It might go off
One of the standard stupid cliches in old cops-n-robbers shows:

"Put down that gun! It might go off!"

The writers obviously thought this was a clever way to tell the listeners that a gun has just been pulled, but it's a fantastically stupid thing to say. When the other guy has the gun, you're not in a position to give orders. Giving orders in a condescending way is likely to make the other guy even more pissed. Implying that the other guy doesn't know what he's doing will make him prove that he does.

The establishment forces in this year's election are constantly treating the outsiders with condescension. "Put down that vote! It might go off!"

Some of them have learned, or have been told by their bosses, that condescension is not wise. They haven't changed their attitude because they can't. So they switch to other subjects.

One who remains wildly contemptuous is Harsanyi, who generally condescends for federalist.com, but moved up to WaPo for this contemptuous snort.

If you have no clue what the hell is going on, you also have a civic duty to avoid subjecting the rest of us to your ignorance. Unfortunately, we can’t trust you.

While shoveling radioactive snot at normal Americans, Harsanyi reveals his own abysmal ignorance:

In another study, by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, we learned that only 36 percent could name all three branches of the U.S. government. Only 62 percent knew that the U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with determining the constitutionality of legislation.

Those "only 62 percent" are wrong. The Supreme Court is NOT tasked with determining constitutionality. It's only tasked with handling disputes between the states, or disputes involving a foreign government. Period.

Interpreting laws is a "task" that the Supremes stole for themselves in 1803, which immediately INVALIDATED THE ENTIRE CONSTITUTION.

When one party to a contract decides on its own to alter the terms of the contract, the contract is invalid. If you hire me to write five programs for $500, and I then infect your computer with five viruses and charge you $25 million to remove the viruses, you're entitled to tear up the contract. This is exactly what the Supremes did in 1803. They performed a duty that was EXCLUDED BY THEIR CONTRACT.

So the correct answer to all of Harsanyi's questions is "We do not have a Constitution. We have criminal tyrants who can do whatever they want, which is demonstrated perfectly by all of their actions since 1803."

I'm not ignorant, Harsanyi. You are. Put down that computer, it's making the world stupid.

Labels: Language update

  ¶ 1:29 AM