Patrick Brennan Shows that Incompetence in Writing and Thinking is Alive and Well at National Review

Apparently, Patrick Brennan (and National Review) believe that Sarah Palin is "disgusting" for mentioning baptism and water boarding in the same sentence. Not only is Palin disgusting, but even more so are National Rifle Association members who heard and approved the comparison.

Here's a quote (from Rod Dreher, who used to work at National Review) approvingly presented in the Brennan piece:

but even more disgusting, those NRA members, many of whom are no doubt Christians, cheered wildly for her. . . . Palin and all those who cheered her sacrilegious jibe ought to be ashamed of themselves. For us Christians, baptism is the entry into new life. Palin invoked it to celebrate torture. Even if you don’t believe that waterboarding is torture, surely you agree that it should not be compared to baptism, and that such a comparison should be laughed at.

First of all, if it's such a "sacrilegious" comparison, surely it is not to be "laughed at". One wonders if sacrilege is funny in Brennan and Dreher's Christianity. More likely, neither is very good at expressing a coherent thought.

Secondly, neither Brennan nor Dreher has ever bothered to look up baptism in a dictionary. Or even done much listening to average American speech. There's a phrase often used in sports and other activities about a "baptism by fire"--which means going through a hard experience in starting an activity or profession.

It's strange that Brennan and Dreher, being professional writers, have never heard of baptism used in a sense other than as a Christian sacrament. But, there it is. Unfortunately, incompetence in writing and thinking is alive and well at National Review.

H/T Doug Brady