YOU LIE!

Thanks to Facebook and C-SPAN, I have a use for this meme.

My Congressman expressed his sadness over the shootings at Fort Hood.  Some of his friends took the time to express their belief that MUSLIM = BAD.  I took them to task for this, as did others.  The ensuing discussion didn't get Internet Ugly, but it wasn't nice.

So, near the end, when one person stated that Obama and his advisors were racist, I asked for proof, and was sent to this gem of a YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chSH-cu20Oc&feature=PlayList&p=C19499E2161F8F85&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=36

Which is a shortened and interestingly edited bit of a committee hearing about the economy and a number  of other things held on 1/7/09:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/283157-1&showFullAbstract=1

I don't blame you if you don't want to watch the whole of either video.  The first is less than four minutes, but about 30 seconds in, the video shows Robert Reich saying "I am concerned as I'm sure many of you are that these jobs not simply go to high skilled people who are already professionals, or to white male construction workers."  There is a text overlay that helpfully tells you what the audio is saying.  And then cuts off, going into hysterics about how racist it all is.

In the C-SPAN video, Reich doesn't speak until about 22 minutes in.  Dry stuff, let me tell you.  At around 29:00, he says

"I am concerned as I'm sure many of you are that these jobs not simply go to high skilled people who are already professionals, or to white male construction workers - I have nothing against white male construction workers - I'm just saying there are a lot of other people who have needs as well."

He goes on to say that in his written remarks submitted to the committee he has outlined some criteria that may be used to be sure that federal stimulus money is spread evenly, and especially to people hit hardest - the long term unemployed, women, and others who aren't already at the top of the heap*.

The entirety of his testimony is about how everyone can get some help through these times.  The speaker before him, Mark Zandi, spoke about the difference between stimulus and tax cuts.  Studies have shown that stimulus money produces more GDP than tax cuts.  I don't have notes on the stuff after Reich, because I gave up around then.

But yes, context matters.  Sources matter.  Thinking matters.  We always find what we're looking for, and if we're looking for some Other to be Evil, then by golly we'll find it.

Even if we've got to edit the video to "prove it".



*Reich also said at around 28 minutes in "get over this partisan 'I don't trust that governer from the Other Party.' Get over it, and get money to the local and state governments!"

Okay, C-SPAN, I forgive you

I've shelled out the money for bandwidth, and so the streaming is somewhat better.  Also, you can find it all now!

The new video library is searchable by date, person, and event.  I've been wanting this for years.  I don't know when it started, but boy I like it!