Besides, the ink is ugly and the paper's from the wrong kind of tree.

One of the more amusing (and, let's be honest, irritating) characteristics of the wingnut-o-sphere is their unflagging ability to dismiss good, solid criticism for the stupidest, most meaningless and most contrived reasons imaginable.

The most common reason, of course, is that you're being "uncivil," or something of the sort. In responding to the typical dumbfuckitude of the Right, you might produce a rigorous, methodical and positively devastating evisceration of their latest idiotic claims but if, in the midst of that literary brilliance, you let slip a little smackdown like, oh, "dumbass," well, this just won't do, you're unhinged, you're deranged and vulgar and profane and there's just no point in even addressing what you've written, despite the fact that it may have been impeccable and irrefutable logic which tore someone a new orifice. Nope, you're a moonbat so everything else you've written can be ignored in its entirety, logic notwithstanding.

Another technique is to seize on even the smallest blunder to wax sarcastic and dismissive, sort of like what commenter "ktk" did back here:

And for the record when you copy the word of the day (misogynstic) try and spell it right. Maybe you just need to work on your 'word-itude'.

Oh, no! I misspelled "misogynistic" and therefore should be consigned to the scrap heap of ranting, frothing moonbats. Or something like that. (For the record, I am well aware of how "misogynistic" is spelled but, given that I typically type on the order of 80 words a minute, sometimes my fingers get ahead of the keyboard and slipups happen. Apparently, though, the same conservative wingnuts who perpetually write pure and unadulterated rubbish think it's appropriate to contemptuously wave away my contributions because I misspell the occasional word. Yes, that's what you might call "irony.")

The latest teeth-gnashing, right-wing escape hatch can be found here, where Garth Turner is entirely upfront as to where the inspiration of his recent post came from:

An interesting letter, sent to me Monday evening by a prominent member of the national media. He says, “An old university friend of mine, who wants to remain anonymous, passed on this letter to me, written as kind of an open appeal to Stephen Harper. It’s kind of funny, especially the Stephen King line, but I can’t figure out any way to use it in my paper. Maybe on your well-read blog?”...

... First, the Tory bloggers, or blogging Tories, as they officially group themselves on the world wide web. Seriously – have you looked at the hateful spite spewing out of these internet sites? It’s like graffiti you’d find in the washroom of a home for angry old men. They hate everyone. They loathe any woman on television. They detest people who live in cities, perhaps even anyone with indoor plumbing. They scream at anyone who doesn’t think like they do. Do yourself a favour, Mr. Harper: never look at the Small Dead Animals site. Stephen King should be suing these folks for plagiarism. They talk like the evil townsfolk in his horror novels.

The immediate wanker defense in the comments section is not long in coming:

Great blogging Garth. An anonymous letter passed along by an anonymous national media friend. The depths of credibility are mind-blowing.

and

Like a previous commentator said; it’s awfully convenient that an anonymous Conservative gave this complaint to an anonymous friend who passed it along to an anonymous (but prominent) member of the media who passed it along to you. You, at least, had the courage to put your name on that dubious chain of circumstances.

and

Garth tell us it wasn’t you who wrote that letter….sure sounds like it!!!Interesting that the author wants to remain anonymous….sounds fishy to me.

and

I have to agree with the Right Wing Wingnuterers here, a anonymous letter writer passed to and anonymous Reporter,… sigh, sorry Garth, it isn’t worth Bum Wipe.

Yes, how irresponsible of Turner to have passed on all that anonymity. After all, it's not as if anyone might, oh, pop over to SDA to corroborate all the spittle-flecked hatred for themselves, since that would be too much like work. No, better to just dismiss all of that even when all the evidence is available at the click of a mouse button, if you just got off your lazy goddamned ass and put the Cheetos aside for a minute.

I swear, if there's an easier job in the world than being an arrogant, little right-wing pundit and blowhard, I've yet to find it.

DEEP AFTERTHOUGHTS: I would be remiss if I didn't point out the absolutely most popular evasive strategy of the Right when confronted with that nasty, brutish thing called "reality" -- ignore it and move on.

It wasn't that long ago that the Blogging Tories site was purely awash with Bush worship. You couldn't swing a dead cat without whapping some BT gushing all over President FighterPilot CrotchBulge and his Global War on Terror™, and how the Democrats were all cut-and-run, cowardly Defeatocrats and on and on ... yadda yadda yadda.

My, how times have changed.

These days, you can barely keep up with the astonishing meltdown of the entire GOP, so delightfully documented at places like AmericaBlog, ThinkProgress, TalkingPointsMemo and others. It's literally almost impossible to keep an up-to date list of the Republicans who have resigned, or are being investigated, or have already been indicted, charged or just plain sent to prison, while subpoenas fall like rain. And the response from the BTs?

(*Crickets*)

I mean, seriously ... Alberto Gonzales? Never heard of him. But, by God, they are so all over Nancy Pelosi.

It's not that the BTs are necessarily stupid, or even dishonest. What they are is worthless. These days, you could read the entire aggregator and not realize that some guy named Alberto Gonzales is in a shitload of trouble for lying 24/7 to Congress. On the other hand, if you want to know all about Hillary Clinton -- who is neither under investigation nor being indicted nor being charged nor being sent to prison -- well, help yourself.

(As an aside, there are some Blogging Tories who are so obscenely biased, it crosses over from annoying into downright amusing, such as Dr. Roy Eappen who, while he apparently has no interest in Alberto Gonzales whatsoever, certainly found the time to keep his readers up to date on corrupt Democratic congressman William Jefferson. It's a priority thing, I guess.)

God help us all, the Blogging Tories are like a puppy with a ball and a blanket. As soon as their right-wing spin disappears, they sit up with a confused look on their faces, then wander off to find news that more fits their particular worldview, and please not to confuse them with facts.

There's a reason we like to refer to the "right-wing echo chamber." And it's not for the comedic effect.