I see a lot of commentary that compares Joe Wilson’s ‘You Lie!’ outburst with the ruckus that often happens in the House of Commons. But one thing you are not allowed to shout in the Commons is that another speaker is a liar. A lot of circumlocutions evolved to bypass this – ‘terminological inexactitude’ is my favorite (Churchill, of course) – but the ban is for a reason. Once the opposition starts yelling ‘You lie!’ they have essentially abandoned the deliberative process, by questioning the good faith of a speaker. Without an assumption of good faith or a factual rebuttal, just calling someone a liar abolishes the integrity of the debating process. It ends a conversation. And parliament is about conversation.
Excellent information. Way to go, Oliver.
It’s precious how the GOP nutters spend years demonizing the supposedly socialist hellholes of Europe then turn on a dime and claim our government should be more like theirs.
What a pack of racist clowns.
The Canadian system is modelled on the UK’s, and similar rules of protocol apply. Debates and question period are usually very raucus, with MPs pounding on desks, shouting interlocutions, laughing haranguing etc. However, something that Mr. Wilson did would cause the Speaker to pause the proceedings and ask Mr. Wilson to apologize. If he did not, he would be censured and removed. You cannot insult other members, though you are welcome to emote and are permitted low grade heckling. Cross the line into insults, and you’re outta there.
It’s kinda fun, really.
Also, the other thing is that the Prime Minster is normally present for most sittings of the house, so he is there to answer questions as a matter of routine. There is no distance between the legislative chamber and the executive. The executive is knee deep, all the time.
Olbermann tore Wilson a new one tonight
Also, why the hate for our health care system? It’s not bad. Not perfect, but really, no one who gets sick goes broke, you can go to the doctor you want, plus we have yet to euthanize anyone to save money!
Meh, sometimes the truth hurts
“Olbermann tore Wilson a new one tonight”
People still watch Olbermann?
People still watch Olbermann?
Thanks to the magic of Teh Internets, anyone can:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/countdown-special-comment-about-shout-you
“Olbermann tore Wilson a new one tonight”
So now he has three?
The Brits also have hate speech legislation!!
See, I knew there was a lot of grandstanding in Parliament, but I wasn’t sure if it was to the extent of calling the PM a liar. Good to know.
Mr. Wilson, sir, when you’ve been lectured on political decorum by the likes of Keith Olbermann and Oliver , you know you should really take it to heart.
Mr. Wilson, sir, when you earn the privilege of being defended by Dennis, you should know that you are a member of a rarified and distinctive group.
He actually used to do caffeine pills, Wilbur.
I can’t defend him any longer.
I think I’m beginning to understand your outrage.
Perhaps the caffeine pills explain South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson’s opposition to “race mixing” (can’t help but wonder if he also feels that “race mixing” is “communist” as his ideological brethren from the 1950’s apparently believed); or his insistence that to suggest that the U.S. ever supported Saddam Hussein is “un-American;” or his a membership in “an organization teeming with white supremecists and racists,” a group which once “defended the Ku Klux Klan, and argued that the United States was created “for white people,” and complained that “when a Negro has learned to read he ceases to work.” ”
Must be the caffeine pills. Ergo, I choose to mock the outrage of Teh Left and implicitly defend South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson. He just can’t help himself.
The ideological forebears of South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson and his defenders (both explicit and implicit)
Indeed/ Mister ed is now an advocate for guilt by association.
Against it before he was for it, but life is complicated, ya know.
I heard from some good and decent Americans that Obama’s a Communist and as Socialist and is like Hitler and Stalin and he’s destroying Our Country and he Hates America and is a Racist.
“Indeed/ Mister ed is now an advocate for guilt by association.
Against it before he was for it, but life is complicated, ya know.”
Translation: I’m getting killed over here with facts that are indefensible so I’m going to deflect and project my way out of this one because certainly, this Wilson character is my type of white trash good ole boy but I refuse to be confronted with his questionable past.
Oh yes, Ron. ‘Socks’ Indeed/ Mister ed has three major themes to his whole political repertoire; racism charges, eliminationist conspiracy theories, and Rush Limbaugh urban legends, all of which he trots out from his Favorites page when he can think of nothing else. That’s hardly ‘getting killed with facts’, entertaining as much as it must be for you.
Anti-abortion activist shot in front of Owosso High School
————
Posted by llortamai on 09/11/09 at 10:21AM
Kill the zealot, kill the zealot, kill the zealot!
Some facts, however inconvenient to Team Dittohead, are too important to blow off with willful ignorance.
What’s amusing about this is that if GWB had been called a liar during a formal speech to a joint session, you would’ve needed a fire hose to wash the righteous rage off of Dennis/Jay/Jay Tea/etc.
Frankly, while I find Wilson’s behavior generally unacceptable, I’m more concerned about how out of touch he is to think Obama was actually lying. I’d like to believe this is more of a publicity stunt than genuine ignorant outrage, but given the intelligence of the average right-wing lunatic, that’s unlikely..
Left wing eliminationists, Indeed/ Mister ed.
Go to town.
Not even going to wait to find out who shot him, Dennis?
I just wanted to hear Mister ed’s analysis, Quibbie. Being his favorite topic and all.
Wow, there’s even opposition in the explanation of a simple rule. That’s pretty petty, Dennis. I don’t know you at all, but for some reason, I think you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
Ugh, I don’t even want to read the 9/11 post if it’s anything like this in the comments.
Wrong Dennis
It’s entertaining watching you spinning into relms of irrelavancy with your responses cause in your attempts to defend the indefensible, you only deflect. Brilliant performance btw.
So what about Wilson and his hollering during the speech, Dennis? Right or wrong?
It was wrong. He said so, apologized to Obama, and apology accepted.
End of story, Quibbie.
One would think. Apparently, one would be wrong.
One would think. Apparently, one would be wrong.
Couple of more days, tops.
So….ride the tired horse till she drops? Seems to be a more popular topic here than Obama’s speech. Certainly there’s more passion.
racism charges, eliminationist conspiracy theories, and Rush Limbaugh urban legends,
Still whistling past the graveyard, I see.
I’d like to believe this is more of a publicity stunt than genuine ignorant outrage,
Well, it certainly is good publicity for Wilson’s opponent, that’s for sure.
So….ride the tired horse till she drops?
You think we’d ever hear the last of it if say, Cynthia McKinney did this during a Bush speech? Haw!
I just wanted to hear Mister ed’s analysis, Quibbie. Being his favorite topic and all.
Analysis on a subject where we have almost zero facts? Good call.
You really have to be careful when QiaB asks you something, Dennis. 9x out of 10, he already knows the answer.
That would have to presuppose that she’d apologize, wouldn’t it?
Haw.
I’m well aware of his style, Duros. And I told him I was looking for Mister ed’s analysis in particular. Go back to the Saturday of the Poplawski murders to see how long he waited to start with his analysis and trotted out his saved to hard-drive Jim Adkisson quotes.
Congressman Wilson is coming across as being dumber than the volleyball. No wonder the Brits don’t seem to think too highly about our “Get a brain, morans..Is our children learning?..The phony soldiers..He’s a uh-arab..Heil Hitler..You lie…” school of politics.
That would have to presuppose that she’d apologize, wouldn’t it?
When has that ever mattered to the outrage junkies on the right?
Schmidt?
Also. False Equivalence: You’re soaking in it.
Murder bad. Tacitly endorsing barely (if at all) veiled supporters of murder also bad. Also.
Sorry. Thought I was already on The Record.
Schmidt? Also.
Sorry, somebody clue me in to the whole Scmidt thingy. Thanx.
Also. False Equivalence: You’re soaking in it.
Awesome. TFJ.
Here.
Here.
and elsewhere.
D, the other day OW posted an item on the videotape catching Jean Schmidt agreeing with one of her birther constituents that Obama is not eligible to be President.
On the second comment in the thread, Dennis pulled a Look Over There. He was given 11 separate invitations to make an on-topic comment.
I bet you can’t guess how that turned out.