Prelutsky & Goldberg Go at It
Bernie Goldberg and I used to be on friendly terms, although we had never met. He wrote very complimentary forewords to a couple of my books, and I, in turn, let him post my articles on his website for free.
Bernie Goldberg and I used to be on friendly terms, although we had never met. He wrote very complimentary forewords to a couple of my books, and I, in turn, let him post my articles on his website for free.
But it seems that we are now — as Walter Winchell used to say when couples broke an engagement or ended a marriage — phffft!
As I am on his email list, I received his weekly article this morning which was titled “The Real Cowards of Academia.”
I wrote back to say: “I read and naturally agreed with today’s article, as it was similar to the stuff I have been writing about the bullies on our college campuses, and those like the president of Evergreen, George Bridges, who said he was impressed with ‘the passion and courage’ of the young fascists.
"But, hadn’t you dropped me from your website because you were offended about what I had written about some group or other (urban blacks, homosexuals, illegal aliens, campus snowflakes, Jewish liberals, transgenders, Muslims…you never did specify)?
"I’m not suggesting you weren’t within your rights. After all, it was your site. And it’s not as if you had silenced me. I still had other sites, as well as my own subscribers. But, then, it’s not as if conservatives like Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, Heather MacDonald and Charles Murray, have been silenced just because they’re not allowed to get a word in edgewise on certain college campuses. Unlike myself, they even have access to the cameras and microphones at Fox News.
"So, just exactly how do you differ from the college snowflakes who can’t tolerate a differing opinion or an opinion presented in a way they personally find, not obscene or libelous, but merely, let us say, politically insensitive?”
In response, Mr. Goldberg wrote: “I dropped you, Burt, because you referred to Juan Williams as a lawn jockey. On top of that, you have a nasty streak that I was getting tired of. Do I think you’re a bigot in the old-fashioned sense? At times, yes. And your frequent use of the word ‘schmuck’ to describe the president of the United States I found both juvenile and offensive.
"I got tired of worrying about what nasty little piece of work you’d come up with next. That makes me whatever makes you comfortable. Brg”
“Thank you for taking the time to reply, Bernie,” I wrote back.
“For openers, I don’t think a bigot in the old-fashioned sense, or any other sense, differentiates between, say, those vile individuals like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Eric Holder and those like Clarence Thomas, Jason Riley and Thomas Sowell.
"Moving on: Juan Williams is worse than a lawn jockey, which in the old days at least provided a service; it served as something to which one could conveniently hitch a horse and wagon.
"Williams, on the other hand, only serves as a token black, if you will, to bear out Fox’s self-serving slogan of being ‘fair and balanced.’ He is an ignoramus who never once in eight years objected to anything Barack Obama said or did. Moreover, at times, he appears to be channeling a minstrel show performer, rolling his eyes in mock disbelief when listening to someone like Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg or Charles Krauthammer, saying something sensible with which Williams naturally disagrees.
"Frankly, I thought ‘schmuck’ was too kind a word to use about President Obama, who did everything in his power to destroy the nation. He also happened to be an egomaniac who believed he could personally stop the ocean from rising (shades of King Canute), and who was convinced that what America really needed was to be radically transformed by a left-wing community agitator from Chicago, whose religious mentor had been a black racist who regularly damned America from his vile pulpit.
"As I wrote, I believe you had every right to drop my articles. But as you seem to believe that Juan Williams and Barack Obama deserve to be coddled, and yet find endless excuses to ravage and ridicule President Trump, I think you would be well-advised to consider your own mental and moral stability. Sincerely, Burt”
In a recent article, I mistakenly referred to Vermont as “The Granite State.” Three readers called me out, patiently explaining that it’s New Hampshire that’s “The Granite State,” whereas Vermont is “The Green Mountain State.”
I am actually delighted when my readers point out my errors because, one, it suggests I’m human, and, two, I am otherwise likely to repeat it. I much prefer making new mistakes. I’m just relieved when my goofs are of a minor nature, for as I wrote back to the sharp-eyed trio: “You know how it is with those New England states. They all look and vote alike, so it’s easy to mix up their goofy nicknames.”
I would like to give a shout-out to Donald Trump who, because he didn’t have to rely on Congress, was able to keep his campaign promise and pull us out of the Paris Climate Accord.
I give him special kudos because I know that although it’s no big deal for him to offend the pinheads in the Senate, at CNN and the NY Times, this time he was bucking the wishes of his daughter and son-in-law. That takes real cajones.
No doubt those who proudly swear allegiance to Al Gore’s hoax will point out that whereas 195 nations have signed up for the non-binding agreement, the United States joins the likes of Nicaragua and Syria in rejecting it.
For my part, I never put much stock in the wisdom of the majority. Heck, they’re the simpletons who twice elected Barack Obama.
Speaking of the NY Times, it is worth noting that they fired Liz Spayd, whose title was Public Editor. She was in fact, something of an ombudsman at the paper whose job was to call out in print, no less, errors of fact and examples of political bias she found in its pages.
I’m certain that those who let her go pride themselves on their newspaper’s speaking truth to power, except, it appears, when the power happens to be the NY Times.
It isn’t only on college campuses that the 1st Amendment is in jeopardy. Judge William Orrick has taken it upon himself to ban a video secretly taken at a Planned Parenthood convention. The video showed the creeps responsible for performing over 300,000 abortions a year laughing as they described the severing of tiny limbs and some other ghoulish details involved in the unholy procedure.
It’s bad enough that Planned Parenthood continues to receive $500 million of our tax dollars year after year. But how sweet it is for them that they merely need to call an obliging judge to repeal the 1st Amendment at a moment’s notice.
Is it just me or do other people also think that, no matter if he’s sitting or standing, James Comey always looks like he’s posing for an old Roman coin?
One of my faithful readers, Thomas Skelly, the pride of Tustin, CA, recently brightened my day by sharing a list of quotes referencing the French. I won’t bother listing all the people to whom the quotes are attributed because I don’t believe all of them were capable of being that witty or perceptive. Not even about the French.
“I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me.” (General George S. Patton.)
“Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion.”
“The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris, sipping coffee and Cognac.”
“We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it.” (Marge Simpson)
“The only thing worse than a Frenchman is a Frenchman who lives in Canada.” (Ted Nugent)
“War without France would be like…World War II.”
“What do you expect from a culture and a nation that exerted more of its national will fighting against Disney World and Big Macs than against the Nazis?” (Dennis Miller)
“It is important to remember that the French have always been there when they needed us.”
“The French have taken their own precautions against Al Qaeda. To prepare for an attack, every Frenchman is urged to keep duct tape, a white flag and a three-day supply of mistresses in his home.” (Argus Hamilton)
“The French will only agree to go to war when we’ve convinced them truffles have been found in Iraq.” (Dennis Miller)
“The French Government announced today that it is imposing a ban on the use of fireworks at Euro Disney. The decision comes a day after a nightly display of fireworks at the park caused the soldiers at a nearby garrison to surrender to a group of Czech tourists.”
“What did the mayor of Paris say to the German general as the Nazis entered the city in 1940? Table for 100,000, monsieur?”
“The Republicans in Congress are so gutless, they’d surrender to the French.” (Burt Prelutsky)
