricky, especially sarcasm. It can be light, barbed, or downright dark and nasty. And sometimes it dances around all three. Look for consistency and facts to back up the humor. And always do a personal integrity check before accusing others of bias or whatever. As a two-time voter for George Bush I could laugh at jokes made about him if they were grounded in a bit of fact and were funny. Most were simply malicious. You won't read things like that here.

Andrew said...

Anonymous trolls who attach themselves to a blog in hopes of hijacking the thread are like unwanted insect bites.
They go away faster if you don't keep scratching them.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@sablegsd- Obama's trip isn't actually for genealogy research. He's previously trotted out the Irish/Moneygall connection every St. Patrick's Day (which is why I had to invent the "stout" joke for today...I'd already used all the "Money/Gall" and "Shamrock Obama" jokes in previous cartoons). The actual purpose of the trip is to appeal to Irish-American voters, which is a much more responsible use of our tax money.

@Pete(Detroit)- I'll go on the record as saying that Michelle Obama is not fat (a point which Mrs. Jarlsberg also called to my attention). And fitness-wise, she could probably run laps around me on a track. Now that I think of it, I'm stout and my sense of humor is dark and bitter. I'm hoist on my own petard.

@Earl- Thanks for "getting it." I owe you a beer.

@Andrew- I agree that Dancing With Trolls is a bad idea (though it was a great Kevin Costner film), but I didn't - and don't - necessarily think that was what was going on here today.

If someone on "our side" says something racially ugly, it hurts our cause...and it's appropriate for us to speak up and condemn those words. And that may have been what Anonymous thought he/she was doing, without knowing me or this site well enough to realize that the accusation was premature and unjustified.

I won't put up with trollish behavior for long, but I'd always like to try to establish honest communication with someone if they're open to it.

Earl said...

Stilton. A free beer? I'd love one. Only, I like my beer cold. And I'm not referring to our First Lady.

Bobo said...

I am not always particular savvy on political humor. The reason I like Hope n' Change is because Stilton usually explains what the comic is about and provides links to back up his work. I also like the banter back and forth between the regular readers and their comments. But, it sure is easy to pick out the first of second timer who may have stumbled across this strip and how defensive they are about O'blah-blah-blah (notice how I clevely made his name Irish.) As said, if someone were to follow the strip regularly they would soon come to realize Stilton is not a racist. As I have written before..."funny is funny, no matter what the subject is." If someone can't find a shred of comedy in something they're missing out.

Doktor Paulie said...

Hello, friends!

I note that a couple of my posts from earlier today have apparently been deleted. I'm amazed, but I guess using offensive terms succh as c****n s***e, f***s, and l***c, just aren't allowed by the sensitive and concerned censors at this blog spot. Clarity in describing the left may also not be allowed so perhaps it was the terms s**w or a****d that tripped the delete alarm. Oh, well. As long as we are our own worst enemies, what do the socialists have to worry about?

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Bobo- I want people to enjoy the cartoons here, and I also want to vent my own opinions in the commentary. But that being said, it would be stupid for me to hope or expect that people would return day after day just because I have an attitude and a nearly endless supply of clip-art.

Rather, I try to say something of value and explain where I'm coming from, and add links so that people can see the news sources that are shaping my opinions, whether they agree with them or not.

Humor is hard...and creating humor that carries a serious message is harder still. But because I appreciate readers like you, I take that responsibility seriously and try to do my best.

@Doktor Paulie- Yeesh, what a freakin' day! I just looked in Blogger's mysterious spam folder, and sure enough a couple of your comments had ended up in there. As I've said before, I have no control over what Blogger's spam filter grabs, nor can I turn it off (and oh, how I'd love to!)

And reading your posts (which have now been restored) I can't find any potential triggers which would have caused a problem. Still, I apologize for the inconvenience, and concede that it's awfully hard to accurately depict our opposition without inserting at least mild profanity from time to time (which you didn't).

For the record, if anyone posts a comment and it disappears, please let me know and I'll go looking for it. I've only nuked comments once or twice...it's not my style.

WMD said...

Stilt,
One last thing from me for today. I'm assuming Anon is not participating anymore, but when it comes to humor I like to use a concept neo-comms don't seem to grasp. It's called giving someone the benefit of the doubt.
That being said, I'm sure this Anon would call HnC an echo chamber. Yeah, and.....? That's one of the the many things I like about it. We're mostly a group of like minded individuals who share some banter. In a mostly humorous tone. Are other opinions welcome? Of course, absolutely. I have also had my mind changed as well. But if you come in here and make a phony fuss you' d better wear a cup.

Doktor Paulie said...

Yawn! Headed for bed here; us old dogs need our beauty sleep. I'm still mystified over the spam filter and why it deleted my earlier marvelous comments, but life happens. Thanks for restoring them, SJ! Tomorrow is another day, as Scarlet said. Oh, but everybody in Missouri and Illinois take cover! That h**l that hit OK earlier is headed your way. Incoming! God be with you all.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Robert- The goal of Hope n' Change isn't to be an echo chamber, but of course the majority of people who come here are going to be one who find that they're in general agreement with much of what is said. And again, I try to bolster my opinions with fact-based links. And mirth!

@Doctor Paulie- Wish I could decipher the spam filter myself, but Blogger makes it impossible to do so (quite logically; they don't want actual spammers to figure out how to get around it). So I'm sorry your comments weren't posted in a timely way, but at least they're up now - where they will remain.

And yes, here's hoping that tonight's storms are less damaging than the others that have ravaged our country. I'm only just now getting the "all clear" in my area after tornado warnings and reports of grapefruit-sized hail. Scary.

Emmentaler Limburger said...

Isn't dark a reference to color? Like dark beer? Dark chocolate? Why is it that applying that term to ones skintone it is considered rascist, rather than descriptive?

Many, many people just need to get over themselves. Really.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Emmentaler- There's a GREAT article by Shelby Steele in today's Wall Street Journal about how Barack Obama's race makes him somewhat radioactive when it comes to criticism, or even something that could be construed as criticism...all of which gives him an unfair edge in the 2012 election.

Steele, who is black, says that "Republicans will have to break through the barrier of political correctness."

So yes, "dark" is simply descriptive... not racist. And in my opinion, one of the best ways to address racism is to have open discussions about it instead of cowering while the other side defines the debate in dishonest ways.