COMMENT AFTER SEEING ANN COULTER HAD ANOTHER ARTICLE PUBLISHED
Ann Coulter has a right of free speech. But, I wish the Mainstream Media would please stop giving her inanities a national platform? It legitimizes her obsessions and perverts the Press Corps’ own legitimacy. Does the entire journalistic community really want to be like the Fox so called “News” channel?
Moreover, quoting Ann Coulter on any political question is like seeking serious political advice from the Three Stooges. At least the Three Stooges were occasionally funny and their proposals for gratuitous violence could not actually harm anyone who hadn’t volunteered and been paid as an actor to receive it.
If you feel the Mainstream Media “has to” give her nonsense space for some reason, then they should at least stop showing her photo. Her words become even more offensive and rendered absurd when they are not juxtapositioned with a visual of her as an iconic cute blond type.
Or, if the Mainstream Media insists upon a photo, they tell her she does not get space unless she poses nude with a cash register. Then, the viewers will both know what Coulters really is and might get some mild entertainment value out of it.
REACTION TO A REPORT THAT MOVEON ANNOUNCED A SURVEY OF ITS MEMBERS SUPPORTED OBAMA
I am a Moveon.org member. It should be noted that we were not allowed to vote except for Obama and Hillary. We were not allowed a NONE OF THE ABOVE option.
Nor were we allowed to submit our opinion on the second question unless we answered the first question pertaining to the limited choice between a black gutless ineffective establishment owing all the Tweedeldee lobbyists and a female gutless ineffective establishment owing all the Tweedeldum lobbiests.
It’s true that come the general election, after the disastrous Republican reign, I would vote against any one holding themselves out as Republican no matter who that increasing dangerous and demented party selects for any office. I have come to the conclusion Republicans, with their current insanities, should not be allowed to hold the position of dogcatcher, let alone state or national offices. Frankly, I would vote against the Bush/Reagan/Cheney/Gingrich legacy even if Democrats picked someone out of the phone book to run.
Nevertheless, that is a far cry from saying I affirmatively support any of the embarrassingly limited list of non-Republican choices left. Being a liberal and progressive and proud of it, I am appalled that there are no other viable options available. While I will ultimately pull the lever for whichever one makes it to the top of the ballot so long as they are not Republican, I’ll be holding my nose at the time.
Why can’t we ever have someone like Bill Moyer run or the deceased Molly Ivins?
POLL-UTION – AN OBSERVATION ON THE FACT THAT MANY POLLS ARE NOW, NOT JUST WRONG IN REPORTING THE RESULTS, BUT OFTEN REALLY JUST SNEAKY CAMPAIGN ADS
We have pretty much banned Polish jokes in polite conversation. Since the credibility of polls have finally become a joke, maybe society would be better off if we banned them too.
After all, they had little use to begin with except as clues that electronic voting machines had been tampered with by the Republican owned Dybold company which makes such machines. Moreover, polls have caused active harm to the democratic process in the past by persuading voters in western states to not bother. Not to mention, they were often dead wrong in either the fairness of the statistical gathering or skewed the result by the way the question was asked.
Lately, they have become a means to lie to voters. Consequently, perhaps it is time to “poll” the plug on them, so to speak. Hang up when any call. Or, better yet, tell them you have someone on the other line and would they please wait. Then, set the phone down and make a game out of how long you can tie up the line with pollsters wasting their time and money as they have wasted yours.
THE LATEST AND HOPEFULLY LAST REPUBLICAN “BUDGET”
Perhaps it is time to either re-institute the 90% income tax for the portion of incomes over, say, $100,000 per year. Or, declare that those who want to fight wars hereafter have to pay for them out of their own pocket, not everybody else’s.
UPON LEARNING THAT AN FBI AGENT HAD TURNED WHISTLE BLOWER AFTER DISCOVERING US OFFICIALS COMMITTED TREASON, BUT NO US MEDIA WOULD CARRY THE STORY
Unfortunately, for the story to get out, it requires that the media remove its head from Britney Spears nether regions. Sadly, the story only concerns critical life and death issues and not whether Britney is wearing panties or back in rehab.
COMMENT UPON DISCOVERING THE (FASHION) POLICE OF VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. ARRESTED THE STORE MANAGER FOR OBSCENITY AND REMOVED AN ABERCROMBIE & FITCH PHOTO AD WHICH MERELY HAD A PROTO-ADONISES STRIPPED TO THE WAIST GAMBOLING TOGETHER WITH A SCANTILY CLAD FEMALE
Do you suppose they could be convinced to remove Bush/Cheney as obscene?
LETTER SENT TO SEVERAL GENUINE NEWS SOURCES AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HQ UPON LEARNING THAT FOX NEWS IS HIRING KARL ROVE
Why is Fox News apparently planning to hire certainly unethical and probably unindited felon Karl Rove as a “journalist” to appear on the Chris Matthews program? Good God, how low can the phrase “journalist” sink? Speaking of that, why shouldn’t Fox News be required to register as a lobbyist for the Republican Party? More importantly, why on earth has Hillary Clinton agreed to appear in a debate on Fox News? Demand the Democratic Party continue the boycott!
ON LEARNING THE 796 UNELECTED UNPLEDGED SO-CALLED SUPERDELEGATES MAY DETERMINE THE DEMOCRAT NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT
The “democratic” party. Hah! What a joke.
ON LEANING THAT CHRISTIANS ARE SENDING FAKE TERRORISTS TO COLLEGES TO PROMOTE DEMONIZATION OF MUSLIMS
The primary problem with most Christians is that they don’t really believe in or regularly practice the “Golden Rule” Christ advocated when he was alive. To their shame, all they adopted is his name.
UPON READING THAT TASERINGS PEACEFUL PROTESTERS AND SUSPECTS IS THE FIRST RESPONSE OF CHOICE BY POLICE
The Bush Administration has never once resorted to talking or other peaceful means when violence was available. Since the White House has always been a role model, why wouldn’t the other authoritarian agencies, like the police, follow the prominent Bush lead even if people die as a result?
THOUGHTS ON LISTENING TO THE NEWS REPORTS EACH MORNING
Question: Is there a clinically objective test to determine the likelihood a person is suffering from either mental retardation or a sociopathology such as delusional tendencies, criminal predisposition, aggression, intolerance or utter lack of human compassion?
Answer: Yes. Check the patient’s voting records to see if they are still registered as Republican.
ON THE TORTURED LANGUAGE BUSHITES USE TO JUSTIFY WATERBOARDING
There is nothing wrong with Bush and his dungeon masters that a good impeachment boarding wouldn’t cure.
ON THE JUSTIFICATIONS GIVEN BY REPUBLICANS TO JUSTIFY SPYING ON ALL AMERICANS
The Republican election strategy so far this century has primarily been an attempt to frighten us. They’ve succeeded with me. I’m totally frightened they’ll ever gain power again. I’m terrified about what they lust after, how they’ll grab it and what else they’ll wreck getting it.
ON THE THEORIES OF REPUBLICANS REGARDING WHY TELEPHONE COMPANIES SUPPOSEDLY SHOULD BE GIVEN IMMUNITY FOR CRIMES THEY COMMITTED AGAINST AMERICANS IN CO-CONSPIRACY WITH THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
Republicans in Congress and the Executive Branch seem to lie for exercise. They must lie to warm up in the morning. They lie to every person they meet or talk to. They apparently lie for entertainment. They seem to equate lying with breathing. So, why should we believe them on anything at all they say attempting to retroactively justify their party’s criminality and that of the big telephone company executives who aided them in violating the Constitution and breaking laws?
REFLECTING ON THE TORTURERS R’ US SHOPS SET UP BY THIS ADMINISTRATION
Where does Bush find all the sociopaths to do the torturing; i.e. those who admit they would never want to be subject to “enhanced interrogation” themselves, but seek opportunities to inflict torture others? Does the scum of the earth simply tend to gravitate toward him like the Nazis did toward Hitler or does he have an in-Human Resources manager who actively recruits them? Are the Torquemadas he hires formally taught to be that way or are they born depraved? Are they mostly self described Christians or atheists? What went wrong in their upbringing and how were they unable to develop or unable to keep a moral code? Are they sickos who relish the sense of power that bringing pain to others apparently can supply or is it the addictive oxytocins or dorphamines or other brain jollies they get out of it? Are they paranoid schizophrenias assuming everyone they torture must deserve it? Are they closet sadists? Or, are they just utterly delusional, thinking what they are doing is actually somehow saving Civilization?
REGARDING THE ANTI-HILLARY TIRADES OF CHRIS MATTHEWS
Dear MSNBC:
I am a 62 year old male in a rural community and grew up in a culture that was biased against women. Nevertheless, I hopefully overcame my heritage’s indoctrination. Why hasn’t your company? It does not appear to even be trying.
I have grown increasing uncomfortable with the open hostility and shocking outbursts regarding women, especially those with power or influence, by some of your company’s on camera spokesmen like Chris Matthews and Chuck Scarborough. They seem to be getting as bad as some of your professional provocateurs like Ann Coulter and Karl Rove. They certainly seem to increasingly reveal their bias, insensitivity and even venom against women’s equality in what they often say.
At least when the Coulters and Roves infest your airtime, they do not pretend to reporters or journalists. Unfortunately, guys like Matthews do. Nevertheless, they no longer can claim that right unless those terms have been perverted from their original meaning and distorted out of all recognition.
Why hasn’t they been punished, demoted, publicly reprimanded or fired in light of their recent indiscretions? Surely their denials ring hollow to your own ears unless you personally share those male chauvinist tendencies. As a career lawyer whose career has been spent listening to liars, deniers, and self-deluders, their defensiveness smacks of non-apology apologies to me. Let them go to Fox News or elsewhere where they will no longer harm your company’s attempt to remain a genuinely fair and balanced news reporting organization.
I switched from Fox several years ago to you once I realized that channel had abandoned any thought of fully reporting real news in favor of spreading propaganda for one particular party and philosophy. Consequently, if Matthews in particular gets to keep his big salary, then I am no longer going to grant your company any more credibility than Fox gets. Hereafter, I will get my news elsewhere and distrust anything with the MSNBC logo appearing on it.
You know, it’s gotten to be embarrassing to be an American in the 21st Century for many reasons, but to listen to antediluvian outbursts demonstrating outright bias by public figures pretending to adhere to journalism ethics is a major part of that. Isn’t it embarrassing to you?
I realize that as a corporation you believe the almighty buck is most important to you and that having “entertainment” is what will generate the most of it. BUT, as at least theoretically a professional news reporting source, remember there are higher responsibilities than money and pandering to ratings. Frankly, an ethical press and media was our last chance to defend the Constitution. If you no longer care about that, the two parties certainly don’t. Where are we then? Please fill your necessary role.
ANSWER TO MOVEON.ORG POLL OF VETS ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAQ
I voluntarily enlisted in the Army in 1968, back before there was the lottery. Upon completing advanced infantry training, I signed up for a program that guaranteed me going to Vietnam. I wasn’t gung ho or anxious to go, but I didn’t see any realistic way to avoid it given my age and health and decided to get it over with. Besides, I wanted to get back to law school as quickly as possible. I arrived in spring of 1969 and served with the 101st Division up North. My battalion was known for the “Hamburger Hill” fiasco which took place a couple of months before I arrived.
Once in Vietnam, it was quickly apparent that there was little to distinguish the two sides in the conflict. While I could admire individual Vietnamese I met, frankly I had equal admiration for the gutsiness and ingenuity of the opposition. They no doubt committed atrocities, but so did our allies. While the other side was a communist dictatorship, South Vietnam was a corrupt dictatorship. Hard to chose which is worse. It certainly was not worth any American lives. So, my primary goal became to get myself and as many men out alive as I could.
My other observations were that the quality of the officer corp, particularly those who were Major and above in rank left a lot to be desired. They seemed to be fighting an entirely different war from those getting their boots wet. The view is very different from helicopter height at 1000 in height or in a bunkered radio room.
The waste, stupidities and outright insanities were obvious and reprehensible. A disconnect from reality was the standard situation. Neither the reasons for going in nor the reasons for staying were worth the cost and in fact turned out to be largely deliberate lies and distortions.
Looking back, the episode was an extremely costly debacle in every sense, economically, militarily, diplomatically, reputationally, morally, you name it, not to mention in terms of human life and suffering. No dominos fell. And, given that the warhawks now in the White House also fought to get favored nation trading status for Communist Vietnam and went there on State Visits recently, it looks even stupider than at the time.
It should be noted I am not a pacifist. Nor am I an isolationalist. I am not naive or trusting of other countries. And, I firmly believe in a strong defense, a strong military and close interaction with other nations.
Nevertheless, speaking as a combat veteran who earned his Combat Infantry Badge as well as being a long devoted student of history, a widely read follower of current affairs and a fiscal conservative, I think that all our Middle Eastern invasions and entanglements were possibly clinically insane or even criminal from just about every perspective or analysis. I believe they will go down in history as the greatest follies we have undertaken, probably more costly than Vietnam. The dictionary ought to have a new definition for the word “dumb” with Bush, Cheney and their moronic minions being synonyms for the term.
Our troops need to be supported by bringing them home before it is too late. Our leaders should be impeached, removed and possibly jailed. If we don’t, frankly, I fear for our survival as a democratic society.
