July 29, 2008

Doesn't the left realize how embarrassing Max Blumenthal is? (Toby Keith, lynching)

The latest example of Max Blumenthal's abject stupidity is called "Toby Keith's Pro-Lynching Publicity Tour Hits Colbert, CBS and More" (huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/toby-keiths-pro-lynching_b_115526.html) and concerns the song "Beer For My Horses" which is apparently also a movie. Discussing all the ways it's wrong is left as an exercise (actually, don't bother), but:

The terrifying spectacle outside the courtroom prompted Jewish families to flee Atlanta in droves. Two years later, after the governor commuted Frank's sentence, a lynch mob spirited Frank from his prison cell, dragged him into the woods and lynched him -- from "a tall oak tree," as Toby Keith sang.

The quote leads to a presumed picture of the lynching showing a tree. Usually when someone puts something in quotes it involves someone else saying something, but the tree is not identified and could be anything. The only hits for "leo frank" "tall oak tree" are from Blumenthal's article; when the "tall" is removed it gets more hits and apparently the tree was in fact an oak. None of that has anything to do with the song since there's nothing in the song even implying a connection to Leo Frank. To Blumenthal, however, that doesn't matter.

Further, the song may be referring to unlawful lynchings, or it may be referring to hangings as ordered by a court; perhaps Max should see some Westerns. The song also references "the long arm of the law", so presumably Keith is promoting lawful executions rather than lynchings.

I'm as sorry to have to put anyone through that as I am at wasting my time discussing this.

Posted to Bloggage at July 29, 2008 12:02 PM