Malaysiakini and lawyer Tommy prove white is black

One headline can make all the difference — or prove that people never read past the headline if it confirms their political prejudices. That must have been the case with lawyer Tommy Thomas’s rambling commentary at Malaysiakini (and also at Loyar Burok) last week.

A lot of hot air has been blown by people (if you consider political agitators to be people) talking and debating whether or not the Barisan Nasional government ended on March 8.

The thing is, lawyer Tommy didn’t say so. Malaysiakini said so. It declared so, unequivocally, without attribution, without hesitation, quite flatly.

Bullshit by Malaysiakini

Bullshit by Loyar Burok

But Tommy didn’t say so

He said if this, and if that, and if the other then voters can say that the Barisan Nasional is now a caretaker government. Tommy Thomas did not say flat out that the Barisan Nasional is now a caretaker government. (He’s a lawyer: he’s been trained in how to make a case.)

Tommy Thomas was just doing verbal sleight-of-hand, like the magician at your child’s birthday party: keep looking at the hat, kids, and now I’ll pull out a mouse.

So now I’ll try to do the same.

How to prove black is white

IF   I tell you to close your eyes
AND IF   I put a piece of paper in your hands
AND IF   I say keep your eyes closed and tell me what colour you see
AND   You say you can only see black
AND   I tell you to open your eyes, and you see a white card in your hands
THEN   I can say that I have just proven that white is black.

See?

That’s what Tommy Thomas did.

And Malaysiakini and Loyar Burok told you only the last line. They told you white is black.

Bullshit stinks as bad from any side

- uppercaise