Right vs. left blog actions--Kaloogian vs. Pianka: a brief comparison

[BurtWorm]

Left wing blog action against Kaloogian:

Precipitated by: left-wing blogger noting that a photo on Kaloogian's campaign website purported to be something it didn't seem to be--to whit: a serene street scene from Baghdad

Action: Other left-wingers rising to the challange to ID the actual scene.

Result: phony photo is uncovered; truth is served.



Right wing blog action against Pianka:

Precipitated by: a remark Pianka made about the dangers of overpopulation, taken out of context and misrepresented by a right-winger with an ax to grind and disseminated by Drudge.

Action: harrassment and death threats against Pianka and other members of the Texas Academy of the Sciences

Result: chaos


Sources:
Kaloogian: http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000244.php

Pianka: http://feeds.dailykos.com/dailykos/index?m=3337

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Insanity vs Sanity. Irrationality vs Rationality.

Blind Gullibility vs Common Sense Skepticism.

Those are some of the basic things that differentiate the Repuke Swift Boaters from those of us who still have some neurotransmitters left inside our skulls.

For those who do not go to the DKos link:

To briefly review, DR Pianka of the University of Texas has been giving lectures on population dynamics and speculating on possible agents of pandemic. Some person or persons, at least one of which has since had a change of heart, picked up on this and somehow came to the erroneous conclusion that Pianka was advocating or actively engaged in engineering deadly pathogens to kill up to 90 percent of the world's population. One even bragged that he had reported Pianka to the Department of Homeland Security as a possible terrorist threat.
<snip>
Update <10:01 AM EDT>: Hat Tip Nick Matzke at The Panda's Thumb. Pianka makes a statement:

"I got a really great death threat," Pianka said. ... This is not over. Pianka said he'll be on two cable talk shows Tuesday including MSNBC to try and clear his name.

In addition several biology professors from central Texas have mentioned to me directly that Pianka is, if anything, on the conservative side. These nitwits may have smeared one of their own.

* ::

[wicket]

2. These people are un-FREAKIN'-believable!

[BrklynLiberal]

3. There were some lemmings right here at DU.

Pianka was being condemned by some without even being given a reading, or
an examination of the credibility of the source.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Thanks to Heidi, here is Dr. Pianka's side of the story:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[BurtWorm]

4. Fear of science isn't just for the right wing.

[Inland]

5. Pianka's side is just as I predicted.

He said overpopulation could lead to a die off. Change that to overpopulation should lead to a die off, that's different. Arguing an implication that people deserve to die is entirely different.

The anti Pianka article posted lacked quotes, and strangely, said there was an exchange of e-mails with Pianka that would have had Pianka's actual statements, and those too weren't quoted.

But this BS story is going to circulate around the rightie alarmist machine. In two months, the right wing echo chamber is going to telling us the Harvard Science Dept. is breeding ebola to kill off humans.

[BurtWorm]

6. kick

[zbdent]

7. Here's a better comparison

Kaloogian puts a picture of a street, claims it's Baghdad . . . left-wing bloggers research the obvious, prove it false, flood the media. Media grudgingly acknowledges the mistake.

Dan Rather posts one of the few pieces of evidence George W. Bush ever showed up for Guard duty . . . one right-wing blogger in his parent's basement claims the document is fake . . . CBS forced to fire Dan Rather . . .

Yup, that's more like the real comparison . . .

[BurtWorm]

8. That's one comparison.

Not necessarily the "real" one. It's certainly apt. However, I was pointing out the difference between two of the most recent blog actions on the left and right.