I Don't Get the Joke

The mind of the bigot is like the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour upon it, the more it will contract. - Oliver Wendell Holmes -

Aaron Halliday insists that he is not a bigot. He is the owner of Checker Cab in Bloomington, Illinois, and recently came under fire for putting up a sign containing the following quote in front of his business:

"Things I trust more than Obama a Palestinian on a motorcycle"

When asked about the sign, Halliday had this to say:

Aaron Halliday: "Now when I read this, the only thing I could think of was action movies where the hero is trying to get away and is chased on a motorcycle by a man (typically) who is wielding a knife or a gun. Picture Indiana Jones being chased through the desert. This is what I thought of when I read this. It was not meant to offend anyone. It was in my opinion, humor. It's a joke"

A protester from the group Not In Our Town (NIOT) explained the sign this way:

Protester: "Checker Cab's sign is a passive-aggressive use of a racial and ethnic stereotype to promote a political agenda. We do not care about political views. We do care about stopping the promotion of hate."

Naturally, a representative from our local Conservative News and Misinformation radio station (Cities 92.9) showed up to defend the sign:

Benjamin Yount defends bigoted quote on sign in front of local business

Yes, it's a joke, we all get that. However, when finding a joke humorous requires adherence to a negative stereotype about a specific group of people, like Palestinians for instance, then that joke is based on prejudice, and is by definition bigoted. Too bad only some of us get that.

Personally, I think the sign just to the left of Benjamin Yount's head does a pretty thorough job of describing both the Checkered Cab sign, and Cities 92.9.

Local Conservative Voice Discovers Dark Energy

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid" - Benjamin Franklin

Robert Rees, conservative host of the Morning Rush on Cities 92.9, a.k.a the news and misinformation of Bloomington Normal, continues his campaign of embarrassingly stupid commentary. To wit:

ROBERT REES: Illinois researchers are collaborating with scientists across the globe in their new project aimed at studying the universe and dark energy. Honestly, I think that's probably the first time I'd ever heard of dark energy. I'm not a real big space dude. I'm not a space geek. But, I usually have my pulse on most things. First time I ever heard of dark energy. And so I had to google it. Define dark energy for me google! This is what google tells me; it's a theoretical repul... wait, did he say theoretical? Did Mr. google just tell me theoretical? And so we're gonna study something that's theoretical? Oh my head is starting to hurt. I hope that taxpayer dollars do not go into this research and study. But it probably is. So yes, it's a theoretical repulsive force that counteracts gravity. Nothing can counteract gravity! What are you talking about? When I saw it, honestly, my first thought I swear, my first thought was black magic.

So, in the addled mind of the Local Conservative Voice, taxpayer money shouldn't be used to study things that are theoretical. Let that sink in for a moment, then take a look at two theoretical concepts that wouldn't receive public funding if conservatives like Robert Rees directed the funding for scientific research:

Germ Theory of Disease - This theory forms the basis for the modern understanding that germs play a major role in the acquisition of disease.

Gravitational Theory - This theory forms the basis for our ability to put humans on the moon and land robots on the surface of Mars.

You'd be hard pressed to find a living person who hasn't benefited in some way from one or both of these concepts, and gosh, according to Robert Rees, they aren't worthy of public funding, because hey, they're only theoretical.

What Robert fails to understand is that in science, a theory is a well-substantiated, well-supported, well-documented explanation for observations. That means that when something is referred to in science as theoretical, it is because it is the best explanation for the known evidence. Since dark energy is supported by multiple lines of independent evidence, it makes sense to refer to it in the theoretical sense. And since dark energy is theorized to make up the vast majority of our universe, and since we could all benefit from a better understanding of its characteristics, it makes perfect sense to publicly fund this study.

This profound ignorance that Robert expresses is not uncommon in conservative circles. Yes, there are liberals who are just as stupid, but it has become a badge of honor in conservative circles to reject and stay ignorant of science.

Could Have Made the Same Point by Tattooing Bigot on His Forehead

The latest entry in the long line of racist Obama displays. This one gets credited to Danny Hafley, a resident of Kentucky.

When asked about it, Danny said "the way I look at it, it's freedom of speech". And he's absolutely right of course, and now I'd like to exercise a little freedom of speech:

Danny, you're a bigot, and an asshole. 

Man I love that First Amendment.


For those who aren't aware of the footsteps that Danny's following in, here's a taste of the few I could stomach posting: