Video: Manufactured controversy of the day
posted at 12:16 pm on October 27, 2007 by Allahpundit
It’s Patrick Byrne, founder of Overstock.com and ardent proponent of school vouchers, making a point about the career prospects of kids failed by the public school system. Spotting an easy opportunity to shut him up by demagoging the hell out of this, voucher opponents make their move. Pound for pound, one of the dumbest, phoniest gotchas I’ve ever seen, which, after a month of fake outrage over Rush’s “phony soldiers” comment and MM’s alleged “stalking” of the Frost family, is really saying something.
Update (Bryan): About three years or so ago, when Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9-11 was all the rage, a couple of producers put a counter documentary together called FahrenHYPE 9-11. It stars Ron Silver and Dick Morris and refutes Fahrenheit 9-11 line by line. Moore started encouraging people in the States to illegally download torrent files of his film, burn them onto CD or DVD and send them to the troops in Iraq. I worked with a few other bloggers to counter that, raise some money and send FahrenHYPE DVDs to the troops. We just didn’t want Moore’s film to be the only one that got over there. We called the effort Truth for Troops. Well, it turned out that Overstock.com had bought the rights to FahrenHYPE 9-11, and when they learned of our effort, they donated free shipping and, iirc, thousands of DVDs to it. I believe that they matched our effort disc for disc, doubling the amount that eventually got sent to Iraq. They never sought any publicity or credit for it, they just did it.
Blowback
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These days you have to word what you say very carefully because your opponents will pounce on you. I think he could’ve worded that a WHOLE lot better.
terryannonline on October 27, 2007 at 12:23 PM
You have to choose your words carefully in our Orwellian world. I hope after he used thoese words the interviewer commented on it and he was able to say “Not literally burn them, you idiot.”
peacenprosperity on October 27, 2007 at 12:24 PM
I can’t find Byrne anywhere on the covert Media Matters hitlist memo.
Are they just freelancing now?
JammieWearingFool on October 27, 2007 at 12:27 PM
The ones against the voucher program are the ones who are helping to doom poor kids to a low standard of living. They just want complete control over indoctrinating our nations kids to their way of thinking. Public schools are by and large owned by liberals and of course they want to keep it that way.
WildBillK on October 27, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Here’s another one
BadgerHawk on October 27, 2007 at 12:31 PM
There they go again. The far left, this time the NAACP, practicing selective hearing.
Seems clear enough for me. And I agree with Mr. Byrne, education is everything. We are preparing to send humans to Mars and a large percentage of kids are still groping around not knowing how to read, write, add, subtract, multiply or divide. Talk about being left behind!
Zorro on October 27, 2007 at 12:32 PM
peacenprosperity on October 27, 2007 at 12:37 PM
:shakeshead:
man i wish these people would actually put as much energy into solving problems as they do in creating bs manufactured controversy’s
trailortrash on October 27, 2007 at 12:39 PM
They would have found something or made up something.
They focus on minutae and out-of-context remarks to try and play gotcha, and yet when their side is actually caught “doing” something heinous, they get a pass.However I think a big Krama payback is coming thier way, and soon.
bbz123 on October 27, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Byrne is absolutely right, and I liked his choice of words to illustrate the (usually) wasted lives of HS dropouts. Oh sure, they can still breed, watch The View, write for TNR, or dye their t-shirts pink, but other than that, zippo.
I hope that Fred has a plan to disinvest the Dept. of Education and lets the states that want to go vouchers do it. I think its time to close all public schools and go strictly private.
AZCON on October 27, 2007 at 12:43 PM
don’t back down.
pat on October 27, 2007 at 12:44 PM
He’s either an Educationist or a Toolophobe. Losers are people too!
ronsfi on October 27, 2007 at 12:50 PM
Last I heard, the NEA (under the fake name “Utahns for Public Schools”) has outspent local proponents of the Utah school voucher referendum about 6:1. It currently looks like their scare campaign is working, but recently the polls have begun turning in favor of vouchers. No surprise, therefore, that members of the POS (Perpetual Outrage Society) are angered over this.
Byrne is refusing to apologize, and I couldn’t respect him more. One thing I have learned is that stupid people are easily offended. And every apology they receive only contributes to the thinning of their skin. Let ‘em howl.
Wingo on October 27, 2007 at 1:02 PM
Amen to that, we need people in government that spend their time getting things done instead of throwing stones and pointing fingers!
A message to our government; enough of the blame game children! Get to work and do for the people as you swore in your oath!
Liberty or Death on October 27, 2007 at 1:02 PM
Maybe if some of Byrne’s critics HAD graduated from High School, they’d understand what a metaphor is.
Mallard T. Drake on October 27, 2007 at 1:07 PM
I don’t get why the NAACP is against vouchers. Let the parents decide if they think the tuition is still out of reach.
ctmom on October 27, 2007 at 1:08 PM
Shouldn’t the news be “NEA tries to hide funding of fake public opposition to vouchers in an attempt to protect their jobs at the expense of children’s education and parents’ rights.”
Then again, you’d need to get that through the filters of the leftist media before that could become a big story.
Merovign on October 27, 2007 at 1:10 PM
Appeasement won’t work against the dishonest left. The fact that they’re offended shows it’s a good analogy. 40% dropout rate is unacceptable. Since they are howling for the status quo, let them howl indeed!
Ordinary1 on October 27, 2007 at 1:12 PM
I posted something this morning about this on my own blog. What utter crap. The NAACP has long abdicated their role as a true civil rights organization and is just another PAC for leftist causes.
If they really gave a damn about helping minorities, they’d whole-heartedly endorse a school vouchers program.
flipflop on October 27, 2007 at 1:21 PM
I had NO idea that Overstock.com did that with the Fahrenhype 9-11. I will be thinking of them first from now on when I shop online!
Thanks Patrick Byrne!!
tickleddragon on October 27, 2007 at 1:23 PM
The NAACP proves the point of the failing schools. They failed High School English. They do not understand the concept of metaphor.
hadsil on October 27, 2007 at 1:34 PM
Make my words: Patrick Byrne started the wildfires currently ravaging the west, which he, with the glee typical of racist arsonists, planned to use as a giant barbeque pit in which minority high school dropouts, for whom he has nothing but hatred, could be throw.
It’s the only logical explanation.
tad on October 27, 2007 at 1:37 PM
The guy is 100% correct and shouldn’t even think about saying sorry to the NAACP.
NYTIMES: Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn
Ripclawe on October 27, 2007 at 1:40 PM
*MARK MY WORDS
[...] into which minority high school dropouts, for whom he has nothing but hatred, could be thrown.
Sarcasm-overload ruined my ability to type.
tad on October 27, 2007 at 1:41 PM
Message to Jeanetta Williams of the NAACP from my amygdalae:
“STFU!”
Williams is not just demagoging for demagoging’s sake, it’s part of their plan:
Byrne should ignore her or tell her to pound sand.
georgej on October 27, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Apparently I’m some kind of pod – incapable of human emotion. I say this because, when I heard Byrne’s comment, I took it to mean that the chance that high school drop-outs will become contributing members of, rather than life-long burdens to society is virtually nil. A heartless person like myself can see the clear correlation between education, or lack thereof, and factors like poverty/welfare, multiple single parent births/abortion, crime, and so forth.
It’s the loons that are trying to find reason after the fact when they made a decision based purely on emotions that are causing the problems.
Wingo on October 27, 2007 at 1:51 PM
It doesn’t matter how carefully you word things, people like Williams will be willfully ignorant and hear what they want to hear.
I didn’t know that either, I liked Fahrenhype 9-11 immensely, it gave me a sense of hope after seeing M. Moores depressing anti American skit.
I have to tell you, I shop at Overstock for lots of household stuff and I’ve never been dissapointed.
4shoes on October 27, 2007 at 1:53 PM
That was a very poor choice of words but clearly he’s not talking about his wanting to harm anyone. But if your going to be a public spokesman for any cause you need to learn to choose your words carefully because the Left is zealous to smear anyone on the Right anyway they can.
School vouchers are a great idea. We have got to get government out of the schools, they are destroying our kids. The Teacher’s union is so corrupt it’s scary. The things they call education are not education at all but indoctrination. They are filling our kids heads full of lies and destroying their chances for a happy life. It’s got to stop and vouchers are one way to do it.
Maxx on October 27, 2007 at 2:08 PM
You forgot this story that I sent in a few days ago out of Utah
Utah teachers release kids from class to pass out anti voucher literature
William Amos on October 27, 2007 at 2:11 PM
As a public high school teacher, I WELCOME vouchers. Let the problem kids’ parents try to pull them out of a public school and put them in a private school because they think the problem is with the school. They’ll find out really quickly that while public schools have to keep everyone no matter what, private schools do not. They have expectations of scholarship, of attendance, of behavior, and of parental involvement that we cannot hope to match, and any moron knows that a a kid who has those things will do better than a kid who doesn’t. The kids whose parents care will do well. The kids whose parents don’t?
They’ll be back in the public schools in no time at all, whining that it’s the school’s fault their kids don’t do well on the standardized tests.
Mark my words.
Bob's Kid on October 27, 2007 at 2:13 PM
Government has no business being in education. Let the communities and private sector use a free market approach. Schools that do the best and produce the smartest kids will be emulated everywhere.
I hate the teachers union and everything they stand for.
spec_ops_mateo on October 27, 2007 at 3:13 PM
Well I guess I am going to have to become a customer of Overstock.com.
Kahuna on October 27, 2007 at 4:21 PM
I saw FahrenHYPE 9-11 shorly before deploying last spring. Even though I was already self-converted by investigating and debunking the repeated lies by the left, that film was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It is highly recommended viewing for everyone.
Unfortunately, the only copy of FahrenHYPE 9-11 that i saw “over there” was the one I brought with me. I did however see a copy of Fahrenheit 9-11 in our base’s video library. It looked either well viewed, or abused (all scratched up).
El Guapo on October 27, 2007 at 4:44 PM
And back to the original topic….spec_ops_mateo
The reason why unions hate capitolism is the same reason lobbyists want guaranteed gov’t contracts. Because competition means you have to constantly compete for the consumer. This is something Air American and the Fiarness Doctrine supporters can’t comprehend either. In a free country you should not be forcing people to buy or use goods and services that they either don’t want or can find with better quality for a better price elsewhere.
Doing so hinders the free market and creates a monopoly, like utility companies and schools, which also prevents economic growth because it guarantees a market by preventing any competition.
El Guapo on October 27, 2007 at 4:50 PM
The Utah voucher bill is a piece of sh*t. It does not require teachers or schools to be accredited. Nor will it cut my tax bill by one red cent. I won’t be voting for it.
packsoldier on October 27, 2007 at 4:57 PM
Heck even Las Vegas’ gas and electricity costs have skty rocketed because local politicians (allegedly now because any reference to it in local news sites and articles are no long on the www) voted not to allow an outside come in who promsed to build another power plant faster and cheaper than the already existing one could expand thus providing more competitive priced energy – and he even offered to do it with his own capitol. But now our rates sky-rocketed in order to pay for the existing electric company to expand. They even sent out a letter stating that was the reason for the huge hike, but ommitted the other above fact.
Need I say what senator is responsible for Las Vegas? Harry Reid. This is why socialism and communism ALWAYS ruins economies, it prevents growth thru competition and ultimately ends up costing “the people” more $$.
El Guapo on October 27, 2007 at 4:57 PM
packsoldier Does your kid already go to a good school? If not, then wouldnt you want the freedom to be able to send him/her to a better one instead of their education suffering because you are forced to send them to whatever school they tell you to send him? Instead of voting down because of one detail, why not bring that to the attention of your local politicians?
El Guapo on October 27, 2007 at 5:01 PM
I don’t know if vouchers are the ultimate answer, but it might just the key to opening the door to a more competitive and quality education. Voting no and supporting the status quo won’t make it any better.
El Guapo on October 27, 2007 at 5:03 PM
I have this movie. It’s very good.
BadgerHawk on October 27, 2007 at 5:22 PM
these things are getting dumber by the day.
ThackerAgency on October 27, 2007 at 6:14 PM
No comment on the substance of this thread, but I’ll chime in on overstock.com… Never shopped there, but will from now on; I do NOT spend money at businesses that are blatantly lefty, even if it is inconvenient or more expensive, and I DO support those that are conservative, even if it costs a little more or is less convenient.
So, thanks for adding one more ‘good guy’ to my list.
LegendHasIt on October 27, 2007 at 6:45 PM
How about lightly battered instead?
TheSitRep on October 27, 2007 at 7:08 PM
Usually those against school vouchers are pro-abortion. Isnt’t that the same as throwing them away?
Why are they so upset? /sarcasm
Black Adam on October 28, 2007 at 3:19 AM