Real Men Hate Facts

I noticed that RWR found a reason to get his panties in a bunch at exactly the same moment he was asked to deal in verifiable facts. I've gotten used to that in the last 30 years. Fact is irrelevant in Rightwing World. And that's a fact.

For instance, before his parting tanty, RWR imparted his wisdom thus:

"Unborn babies have no rights in the Democrat platform. Children do not have school choice or the right to pray in schools in your platform. Union membership is mandatory in most states. You see us as limiting freedoms, and that's how we see you."

"Unborn babies" is an oxymoron. It ain't a baby 'til it's born. I'd have thought that given conservatives' passion for the English language, they'd know how to speak it. Zygote, fetus, baby: Words have meaning. When they are lifted out of their established meaning and hurled indiscriminately hither and yon, there's usually propaganda afoot. As in "unborn babies."

Children do not have school choice? Sure they do. All parents who are properly self-sufficient and take personal responsibility for themselves and their families can send their children anywhere. Isn't that correct, Mr. Personal Responsibility? Only, Democrats just don't believe that Republicans should force the taxpayer to fund someone else's school choice.

Chidren don't have the right to pray in schools? How silly! Of course they do. They and their teachers can pray at length whenever they like, provided they don't present their form of religion as official school policy. There's no law against children praying on school grounds. The law is about establishing a state religion. It was designed to give you and me equally both freedom of and freedom from religion according to our individual consciences. It's about respecting each other's rights to be Americans. But I know Rightwingers have a problem with equality.

Then this doozie: "Union membership is mandatory in most states." Really? Can you document that? Actually, 22 states have "right to work" laws that prohibit mandatory union membership. Google it yourself. I'm not sure what the other 28 have, but it sure isn't mandatory union membership! We can go over all the facts related to union history in America since Ronnie busted the Air Traffic Controllers (ask ATCs how they feel about their working conditions now), but the point is that RWR doesn't live in a fact-based world and he doesn't want to.

When he's pushed, RWR says facts are a matter of opinion. (Seriously.) Which brings me back to that dictionary of the English language thing. As cats aren't dogs, and bananas aren't canteloups, what is a fact and what isn't a fact isn't up for grabs. We can disagree about their implications, but facts exist whether we like it or not.

So my invitation stands: When RWR can show proof of the moment in time when the founders all agreed on correct interpretation of the Constitution, I'll consider modifying my position about whether we can ever know "what the founders believed" or should care.

The founders didn't believe in air traffic controllers, Internet access, antibiotics, and Harley Davidsons, either. Does that mean we shouldn't?