Eulogy for a Lapdog

[highplainsdem]

Puppy Press, we're going to miss you.

Maybe not the way we'd have missed the dog you used to be, many years ago, when you'd stand up on your hind legs and bark back to power. Or sneak into a parking garage, despite the risk to yourself, to get a story we needed to hear, when our Constitution was threatened. You were a watchdog then, and you did your job well. We were so proud of you.

It was harder to be proud of you in recent years, as you piddled all over yourself, and us, in your eagerness to please your new political and corporate masters. Oh, we know you were only trying to be endearing. Instead of barking "wag the dog" every time you thought the president might be misusing the military for political reasons, you wagged your tail as he threw nicknames to you -- they were kinda cute, weren't they? -- and you went into an obedient happy frenzy for his secretary of defense. You were so desperate to be liked, and to be invited to spend more time with your masters. It had been real work being a watchdog, all those years ago. Maybe you thought the Constitution would take care of itself even if you didn't let us know when it was being shredded. Maybe it was only to be expected that you'd eventually turn into a lapdog. Especially for someone with cute nicknames for you.

I'm really not sure when we lost you completely. There were signs now and then that you still had some life in you, though they'd become rarer, and your new masters always wanted to punish you for them.

But it's now become all too obvious that your spirit has gone, leaving only your shell. You were too silent when a comedian took over your watchdog duties and reminded you of what you should have been doing. You didn't bark back when told that your master, despite his cute nicknames for you, is now thinking he just won't have time for you every day.

And that was when we finally noticed that you'd gone from lapdog and puppy to a mere puppet -- a sad dead puppet. Heaven only knows when you died. You were just a shadow of your once great self for so many years.

And how we miss the watchdog you once were...

[SoCalDem]

1. Good one.. have a cartoon..for free

[blm]

3. I hope both of you send your posts to Colbert.

And SoCal, I never tire of that cartoon.

I only wish it was obsolete by now - seems that Katrina blew them back a bit, but they're rallying around poor 32% right now like their home mortgage depends on it.

[glitch]

5. Poor NPR, skinny and shivering behind the chair! K & R nt

[highplainsdem]

6. Thanks! What a great cartoon! Classic!

[dbt]

2. Puppy SUICIDE.

You knew that cliff was there, but you just couldn't wait to jump off. Good riddance.

:argh:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[blm]

4. I'm kicking this - it really is a fine piece that deserves more eyeballs.

.

[highplainsdem]

7. Thanks!

[Richard Steele]

8. Beautiful post! We need one more rec, folks!

[highplainsdem]

9. Thank you!

[Catrina]

10. Great post, and the cartoon is so perfect with it ~ I want to rec. but my

browser won't let me for some reason ~ so I'll :kick: for a great description of our so called free press!

[highplainsdem]

11. Thanks! I agree that SoCalDem's cartoon is perfect.

[Squeech]

12. Yes and no

Watergate was the high water mark for the American press corps. Unfortunately, it was also something of an anomaly. The American press has a long history of carrying water for nasty administrations and other evil actors. Remember Pulitzer telling his photographer, "You supply the pictures, I'll supply the war," just so he could boost his papers' circulation. Remember the Hearst papers giving front page treatment to Harry Anslinger's sensationalist Reefer Madness campaign, for no better reason than to prevent Hearst's tree farms from losing market share to hemp paper. What's going on now is in that ignoble tradition.

The real question is why. One theory is that the right wing noise machine has "worked the refs" to the point where editors and publishers are afraid to print anything that would elicit their typical overreaction-- except that everybody knows they'll overreact to anything. (Howell Raines is said to have encouraged Judith Miller to print all her Chalabi propaganda as hard news to save his own job, but it didn't work.) Another theory is that reporters are so afraid of losing "access," as if the opportunity to be lied to in person is so much better for one's career than just copying the lies off the fax machine.

But I favor the idea that BushCo has offered media conglomerates more market share in exchange for sycophancy. In the case of NBC, this has been documented by reporter David Podvin. "Neutron" Jack Welch had his reporters lay off Bush and pick on Gore, and in exchange, they let him (and others) violate FCC regulations about how much media one entity could control. At this point half a dozen corporations control over 90% of America's media. Follow the money, campers.

[blm]

13. Plus, the part of the company that feeds the bottom line the most is the

DEFENSE INDUSTRY component.

The news department is now in the position to contribute to the company's bottom line in ways it never had to before.

News Dept. is now acting as the Publicity Dept. for GEs Defense Industry ventures.