McCain to fellow senator Cornyn: 'F*ck you'

As little sympathy as I have for McCain..

..I have even less for Cornyn. That man is the quintessential definition of psychological projection.

To be fully blasphemous about it though, I wouldn't flinch if Jesus Christ himself lost it with Cornyn -- and I a Christian!

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by: Emproph @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 08:39:26 AM CDT

Asterisk

Pam, I wonder why you feel the need to put an asterisk in "F*ck you"?

Who are we shielding from profanity?  Anyone reading that will read what's missing, 100% guaranteed.  Nobody is in doubt as to what the first word is.

Just as "---- you!" or F--K you!" or various forms of printed evasion are really pointless.  If you want to avoid profanity, then don't even use the phrase in any "shielded" form at all.  Just say that McCain cursed Cornyn and leave it at that, and then people would have to use The Google to find out the truth.

I'm not suggesting you do it, however.  I think we should know exactly what he said, which is why I don't think an asterisk is necessary.  Who's being protected by this fig leaf?  It's not any more necessary than Ashcroft covering the breasts of Justice with a curtain.  I think Blenders can handle the truth.

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 09:51:05 AM CDT

I use * all the time

I usually do that for profanity, Lev. It's just Blend style, not an aversion to use of profanity. The "*" goes back to 2004.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 10:05:18 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

*

But why is it house style on The Blend, which is so hip?  There's no real reason to leave letters out unless one has an aversion to profanity oneself and/or doesn't want other people to read it.

I think Blenders are sophisticated enough to be able to handle four-letter words being spelled out rather than asterisked.

No matter who does it, it's a holdover from our puritanical past and as sensible as blue laws.

And it simply does not make any sense.  You may not be spelling the word out, but every single person reading it reads the word in his/her head as if it's not missing a letter. 

J**t my humble opinion.

:-)

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 10:48:10 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's not necessarily puritanism.

Some people spell f*ck, sh*t, etc that way to get their comments past spam filters...so I think that they just get into that habit.

I usually follow the common usage on each particular blog.  So on PHB, I usually spell it f*ck; on Shakesville I usually spell it fuck.  On some blogs, I don't curse.  I guess it's borne out of respect for the bloggers...definitely not prudery on my part.

I wouldn't stress about it.  I think the real story is the spectacle of one Reichwinger cursing out another Reichwinger.

Social outrage is power protecting itself; it is not morality. -- Andrea Dworkin

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by: RachelPhilPa @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 11:11:37 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

*****

Who said I'm stressed? It just strikes me as quaint and antiquated, two terms I'd never associate with The Blend.  And it is indeed a relic of puritanism, since bloggers haven't invented it, they're (sadly) following the model of MSM outlets using dashes or asterisks.

Oh, ****.

That was "well," by the way.

:-)

Ein schoenes Wochenende!

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 16:41:07 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I guess I will take some credit

in adding bringing the hipness quotient of this site up a few notches.

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by: Josh @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 17:06:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I Think it's *%&@in' Cute and No Big Deal

What- should we be running around throwing lamps and swearing like Hillary Clinton in her private life?

=>The truth usually isn't pretty. Don't blame me for telling it.<=

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by: Chadster @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 16:02:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

question

I started using *#! characters so that I wouldn't get categorized by automated readers as "adult."  BUT, I'd guess that standard substitutions are picked up by most automated email and site readers and that this has been the case since the early days of automated sex content detectors.  I remember an IT manager I once worked with telling me that.

Are concerns about content ratings a valid reason for using the substitutions?  I'm not familiar with the tech or standards.

Electricity's for light bulbs!

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by: n8nyc @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 10:43:16 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

McCain a Tool for Guiliani

For a long time I've believed that Guiliani is going to be the next President of the U.S. and that McCain is deliberately acting the way he is so as to make Guiliani look good.  In my opinion, this is one big shell game.

"A Church that doesn't provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that? Archbishop Oscar

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by: Jerry Maneker @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 11:09:56 AM CDT

Their egos

are too big for any of them to act foolish deliberately on the public stage... especially for the advancement of a competitor!

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by: CathyG @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 12:11:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

They're Not Competitors

They're not competitors, Kathy.  Once one realizes that money is god in this country; power, prestige, and wealth are inextricably related, I wouldn't be at all surprised if "the powers that be" paid off McCain quite handsomely to seemingly act so foolishly.  I never liked him, but he never acted this unhinged before in all the years he's been in the public spotlight.  These people know exactly what they're doing; they're politicians who are trained to give people what they want, and say what people want to hear.  When someone seemingly goes out of character so quickly, acts foolishly and "unhinged," I am cynical enough to believe that it's a deliberate act for material gain.

"A Church that doesn't provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that? Archbishop Oscar

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by: Jerry Maneker @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 12:28:57 PM CDT

I'm Sorry I Misspelled Your Name, Cathy

"A Church that doesn't provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that? Archbishop Oscar

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by: Jerry Maneker @ Sat May 19, 2007 at 13:17:00 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

McCain got it right... this once

I am no fan of McCain... He's a lap dog.  And, that's what I say when I am being kind.  But, Cornyn is the poster boy for big white straight priveleged men who believe in their divine right to be idiots.

In this one singel solitary instance, McCain got it right!

HLIndy

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by: HLIndy @ Sun May 20, 2007 at 23:26:24 PM CDT