Wednesday, April 04, 2007

What Happens When You Let the Inmates Run the Asylum

The 9/11 Truth Movement has glommed onto Masschusetts Governor Deval Patrick's website.

Right now, it's in twelfth place in terms of support votes. It's been there since the 24th of March. Governor Patrick's staff has not removed it. So, a major politician's website is tacitly endorsing thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories.

"Radioastronomer," a poster at Darwin Central (the home of The Conspiracy That Cares®) notes:

I sent an email to the Gov's office with a link pointing this out and asking if he wanted his name dragged thru the mud like this. Nothing - nada- zip.

Looks like he does support the idea.


America is not and (hopefully) never will be a pure democracy. If the Founders viewed pure democracy as dangerous in an era where mass communications were nonexistent, how would they view it in an era that is absolutely saturated with mass communications, many designed to appeal to emotional impulse instead of rational thought (i.e., advertising)? I have commented to friends, with tongue only half in cheek, that given a big enough budget and slick enough advertising, Hitler could have sold the idea of the "Final Solution" to the prospective victims themselves.

Governor Patrick meant well with the "My Issues" website. However, the road to Hell is usually paved with good intentions. (Cliches tend to become cliches for very good reason.) In our system of government, politicians are not intended to be mere sock puppets of whoever has the loudest bullhorn. Politicians are expected to lead. And that may mean annoying "the base" from time to time (depending on how crazy "the base" is, maybe a lot of the time. (It's worth noting that the Arabic translation of "the base" is "al-Qaeda.") Someone at Deval Patrick's campaign should have reviewed this posting and deleted it long before it got spotted by a bored blogger.

Do the right thing, Governor, and tell this part of your base "yob' tvoyu maht'!"

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