Hey, there! Log in / Register
Palinistas can't leave Revere alone
By adamg on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 7:02am
Seems they're now fighting a war with Wikipedia over the encyclopedia's article on Paul Revere (scroll down this attempted revision).
The Wikipedians are getting a bit fed up.
J.L. Bell, who knows something about revolutionary Boston, chimes in with a deconstruction of Palin's remarks at Old North Church:
It sounds like Palin got an accurate description of Revere, the Lexington alarm, and his adolescent bell-ringing at Old North Church during her travels, but that history got garbled in her attempt to spin it into modern right-wing talking points ("Put the government on warning!" "We need our arms!"). The result was her typical stew of folksy phrases without logical or grammatical connections.
Digital Journal link via the Outraged Liberal. See the full Revere Facepalm on Boing Boing.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Paul Revere Actually came From Paris with an iPod
Good for callling her out, but I couldn't get past this nugget from Digital Journal:
"is in stark contrast to the historical account of Revere's famed 'midnight ride,' where the purpose was to set off an advanced alarm for the colonialists to protect an arsenal in Concorde. As well, historians don't believe the warning shots that Palin originally referred to ever happened."
(Emphasis added.)
On the bright side, after the Palin people read that, perhaps we can hear Sarah tell us a story about how Revere had started his ride at the Place de Concorde (on a horsey named MikeD, no doubt) after winning French funds to support the revolution, but all of that failed and he had to take a supersonic jet when he got to Brest and realized he could get no further (he probably chose this method because he was listening to Oasis on his iPod at the time).
Seriously, I know its the presidential silly season, but must we be subjected to this? Please tell me that people no longer consider Palin a serious candidate, and that this is just the msm at work. Please.
Maybe he can do a double facepalm
Yeesh, minor typo and all that, but still.
And yes, this is just more MSM fascination with Palin. I've now done two posts on it because Paul's a local boy.
Provincial Stockpile vs. Individual Arms
I should have added that Bell's comment that the British were out for the Provincial stockpile of weapons (as opposed to the individual muskets that the farmers along the way might have had) at Concord is worth noting.
It was just more fun (and a great way to procrastinate) to find all of those links so early in the morning. Cut me some slack. I've been preparing for a long exam and lots of not funny things seem quite funny just now.
Where Palin's Account Belongs
http://shitmystudentswrite.tumblr.com/
It sounds like one of those scrambled "essays" that middle school students write, and teachers laugh about.
Here's another, shorter bunch of manglings - including a garbled student essay: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/magazine/24ONLAN...
Touche
On the faceplam Paul, Adam.
Have you seen the Conservapedia entry on it yet?
These people are delusional and insane, Palin included.
funny, the link to where they
funny, the link to where they got the information for this page has been removed (funny, the link sends you to Orange County School district.. a HIGHLY republican county in California).
haha, so they are citing high
haha, so they are citing high school history class websites? What a bunch of elistist snobs, I don't trust those ivory tower high school teachers.
Wow!
The Conservapedia should have a second tag line:
"Changing history so you don't have to."
Conservapedia
Where reality and well-documented facts are "revisionist".
It's a symptom
Of just how bad their echo chamber has become.
Reality really does have a liberal bias to these folk.
Heard on NPR just now: Host:
Heard on NPR just now:
Host: "So Palin was basically right?
Historian guest: "Well yes."
Ah, those right-wing wackos at NPR.
Why do you think...
...liberals long ago started joking that NPR stands for "Nice Polite Republicans"? They've been so terrified of getting their funding cut for so long that now they have Stockholm Syndrome.
What did the historian say
What did the historian say right after that? "Well" before "yes" is often a stutter for thought. "Basically" is a bit of a modifier too
It was a qualified approval.
It was a qualified approval. I'm sure they have podcasts - listen for yourself. He ended with 'politicians aren't historians, and we don't expect them to be.'
"Politicians aren't historians..."
Generally I would agree with that comment, as I usually hate to see public figures pounced on for making minor flubs or gaffes or not expressing all nuances of an historical event, etc.
However, it has to be noted that Palin is on a tour right now to SPECIFICALLY highlight important historical sites throughout the country. One can say, as I would, that this is a nice way of shadow-campaigning without saying the words, because then your soft-money PAC wouldn't be able to pay your salary while you tour around the country in a bus also paid for by your PAC and without any regulatory oversight. That aside, if your intent, your specific intent, is to raise Americans' awareness for all of the great natural and historical wonders that make our country great-- don't you think you should learn a bit about them yourself?
Additionally, what galls me to no end is that Palin and the rest of the Teabaggers seem to hang their hats on the mantle of the importance of our Founding Fathers and their view of what the US was and would become. Time, time, and time again we have heard them skew that history, either due to an ideological difference of opinion (a legitimate argument, even if I disagree with it) or just make dumb mistakes like this. It was only a few weeks ago that Rep. Bachmann claimed that the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired in Concord, NH, for instance.
I, for one, don't want my country hijacked by narrow-minded ideologues who appeal to the basest instincts of humanity (anger, fear, etc). But to have these people wrap themselves in the flag and the banner of the Constitution when they themselves have shown an appalling lack of BASIC understanding of our founding principles is scary. Almost as scary as the people who eat it up whole. "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and waving a cross" comes to mind.
I think that's what is really informing this issue. If Palin had flubbed about Veritek splitting the goal posts, for instance, we'd all roll our eyes and move on. But the continued, proud ignorance of basic facts that they base their movement on makes this Real American angry.
*rant over*