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"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
February 20, 2006
Help! My Preconceived Notions Are Under Attack!
Recently I mentioned Bill Tierney, former member of UNSCOM and the man behind the release of the so-called "Saddam tapes." Given that Tierney says he could locate Iraqi weapons facilities via a friend's dreams as well as "asking God," I argued that his cellphone of sanity is not fully charged.
Now, via Laura Rozen, I see National Review's Byron York has written an article about Tierney. Given National Review's history, I thought before reading it that York would credulously lap up Tierney's most ludicrous assertions, while simultaneously ignoring the voluminous evidence he's bonkers.
Instead, York honestly and assiduously lays out the case for Tierney's fruitcakiness. In other words, he demonstrates that some of my most cherished assumptions about the world are wrong.
I don't like this at all.
Posted at February 20, 2006 12:08 PM | TrackBackWell, you could always refer to them as "Herr Tierney" and "Herr York". That always seems to give this crowd a warm fuzzy.
Posted by: Tim of Angle at February 20, 2006 06:45 PMYou are so God damned honest, Jon.
Posted by: Sully at February 20, 2006 09:27 PMEveryone has a limit of nonsense, Jon.
Posted by: En Ming Hee at February 20, 2006 09:52 PMSomeone tell the shrinks over at DMS-? that a moment of lucidity is loose in the land and needs to be captured.
Posted by: Jesus B. Ochoa at February 21, 2006 07:54 AMYou missed something interesting; ...John Loftus, has in the past drawn attention for writing that the Bush family won its wealth by supporting the Nazi regime in the 1930s. Nice way to sneak in the truth and make it seem like a "conspiracy theory". Misdirection is a classic propoganda technique.
So maybe you ought to go back to your "preconceptions" of York's work.
Posted by: ed at February 21, 2006 09:10 AMTim,
I can't say I disagree with you, because that doesn't really make any sense to disagree with.
But if it would make you feel better, you are welcome toâ€â€Âas others have before youâ€â€Âcall me a "Logic Nazi."
sk,
Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that.
Sully,
I appreciate you pointing that out. And I should honestly add that I am myself of course FAR TOO MODEST ever to do so directly.
En Ming Hee,
Man, you should come to America. You'd be disabused of that notion very quickly.
Jesus B. Ochoa,
Don't worry, I'm on it.
ed,
You know, I did notice that, and agree York is up to a standard propaganda trick there. But when it comes to the National Review, I'm willing to take what I can get.
Posted by: Jonathan Schwarz at February 21, 2006 09:50 AMSmall point, but I believe Tim misspelled "Gruppenfuehrer". Aaaah; now I've a warm fuzzy.
Posted by: cavanaghjam at February 22, 2006 02:21 AM