I've been perusing Redstate.com wondering how people would react now that Jill Carroll has made a statement that her videotaped comments in Iraq
were made only under the threat of her own life and to enable her safe release. One reaction? Banning members for even considering the possibility that Carroll only said things to keep herself alive.
I think everybody here is truly curious as to how the Wingnuts will be able to ride an army of bicycles backwards in order to justify their attacks on Carroll (Extreme kudos to Think Progress for their excellent
coverage (Hello, Media Matters? Missed the boat). But what of the folks at Red State? Drinking the Kool Aid, some, though you may be surprised at some level headed commentary.
First, I don't automatically demonize the members there. There are wackos on any site, and there are certainly people that I disagree with who can eloquently explain their point, just as there are people I agree with who can act like animals (and I'd rather not give examples). In fact, if you look at all the comments you can see a considerable amount of people who refused to pass judgement on Carroll, citing Stockholm Syndrome, or even a very similar theory about what really happened.
And what happens? #20, Owenz is banned by Moe Lane, who gets a Golden Hypocrisy Award by creating #23. I'm floored. A Blue Ribbon award for Tetanus Shot Wingnuttery to #30. Even though the jaw locks up, the hands can still type. True respect also to doxasticpirate and others there who stood up for free speech, because we know controversial bannings happen on a lot of boards.
There is some hypocrisy that is brought up here on site policy, and some relevant discussion about whether dissent is healthy. Even though I point out their worst, and I have a low opinion of Red State as a whole (Defending Domenech was really the nail in the coffin for them), I refuse to make blanket judgements about people. After all, that's the tactic of the worst of them. Show that one of our strengths is keeping an open mind, which is why we didn't condemn Carroll in the first place.