Don't worry, little fella. You can still play big shot at your rarely visited, over-budget vanity blog. NeoMajority, I believe it's called.
"I strongly believe that the Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess and use guns for purposes of both hunting and self-defense. I agree with the Supreme Court’s decision in the Heller case, clearly recognizing the individual right to have guns for hunting and self-defense. If confirmed, I would respect the Second Amendment and the individual right that it recognizes."OK. Now, we can see that, in such a context, the idea that you might have to grant animals the right to sue, as a legal matter, in order to give standing to a person who wants to use civil litigation in order to stop clear cases of animal abuse. I presume by that argument there is no current way to bring a civil suit against, say, Michael Vick, as the damage he caused was to dogs, and not humans, and dogs have no standing to sue (an owner could probably sue for the loss of the dog or for the emotional damage the owner suffered)....
Beck’s entire case against Sunstein rests on a throw-away suggestion in one speech that it might be a good idea to allow concerned individuals some standing to bring lawsuits on behalf of abused animals. But in a July letter to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sunstein made clear that he would not use his new position to advance this concept: “If confirmed, I certainly would not use my position at OIRA to promote animal standing in civil litigation; such standing would indeed be an intolerable burden on farmers, ranchers and hunters.”
So here is where I fault both Glenn Beck and Frum. Frum argues that Beck is essentially lying -- but it is clear that Sunstein DID think about giving animals the right to sue, and it is clear that, once you open that can of worms, for whatever noble reason, it would be abused and cause no end to trouble.
But Beck could well have been deliberately misleading about Sunstein's intentions, because it's easier to get people riled up against a target instead of explaining a slippery slope.
I'm inclined to believe that Sunstein did NOT in fact intend to try to give animals the right to sue, and that he is not in fact a far-left animal-rights activist.
But I'm not convinced that Sunstein is as pro-gun as he tried to make out in his testimony. Other quotes suggest that his "pro-2nd-amendment" view is more of an historical acquiesence than a heartfelt personal view.
So I don't think it was wrong for republicans to oppose him, but I could agree with Frum's general observation that talk show hosts tend to be polarizing. I don't think that is surprising -- it's how they get audiences. Nobody seems interested in a show that actually discusses the issues and has a chance to conclude the "wrong" answers.
People like listening to talk shows where they are always validated, not ones where they are always challenged and asked to think.
My personal opinion is that you can observe that here with discussions of Medved's show. Medved tends to be a thinker. When he agrees with what I'll call the "conservative party line", people here applaud him for his thoughtfulness. But whenever he comes up with a conclusion that isn't the "accepted norm", he generally gets attacked for being a RINO.
Fact is, we need more discussion, more thought, more questioning of everything. Conservatism isn't right because it's "conservatism", Conservatism is right to the degree that the policies, positions, and values it espouses are ones that are correct, that can stand up to scrutiny, that advance the cause of humanity, that strengthen our country, and that best provide for liberty and freedom.
Two anti-Beck screeds posted in the past half hour by the good ole GOP stalwarts. He’s got to be doing something right.
Didn’t have to see the byline to know who wrote this piece of trash. It has the stench of Frum clinging to it.
What a big, steaming pile......good Lord.......
This from the author of the "Unpatriotic Conservatives" smear!
Frum?
He is an idiot, Defamation is actionable, so far no court case.
The left is squirming because beck is able to expose them and do the job CNN and their ilk refuse to do.
Cute.
Don't worry, little fella. You can still play big shot at your rarely visited, over-budget vanity blog. NeoMajority, I believe it's called.
I expect Frum to come out of the closet any day now and announce that he was a gay liberal all along. Remember David Brock?