Brain Lemon

Before I write anything here, let me make one thing clear.  I have no illusions about the fact that there are some things that, even if they are right, cannot or should not be said for political reasons.  We live in the real world and public figures cannot always say what they honestly think because the political reality is what it is.  Numerous figures have learned this lesson the hard way, most recently Rand Paul who, after making what he viewed as valid comments on the Civil Rights Act, was blasted from all corners.  Paul got a very quick tutorial on what you can and cannot say, and that what you feel is not always appropriate for public viewing.

In this light, when we come today to Rep. Barton’s comments defending BP, I am fully aware that his comments are very likely stupid and damaging, from a political sense.  The media and the left are already using them as a platform to deride Republicans as friends to Big Oil, and other GOP members are making distance from Barton.  What I want to cover is, then, whether Barton’s comments, existing outside of a political spectrum, have any worth to them.  I think looking at this is a good lesson on our current realities and what it means for those who might believe things that are not popular or well-accepted.

To begin, I do think Barton, however inelegantly, may have a point.  The behavior of the Obama team regarding BP has been aggressive and often bullying.  By no means should BP be immune from being treated harshly – their mistakes are going to cause massive damage and cost to the Gulf region.  But doesn’t there come a point where things are pushed too far?  I know it may make political sense and be popular, but does the Obama administration have the right to force them to pay into a fund without any kind of legal backing to do so?  In short, can they essentially do whatever they feel like, given that the public accedes to it?

I realize this point is mainly theoretical, as reality is what it is, and as I said above, Rep. Barton’s comments may certainly be seen as stupid and foolish.  But given how the Obama administration has behaved, I think there is something to be said for standing up for BP a little, however hard it may be and however ignominious BP may be at this point.  We would be wise to understand that at some point, principles have to be worth something.  I don’t know if this is the best example, as BP is considered such a bad guy at this point, but I feel like the point has to be made that we should not let politics make us afraid to say what is true.  In this instance, if the Obama administration is indeed acting illegally, I think we should say so.  We can’t just let them do what they want out of fear of being attacked.

I say all of this because I feel we have a group in power now whose first instinct is to pounce and savage opponents.  They have shown no regard for law or process.  We need to at some point realize this and understand that their goal is in fact to terrify us into not stating the truth.  Regardless of the specific instance at hand, we must realize that these guys are essentially bullies, and mentally prepare for what will surely be many battles ahead.  By standing on principle we can show them to be what they are.

Sometimes you can’t come up with a topic that deserves an entire blog entry by itself.  This has been the case this past week or so.  I’ve had a few ideas but nothing that I thought could produce a whole entry.  Thus, I am introducing Quick Hits, essentially a series of brief comments about various subjects.

• First of all, I would like to follow up on the comments being made across many of the blogs I follow regarding the flooding disaster in Nashville (and Middle Tennessee at large).  To put in mildly, the pictures have been shocking, and yet it has hardly been mentioned across the media.  The current damage total is exceeding $1b and will surely climb – to my knowledge much of the city is still flooded.  I want to thank my Twitter friends for their updates on the situation.  I think a large part of the reason the media seem to be ignoring it is because it doesn’t suit one of their narratives.  Unlike New Orleans they can’t make a point about racism or an incompetent Republican president.  The people of Nashville seem to be helping each other out and taking care of themselves.
• I also have had some time to think about the Arizona immigration law.  The insane and ignorant comments of a number of people on the Left caused me to seriously look at my own position.  There is nothing like agreeing with Al Sharpton to make you rethink things.  Now, I still think it’s a bad law.  It is ripe for abuse and will likely catch mainly the most harmless of illegal aliens.  But the idea that this somehow is violently racist or Nazi-like is freaking insane.  People are asked for their “papers” all the time, and as I understand it, with the new amendments to the law it can only be during another police action and something like a driver’s license would suffice.  I don’t see it as especially Hitleresque when I’m asked for my ID at the bar because I look young.  So please, can we stop with the insane rhetoric?
• Media ignorance has also been on full display lately.  In an audio byte that’s making the rounds, MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer explains her exasperation that the Times Square bomber ended up being Pakistani.  I think it in a nutshell summed up both the extreme PC side of the media that hates taking about Muslim terrorism, and the nasty side that wanted the bomber to be a Tea Partier.  This was expressed perfectly by the idiotic, despicable mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who suggested the bomber was someone who was “mad about the health care bill.”  Another example of media malfeasance?  This past Sunday’s exceptionally left-leaning panel on ABC’s this week, as pointed out over at Jimmie Bise’s blog.  From my view, Bill Maher is one of the most atrocious human beings out there and has no place anywhere respectable, but he wasn’t even the most liberal member there (that likely goes to Katrina vanden Heuvel).  The panel was basically three far-leftists, one left-leaning moderate, and George Will.  The fact that this seemed balanced shows a great deal about the MSM.
• Finally, a brief word of warning to some of my brethren.  I think we need to avoid becoming like the Left was during the Bush administration – obsessively negative, not even giving Obama the slightest bit of slack.  Now, I believe Obama has been terrible in many ways, and I also believe he actively resents criticism.  But I will always recall a statement I read years ago regarding Keith Olbermann’s treatment of Bush – that he doesn’t even give Bush the “benefit of humanity.”  That is, people like Olbermann did not even treat Bush like he was a human being, but rather some sort of evil demon.  We must avoid doing the same with Obama, as much as we dislike him.  Let’s be careful about saying some things, like suggesting he bombed the oil rig in the Gulf, wants Americans to be killed by terrorists, or similar things.  Let’s squash the poisonous birther nonsense, not even giving it the slightest credence.  By doing so, we maintain credibility, which is crucial when we are trying to convince independents.