Last night on The O’Reilly Factor, one of the segments addressed winter airline delays. The producers booked Kate Hanni, a consumer activist leading the charge to get Congress to pass a “Passenger Bill of Rights.” I noted my skepticism about gimmicky legislation with the words “Bill of Rights” tacked onto the end of it…

…which caused the usual Malkin Derangement Syndrome sufferers to accuse me of opposing the real Bill of Rights. Think Progress and its dumb-as-rocks commenters led the unhinged:

Right-wing author and pundit Michelle Malkin filled in for Bill O’Reilly tonight on The O’Reilly Factor. During a segment on a newly-proposed Airline Passengers Bill of Rights, Malkin said, “So you’re behind this Passengers’ Bill of Rights move. I have to tell you, in general, I’m skeptical of anything that has Bill of Rights tacked on to it.”

The post, with video, now has 362 comments and counting. Here are just the first few:

Horrible woman.
Comment by Zooey — February 16, 2007 @ 9:06 pm

You know, more often than not it is the Immigrants and their children who have a better appreciation of what freedom and the defense of same means. More so I dare say than those of us born here. I wonder what happened to her? What an idiot!
Comment by Jim — February 16, 2007 @ 9:07 pm

Malkin is a fascist, and does not believe in any Bill of Rights, so she is a horribly vile person.
Comment by Jay Randal — February 16, 2007 @ 9:12 pm

So let’s see now… uh… um… what has “Bill of Rights” tacked on to it… hmmm? Uh… well… there is that silly little thing called The Consitution of the United States of America… is that what she is skeptical of?
Conservatives don’t believe in The Constitution of the United States of America. Why does Michelle Malkin hate America?
Comment by Andrew C. White — February 16, 2007 @ 9:13 pm

Malkin looks like she’s had that surgery to make her eyes look rounder.
Comment by Zooey — February 16, 2007 @ 9:14 pm

(Um, no. It must have been the Fox News false eyelashes that did the trick)

To support conservatism you MUST be opposed to all ideas and principles which empower the individual or the citizen over government or corporation. CONSERVATISM = FASCISM. Our government has “melded” with corporations, and now uses the facade of a free & open society to control, manipulate, and oppress the population. They want the public to only have enough knowledge to do their day-jobs, and have a singular interest in “living the American dream” through blind consumerism. These are the true enemies of America and it citizens.
Comment by More Cow Bell — February 16, 2007 @ 9:16 pm

We don’t need no stinkin Bill of Rights, we got Jesus on our side. Abe Lincoln 2/16/2007.
Comment by Fools on the Hill — February 16, 2007 @ 9:17 pm

Malkin is 2 cans of shlitz away from doing a donkey show in Crawford Tx.
Comment by Vance — February 16, 2007 @ 9:18 pm

Michelle Moron Malkin.
Racial profiling = OK. (I wonder if her Filipino parents were ever subjected to racial profiling.)
Bill of Rights = Not OK ( I wonder if she could freely spew ad hominem attacks against those with whom she disagrees if she didn’t enjoy the freedom of speech.)
Why does this woman hate America and its very foundation? Or is she merely a prostitute, using her vile form of journalism as her tool of the trade?
Comment by Marie — February 16, 2007 @ 9:19 pm

Fortunately, not all liberals are stupid.

This left-wing blogger at Shiny Ideas gets it:

Never thought I’d write a post with that title, and yet here I am doing so. Certain parties who should know better (I’m looking at you, Atrios, and you, digby) are engaging in egregious quote-mining, demonstrating that people on the left are just as prone to knee-jerk reactions as people on the right. Even Think Progress, which is usually a “just the facts, m’am” kind of place, is getting in on the act.

Yes, folks, she did say she’s skeptical of anything that has ‘Bill of Rights’ tacked on to it. But come on, she’s making these statements in the context of the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights. I, too, am skeptical of this sort of thing. Just look at some other examples:

* Parents’ Bill of Rights
* Patients’ Bill of Rights
* Fathers’ Bill of Rights
* Various “Consumers’ Bill of Rights”: 1, 2, 3.
* Teachers’ Bill of Rights
* And last, but not least, David Horowitz’s notorious Students’ Bill of Rights.

What does this demonstrate? That couching something as a “Bill of Rights” is a common rhetorical device. And what do we know about rhetorical devices, boys and girls? That’s right! They’re commonly used to short-circuit the process of critical evaluation. So what should we do when we find a rhetorical device? All together now… be skeptical. Very good class…

Class dismissed.

***

Related: Tom Zeller blogs the snowballing Passenger Bill of Rights movement.

Sen. Barbara Boxer is milking sponsoring the Passenger Bill of Rights.

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