EducatedObserver's Comments (645)

“The WSJ and Peggy Noonan are hardly paragons of neutrality so what can you expect? One of the biggest right-wing extremists, Rupert Murdoch, formerly of Australia, owns the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Fox News, Times of London and more. His Hate America right-wing diatribes are legend.

President Barack Obama's "recent activities" do not include a genocidal war against a broken country, Iraq, a $1.35 trillion tax cut giveaway to the wealthiest 1% of the population, a house of cards economy that collapsed as a result of non-regulation and non-oversight of Wall Street Ponzi scheme hucksters and an administration that routinely practiced torture while shredding individual rights and freedoms under the aegis of religious authority and jingoistic threats against other countries while coddling dictators like Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf.”

“M. Levy isn't writing for an American audience. It's being translated into English from his other outlets.”

“I would go so far as to say Levy is showering Polanski with adulation with very little regard to facts.”

“A French intellectual doesn't need courage to take an unpopular stance. It's in the job description.

By the way, Levy's stance is deeply unpopular in ALL of America, and, from what I read, in all of France as well.”

“How so? Is Polanski guilty of rape? Is Polanski a fugitive from American justice? Where is the complexity of which you speak?”

“EducatedObserver: I have actually done some research on this topic. As I mentioned in another comment I made on this article, perhaps one of the more incredible conclusions I have been forced to draw is that becoming hysterical about "sending out signals" and about making clear that rape is a serious crime is actually having the opposite to intended effect on many children - that in force fitting a black and white picture to reality we as a society are actually unintentionally fostering the abuse of children rather than limiting it. When children apparently see the light and realise they were abused (a process which commonly takes weeks or months), we become ever more convinced we have done the right thing, and are encouraged to continue applying these techniques ever more vehemently.

This is why I am very vocal on this issue, and I am aware it can come across as unempathetic. However, I think one of the best things we could do to protect children is not to increase legislation further and further, but to simply take it upon ourselves to accept that, ok, some things may be irresponsible, but do not actually have to be abusive if we simply choose not to interpret them as such. This way we can focus on the real problems, rather than being sidetracked by more minor issues.”

“But the so-called "Rigid Parameters" are there for good reason. They aren't just rules made to be broken but adhered to because they protect.”

“rape is not abuse. rape is rape. rape is only 2nd to murder on the scale of horrific crimes

if legislating human behavior is necessary to make sure people understand that rape will not be tolerated, then so be it. this should not be a gray area. it is either consensual or it is not. minors cannot give concent. simple concept.

of course adolescent sexuality has significant gray areas. but that is for our culture and social systems to work on. that is for our adolescents to figure out. adolescents can "discover" whatever they need from counselors, teachers, and experimenting amongst themselves. they don't need an adult to come into the mix and take advantage of ignorance and sully someone's childhood.

of course intellectuals need to explore and make people think. they just can't use actual adolescents or children to do it. i know i know, it makes the research hard, but that is how it has to be. and intellectuals do not get any "get out of jail free" cards or "one free criminal act" passes.”

“With regards to that recent most embarrassing revelation­.... Most climate change believers here and everywhere think thusly:

"Don't bother me with the facts; my mind is made up"”

“If I was a climate change denier, I would hardly use an article by Monbiot to further my cause. he is probably the most knowledgeable person in the media on subject of global warming and an advocate for the strongest possible action to be taken. Nothing in the article indicates that he is changing his mind. He is critical of how scientists and other concerned groups handled the p.r. blitz by climate change deniers. He feels there were a couple of letters that were badly worded, but he hardly takes a position that we are not facing the worst crisis in human history. These e-mails do nothing to change the scientific consensus.”

“You need to change your screen name.”

“How quickly it changes from 'Muslim' to immigrant - which highlights the fact that this is about race and xenophobia, not religion. In Europe, anyone with Black or Brown skin is a 'Muslim' (even if they're Buddhist or Hindu), and a 'foreigner' even if they and even their parents were born in Europe.”

“the original sentient inhabitants of europe were neanderthals. they were exterminated by modern man. if you take this logic to the extreme then no human has the right to live in europe.”

“are these not free countries?!”

“uh, educated, which indigenous European populations are you referring to?”

“Talk about stating the obvious. Sheesh.”

“Wow! This person knows how to inject so many fascinating words! Axiomatic! Maladroit! And, and, all this while only speaking metaphorically!

Impressive, O' Educated Observer you!”

“Wow that's some revisionist history. So France is correcting an "imbalance" is it. And where did most of these "guests" come from? Maybe some of these European countries should have thought twice before becoming UNINVITED "guests" in a lot of African and Asian countries. You reap what you sow ...”

“thank you. a point i have argued with european liberal democrats for years now. multi-culturalism is an utter failure and will lead to the displacement and marginalisation of diminished indigenous populations. history continues to repeat itself.
if people need to immigrate, which i believe some must, let it be to a pluralistic society whose foundations are immigration (albeit colonial) i.e. the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, etc.”

“Multiculturalism is not the cause of these problems, the problem is religious fundamentalism. People posting here can be broken down into 2 camps:

one: immigrants are vile roaches and argue against multiculturalism
two: (correct in my opinion) that the religious zealots that are the problem”

“Exactly. I subscribe to the idea that the liberals don't have quite enuf willingness to make utter fools of themselves. Beck certainly doesn't care. *haha”

“You have no say ..you voted for Palin and Mac”

“They were there first and, as Chrisitans do, welcomed immigrants into their communities.

Islam prides itself on its hospitality. It should also learn how to be a gracious guest.”

“And we have WHO to blame for our 'foolishly and naively promoting an over-simplistic idea of "multiculturalism" whilst at the same time ignoring the conventions of their indigenous population­s'.???
It is no different here...we are just larger and a few years behind them.”

“I'm so glad she did go on Oprah. And what other show could she go on? No other show has the quality, status, compassion & dignity to do justice to her husband's memory. There is no greater platform than the Oprah Winfrey Show.”

“McCain had absolutely no clue on how to deal with the economy. His choice for Sec. or the Treasury was Phil Gramm, the guy that created the Enron loophole that created the debacle that was Enron. Biden has spent a lot of time with "hoof-in-mouth" since assuming the VICE-presidency and Hillary...­I still think she felt that the American people OWED her the Presidency. Personally, I have had enough Clintons and Bushes or Bushes and Clintons or Clintons in Bushes for that matter. Lets get away from the plutocracy that the American political process has devolved into.”

“"Superior?"”

“Your presumptuous handle is not well represented by meager analysis of Obama. With a name like "EducatedObserver" one would expect a more nuanced view of the possibilities and problems facing a president. It would also seem that your a bit premature in writing off this presidents fortunes as having "declined". As any educated observer of politics will tell you, polls are snapshots of opinion. Lets see what happens when a health care bill is passed, an Afghanistan strategy put forward...­Public opinion is fickle and subject to rapid change.”

“Its easier to do nothing like the last administration. Making improvements and change is difficult.

If the President can push through healthcare reform that decreases costs to businesses over the next 10 - 20 years, pushes through retool of the economy to refocus on high tech and green jobs, gets our combat military out of Iraq and Afghanistan before the next presidential election .. Obama will go down in history as one of the most forward thinking, effective Presidents in history.”

“And George Bush was selected for not being Bill Clinton. Remember Bush's speech about bringing honor back to the White House (smirk) ...hasn't been seen since before Clintons B J.
Obama is just a different way to be a dreadful president. If he was seen to be hands-on, and involved, he'd still have my support.

No such luck. Obama's too cool to get involved.”

“Your entire post is completely inaccurate, especially your claim that Obama was elected because of his colour (sic). Last time I checked, neither Colin Powell or Condi Rice ran for office or even indicated a desire to run, demonstrating further, as if we needed more proof, that your entire post is merely wishful thinking.”

“I voted for Obama but would have absolutely voted for Colin Powell given the choice.”

“It might be because of that recent poll in which Stewart was voted the most trusted name in news. I believe Time Magazine ran it in July.

Even "serious" people as you call them can tell that a favorable appearance on Stewart's show could help them. After all, according to our resident foxbots, ratings are all that matter right?”

“That's slick backhanded compliment there, sparky. "Serious" people go on his show because they're so full of themselves that they think they can walk away without having been shown up. Stewart still runs rings around them.”

“Equating the "losing side's" feelings about '08 with those of '00 is outrageous, and suggests the air of indifferent observer you try to project is a malicious conceit.”

“weight and gender identification have nothing incommon "educatedobserver"”

“I think Chaz means that when Charity realized she liked girls, she became a lesbian. Then, when Charity realized that she like girls, but from a perceived male perspective, she decided that she had to become a he and would then be heterosexual.”

“and educatedobserver wouldn't write this utter rubbish...
but a clueless shallow person would...”

“EducatedObserver, you don't sound educated when you talk this way. Maybe an articulation thing in expressing himself, or maybe an exploratory thing for Bono, but gosh, give the guy a break.

Have a little compassion.”

“If gender identity has nothing to do with sexual orientation, then why did Chaz take his orientation as evidence for his gender?”

“"Christmas is as much a cultural and sociological part of the American nation's fabric, as it is religious celebratio­n."

To christians, maybe! Are you one of those people that is genuinely confused as to why not everyone has a christmas tree?
I wish peeple would say pretending it is some secular holiday that all people celebrate. It has 'christ' in the name of the holiday!”

“I have been asking if they had an opportunity to meet and am grateful that HuffPo reported it.....”

“It's HuffPos web space and they can do with it what they want. They don't need your OK.

I find it interesting enough to come to this blog as well as 223 others, so far. Including yourself.”

“I was thinking the same thing. what a fluff piece.”

“Guess you need to change your blog name to something else. You are educated in what, the classics?

Our President's background and influences are very important in knowing to make a decision as to how we will vote.”