Wait! You Can't Print That!

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If this week's hot blog topics were national corporate-owned news outlet stories, the polite-enough-to-print headlines might read: "Bush read The Pet Goat and studied speech while US attacked"; "VP of DOW Jones exits as Murdoch enters"; "Fred Thompson's abortion stance mixed"; "The Reagans' special friend of 50 years dies"; "Pulitzer Prize winner attacks bloggers for the same errors he's made"; "The New York Times prints the S-word" again; and, "Glen Beck wonders if he would've joined the Nazi Party."

Of course, the national corporate-owned news outlets would never print such stories. At least, not with any raw truthiness. Thank goodness for bloggers and their not-so-polite headlines. And thank goodness for DUers SoCalDem and kpete (on Jenna's wedding and marrying into the Bush family), who totally rock this week! And now for the blog headlines...

Rove: "Hold it! I Think You're Going To Like This Picture!"

Leave it to Michael Shaw at The Huffington Post to expose the Rovian manipulation of the Bush-in-action propaganda on 9/11 after the Pet Goat moments. Rewind. Make that moments. Plural. Lots of unaccounted-for moments, while the country waited for some semblance of leadership. So what was Bush actually doing in this photo?


Ahem.

According to his original pre-"attack on America" schedule, Bush was slated to give a speech to the Booker Elementary student body at approximately 9:30. So, thirty-nine minutes after the first crash (which Bush was aware of by approximately 8:55); and nineteen minutes after hearing about the second crash; and with the fate of America supposedly hanging in the balance, what do you suppose Bush had in front of him and was working on?

Yep, it's the speech he ended up writing, then delivering, four minutes later to 200 elementary school students, along with some teachers and a handful of reporters.

If Bush's actions confirm his incompetent, pre-formulated, performance-by-rote, what, in addition, might the craft and composition of the photo indicate? In this moment of extreme crisis; 13 minutes before Flight 77 would slam into the Pentagon; with the atmosphere rife with speculation that numerous hijacks were in progress, can anybody say there wasn't still time for posing?

Hmm. Note: no phone line lights indicating actual phone use. Potemkin phone, anyone? Rove's a genius? Laughable. The only thing missing from that photo-op? Bob Cummings and Ann B. Davis, of course. Ready for more... um, shocking schlock?

Murdoch, The DOW & A Jerry McGuire Exit

Sometimes, the best coverage of news stories comes from the gossip pages. This week from Jossip.com:

Dow And Out

When Faced With The Prospect Of Working For Rupe, VP Of Dow Jones Goes Running For The Door Respectfully Resigns


Dow Jones VP Paul Ingrassia has announced his resignation - and so soon after Rupert Murdoch's arrival! "That's completely unrelated," swears Ingrassia, before waving his briefcase, Jerry Maguire-style and yelling, "NOW, WHO'S COMING WITH ME?"

The only reason for bolting offered by Ingrassia seems to be, "There just didn't seem to be an appropriate place for me in the company." Hmm. Surely, someone's lying, but news cycles roll over lickity split these days, And what's a so-called "news" outlet to do, huh? Investigate? Get real. Meanwhile, bloggers continue shining bandwidth light on tightie righties...

When You Put It This Way, Fred Thompson Just Looks Stupid

I know. So what else is new? Best Week Ever posted this little Fred Thompson factoid in such a way that any sentient being would cross him off any prez candidate list (Scroll down past the Britney Spears/Uncle Kracker crap):

Republican presidential candidate and ex-Law & Order cast member Fred Thompson apparently had both pro-choice and pro-life position papers saved in his archives. Thompson later explained, "I am not against abortion, as long as the doctors make a jaded, witty remark about it right afterwards and it cuts to the theme music."

Explains Reagan Wannabe Fred's abortion stance perfectly, doesn't it? Hmm. Speaking of Reagan...

Who Didn't Know Merv Griffin Was Gay?

Aside from Ronnie and Nancy Reagan's clueless fan base, that is. Since Ronnie and Nancy were Griffin's BFFs for 50 years, you'd think that whole "You just aren't as worthy as straight people" issue might've been awkward. Not that Merv being gay matters, but don't you find it strange how our corporate-owned media ignored the story after Griffin's death? Ray Richmond at The Hollywood Reporter didn't ignore it, and his thoughtful treatment of the entertainer's public life is well worth the click.

But how tremendously sad it is that a man of Merv's renown, of his gregarious nature and social dexterity, would feel compelled to endure such a stealthy double life even as the gay community's clout, and its levels of acceptance and equality, rose steadily from the ashes of ignorance.

I'm not at all insinuating that Griffin had a responsibility to come out. That was up to him.

But what a powerful message Griffin might have sent had he squired his male companions around town rather than Eva Gabor, his longtime good friend and platonic public pal. Imagine the amount of good Merv could have done as a well-respected, hugely successful, beloved and uncloseted gay man in embodying a positive image.

As it was, I loved the guy, finding him charismatic and charming.

A bittersweet tribute, to be sure... and totally ignored by most media outlets. Hold on. Incoming flak over Richmond's blog entry. Deadline Hollywood Daily reports:

I'm told that The Hollywood Reporter's newly named editor Elizabeth Guider misled Merv Griffin's people. They were told by her on Friday that Ray Richmond's claims about the TV legend's personal life had been removed from the paper's website and blog. But she did not inform them until 24 hours later that she restored the commentary almost immediately. Guider's email sent to them today said she made her decision after deciding the piece was not "malicious, mendacious or unfair-minded". Griffin's people have canceled a planned tribute ad Monday in THR.

What a sad turn of events. From sad to really, really pathetic...

Simple Answer: Glen Beck Admits He Would've Been A Nazi

One of the best recurring blog topics out there is Your Right Hand Thief's "Simple answers to simple questions." This week, oyster posts:

In GQ, conservative talk show host Glenn Beck discusses his quest for knowledge about Germans, World War II, and the holocaust:

"I'm of German descent," Beck says. "I really wanted to know if they didn't know. It led me down a road of 'Who would I be in that situation?'"

You'd be a NAZI in that situation, Glenn.

This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.

I have a master's in German, Glen, and I have to agree with oyster. You would've goose-stepped with the rest of them... if your current commentary truly reflects your personal world view.

Don't Get Skubed, Bloggers; Just Get Even

This guy has a Pulitzer? The cobwebs in his brain are definitely clouding his judgment on the state of the blogosphere. Jay Rosen (at Daily Kos) has the best advice for the guy who doesn't read blogs but thinks they should just go away:

My advice to Michael Skube: Retire.

About that Sunday op ed, Blogs: All the noise that fits by Michael Skube in the Los Angeles Times....

Retire, man. I'm serious. You're an embarrassment to my profession, to the university where you teach, and to the craft of reporting you claim to defend. You were pulling these tricks two years ago, and the fact that the LA Times let you do it again reflects poorly on them. Ring this guy up and ask him to go bass fishing or something. You're not doing anyone any good-- you're just insulting your own bio. And when you're done lecturing all of us on "the patient fact-finding of reporters," tell the godforsaken LA Times they're going to have to run a correction. The Post hasn't won a Pulitzer for its reporting on Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Jeez.

As for Skube's "bad bloggers don't fact-check" attack, Skube and his editors are guilty of the same thing (See my blog, Delilah Boyd, for details). By the way, the entire blogosphere helps us correct errors, Skube!

Law & Order v Fred Thompson

Cue that Law and Order pizzicato! Lane Hudson at News For The Left has filed an election complaint against minor-role actor, Fred Thompson. It seems that Fred has hoarded his stash of exploratory committee cash, planning to use it after he files officially. That's a big fat no-no, according to Federal Election Commission... er, law & orderiness, Fred.

According to FEC regulations, Thompson will have 15 days to respond to the complaint. Then, their lawyers will write an opinion on the basis of the complaint.

It is my contention that he has violated the 'testing the waters' exemption of election law. He has been presenting himself as a candidate for President, he has been raising large sums of money beyond what would be required to explore a possible candidacy, and he has signed a long term lease on a headquarters for his campaign. He has even spent advertising dollars, which are specifically prohibited by the law.

Hey, it's worth a shot, or at least a healthy dose of speculation. Capone got nailed for tax evasion, remember? Speaking of speculation, it's time to...

Thank A DUer!

SoCalDem has scooped everyone with the 411 on Jenna Bush's upcoming wedding!

Scoop!!! Jenna's wedding plans revealed..

Rumor has it that she's going with a patriot wedding theme
She hasn't decided on which dress yet.



What's Dad wearing?


Mom may wear "the silver sausage"


Something blue? Mom's belt, of course


The guests will be treated to some shade in one of many patriotents scattered around the yard


Instead of a boring wedding cake, guests will dine on their very own patriot cupcakes


Will there be cocktails? You betchyerass there will be


And for the entertainment?

The Flagjumpers will perform


The college roommates will be there


Don't worry.. there WILL be security

And many thanks to kpete, this time for posting Letterman's "Top 10 Top Good Things About Marrying IntoThe Bush Family":

10. Great deals on Fallujah honeymoon.
9. You'll inherit President Bush's extensive collection of Chuck Norris memorabilia.
8. It's a good bet the wedding reception will have an open bar.
7. Might see Cheney shoot an old guy – still a reference, ladies and gentlemen.
6. Learning from Grandma Barbara how to spit chaw.
5. Every Wednesday is Taco Night.
4. What could be more fascinating than learning what makes Jeb tick?
3. If half the family hates you, you still have a better approval rating than George.
2. W can lend you the 'Mission Accomplished' banner to put up in the bedroom.
1. Little chance you'll be the dumbest guy in the family.

Yum. Taco Night. Too bad that's the culinary zenith of Laura's new White House chef, Chris Comerford. Hey, when your first directive from Laura's social secretary is "We need to stop serving this country-club food," it's no wonder that veteran chef Walter Scheib III knew his days were numbered, and Taco Night was coming.

Finally, this week, http://www.radosh.net/archive/001990.html#comments">Radosh.net notes that The New York Times has again printed the word shit on one of its pages:

All the news that's shit to print

For the second time in a year, the New York Times today prints the word "shit." The word appears in a quote from an anonymous message left on the answering machine of Elliot Spitzer's father: "There is not a goddamn thing your phony, psycho, piece-of-shit son can do about it."

I have been arguing for 15 years - ever since my friend Chip Rowe raised the issue in his zine (remember zines?) - that newspapers that value polite language over reporting facts are committing a journalistic sin. I'm not saying newspaper writers should employ swear words themselves, or go out of their way to find quotes that contain them, but if a subject's words are noteworthy enough to be reported than it is the basic responsibility of the newspaper to report the actual words. Withholding important information to protect the delicate sensibilities of a hypothetical reader is a violation of the basic principles of journalism. Either it's news that Dick Cheney told someone to "fuck off" or it's not.

Whatever happened to printing facts? Are facts just the dodos of newshoundery today? Imagine what this week would've been like without the bodacious audacity of bloggers: Nothing of any real-world import would've been reported, that's what. Just another week of unsubstantiated Dem bashing and "Poor President Bush endures yet another week of vicious political attacks." Truly. Heavy. Sigh. Be glad there are blogs.

-- Delilah Boyd

[Demeter]

1. What A Week! Running the Gamut from Just Sad to Grim

If this week were a television program, I'd have changed stations Tuesday.