Zombie Journalism
Commentary by Steve Scroggins
1/27/2011"If virtuous, the government need not fear the fair operation of attack and defense. Nature has given to man no other means of sifting the truth, either in religion, law, or politics." –Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1792.
CNN published a story Jan. 25th noting the reaction of various politicians to a Spanish newspaper (El Nuevo Georgia) that published a "doctored photograph" of Gov. Nathan Deal as a Nazi, complete with uniform, swastika and Hitler moustache (Jan. 6th issue). Oh, the horror! [ The article is entitled Repression in the Era of Deal — you’re on your own for the translation of the article.]
We here at GHC and especially this author (AKA "the deranged creative force behind the X-Files") cannot imagine that anyone would DARE parody a Georgia governor such as Deal’s predecessor Gov. B.S. Perdue. Boss Sonny "B.S." Perdue was not the only target of our ridicule and parody, but he was a frequent target. In fact, he was a key DORK leader in our "Dukes of Heritage" series.
In this case of Deal criticism, we think it was a low blow, out of proportion to Deal’s support of an anti-illegal immigration law similar to Arizona’s (to which Deal’s opponents also pledged support). We must defend El Nuevo’s right to free speech, even if it is repugnant, unfair or bizarre speech. I’m sure the editor didn’t mean to imply that the countries from which illegals migrate are concentration camps (to which Deal proposes illegals be sent), or that Deal has proposed to murder the illegals. The paper’s intent was to get attention…and it worked as far as that goes, but probably not to help the cause they advocate which is open borders, amnesty and full citizenship for illegals.
Nazifying one’s political opponents is way overused. It’s like skipping the diplomatic protest, the dirty look, the sabre-rattling, the duel and the —er, "Mexican standoff" and and just going directly to the nuclear strike. Boom! Take that you Nazi! To be worthy satire or legitimate criticism, the analogy needs to fit the alleged wrongdoing. How many politicians really take totalitarian or racist actions worthy of that analogy? Certainly not many governors.
As has been often noted, Nazi hyperbole generally cheapens the language and belittles the toll of death and destruction the Nazis caused not to mention being disrespectful to the many American veterans who defeated the Nazis leaving thousands of Americans buried in foreign soil. Many American families have gaping holes from the sacrifices of their husbands, fathers and sons.
El Nuevo Georgia editor Rafael Navarro suggests that Americans and Georgians ignore the hispanic community’s concerns and that since we don’t read Spanish, he had to use a picture to get our attention. I would suggest to Mr. Navarro that he publish an English edition if he wants our attention. As Deal’s spokesman pointed out, it’s preferable to use "a coherent argument" in the "marketplace of ideas" than to lash out with a childish or offensive tantrum. Those who really want to be legal Americans are willing to assimilate our culture and learn our language in order to make a coherent argument to the public. Then they would KNOW that such a Hitler comparison is inappropriate.
On the other hand, we understand that Mr. Navarro is a Columbian immigrant. Being from a country where political expression often takes the form of bullets and car-bombs, perhaps Mr. Navarro saw this rebuke to Gov. Deal as rather low-key. If Mr. Navarro first observed our American Zombie Journalism, then it’s understandable that he might think incoherent shrieking and smears are the normal and accepted approach to "journalism."
What is Zombie Journalism, you ask? I promise to get to it soon… read on.
Given the prevalence of photo editing software, it’s virtually taken for granted that every U.S. president will be presented as Hitler, Satan and in other ways visually demonized. Before computers and digital photography, cartooning is an age old political practice as old as the printing press. Predictably, the web-snipers who commented on the CNN story wailed about Bush being nazified and Obama being Nazified, or parodied as a witch doctor and so forth. Columnist Ellen Goodman whined back in the early 1990s about various pols Nazifying each other — that is, using rhetoric to cast their opponents as Nazi-like. She failed to notice that in almost every case, it was pols on the left who were first to escalate the rhetoric to the Nazi level… and they were first to cry "foul" when opponents hit back. Of course, the whiners on the left claim the exact opposite and that people like Glenn Beck, et al, escalated the rhetoric first.
Welcome to the Uncivil War – Steve Scroggins, Jan. 2004
I tend to avoid such characterizations… unless the recipient ‘has it coming.’ We save the "Nazi Treatment" for the likes of Al Sharpton, Julian Bond and similar race hustlers who are quick (and constant) to characterize the Confederate battle flag as a ‘swastika.’ This trend started in 1991 when the NAACP decided that battle flags and all things Confederate were the needed bogeyman or red herring on which to blame the failures of The Great Society and Affirmative Discrimination to end the various social and economic problems in the black community. NAACP membership was slipping and the money was running low, too.
Now, those failed government programs are just a racial spoils system requiring constant injections of "white guilt" for world-wide slavery and post-slavery oppression to keep the spigot of taxpayer dollars flowing to "fight racism and discrimination" (this despite the Amnesty and Pardon granted by Dr. Walter E. Williams). If every Confederate flag and statue disappeared overnight, the problems of black-on-black crime, high incarceration rates, fatherless children, poor education, etc., would continue unaddressed. For now, Confederate symbols remain a favored bogeyman for the NAACP…while the NAACP continues only lip service to address the real life problems for the average American black family. Not a peep, of course, about real slavery that still exists in Africa.
Slavery Apologies, an absurd guilt-trip gesture – Steve Scroggins, 3/8/07
I would be remiss not to mention that bastion of propaganda and smears known as the Southern Poverty Law Center. Their primary mission is to enrich themselves. Their secondary mission is to squelch free speech by smearing everyone with whom they disagree on various political issues. They’ve made a lucrative career of smearing people and now they have the force of the U.S. government to assist them in harrassment and intimidation given that they have connections with the Obama administration and the (DHS) Department of Homeland Security.
Way back in their history, SPLC founder Morris "Uncle Mo" Dees made a name for himself by litigating real hate groups like the modern KKK, Aryan Nations, and others to bankrupt them. Those groups now are scattered, unorganized and largely defunct…not to mention that a large percentage of them are paid FBI informants. That created a problem for the SPLC… how could they continue to raise money without scarey stories of skinheads hiding behind every weed patch waiting to strike?
No problem, they just made stuff up…and expanded their definition of "hate" to include any form of thought they deem verboten. In order to hype up the count of "hate crimes," the SPLC counts such things as racial slurs in graffiti and flyers/leaflets distributions. Pathetic. Now casting themselves as the authority on "Hate Groups" (with the help of the government and Zombie Journalists) they have turned their smears on any group that opposes illegal immigration (they call them "nativists"), or homosexual activists (they call them "Christian extremists"), or anyone who opposes excessive taxation ("right wing extremists"), supports the Second Amendment, happens to be a military veteran, supports Ron Paul or Rand Paul, or flies a Gadsden Flag…and on, and on.
"What makes the Southern Poverty Law Center particularly odious is its habit of taking legitimate conservatives and jumbling them with genuine hate groups (the Klan, Aryan Nation, skinheads, etc.), to make it appear that there’s a logical relationship between say opposing affirmative action and lynching, or demands for an end to government services for illegal aliens and attacks on dark-skinned immigrants. The late novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand called this ‘the broad-brush smear.’" –Don Feder, THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER – NO ARTISTRY IN ITS SMEARS, 11/28/07
My reason for mentioning the SPLC is that they play a huge role is supplying misinformation and propaganda that supports "Zombie Journalism." The scientific term for this species of propaganda is Argumentum Ad Hominem and is more commonly known as "brainless zombie smears" or what Ayn Rand called "broad-brush smears."
See, you WERE wondering how all this was going to tie into Zombies. With apologies to author Thomas E. Woods, Jr., I borrow the phrase "Zombie Journalism" to describe the mindless use of epithets and labels in order to silence debate of political issues. I have previously described the SPLC as "Debate-Crushing Goons, so one might say that the SPLC’s website is the Zombie Journalist’s Bible.
If your opponent is making an argument using facts or history or stuff you don’t want to discuss, just call him a Nazi, or a Neo-Confederate, or a neo-secessionist, or a slavery supporter, or a racist, or a xenophobe, or a nativist, or a right wing extremist, or a TeaBagger or a militia member or…(wait for it…. Drum Roll please……) part of a HATE GROUP!!
Facts really can be inconvenient, can’t they? Don’t bother wrestling with them, just pull out your handy Label Gun!
If you don’t like what I’m writing here, just dismiss it because I belong to the Sons of Confederate Veterans which the Southern Poverty Law Center says is "Neo-Confederate." Others with whom I associate are known to be members of a hate group (ACCORDING TO THE SPLC), the League of the South. So, you can dismiss everything I write or say, regardless of the sources I cite or the reason/logic I present, because the SPLC says I’m a neo-confederate and known associate of hate group members. See how easy that was? No need to refute facts or get bogged down in real issues. Just label, accuse, and Move On!
What is a "Neo-Confederate" you ask? Good question. It’s a nonsense term coined by neo-commie Zombies named James Loewen and Edward Sebesta (more on them soon). Most likely, it’s intended to bring "Neo-Nazis" to mind — there are no favorable connotations to any word pre-fixed with ‘neo.’ That’s why the SPLC loved the term and put it to use on their so-called "Hate Map" on the immensely popular Zombie Journalist’s Bible.
Back to Zombie Journalists. Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts is a perfect example of a Zombie Journalist who uses SPLC smears in an attempt to establish his ideas as superior to actual history.
But how are they Zombies, you ask?
When you view the video below, you’ll recognize the host immediately and you’ll know that you’ve seen his like-minded zombie colleagues on CNN, MSNBC, CBS and other networks (and the Miami Herald!) — pretending to be a legitimate journalist or commentator — while using loaded but brainless words rather than logical arguments to try to stifle debate or steer it to his/her slant.
In the video (see You Tube link below), you’ll see that author Tom Woods encounters the typical zombie attacks when trying to present an idea like nullification. The concept is well established by the founders and best known as the "Principles of ’98" in the documents written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison known as The Kentucky Resolutions" and "The Virginia Resolutions." The principles have been used more often by northern states than by southern states, but that doesn’t stop the zombie from from using his label gun attack.
So, the lesson here is that Zombies will attack. It’s what they do. Protect your brain, folks!! And keep your powder dry… prepare for the attack.
When Zombies Attack – by Thomas Woods, Jr. 10/21/2010
http://georgiaheritagecouncil.org/site2/commentary/scroggins-zombie-journalism012711.phtml