News Roundup for 8/16/10

Reid, shown deciding whether to be a coward or just spineless

-Headline of the day-
"Reid calls for mosque to be built 'someplace else'."

No profile in courage here. From Reid spokesperson Jim Manley:


The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else. If the Republicans are being sincere, they would help us pass this long overdue bill to help the first responders whose health and livelihoods have been devastated because of their bravery on 9/11, rather than continuing to block this much-needed legislation.


In other words, freedom of religion is great and all, just not in certain places. This what's called "having your cake and eating it too." Logically speaking, it doesn't work so well. Nice of him to get a jab in at the GOP's hypocrisy of freaking out over a mosque in the Ground Zero neighborhood, while denying health care to 9/11 first responders.

Almost makes the craven political cowardice seem palatable. Almost. (Plum Line)


-It's still stupid-
Rush Limbaugh displayed his masterful grasp of all things foreign when he suggested that a Muslim community center within walking distance from Ground Zero would be like putting a Hindu shrine at Pearl Harbor. Because that would be really offensive.

No, really. I can prove it.

Bonus fun: if someone wanted to put up at Walmart at the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, only liberals would be against it. Because we're crazy. Does anyone have actual proof that Rush has ever stopped doing drugs?

Anyway, what Rush is trying to get at here is that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Hindu is Japanese, so... And you see the problem. After a while, so did Rush. "I said a Hindu temple at Arizona memorial," he later clarified. "I meant Shinto shrine. Hindus are Indian."

Well, Indian or Beatles. But close enough for talk radio bullshit. A Shinto shrine at Pearl Harbor would be the worst thing ever and no one, absolutely no one, would ever stand for it!

It's a great theory, until you consider there is a Shinto shrine next to Pearl Harbor.

You tried to fix it Rush, but it's still fucked up. (Media Matters)


-Bonus HotD-
"Record Highs Outpace Record Lows."

Let me pre-spin this for the wingnuts: "Oh no! Even the weather is falling for the global warming hoax!" (Talking Points Memo)