Monday, January 25, 2010

Law and Order: "Special" Prosecutor's Unit

Is there a bigger dumbfuck drawing breath than "Patterico," the very special prosecutor from the City and County of Los Angeles?

Answer: No.

Pattycakes has his briefs in a bunch because an Obama supporter sent the same letter to numerous editorial pages, using a local city as her address for each missive in order to increase the chance of publication. What does Paranoid Pat take away from this episode of little import?

The conclusion is simple: Ellie Light and Mark Spivey are liars. They pretend to be from multiple places to enhance their credibility. In fact, they are from one location — and they are trying to pretend they are individuals from all over America.

And Pattycakes is even simpler than his incorrect conclusion. The letter writer was pretending to be "from all over America." She was only claiming one residence to each paper, and didn't disclose to the papers that she was sending the letter to other papers. She wasn't pretending to be "individuals" -- plural -- from all over America.

Pattycakes also sniffs that the letter writer was engaged in "'astroturfing," which Patty describes as "phony 'grassroots' activity. The term refers to opinions that seem to be genuine — but, in reality, are directed by a Central Planner." Except that the letter writer was expressing her genuine opinion, and she wasn't directed by anyone. That's the opposite of astroturfing.

It's kind of sad that someone would make up addresses to get a letter printed in multiple newspapers. It's pathetic -- and highly amusing -- that a purported professional would spend so much time obssessing over a meaningless event and demonstrate his utter ignorance about the event at the same time.

(No link to Pattycakes.)

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