Last night I was killing time at Atrios' place, when Phila brought to our attention the latest in Wingnut counter-offensives. He posted about this
on his blog:
Not all of us understand this, sad to say, and so we've continued to call him a chickenhawk. Now, though, he's come up with the Final Solution. Like other oppressed minorities, he's chosen to co-opt the pejorative language used against him. Henceforth, when you call Captain Ed a chickenhawk, he'll agree with you:
More after the fold...
Frank J of IMAO, Derek Brigham of Freedom Dogs, and I have decided to create -- for real -- the 101st Fighting Keyboardists and adopt the chicken hawk as our mascot. First of all, the term "fighting keyboardist" describes our efforts pretty well, and we think the pseudo-military terminology is pretty danged amusing. Derek himself designed the logo.
And why the chicken hawk? When we looked into it, it turns out that the chicken hawk is a pretty impressive predator. It's the largest of its family. This species vigorously defends its territory, getting even more aggressive when the conditions get harshest. It adapts to all climates. Most impressively, it feeds on chickens, mice, and rats.
"Getting even more aggressive when the conditions get harshest," eh? Sounds pretty impressive, 'til you realize it translates as "The deeper the hole, the faster we dig."
In addition to its connotation of cowardice, "chickenhawk" refers to an older man who preys sexually on young boys. Whatever Ed's predilections may be - and I have no reason to doubt that they're both lawful and honorable - the term does have a certain unhappy resonance for today's GOP.
Read the whole thing. You can also visit the "Captain's Quarters" (a name which, if you think it implies something about the good Captain's sexuality, you are gravely and completely mistaken) and see the mighty insignia of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists here.
These douchebags really are completely clueless. They're actually proud of advocating war, calling on others to make the ultimate sacrifice, while they sacrifice nothing other than their time - a commodity they no doubt have far too much of.
It's sad, but it's also incredibly funny. "Captain" Ed wants to spread this movement far and wide across Wingnuttia, and most of his commenters agreed (after they proudly announced, nearly to a man, that they would gladly join Capt. Ed's new chickenhawk brigade). Can you imagine seeing the Chickhawk logo proudly emblazoned on every conservative blog on the Internet?
The right thinks they can embrace the sort of self-mockery that we on the left frequently employs when we're called traitors, moonbats, communists, and other less colorful terms. The problem is, however, that they simply lack a functioning sense of humor or any actual humilty. So instead, their attempts at self-mockery come off as petulant, childish, faux-macho posturing. The fact that the Chickenhawk label still gets under their skin even after all this time is great comfort to me, and I enjoy watching all the intellectual twists and contortions they go through to convince themselves they aren't a pack of raging sissies and cowards.
Thankfully, we do have a sense of humor, and we can thoroughly enjoy this latest spectacle from a pathetic man who gave himself a fake military title (and who is still likely smarting from years of grade school beatings) for all the Friday entertainment it will provide. Long live the Chickenhawk movement!