John Hindraker Starts Ugly Rumor about Times Square Bomb
The Powerline blog must be suffering from lack of traffic or something. Why else would John Hindraker decide to publish a completely unsubstantiated rumor, thus setting off waves of ugliness on the rabid right wing blogzome? Is this just for ratings, John, or are your irresponsible accusations based merely in hate?
In a small item posted at 6:57 a.m. on John Hindraker’s Powerline, John himself speculates that Code Pink, the anti-war protest group, is responsible for the bomb that went off at a military recruiting station at 3:43 a.m. this morning. This is pure speculation, and it has become the source of rumor among right-wing blogs (here, here, here, and here, for instance). Of course, that means Hindraker’s speculation is irresponsible, for it has zero facts behind it. That’s not stopped him, or any of the other rabid right wing zealots from posting ugly rumors before, of course.
I live in the reality-based world. I wait for answers brought to me by the professionals who are paid to investigate these matters. Indeed, I honor those professionals charged with protecting us in the face of home-grown terrorism, the vast majority of which has been home-grown in radical right-wing hothouses. Still, I’ll make no conclusions about the bombing in Times Square except to note that thankfully it injured nobody. That John Hindraker does make conclusions, and therefore riles up the whack jobs on the right-wing, is criminally irresponsible. But maybe John just threw this out there in order to promote his web site. Is his motive hate or marketing? Either way it is disgusting.
Way to go, Al Czervic! Make ‘em squirm.
?Thanks for the hits.
Al
http://www.commentator.vze.com
Thanks for the traffic.
Al Czervic
http:// w w w commentator.vze com
I never accused Code Pink or anyone else of the bombing in TImes Square. I did say that becuase of the high profile location that it has been frequent focus of Anti-War protests from groups like Code Pink…
What in that statement is inaccurate???
I did not put words in your mouth, don’t be putting words in mine.
Hey, Darrell. Good to see you here. The rumor is started with such speculation. It is labelled a rumor here. Want to bet it forms into accusations shortly by those on the irresponsible rabid right?
Respect your law enforcement officers is what I say. Listen to what they discover as far as evidence is concerned. At this time they are looking for someone who did three bombings, and the ones at the British and Mexican Embassies don’t fit any sort of pattern that Code Pink would be involved with. Still, I’m only reporting on your irresponsible parroting of Hindraker.
Oh, and Al? You’re obviously a newbie at this. Parroting Hindraker will only cement a reputation as a miserable soul who can’t think. Good luck on that, and if you need lessons on posting comments and links. . . sorry, I’m not interested in giving them.
Maybe it was Cat Stevens, that violence mongering composer of Peace Train. Be on the lookout for him.
Thanks, Tim. I saw your comment over on buzzflash as well! Another comment over there mentioned that this sort of action is anathema to Code Pink. If Hindraker took any time to research and think, he would have had a chance to figure that out. the lemmings who followed him, though, didn’t have a chance.
I met and spoke to Medea Benjamin when I was a delegate to the 2004 Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee.
Christ! I’m doomed!
Steven, are you and Richard and Daniel and Sumgoil gonna visit me in prison?
Peter, name the prison. The only person I ever visited was in Indiana nearly 20 years ago. The man at the next table in the visitor room was Mike Tyson. How’s that for a brush with fame, eh?
Well Steven,
You listed my blog as one of those Right Wing Blogs that started or is spreading rumors that Code Pink was responsible for the bombing on the Military Recruiting Station in Time Square. I have no problem being called a right wing blogger, but perhaps you could point out where I am starting or spreading rumors.
I did say that becuase of the high profile location that it has been frequent focus of Anti-War protests from groups like Code Pink… I also said that Police and Homeland Security were investigating similarities of the bombing of the Mexican Consulate in October.
What in that post is inaccurate & led you to believe that I was making an accusation against Code Pink?
“Word-jacking” and “theme-jacking” is a subject discussed quite extensively at the Rigorous Intuition Discussion Forum, its main proponent being a fellow who goes by the name of “Hugh Manatee Wins.” I suggest anyone who wants to study the subject of how memes and ideas are implanted in people’s heads by slipshod journalistic techniques take a look at some of the topics discussed on the site.
If you are sincerely interested, Darrell, read Peter’s post above mine. Then read what he suggests. Implanting ideas is not always done with the explicitness you think I claimed. Spreading rumors can be done, and is most often done by Hindraker (and then parroted by folks like you) “on the sly” by marrying two disparate facts, such as you did, thus providing the deniability that you are so rigorously employing now. .
I read Hinderaker’s post on Power Line, and I read all the links you posted as examples of “right-wing blogs” engaged in “speculation.”
Hinderaker’s post on Power Line did not speculate that Code Pink was responsible, so that claim of yours is simply and utterly false. Hinderaker did use the phrase “Code Pinkers” in his title, pretty clearly to indicate a category of activist, not to accuse the organization itself. His text, which is remarkably brief, mentions “the increasing virulence of attacks on the military and on military recruiting facilities by antiwar groups like Code Pink,” and goes on to speculate that “a liberal group” was the most likely culprit. This strikes me as accurate, responsible reporting.
Of the four spin-off sites you mention, only one, called the Catskill Commentator, actually names Code Pink as the culprit. I’ve already left a comment on their blog asking them to modify the statement in such a way as to avoid false accusation. Two of the others, like Power Line, use “Code Pink” as a generic category of leftist activists, and make no specific accusation against the group itself. One does not even mention Code Pink; I can only assume that they saw your complaint and changed their verbage.
False accusation is a vile and serious act. Hinderaker did not commit it; you did. Please make the appropriate correction.
Hey Plumb, it was not accusation, it was insinuation. I’ll not change my verbiage as a result. The intent was to link Code Pink and other anti-war groups with the bombing, when there was no such evidence anywahere at the time.
Mr. Reynolds, you are a liar.
Here are your own words, taken from the top of the page (emphasis mine):
“John himself speculates that Code Pink, the anti-war protest group, is responsible for the bomb that went off at a military recruiting station at 3:43 a.m. this morning.”
I’ll assume that you were irritated and did not refer back to your own words. However, your claim that what you maintained that Hinderaker was doing was insinuation, not accusation, is incorrect. I expect an appropriate change and apology.
My own blog is small, but I will do what I can: without action to correct the record, I’ll be naming you publicly as a liar on my blog. That should not scare you much, but you never know which true criticism is the one that’s going to wreck your reputation — which is why I don’t publish lies.
Mr. Reynolds,
It seems you’re the one posturing here since you seem to know the “intent”, or the heart, of others. Good luck on your journey of understanding the fallacy of appealing to motive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_motive