Randumb

I was watching Thomas Friedman on The Daily Show repeat last night. He was talking about his new book The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. He's all blah blah economy, blah blah education, blah blah global blah. But when Jon asked him what he thought this country could do to get back it's intellectual fire, his answer was so...I can't even describe it. Basically, he thinks that alternative energy solutions should be the "space travel" of the early twenty-first century. Don't get me wrong, I think that is a noble goal. On another planet!

Is he not aware of who is President? Who runs Congress and the Senate? I realize he travels a lot and might have missed something. BUT COME ON! Deal with reality, dude. That's never going to happen with these guys in the Washington. He actually said that Bush should get himself a Hybrid. The look on Jon's face was quite priceless, really.

I just don't understand this guy. He's obviously intelligent and articulate. But he doesn't live in the real world. I mean, maybe I shouldn't be so cynical. I guess we need dreamers and all. But combine that fanciful yammering with his sudden surprise that maybe the war wasn't such a grand idea and that *gasp* BushCo might be the fucking morons we've all said they were since the beginning, I just don't buy it.

Instead of wasting a whole book on all of your fancy notions, maybe you should spend some of your journalist credibility on exposing the people who will make all of your points completely moot. Jezus.

Moving on to brighter people, I got the following link from the lovely and talented TBogg, and I just had to pass it on because it? Is awesome.

A little background before I get to that. Apparently, the wingnut side of the blogsphere is digusted that 11 photojournalists working for the Associated Press were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their brave coverage of the war in Iraq. See, because these guys actually took pictures of the horrors of war and, you know, Americans had to deal with the reality of it all. I know, right? What is up with that? I thought journalism was to talk about how awesome Bush is and all that stuff. I learn something new every day from those guys, I am telling you.

Anyway! Athenae over at First Draft posted the most delicious rant on the subject. Here is a wee taste:

Freedom isn't free, you miserable chickenshits. You cheer the war, you love the war, you love the troops, you support the troops. But to recognize their sacrifices would diminish your pleasure so you send the images away. You jackholes are the ones who are always bitching that the left "blames America first." You're the first to blame "the media," to blame "bias" when things don't look the way you saw them on the outside of the box. Why do you now blame the photographers who bring you images of the dead and wounded, of protest, conflict? Why don't you blame the terrorists? Why don't you go wave a little flag in the face all this carnage because certainly it's exactly the item you put your finger next to on the menu. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED. LOOK AT IT. Print out every single one of those photos and paper mama's basement with them, chickenhawks. Here's your war, in all its glory. Max your credit card out, because freedom isn't free.

There isn't a WORD big enough for that. Bravo, Athenae!