David Barton’s sidekick Rick Green has introduced his readership to a law of online discourse: Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies.
After evangelical publisher Thomas Nelson hit the ‘unpublish’ button last week on Barton’s latest book, The Jefferson Lies, Green took to his blog to defend his WallBuilder’s Live co-host. Green goes after the “leftwing bloggers, elitist professors, and downright jealous peers” who he says forced Thomas Nelson’s hand. He does not, however, go after the evangelical pastors who boycotted the book, nor does he go after the conservative Christian scholars who ripped the book’s inaccuracies. Jay W. Richards of the creationist Dicovery Institute? Not a peep about him either. And the folks with the final word on pulling the book, Thomas Nelson, basically get a free pass from Green.
But the rest of you — you leftists, elitist professors and jealous peers — you’re a bunch of Adolf Hitlers and Saul Alinskys.
Writes Green:
Question: What do elitist professors have in common with Adolf Hitler & Saul Alinsky?
Answer: They masterfully use the powerful art of innuendo to falsely defame those with which they disagree.
Definition of Innuendo: A derogatory hint or reference to a person or thing.
The internet is abuzz today with leftwing bloggers, elitist professors, and downright jealous peers licking their chops and rubbing their hands in excitement as they repeat the juicy quotes about David Barton books being full of “embarrassing factual errors, suspiciously selective quotes, and highly misleading claims.”
Yet not a single article can point to a single factual error, quote out of context, or misleading claim.
How ‘bout that.
These articles are all celebrating the fact that Thomas Nelson is pulling “The Jefferson Lies” because “…there were some historical details included in the book that were not adequately supported.”
Does “not adequately supported” mean the same as “not supported?”
Of course not!
It means that those who disagree with Barton have pressured the publisher to side with their slanted views regarding how much support is needed for this claim or that claim.
For those who are unaware, Godwin dictates that given enough time someone in an online discussion will make a misplaced comparison to Hitler or Nazi Germany. Incidentally, a newer tenet of Godwin states that once a reference to Hitler/Nazis is made, the discussion is over and the user of the reference has lost the argument. Green starts his blog post with the Hitler reference.
Which Rick Green is this? The one that was a state Rep. and got arrested for sucker punching Patrick Rose?
Which Rick Green is this? The one that was a state Rep. and got arrested for sucker punching Patrick Rose?
And, of course, several people HAVE pointed out the lies Barton tells, and they’ve supported it with evidence–not just in the comments after that post, but in, oh, maybe a thousand other places on the web. Rick Green is as much a liar as Barton is. Maybe a psychologist could tell us what’s wrong with these people. Are they truly that disconnected from reality?
In Rick Green’s defense, they are all bipeds.
In Rick Green’s defense, they are all bipeds.
There is a group of Barton fans that have happened upon a reason The Jefferson Lies was actually yanked off the market: Thomas Nelson publishing was acquired by HarperCollins earlier this summer.
Obviously Harper is one of those big liberal outfits in New York City, and none of those people in New York have any morals, probably most of them are just atheist or devil worshipers. At any rate they certainly aren’t good, American loving born-again Christians. And pulliing The Jefferson Lies? It’s just one more example of the unrelenting attack on Christians in America.
Except…well upon further review it looks like HarperCollins is owned by News Corp, whose chairman is born-again dipwad Rupert “God loves a good eavesdropper” Murdoch. And of course News Corp. owns Fox News, which is run by born-again jerkface Roger Ailes, and Fox is the mouthpiece of the religious right.
So the Harper-is-responsible scenario is not logical. But that’s not an obstacle for Barton fans, or they wouldn’t be Barton fans in the first place.
Breckenridge, that logic will not fly with them. They are of the same kind as those that claimed (before 1945) that Hitler and the Nazis were actually a Jewish front group and doubled down afterwards (post 1945) that the holocaust was a pawn sacrifice to foster the nefarious goals of Jewry.
If necessary* The Rupert and his mouthpieces will be declared the devil disguised as the Angel of Light.
*while hoping that it will be not of course
Ben, and Breckenridge… I would advise caution with respect to calling out Rick Green. If you best him in logic (or at the polls) for that matter, he’s likely to apply the “Might Makes Right” doctrine and beat you up.
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2009/11/checkered-history-or-no-rick-g.html/
Thanks for the heads up Mars Bonfire. I had no idea Rick Green has shown signs of such instability in the past.
Shades of Byron “Low Tax” Looper.
A good read:
“I recently took an informal survey on my blog and learned that the history departments at some of the most conservative or fundamentalist colleges in the country, such as Bob Jones University, Liberty University, and Patrick Henry College, do not, and will not, use Barton’s books in their classes. Actually, the only place I could find that does use Barton’s books appears to be Liberty University Law School. Though I realize that this is only a rough survey, it is worth noting that historians at these kinds of institutions also reject Barton’s pseudo-history. If you are a David Barton fan, and you have a college-age son or daughter, you will be hard pressed to find a Christian college history department in the United States who embraces his views.” (Not mentioned: Cynthia Dunbar)
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2012/08/what-can-we-learn-from-the-david-barton-controversy/
It appears that Dan and Jose at TFN have either taken the week off from work or are basking in the warm glow of delight over the nationwide Barton revelations. Talk about viral!!!! While our two dear boys (love them both) are resting on their well-deserved laurels, I have posted a story about the Barton affair on my blog at the following URL:
http://contextintn.wordpress.com/
Don’t worry TFN. I have crossed referenced back to your David Barton Watch URL. This will give TFN a new audience that never comes here.