March 21, 2012
Editorial: Prejudice and conservative rants

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sunday evening, far-right presidential candidate Rick Santorum appeared at a Louisiana fundamentalist church where pastor Dennis Terry assailed Muslims, Buddhists and gays.

The minister shouted that America has "only one God and his name is Jesus." He continued: "If you don't love America and you don't like the way we do things, I've got one thing to say: Get out! We don't worship Buddha. We don't worship Muhammad. We don't worship Allah. We worship God. We worship God's son Jesus Christ."

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    25 Comments
    Posted By: BCL1722
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    If low iq's equate to "far right" thinking, how do you suppose they explain the GAZETTE ??
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 9:08:33 am

    Posted By: gmhoover
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    Interesting editorial. I wonder where the editor was living when President Obama's spiritual advisor made his rants? The Moon, perhaps??

    I suppose most of us can agree on a couple of things which we know and accept to be the truth. Right wing conservatives are generally connected with the Republican party. This paper repeatedly presents the Republican party as a group of people who strongly support the wealthiest Americans. Therefore being stupid leads to being wealthy? Almost all dropouts from the school system and those who don't obtain a degree of higher education must be the wealthiest among us? Makes perfect sense to me. Let's all give up the American dream and don't seek an education. Yep,,,that will lead to prosperity for us all!
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 9:43:45 am

    Posted By: Grouse
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    Can anyone say "ditto heads"? Rush Limbaugh's followers which includes nearly all of the Republican party who won't question his rantings. They apparently can't think for themselves as supported by this recent study. It's no wonder the recent budget proposed by the Republicans gut education. They WANT to make citizens dumber in the hopes that they will buy into the Republican message.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 11:55:58 am

    Posted By: Red Dragon 70
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    Excellent editorial! An absolutely accurate depiction of the hypocrisy of those who lift up the american ideals, and yet are the worst violators when a person or group of persons is "other" than they are.

    This is certainly Santorum's crowd!
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 1:44:34 pm

    Posted By: Grouse
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    Being stupid leads to supporting wealthy ideologies. The Republican party is and always has been a party that supports the accumulation of wealth by the wealthest citizens. Obviously, without the support of middle class and lower class Americans the wealthy would never elect the candidate that supports their beliefs, i.e. more and more wealth for the wealthy. They gain support by stiring up racist tendacies against anyone and any idea not part of the main stream. They draw the less educated citizens to their goal with total disregard for the citizens themselves.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 1:58:32 pm

    Posted By: 900PA
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    . . . And from Inside the Beltway . . .

    WOW! I'm really impressed by this study.

    I see the writers include no original research, opting to review data that's from others. Some data dates to the 70's.

    Really impressive piece of the same stuff dumped in bank lobbies by "Occupy".

    Jeez, why bother forming your own opinion when you just use that of Toledo Free Press?
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 3:29:10 pm

    Posted By: string theory
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    The GOP/FOXNEWS/TEA Party truly represents the interests of only a small minority of the population. In order to win elections, they have had to convince a majority that their interests are actually being embraced by the party, even though the opposite is usually the reality. By appealing to the religious right, bigots, and other facets of ignorance, they scrape by in many places with a majority in elections - primary in the more isolated regions of the country. Rick Santorum understood exactly what was this preacher was saying.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 3:39:12 pm

    Posted By: wvuametz
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    So if one can have a "study" to show that the "right" is more likely to be less intelligent, how is that any different than, hmmm, I don't know...saayyyy....a study to find that blacks may or may not be less intelligent than whites?

    I'm not agreeing with either type of study, I'm simply making the point that this is leftist hypocrisy at its finest. I don't see how prejudice against a group for their beliefs is any different than prejudice against a group for the color of their skin. Sorry, but you lefties have NO EXCUSE for this one. This editorial is ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 5:54:34 pm

    Posted By: Glenn22
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    Another masterpiece from the Gazette. The arrogance of liberals never disappoints me. Liberals are good because, well, they are good and the "right wing" (whoever that is) is just,well, dumb. If you can't see the light it's just because you are too dumb to see it not because it may be, gasp, wrong. God forbid there are real and good reasons to like God, religion, or even being a conservative. The really funny part about this is that on the opposite edge of the page is a guy from the upper West Side of New York talking about the view from his balcony and somehow relating the shooting of Alexander Hamilton to modern politics and hanging out with people who go to Germany to read Hitler in the vernacular so they can really compare it to talk radio. So you have the attack on the stupid (read "non-liberal") and the sterling example of liberal "thought" on the other side. You can't buy this type of entertainment for 50 cents anywhere else.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 8:20:30 pm

    Posted By: True WV
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    Prejudice and liberal rants

    What was the date that editorial ran reporting the fact that for years extreme left wing liberal Barrack Hussein Obama sat under the preaching of Mr. Jeremiah Wright in Chicago and listened to his liberal America bashing? I must of missed it.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 9:25:54 pm

    Posted By: Monroe
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    Many people, including many posters on here, assume lefty positions because they think it makes them look smart. Even if they had any opinions of their own, if those opinions were contrary to left-wing orthodoxy, they would lack the courage to speak it.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 10:27:13 pm

    Posted By: Monroe
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    "the Tea-Party represents only a small minority......"

    Nothing could be more in the interests of EVERYONE than fiscal sanity and preventing the collapse of the economy from defalut and/or hyperinflation. Tea Party goals of responsible government spending, and borrowing and taxing are in the best interests of everyone. Those opposed have their head in the sand.
    Posted at: March 22, 2012 10:36:06 pm

    Posted By: mark83vt
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    gmhoover - You clearly don't get it. Rev. Wright ranted NEGATIVELY about America, white people, and traditional Christianity. That's perfectly OK. What's not OK is saying anything negative about minorities, religions other than Christianity, and anti-American sentiment...even if the negative comments are impersonal and justified. That's why disagreeing with Obama automatically means you're racist. Most of the left doesn't care if Obama disassociates with the hateful, disgusting Rev. Wright because they buy into what he says. So his hate speech is swept under the rug, while anything said by a right-wing pastor is beat to death in the media.

    I do know one thing - those people in Detroit, Atlanta, etc standing in line for hours for housing vouchers and talking about getting their Obama Bucks must be masters of deception. Here I thought they came off as dumb, but apparently they are high-IQ intellectuals. Shows what I know! I must have a low IQ also.
    Posted at: March 23, 2012 7:32:55 am

    Posted By: Are You Serious
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    Yes, the Republican party is the party of the rich. The problem with that, of course, is that there aren't enough rich people to vote and win elections. So what do you do if you're a Republican? Clearly, you have to find someone to vote with you that's not rich - so that means finding someone dumb enough to vote against their own economic self interest. And how do you appeal to dumb people? This research points the way: appeal to prejudice! And, of course, evangelical Christians. The good news for the Republicans is that, as we see here every day, appealing to the dumb and prejudiced has worked like a charm! There are any number of faux controversies of the day that can be used to distract the masses so they don't see what the rich have in mind for them. But the problem for the Republicans is that the evangical Christians are crazy - that is, they actually BELIEVE the stuff that Faux Newz and Rush spoon feed them - and they want a candidate that's a true believer, too.
    Posted at: March 23, 2012 10:41:28 am

    Posted By: Are You Serious
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    And so - now the crazies are actually close to hijacking the Republican party and nominating, of all people, Santorum.

    If that happens, the rich will look at Obama, who has actually not done anything to upset Wall Street or the rich, and compare him to Santorum, who is a nut case - and they'll vote their self interest. Four more years!
    Posted at: March 23, 2012 10:46:36 am

    Posted By: Grouse
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    Are You serious...Said it better than I could. Thanks.
    Posted at: March 23, 2012 11:51:13 am

    Posted By: DAZEDNCONFUSED
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    I am so SICK of hearing that same old gripe...The Repubs are the party of the "rich". Appears to be as many if not MORE rich Dems in this country, especially in Congress...Just take a look around.. As an Independent voter I have issues with both parties, and they BOTH spew out garbage. The party you claim to follow and love are bought and paid for by the elite of this country....Wolves in Dems and Repubs clothing.
    Posted at: March 23, 2012 2:49:02 pm

    Posted By: Grouse
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    Yes, the Republicans are the party of the rich; the greedy rich.
    Posted at: March 23, 2012 3:53:55 pm

    Posted By: WVU1963
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    The Independent vote will determine the outcome of the next election. Indpendent voter registrations are increasing dramatically because both political parties do nothing but spew forth hate-filled and mean-spirited crap that intelligent people no longer buy.
    Posted at: March 24, 2012 6:46:09 am

    Posted By: great american
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    I guess the above right wing ignorant comments demonstrate the validity of the study and provide support for the editorial...
    Posted at: March 24, 2012 10:20:16 am

    Posted By: rexcraigo
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    100% correct. Dumb people vote republican, it's really as simple as that. There is no god and people with brains and education know that.
    Posted at: March 24, 2012 11:40:39 am

    Posted By: Pacaderm
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    Rev Wright
    Al Sharpton
    Bill Maher
    Julie Malveaux
    Bill Moyers
    Ed Schultz
    Keith Olberman
    Robert C Byrd (N-word)
    Bill Press
    "Tea Baggers" commentators
    Russell Brown
    Louis Farrakhan
    Maxine Waters
    Joe Biden
    James Hoffa

    Now these are just off the top of my head. Wonderful socialists using any excuse to take money from one person and gift it to another....as grouse suggests here. BTW grouse, if Republicans were "just for the rich" (that antiquated New Deal slogan) they could not win an election for dog catcher.
    Problem for most leftists here is the spending and taxing they have foisted on ALL of us. Solyndras and other parasitic left wing causes cost lots of other peoples money, huh grouse? So does the "Green Movement" that dictates high gas prices as Obama, Gore and others have called for......or were you not paying attention?
    Posted at: March 24, 2012 1:04:01 pm

    Posted By: habibhaddad
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    Like red meat to the lions, the Gazette panders to it's liberal base with an attack on sanctimonious Santorum and his fellow travelers in Louisiana. Sheeeesh! Shouldn't a free people be able to assemble with folks of their own ilk, no matter their place on the political spectrum? One of the many beautiful things about West Virginia is our diversity and the ability to live and let live. Where else can you find the Rainbow family camping out in the same county as the Aryan Nation? I've heard that they are actually allowing African-Americans to live in Pendleton County. This is progress, people. Methinks there are knuckledraggers on both sides of the political spectrum. Those of us in the middle may belong to one or another of the parties or none at all. Remember, Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, and there is no shortage of this type in either party.
    Posted at: March 24, 2012 7:08:47 pm

    Posted By: Engineer1967
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    Intelligent people and people who are concerned with more than just themselves tend to vote D. Some of these people may be wealthy because high acheivement correlates with high intelligence. Ultimately intelligence and humanitarianism trump self interest for these folks, though. Really smart people understand that the welfare of the few depends heavily on the welfare of the many.

    People who are overwhelmingly concerned with protecting their own self interest tend to vote R. Many of these people are wealthy because selfishness and personal wealth go hand in hand. Because these folks are less concerned with the welfare of others, they exercise a good bit of effort targeting the less intelligent for their own political use. This explains why so many less intelligent people will vote R, against their own best interests.
    Posted at: March 26, 2012 2:00:35 pm

    Posted By: ioanthe
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    So if one can have a "study" to show that the "right" is more likely to be less intelligent, how is that any different than, hmmm, I don't know...saayyyy....a study to find that blacks may or may not be less intelligent than whites?

    One is how you are born (skin color), the other is learned.

    Studies do show that liberals are more likely to hold a college degree. I think this is why many conservatives trash the value of higher education.

    Sour grapes and all.
    Posted at: March 28, 2012 1:59:20 pm

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