5 Things Radical Conservatives Have Ruined for Everyone Else

[TexasTowelie]

I have an addiction that is worse than heroin and twice as likely to end in my tragic death at my own hands... I read the comments under political news stories. In part because keeping my finger on the ketchup-and-gravy-infused pulse of America is my job, but really because I was that kid who always wondered if it was possible to summon demons.

You can. Just write a story about our Attorney General appealing the ruling that strikes down Texas' rather blatantly unconstitutional same-sex marriage ban and all the posse of Old Scratch himself will bubble to the surface to gibber and scream.

In reading these comments, I've realized that there are certain words and concepts that the radical conservative right have actually ruined for the rest of us. Thinks like...

Anything to do with the flag

There is only one man in all of Houston that I can see wearing and American flag-themed article of clothing on his person and not immediately think he's either being ironic or a complete asshole, and that's Christian Kidd of the Hates. You literally have to be one of the kindest and most-beloved humans of Houston to deflect the automatic cringe I feel whenever I see a flag attached to a person instead of a pole. The radical right uses flags like newbie Mortal Kombat players used to use crouching in the corner doing leg sweeps; it's a chickenshit dodge. They get away with it because they also stole the concept of...

Patriotism

More at http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2014/08/conservatives_ruined.php .

[font color=green]This is an excellent article if you read and want to argue against the points made in the comments section of most newspapers.[/font]

[hifiguy]

1. Great article and thanks for the link.

[Warpy]

2. Too funny, especially the kneejerk jerks in the comments section

On religion: "They're not the minority, either. As I've pointed out before, Christians cannot statistically be on the other side of every liberal position. The math just won't work. Yet every time I see a crucifix or something similar in a person's profile pic I just automatically assume they're going to hit me with a hate brick wrapped in Bible paper. It's probably the reason people adhering to organized religions in America is on the decline. There aren't many of those meanies, but it only take one turd in the punchbowl before everyone switches to bottled water."

I am so stealing that.

[jwirr]

4. That observation is so true. No one even remembers the 60s when many churches and Christians

worked for civil rights and ending the war. The media and a bunch of rw sects have taken Christianity and made it something to be ashamed of today. Me and my family do stay away from the organized church because of their political stand. We left the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church for that reason years ago and now belong to the ELCA but we still are not going to church like we did back in the 60s. I don't know if we ever will again.

[KT2000]

8. Churches were so important

to civil rights and stopping the war. What happened to them? Have they all gone bonkers or are the sane ones keeping quiet and if so, why?
Religion now is defined by the haters and bigots.

[nxylas]

11. They're preaching at the same volume they always did

But now, their voice is drowned out by well-funded hate preachers with their own TV channel.

[hibbing]

9. hate brick wrapped in Bible paper..

Nice wording, I'm going to steal that from you if you don't mind. I try *not* to read the comments on articles, anytime I have, the blatant racism shows up within the first 5 posts.

Peace

[unblock]

3. off to the greatest!

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Not As Much Spewing in the Comments As I Expected

One loose screw, but actually most i read were supportive.

[mr blur]

6. Definitely one bigoted idiot though. (nt)

[Jamaal510]

7. I especially liked

the "freedom" one. They affectionately throw the "freedom" word around and just talk about theirs, and there's not a word about the freedom of others. My freedom to not get randomly shot at and my freedom (as a poor person) to be equipped with basic necessities should be at least just as important as their freedom to live in paranoia over some tyrannical takeover or their freedom to dodge taxes.

[freshwest]

15. +1,000

[Richardo]

10. That's my favorite newspaper in Houston - a weekly.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. They gave Queen + Adam Lambert a shitty review.

Wouldn't give them credit for still sounding like Queen and suggested they change their name since Freddie and John Deacon weren't there. I went to the concert and thought that Roger and Brian held up the Queen legacy quite well. Besides, they own legal rights to the name Queen.


"No one ever erected a statue to a critic." -- Jean Sibelius

"I am in the smallest room in the house. Your review is before me. Soon it will be behind me." -- Max Reger, 1906.

[zappaman]

13. First concert I ever saw was QUEEN.

NEWS OF THE WORLD tour.
It was amazing.
Thought about this Adam Lambert thing but decided I didn't want to ruin the memory.
Glad to hear it was good though!

[niyad]

14. excellent article. however, I IWSH people would stop using the word "radical" when

referring to these people. there is nothing RADICAL (meaning, going to the root of) about them. brain-dead reactionaries comes a bit closer.

[freshwest]

16. I've been enjoying the Houston Press for some time now online. There was another of the same name.

I used to pick it up in Third Ward, and it was interesting. I looked it up and found it was the starting point of some well-known journalists and other writers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Press_%28Scripps_Howard%29

This is a really good article. Thanks for bringing it here to prove the progessive streak in Texas still lives on.

[IronLionZion]

17. "maybe we might be a little more free to pursue happiness if we weren't broke, starving, sick, and

maybe we might be a little more free to pursue happiness if we weren't broke, starving, sick, and surrounded by the trigger happy every day."

That's the thing isn't it.