Only if you FReep in the tradition of Einstein.
Posted on 06/28/2008 7:01:21 AM PDT by SE Mom
The Washington Post has published an unintentionally amusing article this morning about one Danielle Allen, a "razor-sharp, 36-year-old political theorist" at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies. Allen, with doctorates from Cambridge and Harvard, won a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation genius grant a few years ago and now conducts studies at the Institute, where, according to the Post, "she works alongside groundbreaking physicists, mathematicians and social scientists. They don't have to teach, and they face no quotas on what they publish. Their only mandate is to work in the tradition of Einstein, wrestling with the most vexing problems in the universe."
And one of the most vexing problems in the universe, which Allen has decided to pursue in the tradition of Einstein, is the origin of a number of e-mails claiming that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Using the advanced research tools at her disposal, the razor-sharp Allen found…a couple of posters on the Free Republic website, plus a former political rival of Obama's who sends out zillions of e-mails to reporters every day.
The former political rival appears to have been completely open about the stuff he sent out, some of which was based on arguments similar to an op-ed that appeared in the pages of the New York Times. As for Free Republic, according to the Post, Allen "counted 23 freepers among those engaging in regular discussions about Obama's religion, and isolated a handful whom she began to suspect as having a role in the e-mail. Sifting through hundreds of postings, she began to piece together their identities."
Allen gave her information to the Post reporter, who used it to track down two allegedly offending freepers, one a 69-year-old retired grandfather in the suburbs of Boston and the other a 60-year-old schoolteacher in rural Washington state. Both said they had nothing to do with the emails. And that's about it.
But the article has a pretty clear subtext, and it is that the exchange of such information on the Internet should be controlled. "I started thinking, 'How does one stop it?'" Allen told the Post. "Citizens and political scientists must face the fact that the Internet has enabled a new form of political organization that is just as influential on local and national elections as unions and political action committees…This kind of misinformation campaign short-circuits judgment. It also aggressively disregards the fundamental principle of free societies that one be able to debate one's accusers."
Of course, we have laws that regulate the political activities of unions and political action committees. Is it going too far to guess that the scholar from the Institute for Advanced Studies might be searching for some way to do the same for Free Republic?
06/28 08:45 AM
Look Danielle, considering B-HO's father was a Muslim and all available evidence suggests for some years he had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father it shouldn't come as a surprise that such rumors (of him currently being a Muslim) flourish. That being the case, attempting to locate its origins is a fool's errand -- way too many sources.
Only if you FReep in the tradition of Einstein.
Seems she has causation chronology down. First, I would love to know how she 'deduced' that FReepers had a role in the email, and secondly, how does she not also come to the same conclusion that her 'evidence' is a reverse of the causation chronology- the FReepers reacting to an existing email?
Next, so what? Why can't the question be asked. The left always likes to dig into the religious beliefs of the right to try to find perceived 'hypocrisy'.
Finally, it is this reporter who is contributing to this story staying alive, I 'suspect' she may be part of the original story and it is in her interest, although unstated, to keep the story alive.
It sounds as if she is a member of a liberal “I’ll-tell-you-how-to-’Think Tank’!”
Now, I must have missed that Memo... I can accept this as a principle, but fundamental? A natural right, perhaps?
Does this tenured knucklehead believe freedom of speech means "right to be heard?" perhaps "right to opinion being legitimate?"
This is not science, this is hogwash fed into a computer and then counted, so that hogwash can then be expressed as mathematics... quantified hogwash.
Not content with being tenured and funded, even published, she takes her hogwash and actually wants it to become part of some policy debate about "fairness" no doubt.
As the late, great George Carlin once said, "there's no two ways about it. There's two sides to every story."
I've heard that he built a political career using dirty Chicago pols, convicted criminals, unrepentant terrorist murderers, racist churches, autobiographies of questionable accuracy, the intrusion into the personal lives of his political rivals, neo-fascist manipulation of a delusional national constituency etc., etc.. As for the tin foil stuff; it's probably true.
To: Danielle S. Allen
School of Social Science
Institute for Advanced Study
Princeton, N.J.
Therefore never send to know for whom the bells curves; it curves for thee.
I can only breathe with my mouth open, anyway, so I’m in
You in the press seem to be treating some on our side questioning this as if we are accusing someone of child rape. All some are asking is if he is being honest about his religious upbringing. Why not stand up and say “so what if he was a Muslim”? Your little witch hunt to find the origin confirms to many that you do think there is a problem with someone being a Muslim.
Wow, she is really on to something here. Apparently twenty one million people are in on this conspiracy. She is sooo smart...
Personalized Results 1 - 10 of about 21,000,000 for "Kuran".
Danielle Allen definitely has too much money and too much time on her liberal hands.
Oh, and the first result of “Kuran” actually pulls up an Islamic site, so they must be on the conspriacy too.
http://www.mlivo.com/
In the old days they would just cut out their tongue...my friend./s
BTW.... her whole thesis was disproven, because neither Freeper mentioned had anything to do with the e-mails. Therefore, her main objective was to chill discussion/ participation at FR, not to develop some pseudo -scientific methodology about information dissemination. Why would a “scientist” publicize a failed experiment?
It never occurs to these bozos that any system designed to stop "lies" will mostly end up being used to stop truth. Such is the history of censorship.
And is there any doubt that we will someday read a majority opinion from the Supremes that the 1st Amendment was never intended to provide protection to liars. It could happen any time that Justice Kennedy feels the urge. He has four solid votes right now so it is entirely up to him to decide. The writings of those evil Global Warming Skeptics would make a good case. Sadly.
She ought to spend more of her time investigating leftist websites, where they lie constantly.
No bias here:
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/donor_lookup.php?name=allen,%20danielle
Contributor Occupation Date Amount Recipient
ALLEN, DANIELLE
CHICAGO,IL 60615 INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY/PROFES 12/7/07 $1,100 Obama, Barack (D)
ALLEN, DANIELLE
CHICAGO,IL 60615 INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY/PROFES 11/16/07 $500 Obama, Barack (D)
ALLEN, DANIELLE
CHICAGO,IL 60615 INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY/PROFES 8/8/07 $500 Obama, Barack (D)
ALLEN, DANIELLE
CHICAGO,IL 60615 INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY/PROFES 9/30/07 $250 Obama, Barack (D)
See post #78 and you may understand.
The question people aren’t asking, is what do radical Muslims think ?
To THEM, Barack Obama is the son of a Muslim, and therefore, by many traditions, is a Muslim. Worse still, he now professes Christianity, which makes him, in their eyes, an apostate.
Consider THOSE implications, when looking at the future. . .
If elected, it will NOT likely be a peaceful 4 years. . .
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