Today's Mark Morford

They say that violence is the last refuge of a desperate nation. And violence under the guise of secrecy and outright lie such as BushCo has foisted upon the nation is the last refuge of a nation of thugs. Yes, I'm looking at you, Rummy. I'm looking at you, Cheney. I'm not looking at you, Karl Rove, because looking at you makes my colon clench and looking at you makes birds die and looking at you makes small children feel hopeless and lost, like the world is full of black venomous hate and bilious condescension that is aimed squarely at their heads, like a gun.

Read it.

Coulter Cover

Dear Editors of Time,

I am sure you have received many emails on this subject, but I couldn't stay quiet. There are so many things wrong with putting that woman on the cover of your magazine, I don't even know where to begin.

This isn't a Right/Left issue. This is a decency issue. That woman does nothing but spew hate. She is a bigot and a liar. How you could print a story that doesn't label her such, I do not know.

Was it just coincidence that you put her on the cover during the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing? Or did you plan to insult the people who died there by praising a woman that found the whole thing funny?

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."
New York Observer, Aug. 20, 2002

"RE: McVeigh quote. Of course I regret it. I should have added, 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters.'"
Interview with Right Wing News

I realize that you have to cover important stories, and sometimes that means putting horrible people on the cover. But you chose to highlight this woman and she is not even making news. Why not put DeLay on the cover? Or Frist? Or Jeff Gannon/James Guckert? There are many far-Right people you could have chosen that would have been more timely and newsworthy. She isn't contributing to any important debates or having intelligent dialogue on current events. She is saying the same hateful, inaccurate crap that she always does.

It was irresponsible and, frankly, stupid to put her on the cover. I am so disappointed in your magazine, I don't think I will ever subscribe or buy it again. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Sincerely,
Me

First Rate

One of my favorite blogs of late is First Draft. Don't tell anyone, but I think I might be in love with athenae. Seriously, if you have not checked them out yet, do it! Excellent, excellent stuff.

LIAR WINS PEABODY!!!

Heh. Just kidding. Thought I would get that entry title in before some wingnut does.

CBS wins Peabody for Abu Ghraib report
Producer was later fired; 'Daily Show' also wins

NEW YORK - CBS News won a Peabody Award on Thursday for its report on abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a story anchored by Dan Rather and produced by Mary Mapes, who was later fired by CBS for her role in the story about President Bush’s military service.

Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart won his second Peabody Award, for his satiric take on the 2004 election campaign, while HBO’s Western “Deadwood” also won.

The George Foster Peabody awards, for broadcasting excellence in both news and entertainment, are given by the University of Georgia. Thirty-two awards will be handed out at the ceremony May 16.

The controversy over CBS’s discredited story about Bush’s National Guard service played no part in the judges’ determination that the Abu Ghraib report on “60 Minutes II” deserved honor, said Horace Newcomb, Peabody Awards director.

“We feel that this story stood on its own merit,” Newcomb said. “It was really an important moment in television this year.”

So, a really good producer got fired because a memo that backed up facts couldn't be verified, but Bush is still President. Yup. Makes perfect sense to me!

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!