Simpson's ESP on the Fritz? Or Is He Lying, As Usual?

Simpson posted this at his blog today, January 13.

Since it is a pack of lies, let's out them (and him) shall we? If Phil's views on the flag have been reported accurately, I'm disappointed, not very, very upset. I ain't even broke a sweat over this.

I asked some questions about the report; that's hardly all I could have done (but haven't) to discredit it. Once again, the difference between those two actions are clear as day, and either Simpson is throwing his own intelligence under the bus to pretend they are the same ... or he's lying.

Well, he got one thing right -- except that I don't have any lemmings. (I do have some sweet cats.) I did want to remind heritage folks who were namecalling Phil what a true hater of Southern heritage is like.

Of course, in posting this deceitful charge, Simpson has let it be known that he either doesn't know about the thread below, or refused to report it because it contradicted his lies (kind of like he didn't report everything one can find online about Benjamin Chastain's apparent uninvolvement with the Cherokee removal because it would have completely demolished his ugly attempt to embarrass me).

The thread below was posted January 10 and my comments highlighted in red on January 11, two days before Simpson's deceitful post depicted above. I have pasted it here for people who are interested in truth.

What Simpson is focused on is a post I made in several Southern groups where people had namecalled Phil as a complete knee-jerk reaction. Yes, I was mildly angry when I wrote it (but still didn't break a sweat, send my blood pressure up, or clench my jaw). However, I was not angry at Phil. I was angry at the people namecalling him.

So they read something on Facebook and called Phil a .... scalawag, traitor, whatever. I saw this several times, so I responded to it.

I was also dismayed by, and commented on, our community's sometimes seen propensities for emotionally acting on hearsay without even trying to prove what we've heard. So I asked some questions to get people to think.

Lastly, I initially commented about this waaaay back on the 9th, here on Backsass. The way Simpson monitors this blog, it's highly unlikely that he didn't see it. But in case he didn't...

If Phil were to start trying to dictate to others what it [the flag] should mean to them, or denigrating Southern heritage groups, I might have a problem. I might even have a problem enough to contact him and let him know my views on it. But until he does that, which isn't likely, I will just say that Phil is my brother in Christ, and he can think whatever he wants -- free from judgment by me -- regarding  those areas where we disagree that are not covered by specific commandments. Romans 15 offers instructions on how Christians should treat one another regarding non-doctrine issues about which there are no commands.

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Phil and the Flag
(my Facebook post)

One of the problems with us Southern heritage folks is our propensity for going off half cocked -- for getting our knickers in a knot at the drop of a hat. Somebody said it on Facebook? It must be true! And then we turn purple and sputter with anger -- without even bothering first to verify it -- or even to question it. Why are we so willingly gullible?

Did Phil Robertson say what's being reported about the Confederate flag? Let me tell you why I am taking this with a grain of salt, and waiting for more information. Here's what's reported:

NY POST – Artist Michael Hunt, who got to know the “Duck Dynasty” patriarch when Robertson signed some of Hunt’s prints that were donated to charity, told BlogTalkRadio, “I have spent countless hours across the table in [the Robertson] home autographing thousands of prints of various projects.”

In an interview airing Wednesday, Hunt told host Janice Malone, "I remember looking over [Robertson’s] shoulder at this big-screen TV ... And the news was on. And all of a sudden [his] face pops up on TV, and it was a big controversy about some kid who had worn a Confederate flag to school ... on a day they had titled ‘Redneck Day.’ And the school expelled the child.

And I said, ‘Phil, turn around.’ So he turned around and I could tell he was -- visually -- very upset. And he said, ‘I have never owned a Confederate flag.’ He said, ‘This is what upsets me.’ He said, "'Redneck' is a term of endearment around here. And attaching that to a Confederate flag is offensive to me ...That Confederate flag is not what we stand for.’"

First, who is "Artist Michael Hunt" and why should I believe him? Why should I trust that he's some kind of expert on Phil? What is BlogTalkRadio? I've never heard of it. Why should I pay attention to who it interviews?

Have any of us even thought to ask this?

Second, there is not nearly enough information here. What TV news program? What school was having Redneck Day and why would Phil's picture be shown?

Have any of us even thought to ask this?

Third, there are three places in those paragraphs where ellipses (these: ...) have replaced words. What was left out of the report? Why was it left out?

Have any of us even thought to ask this?

Maybe Phil has never owned a flag, but I can't believe he would find it offensive; he went to North Caddo High School, mascot: the Rebels. His three oldest sons attended West Monroe High School, mascot, the Rebels. The Confederate flag used to be an official symbol for WMHS; it was depicted on the water tower near the school. It may not be an official school symbol any more, but it is nevertheless very much in evidence at ballgames and such. It certainly isn't banned.

The hedonistic left just attempted to ruin Phil and his very, very successful TV program -- and "rednecks" from far and wide, shall we say, convinced A&E it would be a bad idea to jettison the program.

There are people who are NOT happy to find out the conservative right, the ordinary folks, the rednecks, have so much power. They are trying to erode Phil's support, and tick off his supporters.

There is enough not known about this and there are many questions about the way it was reported that make me take it with a huge grain of salt. Until and unless I find out otherwise, I'm going to take this as some loony leftwing attempt at payback.

Aren't we the ones who don't believe the lyin' news media? Then why are we swallowing this? Can any of you verify Michael Hunt's veracity? Have any of you even HEARD of him before this flippin' report came out?

If you want to go off half-cocked and believe the hedonistic lefties who hate you AND your flag, and who are proven liars, without even TRYING to verify the story ... well, go ahead. But this kind of emotion-trumps-cognition approach is why we are making zero headway on preserving our heritage. So while you were pissed off at Phil without even verifying that he actually said it, another piece of your heritage got erased somewhere.

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I'm still a big fan of Phil Robertson and Duck Dynasty. I'm glad they worked it out with A&E cuz I would really have missed the show if it had gone off the air. 

Like my Southern Man, Troy Stevenson, I don't care for clothing with logos and insignias, but like him, I'll make a few exceptions. My Crimson Tide t-shirt, my Legends of the Confederacy hat, and my brand new Phil Robertson t-shirt...

I'm also dismayed by people's willingness to swallow, and then spew anger about, what they see on Facebook and elsewhere (that doesn't involve Southern heritage issues) without even attempting to verify it. Most of the time, I keep my thoughts to myself, but sometimes I have to speak... for example when people post a horrific photo purportedly of Ambassador Chris Stevens being tortured that's actually from Argentina's Dirty War (blogged about that here)...  Or when they post pictures of charred bodies in an African village, claiming they are Christians "burned alive by Muslims" -- when, in fact, they could be from one of several accidental  fires that occurred when gasoline tanker truck wrecked and exploded.  Several of these tragedies have been reported in various African countries, with the dead numbering from the teens to the hundreds. Or when they post photos of Obama's Youth Army and compare them to "Hitler Youth" when, in fact, they are photos of Eagle Scouts participating in programs for law enforcement careers.... And I periodically have to post my research that found there are no FEMA camps in Florida, thus making the entire list of "800 FEMA camps" highly suspect.

So it's not like my suggesting to people that they verify before commenting is something new.