Stink again

Katherine Kersten is a far, far right-wing columnist for the declining Star Tribune of Minneapolis who writes a blog called Think Again. Her totalitarian bullshit has been in our backlog for months now, and it's time we expose this self-righteous, hate-filled crackpot - as we've done to so many other columnists and politicians.

Kersten is so extreme that her harangues have led many longtime readers of the paper to cancel their subscriptions.

In May, Katherine Kersten wrote a lengthy, psychotic pro-bullying rant. She absurdly claimed that efforts to halt school harassment were part of an "indoctrination" plot by gays. (?!?!?!) (Actually, parents are allowed to opt their kids out of the program she complains about the most.)

If you think you haven't seen the last of Kersten's extremism, well, think again.

One of her latest crusades involves her disgust for Al Franken, which manifests itself in a diatribe about the comedian-turned-politician. Kersten attacks Franken for some of his humorous monologues from years ago and accuses him of being anti-Catholic.

The strategy of smearing opponents as anti-Catholic has been a favorite of the right-wing intelligentsia in recent years. It is worse than a mere lie. It is a filthy lie. And it's spread by some of the most powerful political figures and commentators in America.

I think this vile lie stems from modern conservatives not believing in separation of religion and state. When someone challenges them, they have nothing to fall back on except personal attacks.

In the case of Kersten's attack on Franken, it's far more than simply annoying. The bogus talking point was promptly picked up by hate-spewing right-wing bigots like William Donohue.

The Star Tribune is declining largely because of its recent shift towards a far-right editorial stance - which some believe is to appease right-wing bloggers who had long blasted the paper. How fitting is it that the wingnutosphere bullied the Star Tribune, so it hired a columnist who supports school bullying in response? The wingnut blogs are laughing to themselves right now because one of their targets caved.

When people maliciously spread lies about political foes, we need to have a strong counterattack to swoop right in and expose what a lie it is.

(Source: http://mediamatters.org/columns/200810250003?f=h_column)