My humble request re: Ann Coulter.

[StellaBlue]

Let's stop talking about her.

That's what she wants.

Write letters to the media to protest, definitely, but let's stop the Coulter-fest here on DU. We have more important things to talk about. Sure, she's a symptom, but we can't make her shut up. We should just apply REAL pressure, where we can, and leave it at that.

This reminds me of a billboard I saw in Houston today as I was leaving town, still high from meeting President Gore:

KNTH Talk Radio - Liberals Hate It!

Let's not hand out free orgasms to the freepers.

[Libby2]

1. I humbly agree. (nt)

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. My only problem with that sentiment is

that if I didn't hear about the Lou Dobbs interview today (here), I wouldn't know to never listen to his show again. Discourse does serve a purpose, at times.

[WiseButAngrySara]

6. Please keep this kicked until a DU author shows up!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1386122

Let's BLAST Lou. Ann is truly not worth the attention.

[Kurovski]

9. It would be more constructive to thank Lou for taking on

the election machines.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x432412

[WiseButAngrySara]

13. But he discussed it only in terms of a foreign country owned voting

machine company, not at all about the RNC owned Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia! He just flamed the fans of hatred for Chavez, IMO.

[Kurovski]

21. No. You are incorrect.

And it is an ongoing series.

Criminy, did you even read the link? It's written by an election activist who's already been on the Dobbs show once and is, with her organization, in communication with the Dobbs show reporters.

If you don't hear enough about Diebold, why not write Dobbs and ask him, as the post suggests? More wisdom than anger expressed in the letter might actually be helpful.

If you'd rather stick it to Dobbs and get your ya's ya's out with a rant that he'll just ignore: go to. You've got plenty of company with RW Republicans who also want Lou to STFU.

[Gabi Hayes]

26. never mind

[Kurovski]

28. "...all these machines are insecure and unverifiable,

putting Democracy at risk." -Lou Dobbs

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x432412

[Gabi Hayes]

29. well, I can't find any mention of Dobbs talking about ESS or Diebold,

so far.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:_ie_f82oXWQJ:www.bradblog.com/archives/00002913.htm+dobbs+ES%26S,+Sequoia+Diebold&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

I hope you're right, and there's more coverage, but the transcript at the link above mentions ONLY Sequoia

got any specific mentions of the others

please

[Gabi Hayes]

30. start at post number 29...I'm not the only one who can't find mention

of the other companies

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1340762#1340762

[Kurovski]

35. I guess that depends on what the meaning of "all", is.

"ALL these machines are insecure and unverifiable" (caps mine)

The series is on-going. Joan states that they are making headway with The Dobbs staff in the OP, she requests that we write the show.

You can write a polite request that Dobbs covers, in depth and specifically, Diebold and ES&S.

Dobbs is having his eyes opened, and I don't believe he intends to shut them.

But that's not a guarantee.

[LeftNYC]

2. I will agree...

I started many threads about Coulter because she gets my blood boiling-which is her intent-and I posted a couple of days ago that if we ignored her would she go away. I didnt listen to my own thread in this case.

The more we rant and rave the more the more they will have her on for the ratings. And she is allowed her opinion, however cruel and Nazi-like it may be.

Let her die. Let her face herself in the mirror everyday. And allow the people she attacks to attack back.

For everyone's sake, maybe she'll get convicted on this voting charge.

[WiseButAngrySara]

4. I agree! She feeds on attention, and apparently not much bread (though

I've heard she vomits whatever bread she ingests, anyhow!)

But, let's blast Lou Dobbs with DU umbrage and wrath!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1386122

[nancyr]

5. I totally agree!

The best way to handle this shrieking bimbo is to ignore her. As long as she's getting all the free publicity...she won't shut up. I am sick to death of reading about her.....she's insane. Let's give it a rest.

[Kurovski]

7. K&R

Enough is enough, multiple threads emerging that are shedding zero light. Everyone of them could be easily consolidated into one.

Coulter would have multiple orgasms from all the attention.

[Swamp Rat]

8. "Coulter would have multiple orgasms"

:puke:

[Kurovski]

10. Real "bone-rattlers", she might even crack a hip.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kurovski]

16. The title already has me laughing!

Stop making me look at Coulter stuff!

The funniest porn I've seen in a while. But I don't believe one word of it...Coulter would have done HIM up the bum.

Okay, okay, now see...we've just given Ann another free "wet & wild".

This has to stop. :-) :puke:

[Swamp Rat]

18. LOL! OK... one more:

:D

I'm sure you've seen this, but I might as well use it before Coulter falls down the public memory hole. :D

[Kurovski]

22. Oh, that's an old one Swamp!

Your new one gets Ann just right. :-)

[fearthem]

11. That's right, let's make her irrelevant, she'll get worse to draw ...

out attention!

[DesertRat]

14. Amen

[fearthem]

15. kick

[mcscajun]

17. Excellent point.

And this is my last post on the subject of the leggy insect...the one that doesn't scurry From the Light, but INTO IT.

[Joe Fields]

19. Stella, your humble wish is my command. n/t

[mtnsnake]

20. No, we need to always educate those who aren't yet aware

of what a mindless monster she is.

To stop talking about that asshole would be the same as being complacent...like saying, hey, you don't matter, Ann. The fact is, Coulter does matter because she's an enemy, and whenever she opens her mouth she needs to be put in her rightful place by us.

Let's stop talking about her

It'll never happen

[Kurovski]

24. But why not just post to the one thread instead of

polluting the board with seven new posts, all the same? Remember the suggestion that a "good DUer" checks to see if their topic has already been posted? It's a simple matter of etiquette.

[necso]

23. The disproportionality of it all is

rather troubling.

But this is how things go here -- and in larger America.

People are overly-influenced by the corporate media, and they have little discipline and self-control, little sense of perspective and proportion, etc.

It's rather troubling.

And there are all those trolls, playing to our weaknesses.

[Kurovski]

27. There are also trolls who are out to kill EVERY message Lou Dobbs

is bringing to the airwaves. I know there are DUer's with legitimate and serious disagreements with Mr.Dobbs, but there are others who have appeared since the Dubai ports deal attempting to crush everything Dobbs says.

Interesting to note that Dobbs is beginning a series in earnest about the disaster to Democracy known as "machine voting".
The vendors of those multi-million dollar companies have "PR" folks all over the internet.

[Gabi Hayes]

31. pretty sweeping statement there. got any specifics?

trolls? pretty strong condemnation.

just because Dobbs has done a very few good things doesn't alter the fact that he's a dyed in the wool conservative ideologue

you castigate others for not being up on the voting machine fiasco...did you see his slobbering, embarrassing 'interview' with Coulter?

[Kurovski]

34. I'll watch the rerun tonight. I was out of the house when it ran.

I admit that it may steam me, too. But I know Dobbs is polite to everyone. Even when he's disagreeing. When Michael Moore was on one could almost say he "slobbered" up to him as well.

I might be disappointed. After all, what Coulter said was vile. I'm pretty sure 96% of the Dobbs audience will see that on their own.

I've disagreed with Dobbs, and will again. But, I find him to be just about the only conservative commentator worth listening to. My own personal bullshit meter rarely goes off around Dobbs, and years of watching has convinced me of his general honesty and concern for the truth.

I know we have DUers who just plain despise Dobbs, who are convinced he is a racist. We also have something of a consensus in Election reform that there are voting Machine vendors' advocates spread here and there on the web. Certainly they will be chiming in against Dobbs along with other DUer's--such as yourself, who find Dobbs unworthy of our time and attention--to cut into any audience he may gain from his new series on voting machines.

I don't at all mind people giving their views on Dobbs, but when some start telling (or implying that) the Dobbs audience are "gullible, stupid, naive, fickle, or racist ourselves, well, the whole thing just falls to hell. It smacks of the same intimidating groupthink that the Right-Wing is so fond of.

And here I want to point out that I've never seen that sort of attack from you, Gabi Hayes. :hi:

[necso]

32. I've never seen Lou Dobbs.

And I have no first-hand idea what he stands for. (And, frankly, I largely despise and ignore the corporate-media.)

But he does seem to be something of a right-winger, and it seems natural that there are many on this board who would oppose him in detail. But if he's cozying up to that hateful, divisive, treasonous monster, then it's simply impossible to cast this in a favorable light. But then, I see the great bulk of the American people as having little in common with the establishment-elite types, no matter how much they pander to (ie, exploit) us.

Personally, I'm generally in favor of bashing neocons at every good opportunity, ignoring allies when they misstep a little, hammering them when they misstep too far, treating all others as to our benefit -- and treating all things with utile perspective and proportion, etc.

[Kurovski]

37. Lou Dobbs is not a Neo-Con. That's something generally agreed upon here.

he does criticize Bush with some frequency.

He is also exceedingly polite. Always. I'm going to have to see for myself tonight. I will also consider the choice of viewer's letters' he makes to read tomorrow a part of the coulter visit--or rather, an extension.

[defiant1]

25. Ann Coulter?

Sorry doesn't ring a bell.

d1

[stevedeshazer]

33. I started a similar thread last night

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1378212

[necso]

38. Not to be critical

(I appreciated your effort, as I saw it amidst my connection difficulties), but counteracting a thread-wave has a great deal to do with timing. It's somewhat like driving back a pendulum -- the same effort (and amount of effort) has more effect as the swing weakens. Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have made, or make in the future, such attempts at counteracting inutile thread-waves -- indeed, by all means please do so -- just that timing will generally have a great deal to do with the effectiveness of any attempt.

Moreover, I'm not saying that this is a good time -- I've been too preoccupied with other matters to get a good sense of things here. (Plus, I'm currently exploring the practical utility of my dialup, so an opportunity to post is timely to me anyway.)

Generally, however, there will be an outburst of initial threads, then a moment when you can hope to appeal to those who have been holding out -- but who are weakening -- keep others from getting riled up and personally involved, and to cool down those whose excitement is waning ("Can we please get back to business, friends."). And, of course, every event has unique characteristics to some degree. Plus, there are usually some johnny-come-lately's -- and those who just can't (ever) let it go.

Myself, I've largely given up on trying to influence such things. But at such times we sorely miss those members who might have some balancing influence.

...

My dialup just cut me off (it didn't seem to be because of inactivity -- I must monitor this). Boy, it'd be nice if I can resurrect my DSL. But it appears that I can manage whether or not this happens.

Besides, dialup can be used on (most) any phone line.

[stevedeshazer]

39. Whut?

Your post resembles a letter I got from someone I fired after a couple of weeks of drinking.

You're not Robert, are you?

[necso]

40. I'm suggesting that

your post yesterday might have been too early to have much effect. These outbreaks typically run strong for a while, then weaken. By (hopefully accurate, anyway) observation, when they are weaker, they are easier to counteract. (I guess I'm assuming that you were trying to counteract the ann-virus outbreak.)

And I'm saying that, in any case, I was having connection difficulties, so I couldn't respond, although I thought your post a good thing, due reinforcement.

Plus, I'm wondering why I haven't seen Will Pitt (and other long-term members) posting here much (I could have missed it, of course) -- I've seen him attempt to counteract such things before with some effect.

I was rather rambling, but having lost my DSL (for all practical purposes) has me thinking about losing my internet connection completely, so I'm probably rushing posts. Generally, I take a great deal of editing.

And no, I'm not Robert.

It's been many years since I stayed drunk that long.

[stevedeshazer]

44. Fair enough

As long as you're not Robert! :)

[Rex]

36. How can you not talk about a female version of Hitler?

I swear the stuck Hitler's brain in Coulter's body! A one woman army of hate and malice.

[OneBlueSky]

41. attention whores LIVE for attention . . .

and we're giving her plenty of it . . .

deprive an attention whore of the attention she craves and she either withers on the vine or goes completely batshit . . .

either would be fine with me . . .

[grace0418]

42. Oh trust me, she's already batshit...

but I know what you're saying.

[walldude]

43. While I think we over do it here on DU

ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away.

“Problems” by Joe Walsh/W. Arbuckle

Hey now, did you make a problem?
Didn’t want to solve.
Until you do you do, that’s the thing about them,
Still got them, problems.

Seems so small, they can tower over you.
Pile up, build a wall,
Around you, surround you, oh and how.
When you finally think they’re through,
So they follow, follow?
I wonder who can solve my problem.
Oh how about them?

Problems can wait,
Problems get solved
Problems relate,
Problems revolve around tense situations,
Tense situations left unresolved.
Something comes up, you get involved.
In justifications of foreign relations that have nothing to do,
No nothing at all with the problem.

Hey now did you ever have one,
Have a problem?
That you could not solve.
What did you do about them?
What did you do?
Did you try and close your eyes?
Put the blame on someone else?
But the problem follows you around and round,
Up and down until it takes up all your time.
Til it starts to bother you, til you start to lose your mind.
Your problems, they love it when you do they do too.

Problems that wait, never get solved.
Problems relate to and problems revolve around tense situations,
Tense situations, left unresolved.
When something comes up and got you involved with contradiction,
Fictional frictions that have nothing to do, no nothing at all with the problem.

Hey now, did you ever have one? Have a problem that you could not solve?
That’s the thing about them, problems.

Coulter is a problem.

[treestar]

45. We're not getting upset, we're making fun of her

People like her go away when they get a taste of their own medicine.

She's stupid, because she is so vulnerable to it. A right winger not married with children? LOL. She is an easy target. Of course she will whine like she's a victim, but it will just make her look pathetic.

She pretends she is a serious commentator and she needs to get a dose of how unseriously we take her. She is showing up on TV shows, so it's fair to comment on her being there as well as anyone else. And laugh our asses off at her. She thinks she is a threat - make it clear she is not.

[novalib]

46. The Weather Here in The DC Area........

The weather here in the DC area has been pretty nice the past few days.

Late this afternoon, there was a pretty severe thunderstorm that passed through the area.

Tomorrow and Sunday, the weather is supposed to be equally nice.

I wish my neighbors' dogs would not bark so late at night.

I think Bush sucks.