Up until now, I've pretty much ignored Michelle Malkin. I know who she is, but I don't read her column. I basically consider her to be just-another-right-wing-shill, and thus not worthy of my attention.Malkin sold her soul pretty early on to become one of the chorus of GOP pundits. Instead of aspiring to great things, she spends her time denigrating anyone who disagrees with the Conservative point of view.
In case you've spent your life perusing REAL journalism and somehow missed the witless wonder of Malkin, she's the one who wrote an entire book defending the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during WWII. Most people recognize that this was an egregious breech of civil rights, but not Michelle! Eager to suck up to the Republican power structure, she worked diligently to defend one of America's greatest moral lapses in history in order to help the current Administration defend its similar campaign to harass people of Mid-eastern descent in the name of national security.*
She's a piece of work, ain't she?
Now, Michelle "the Moron" Malkin has found a NEW threat to America.
A Rachel Ray commercial for Dunkin' Donuts.
So what's so dangerous about it? Is it because of Rachel Ray? Has Tony Bourdain been right all along.No, it's not Rachel Ray.
Is it the coffee? Is it because caffeine is really drug?
No, it's not the coffee.
Is it the CHERRY BLOSSOMS? George Washington chopped down a cherry tree - are they the danger?
No, it's not the blossoms of the cherry trees.
It's her scarf.
Michelle Malkin believes that Rachel Ray's scarf poses a clear and imminent danger to our national security.
Really! In her own words:
So it was with some dismay that I learned last week that Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman Rachael Ray, the ubiquitous TV hostess, posed for one of the company's ads in what appeared to be a black-and-white keffiyeh.Or, it could just be a scarf.
The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.
She describes it as "hate couture." The woman needs serious psychiatric help.
The real problem with Malkin's misguided rant is that she's lying when she says that Rachel Ray is wearing one. "Kaffiyeh" isn't simply arab for "scarf", and not every scarf is or can be made into a kaffiyeh.
According to Webster's Online Dictionary:
kaf·fi·yeh: an Arab headdress consisting of a square of cloth folded to form a triangle and held on by a cordThe item of clothing worn by Rachel Ray does not match this description at all; it's not folded into a triangle, it's not held on by a cord, and it's not even on her head.
What Rachel Ray is wearing is a simple, good old American SCARF.
This is a SCARF
Oh, about this young lady wearing a kaffiyeh? I found her at www.israelimilitary.com. According to their home page: "Israel Military Products are suppliers to the Israel Defense Forces soldiers."
Nothing more anti-Israel than one of Israel's own military suppliers, I guess.
Malkin: "The scarves are staples at anti-Israel rallies"
Women have been wearing scarves like the one Ray is sporting for decades. It's a fashion accessory. It has nothing to do with Yassir Arafat, and it's certainly not "hate couture."
Here's Bea Arthur, in her old TV show MAUDE, from the 1970s. Maude wore scarves all the time.
Stevie Nicks had a wardrobe that was practically all scarves! It was part of her "gypsy" look.
Another 70's TV icon was Rhoda Morgenstern, from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. She was invariably draped in a scarf of some description.
The Gawker has been following this issue, and found this photo of Senator McCain's daughter Meghan sporting a scarf.
According to Malkin, these images will inspire you to commit acts of violence. It's nonsense, of course. Utter tripe. There is no movement to spread violent revolution using fashion accessories.
Not that there hasn't been clothing designed to honor terrorists; we've all seen the ubiquitous Che Guevara t-shirt. Che was unquestionably a terrorist.
People have been wearing Che Guevera t-shirts for forty years, and not one act of terrorism has been linked to the shirt, or anyone wearing it.
In our entire history, no article of fashion has led to acts of terror or violence. Outside the occasional Yankees fan wearing their teams' logo in Boston, of course.
Michelle Malkin has lied to the American public, and to her readers (for lack of a better word). This isn't about "hate speech," or supporting terrorism, or keeping America safe.
This is about Michelle Malkin getting attention. This is about her using her bully pulpit to manipulate others for her own entertainment. She isn't making the world a better place, or watching out for your best interests; she's just yanking your chains.
And you let her do it.
Shame on you!
*Before you go and accuse me of aiding and abetting terrorists, I just want to point out that prior to September 11, 2001, the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil was perpetrated by white Christian men. If we're going to find terrorists, we need a better tool than race. I will also point out that had we funded our own laws regarding passenger lists, the hijackings that led to the acts of terrorism could not have occurred.
And, of course, you recognize your ironic place in extending the length of her chain yankage. I had never heard of this waste of skin until 5 minutes ago. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd she is right about one thing. This story does inspire me to want to commit an act of violence. I want to smack Malkin across the face with Anne Coulter.
I don't watch teevee. I don't know who these people are, altho I vaguely remember Stevie Nix from Fleetwood Mac (whose music I would categorize as audio-terrorism). So it's with an open and unbiased mind that I would call this Malkin finding the work of a lame brained asshat, and a perfect example of WHY I don't watch teevee.
ReplyDeleteRe: the PS. Are you discounting Pearl Harbor as an act of terrorism on American soil? Or is there something worse (committed by Caucasoids) I don't recall?
Marius-
ReplyDeleteYeah, and that's why I mostly try to ignore people like her and Coulter.
Squathole-
Pearl Harbor was an act of war; it was perpetrated by the military of a foreign power on a military installation.
And Malkin's pulpit is her nationally syndicated column. I don't believe she has her own TV show, but then, I don't watch Fox "News," so maybe she does.
The headwrap that Rhoda Morgenstern is more akin to a hijab, which nearly all Muslim women wear.
ReplyDeleteThe kuffiyeh is an inherently political item. The black and white kuffiyeh has long been associated with Yassir Arafat's Fatah movement. Please read Joe Sacco's Palestine to see what I'm talking about. The red and white kuffiyeh is associated with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. The use of the kuffiyeh by both the Israeli website you cited as well as Urban Outfitters, which called a green and black camouflage kuffiyeah an "anti-war woven scarf," is a testament to the political nature of the kuffiyeh.
All scarves are not created equal.
The origins of the modern kaffiyeh go back to 1817. It basically took a makeshift headdress and turned it into a formal design.
ReplyDeleteThe kaffiyeh does not have any political aspirations; it's designed to keep your head cool.
Claiming that ANY kaffiyeh or scarf is a political statement is like saying that the US army endorses Nazism because the modern militarty helmet resembles WWII stormtrooper helmets.
If you want to argue that the specific black & white check design favored by Arafat and the PLO is worn to make a statement, fine. But that is a very specific design, and has absolutely nothing to do with the scarf worn by Rachel Ray.
CLJ, Rachel Ray is wearing the Arafat famed black and white design in the picture you posted, which you have conceded has strong political connotations. For the American and I would guess Western public, the kuffiyah is associated very politically and it seems hard to argue that it's not.
ReplyDeleteShould it not be worn? No. I'll concede I actually a red and white one, along with a traditional Saudi robe. If I were to wear it outside, though, I know people are going to automatically think politically. That is the context of our times.
Guildersleeve, Rachel Ray is definitely NOT wearing a kaffiyeh of ANY description; it's a scarf with a paisley pattern, it's silk, and it's got fringe.
ReplyDeleteDid you even bother to read the post?
Only an idiot - or a liar - could possible believe that Rachel Ray is wearing a kaffiyeh, because if you know what a kaffiyeh is, you can immediately see that she isn't wearing one. If you examine Arafat's kaffiyeh and compare it to Ray's scarf, it's easy to see that they are two completely different pieces of fabric; they do not share weave, material, pattern or shape.
So, are you an idiot, or a liar? Or did you simply fail to consider the facts before grabbing Malkin's opinion as your own?
There's really no reason to engage in ad hominem attacks. If you're going to just do that, I'm out of here.
ReplyDeleteYou're trying to spread lies and deception, dude.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't take getting called out on your own actions, that's on your head. Stay or don't stay, but when you parrot someone's lies, I will call you on it.
I thought the red and white checked pattern was most closely associated with either Italian sidewalk cafes, or country picnics.
ReplyDelete:-D
Can't we all just...get along?
Acck,ACCKKK!!