Saturday, January 2, 2010

Back Pedaling

WØØt it's 2010! And not a minute too soon. Whether the new year is called Two Thousand and Ten or Twenty Aught Ten, your LakeCountyEye did manage to make it out of bed before the first sunset of the new decade. This is the time of year that Internet bloggers make their predictions. Fearing no new-year ritual, no matter how corny, your LakeCountyEye is eager to engage in some shoot-from-the-hip palmistry if for nothing other than a lack of anything better to write about.

Of course accurately foretelling what the next decade will hold is not as easy as it sounds. The secret is to know in advance what sort of name the decade will be called. Were the new decade called -- just for example -- the roaring twenties, then it is quite easy to guess what will unfold the next ten years. But given a decade with a name like the psychedelic sixties, a much different fate awaits. Likewise for a decade called something like the gay nineties -- which happens to be where your LakeCountyEye's money is going.

If Andy Martin's new radio ad is any sign of things to come, prepare yourself for the gay teens ...
Lake County Illinois Republican leader Ray True says [Mark] Kirk has surrounded himself with homosexuals.
Transcript from the Political Ad
Internet Powerhouse® Andy Martin is entwined in a mano-a-mano struggle with Mark Kirk for the Republican US Senate nomination. Raymond True, honcho of the Republican Assembly of Lake County, however has back pedaled himself from Martin's ad -- telling the Chicago Tribune he did not say mean things about Mark Kirk ...
"I never said Mark was a homosexual and there's no evidence to that fact," True said in a telephone interview.
Rep. Mark Kirk's sexual orientation questioned in GOP opponent's ad
True was being truthful. Technically he did not call Kirk a homosexual. What True said was ...
It's more or less an open secret in Lake County that Mark [Kirk] has surrounded himself with people that have I guess they call it now a special orientation but we all know what that means.
Should we sell out our principles for Obama-lite Republicans?

Despite True's protestation, Martin's ad is still pretty close to what True actually did say.

Your LakeCountyEye is nothing if not an aficionado of finely parsed weasel words. So if there is a loophole big enough for True to wriggle through, it has to be the phrase special orientation.

Let's admit that Kirk does in fact surround himself with people of a special orientation. But, contra True, not everyone knows what that phrase -- special orientation -- means. At least not your LakeCountyEye. It is not obvious that special orientation means homosexual. Especially not after consulting the Googels -- which delivers a variety of special orientation hits. A random sampling:

"10:00AM Advance At Work Special Orientation (by appt)"
Workforce QUEENS Career Center

Here a special orientation is being held for job seekers.
"Special Orientation Control of the Thrust Vector in Optimization Problems of Rocket Dynamics"
Russian Academy of Science: MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica

Something to do with the special orientation of rocket scientists?
"To specify a special orientation of an aperture, slit, aperture pair, etc."
Space Telescope Science Institute

Telescopes need special orientation too!
"Special orientation for cross-institutional students"
University of Queensland

It's anyone's guess what the Ozzies are ever talking about.
"No special orientation other than the fruit lying flat was required."
An algorithm for distinguishing apples from bananas

It is good to know that fruit do not require any special orientation.
"you can attend a special orientation designed for GLBT tourists"
Gay Paris in Summertime

This one speaks for itself.
As is plainly evident, the phrase special orientation is some coded buzzword that can mean just about anything to anyone. For all your LakeCountyEye knows, Raymond True has a special orientation for sticking his foot in his mouth. We all know what that means.

7 comments:

Andy Martin said...

Ray True knew exactly what he meant. True is a coward, a liar and a phony.

Andy Martin

Crazy4glf said...

As opposed to the spreader of hate for decades: Andy Martin?!
Why should we vote for Mr. Martin?
Empty press conferences?
Being less than 1% different from most GOP'ers?
Your decades of hate-speech toward those of different lifestyles and faiths?

One who either directly spreads (i.e. their own) hate or one who repeats the hatred of another are not much different from each other, are more representative of those of the GOP with the biggest mouths, and are not people that should have anything to do with governance!


If you do get elected and do something wrong, Mr. Martin, we know who you'll blame: The judge, the other Members of Congress, the people that disagree with you, the people that maintain law and order, and those of different faiths.
As any psychologist will tell you, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior and yours is not an exemplary record where you should feel that you have any status to judge others

Anonymous said...

Crazy4glf,

I am a life long Republican (moderate) and folks like Andy Martin and Ray True are not at all representative of the Republicans I know.

Please refrain from characterizing all Republicans as them. How would you like being characterized as many of the left-wing nuts in your party!

Barney Baxter said...

Hi Andy,

I'm probably ill advised putting myself in a position to defend Ray True. (True is capable of defending himself.) As I understand it, True had not heard the ad and the Trib lead him to think he was quoted saying that Kirk is gay. Which, if you closely parse his words, is not what True said.

But I think we all know what he meant. Of course in fairness if we want to know what True meant, we probably have to ask True.

-BB-

Gold Fish said...

ANON 8:46,

I think Crazy4glf would actually appreciate you calling him a left-wing nut. :)

Crazy4glf said...

Anon - Jan 3,
If only the few rational republicans left would take control of their party, it'd be easier to be respectful, cooperate, and treat them as I'd want to be treated.

I do not hear enough GOP'ers calling into question the comments, divisiveness, and hypocrisy of the Coulter's Limbaugh's, Steele's, and Wilson's of the world.

People demand conversion; nothing is said (Hume, Coulter).

People insult, impede, and fail to act prudently toward the President (Wilson, DeMint, Kirk); nothing is said (wasn't such behavior deemed unpatriotic under W.? What was said of people who disagreed with him? was that not an inaccurate, unfair generalization?)

Regarding generalizations, how have community organizers, union members, non-Christians, and some people of a diverse background been characterzed by the supposedly morally superior Republicans (Palin, Giuliani, Kirk, etc.)?


Call me what you want. People who are supposedly fiscal conservatives borrowed for a tax cut, an unnecessary war, and an incomplete Medicare Reform Act. If many of these GOP'ers stand for nothing or engage in relative morality, they shouldn't expect significant respect and praise.

Calling me a name or generalizing about Dem's won't hide the Sanford's, Gingrich's, and Hyde's of the world, who are held in high esteem by your party, nor will it distract us from the unfortunate political gambling being done by Repubs on the public dole while being eligible for health insurance we all pay for. Nice 'entitlement' don't ya think?

Anonymous said...

This is funny-both parties have their demagogues and both parties have rational people. The Democrates are no better than the Republicans, both have stupid polices/ideas and good policies/ideas. This is why the country will always suffer, people looking at the nuts in each party and not looking at the good.