Obama: One Trip Does Not a Leader Make

All Obama, All the Time
by Nancy Morgan
Right Bias



We interrupt this program for a breaking news alert:

"Obama Has Landed Safely Back In The US."

America breathes a collective sigh of relief. Conservatives rejoice also, anticipating a long awaited break from 'All Obama, All The Time.' Alas, it is not to be.

Obama continues to dominate the old media, with 24/7 coverage of his every utterance. Talking heads ruminate endlessly and in depth, on the 'historic' tour just completed by their new president in waiting. With the appropriate oohs and aahs, our old media elites expound on Obama's gravitas, his presidential appearance, his new foreign experience which, coincidentally, Obama states, has confirmed all his preconceptions about Iraq and Afghanistan. How utterly prescient!

Obama, like many on the left, inhabits a world occupied solely with like-minded individuals. Having spent his whole life in the company of socialist and Marxists activists, liberal academics and fellow elites, Obama has made the all too common mistake of believing that his world view is the only one. The correct one. Hence, his surprise was undoubtedly as great as CNN's Christiane Amampour's, when she abjectly reported that she was "surprised by the lack of euphoria" following his 'historic' speech.

Missing from Obama's body of knowledge and experience is any semblance of appreciation for the fully half of Americans who have never inhabited his world. Those pesky conservatives. The right-wing nuts who cling to their guns and Bibles out of a sense of desperation. The idiots who believe global warming is not man-made and the outdated traditionalists who favor free market solutions over government solutions.

You know the type, the ones that are offended that Obama removed the American flag from his campaign plane before jetting off to kow-tow to Europe and condescend to Iraq. The ones that resent the man from nowhere who has the audacity, if not the credentials, to lecture the world on proper behaviour. The ones that dare to question the lies, oops, I mean spin, that issues forth from camp Obama daily.

The latest kerfluffle involves questions about why Obama chose to work out at the Ritz instead of visiting with the troops. Conservatives have the audacity to suggest it was because the military wouldn't allow Obama to bring photographers with him to record his close ties with America's soldiers. You know, the American warriors that are responsible for the very freedoms Obama broadly assigns to the world. No photo op, no visit from on high.



There are even those on the right that dare question the Obama camp's estimate of the reported 200,000 that gathered to hear his Berlin speech. The attendance figures reported by German public television ZDF were 20,000, not the 200,000 figure the Obama camp gave to a complaisant media. Some Americans were even rude enough to question why no American flag was present during Obama's 'historic' Berlin speech.

Adding insult to injury, right-wing bad boy, John Bolton, had the temerity to suggest, "The successes Obama refers to in his speech - the defeat of Nazism, the Berlin airlift and the collapse of communism - were all gained by strong alliances defeating determined opponents of freedom, not by 'one-worlders'."

To top it off, right-wing bloggers actually fact-checked his speech. In a direct assault on Obama's self-anointed right to fashion reality according to his own whim, a London paper found several 'misstatements' (that's liberalspeak for lies) in his historic speech. The audacity!

Ignoring any views that don't conform to his own grandiose view of himself, this 'lightly accomplished one-term senator, a former state legislator from Illinois, a Harvard graduate who has no substantive records of accomplishments' has instructed his aides to start planning his presidential transition.

Nothing in Obama's life has prepared him for the defeat he is bound to suffer come November. All because his pollsters, his advisors and his wife neglected to remind him that all the adulation in the world means squat unless followed up with a vote and, unfortunately, the adoring throngs in Europe can't vote, yet.

Obama has managed to alienate increasing numbers of oh so ordinary Americans who do vote. Like the average American who is more impressed with actions than words. Like the little people who work hard, play by the rules, love God and country and know instinctively that expertise with teleprompters does not a leader make.

The average Joe wants a president who is a citizen of America, not a citizen of the world. They most certainly don't want a president who apologizes for his own country in foreign lands. Even the unsophisticated guy in flyover country knows better than Obama that relying on the old media for accurate information on how Americans think and feel is a fool's game.

Obama will be genuinely surprised when McCain is elected president in November - a presidency that Obama has already claimed as his own. He will undoubtedly question how McCain could have won when Obama doesn't even know a single person who voted for him.

All those meanies on the right have to do is continue to give the Big O more rope.

by Nancy Morgan

Nancy Morgan is a columnist and a news editor for RightBias.com
She lives in South Carolina, where she writes "Culture Watch" weekly.

Article may be reprinted with attribution. Bio available on request.

John Edwards Scandal, The Press, The Enquirer and the Blogosphere

Bob Schieffer as Shorthand for the Mainstream Press
*
The Blogosphere: New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
*
Some Reporters Are Digging
Some Are Sitting on Their Asses
*
Christmas Wishes In the Midst of Scandal

"I said I need back-up!! NOW!!
I got Bob Schieffer's sense of curiosity here!"

The story so far of John Edwards, his campaign and Rielle Hunter, the uncovering of hard facts by the National Enquirer, the Mainstream Media's non-reaction, and the blogosphere's fondness for the comfort that only sitting on one's ass brings.

Bob Schieffer, The Thrill of Victory

"I just kept doing it and never knew whether I was allowed to under CBS rules about correspondents doing analysis and commentary. If I can't do it, they'll tell me. No one said a word. Then I won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for best commentary on television. Everybody in New York called and said, "Great work, keep it up Bob — we've been loving those commentaries."

Bob Schieffer, The Agony of Defeat

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, you know I saw that this morning. I believe that -- I believe that's a story that we will be avoiding, because it appears to me that there's absolutely nothing to it. I'm told that another -- a man says that the child is his. I'm told that the woman who seems to be pregnant says it's not his. So I guess -- I guess we're going to pass on that. Unless you come up with some new information on this, Don.
--When asked about the John Edwards-Rielle Hunter story On the Don Imus show

A presidential candidate and his campaign's mysterious video: one that was produced with the high hopes of making the candidate better-known, only to have that hope fulfilled when it disappeared from public view.

That doesn't excite Bob Schieffer.

A presidential candidate who isn't asked by the press if he denies being in phone contact with his alleged mistress since she discovered she's pregnant. Indeed, the Mainstream press didn't go postal: they went Emily Post-al, as in, "let's not make any waves, that's not polite; might get us thrown out of the candidate's press tent."

That doesn't excite Bob Schieffer.

A presidential candidate's alleged mistress moving close to campaign headquarters, driving around in a BMW owned by the campaign's former Director of Operations, living in a house owned by the campaign's backer, having her bills and living expenses paid for--well, who is paying them?

Doesn't matter.

That wouldn't likely excite Bob Schieffer, either.

What would excite cynical, seasoned, experienced CBS newsman, Bob Schieffer?

Bob Schieffer: Star Light, Star Bright...

The other question is if it all gets settled, and may well be by mid-February, what are we going to do after that? I would love it if the two parties have a special meeting (instead of conventions) and certify them as candidates. Wouldn't it be great to have them fly around the country on the same airplane and have debates?

Maybe Bob will get to fly on the plane!

Maybe Bob Schieffer will actually get to fly on the plane with John Edwards!

Goodie!

Wouldn't do to have that whole unpleasant business about mistresses and hiding campaign videos produced by her and her living arrangements come up, would it, Bob?

Watergate and WWBD - What Would Bob Do?

If Bob Schieffer had been head of the Washington Post during Watergate and two of his reporters came up to him with incredible news of a president sanctioning a break-in at a rival's campaign, What Would Bob Do?

A cover-up, you say?

Unnamed source, you say?

"...it appears to me that there's absolutely nothing to it"

Good thing Deep Throat had the good sense not to leak to the Enquirer.

Bob Schieffer would have passed on that one.

But DBKP's doesn't mean to be picking on Bob Schieffer. We like Bob and always enjoyed watching "Face the Nation".

Bob's is shorthand for the attitude of the Mainstream Media.

The John Edwards Campaign, Rielle Hunter and Other Interests

No more than we are picking on John Edwards. We searched our memories and couldn't come up with one single article we'd ever done on John Edwards, pre-Enquirer Love Child Scandal.

John's fighting against poverty, we knew that.

He ran as the vice-presidential candidate in 2004, we knew that.

John Edwards is shorthand for a presidential campaign and its workings on solving a behind-the-scenes problem.

Like all presidential candidates, Edwards is surrounded by people who believe in John and his cause. People who'd seen his ups and downs. People who would do anything for John Edwards, who might even take a proverbial bullet for him. Maybe even do other things for him.

We knew that.

First, we were interested in the story of John Edwards and Rielle Hunter and that mysterious video and why it had vanished.

Then, we were interested in the curious dealings with Rielle Hunter and the sudden clout she'd apparently gained within the Edwards campaign. After all, nice digs and car and no bills, seems she's not just anybody.

NOW, we're interested in the press and its adversarial relationship with presidential candidates--candidates who might be controlling the levers of power, should they be elected.

We're interested in why, outside a couple of unnamed reporters, not one person has asked John Edwards not one question about these interesting dealings between Rielle Hunter and the Edwards campaign.

Since the reporters were unnamed, just as the Enquirer's sources were, we assume that they didn't meet with Bob Schieffer's high standards, either.

The Power of the Blogoshere

DBKP has previously written about Sam Stein, a writer doing a fairly routine piece for Huffington Post about the new ways candidates were trying to reach Internet readers.

One of those new methods was something called a webisode, a short video for letting Internet users see a candidate in a more personal way. John Edwards wanted users to see "the real John Edwards", as he says in his recently-rediscovered video.

Stein recounted his surprising adventures with seeing the Edwards video. That Stein was having a tough time running down something that should have been screaming for publicity interested him.

When he wrote about his adventures, a certain section of the blogosphere pilloried Stein and his musings on the subject. At that point, Rielle Hunter was not as well-known as she is today. Running down information on her required a little digging.

Sam Stein did that digging and was rewarded for his efforts with a mound of vitriol.

A reporter who had done actual work on a story was ridiculed by writers who had sat on their asses.

"Sam Stein and the Enquirer are nothing but lazy, no-good trashy gossips"

Two weeks later, the National Enquirer released its first story on John Edwards and his alleged affair.

The Enquirer's story had required much more digging than Stein's had. They hadn't named the "other woman" in the Edwards affair, but the reaction to their story in a certain portion of the blogosphere was the same as it had been for Stein: profanity-laced reviews were common on the Internet.

Again, writers who had done actual work were ridiculed by writers who still sat on their asses.

Nine weeks after the first John Edwards scandal story, The Enquirer released a second one. This story named Rielle Hunter as the "other woman". In addition, the Enquirer had uncovered a trove of information sure to fire up the juices of any reporter.

Hunter, as Stein had related, wasn't easy to find. And now she had moved from New Jersey. Where was she? The Enquirer found her living in the Governor's Club in a house owned by an Edwards campaign backer. How difficult was she to find?

Her car wasn't in her name. Her bills weren't in her name. She initially denied she was Rielle Hunter. How hard had she been to find? Could any of the bloggers hurling invective found Rielle Hunter?

What about the fact that when Hunter had denounced the Enquirer's first story as "lies", on the same day that John Edwards was doing much the same, she hadn't been named as the "other woman" by the Enquirer?

Ms. Hunter's reaction to that story included "When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct... was completely professional." That she was pregnant at that time with, what the Enquirer says is Edwards' child and she herself, through her lawyer, says is Andrew Young's (former Director of Operations for the Edwards campaign) child: is that not interesting to anyone else?

Or is it, as many in the brave, fearless world of the blogosphere have joined Rielle Hunter in claiming, "innuendo"?

The closest thing to asking questions in the blogosphere was the brief speculation (DBKP included) if this Edwards scandal was somehow related to the Clinton campaign and a former Clintonite lawyer who owned part of the National Enquirer's parent company. A little checking revealed the answer was: no.

Since the silence of the blogosphere in the past several days on this has been deafening, we have to guess they are still sitting on their asses.

We hope not.

That would mean they are like the mainstream press they hope to surpass.

What about bloggers in North Carolina? Are there no bloggers living in the area that aren't interested in these happenings? What about the neighbors, the community? What do they think about this? Where's the "reporter living among the people" mentality that is supposedly one of the hopes and promises of the blogsphere?

We realize it's close to Christmas and people are busy with other things. It's close to Christmas in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, too.


Christmas Wishes to All

We didn't intend to make this post so long; it's near Christmas and there are gifts to buy and wrap and people to whom we want to extend holiday wishes.

Those include the following:

To Bob Schieffer: continued sucess in a long and illustrious career.

To the John Edwards campaign: More followers who will do anything for the cause.

To the Mainstream press: the hope for a comfortable future. Also, the hope that comfort won't be a factor in what they report.

To Sam Stein and (we never thought we would EVER say this) Huffington Post: Continued curiosity when researching routine stories and standing behind such well-researched stories and the questions they prompt.

To the National Enquirer: Bigger headlines to announce more scoops like Pardongate, Gary Hart's Monkey Business, and Monica's blue dress. Also, ear plugs for the always-predictable Mainstream Media reaction to their intrepid digging.

To the Blogosphere, in general: More readers, an end to endless lectures from the Mainstream Press about citizen journalism and freedom from regulation and laws.

To a certain Portion of the Blogosphere: A Stair-stepper.

Merry Christmas from Mondoreb, Little Baby Ginn, RidesAPaleHorse and everyone at DBKP.


NEW! Rielle Hunter Housed by Former NBA Player

by Mondoreb
[images:healthyweathyandwiseshow;]
Sources:
* Bob Schieffer: Is the End Near?
* DBKP Library
JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL

DBKP Library JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL Over 25 DBKP Stories on the John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child Scandal

JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SEX SCANDAL LATEST: at 10:00 EST * Rielle Hunter Housed by Former NBA Player * The Edwards Scandal, The Press, The Enquirer and the Blogosphere * Country Club Concubine * Curious Circumstances Excite No Curiosity in the Mainstream Media * Why Did Rielle Hunter Denounce the National Enquirer NINE WEEKS Before the Paper Would Name Her as the "Other Woman? * 30 Love Child Scandal Quotes * The "Interview" That Never Happened * Source Too 'Tainted For MSM? * Rielle Hunter: 'Kept Woman' * UPDATE: Hunter Living in Edwards Backer's House * Enquirer Update and New Questions! * CBS Interested Now? Mysterious Videos * 10 Things We Now Know About the John Edwards Love Child Scandal * ENQUIRER Fires Second Salvo at Edwards * John Edwards Love Child Scandal Has Hit the Stands * QUIZ: Name that Scandal! * Edwards Scandal? Surf's Up! * Is This Thing Still On or What? * Hunter Still Living the "Life of Rielle" * Edwards Alleged Love Child: Clintons Orchestrated Rumor? * DBKP World Exclusive! Photos of the Pair?? * Who Is Rielle Hunter? * John Edwards Shared More Than Shampoo With Rielle Hunter?

Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Tortured Dog and Gun: Is Press Romance with Huckabee Over?

In this booking photo released by the Pulaski County Sheriff's office, David Huckabee, 26,

a son of former Arkansas Gov, and Republican presidential hopeful Mike

Huckabee, is shown in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, April 26, 2007.

David Huckabee was arrested at Little Rock's airport Thursday after a

federal X-ray technician detected a loaded Glock pistol in his carry-on

luggage. (AP Photo/Pulaski County Sheriff)

Mike Huckabee has found that along with press love comes press scrutiny.

Touted with headlines such as the "surging" Huckabee, the "Huckabee support strong" and "Surprising Huckabee", Huckabee's campaign has to now deal with the "A Son's Past Deeds Come Back to Bite Huckabee" headline and story at Newsweek.

Under the mug shot from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department of son, David, is a story detailing Jr. Huckabee's past run-ins with the law: allegations of torturing and hanging a stray dog, being arrested with a pistol at the Arkansas Airport and allegations that dad Mike leaned on some people to keep the dog story from escalating.

One issue likely to get attention is his handling of a sensitive family matter: allegations that one of his sons was involved in the hanging of a stray dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998. The incident led to the dismissal of David Huckabee, then 17, from his job as a counselor at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Ark.

It also prompted the local prosecuting attorney— bombarded with complaints generated by a national animal-rights group—to write a letter to the Arkansas state police seeking help investigating whether David and another teenager had violated state animal-cruelty laws. The state police never granted the request, and no charges were ever filed.

But John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas's state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee's chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor's request.

Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee's Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer's intervention as improper and terminated the conversation. Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee's office and fired. "I've lost confidence in your ability to do your job," Bailey says Huckabee told him.

One reason Huckabee cited was "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem," according to Bailey. "Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son," says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a "courageous" and "very solid" professional.

There have been whispers that Huckabee advocates have dropped phone messages to voters questioning candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith. Huckabee himself made a sly remark that implied that Romney believed Jesus and Satan were brothers.

Questions cut both ways: now questions are popping up about Huckabee's son and Huckabee's involvement in quashing an investigation.

Perhaps the allegations are nothing more than rumors or sly remarks from rival campaigns. Either way, the national press is now paying attention to them.

As we earlier stated in articles, Huckabee is just the latest in a long line of 'media darlings'. When the press ends its fickle love affair, often times the break-up is acrimonious.

Newsday's article on David Huckabee's past troubles may be the latest proof.

by Mondoreb
[image:ap;megahurt]
Source: A Son's Past Deeds Comes Back to Bite Huckabee



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Megan Meier MySpace Suicide: 30 Memorable Quotes

30 quotes from the people involved in the Megan Meier MySpace Suicide story and the media.

Megan, the 13-year-old daughter of Ron and Tina Meier, was the victim of harassment by "Josh", a boy she'd met at popular social site, MySpace. Upset at his messages, she hung herself.

"Josh" was later found to be a hoax, the fictional creation of Curt and Lori Drew, neighbors who lived down the street from the Meier's. "Josh" was created to by Lori Drew and her employee to monitor what Megan might be saying about the Drew's daughter after the two girls had a fight.

"Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat." --bulletin posted at MySpace by "Josh" "Everybody in O'Fallon knows how you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a shitty rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you." --Josh's last message to Megan, according to Ron Meier's best recollection "They are all being so mean to me." --Megan Meier, to her mom, on the day of her death "I grabbed her as she tried to go by," Ron says. "She told me that some kids were saying horrible stuff about her and she didn't understand why." --Ron Meier right about what happened right before Megan took her life. "She did sit here in my living room and confess everything to me. She told me that they had pulled an image of a boy off the Internet and that they had created an account using the name of Josh Evans, and she said she knew the last message that left her house that Monday when Megan attempted her life was that, 'The world would be a better place without you". --an unnamed neighbor about how she learned Lori Drew was behind the hoax "That is what makes it even more disgusting, that she knew the circumstances around our daughter and still played on it," --Ron Meier, Megan's father “These people were supposed to be our friends.” --Tina Meier, about their neighbors, the Drews "Give it a rest. Give it a rest." --Curt and Lori Drew, reportedly to the Meiers, when confronted by the Meier parents "You cannot as an adult sit there and do that and hide behind a computer. It is a criminal act. We want to see her go to jail," ---Tina Meier, Megan's mother, about Lori Drew "It's time that we do something against this. On all levels, the state and federal level," --Dardenne Prairie Mayor Pam Fogarty, on the need for stricter laws for Internet harassment "Coincidentally, two months after Megan's suicide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that antidepressants double the risk of suicidal behavior in young adults. (Psychiatrists have disputed the FDA report.)" --Jeff , from a post at "Megan's Vigilantes" "We were concerned about the daughter [of the Drews] and to what extent she was involved and dragged along with this." --Dave Bundy, editorial director of Lee Enterprises, the newspaper group that includes several papers who broke the Megan Meier story; on why his papers decided not to name the Drews. "She [Lori Drew] is not being accused in a court of law, she is not being sued and our take is that we don’t run suspects unless charges are filed." --Steve Pokin, reporter who wrote the original Megan Meier story. "I posted that — where Curt works. I'm not ashamed to admit that. Why? Because there's never been any sense of remorse or public apology from the Drews, no 'maybe we made a mistake.' " --Trevor Buckles, 40, a neighbor whose two teenage boys grew up with Meier. "We're all in shock. If I have anything to say about it, we'll never have our hands tied legally like this again." --Mayor Fogerty "There are enough details for people to find out who it is on their own. They are free to do so. It was a judgment call. I think there were a lot of other issues at stake." --Pokin, on his critics for his not revealing the Drew's name in his stories. "We believe that all the publicity about this situation has led to an air of vigilantism. We're concerned people will take things into their own hands." --Lt. Craig McGuire of the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department “Give me a break; that’s nothing. But it’s the most we could do. People are saying to me, ‘Let’s go burn down their house.’” --Mayor Pam Fogarty said of the penalties imposed by the town of Dardenne Prairie, MO on cyber harassment. It's now punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail. "Ms. Drew used the same same exact mode of operation as a child predator enacts in the seduction of a child. Drew posed as a member of the opposite sex and spent weeks and weeks luring this girl into a relationship. But yet it went further. The adult Drew formed a heated relationship with the 13 year old girl. She worked hard to gain the girl's confidence. She exploited the girl intimately by posing as a boyfriend. Do you really thing there was no intimate grooming going on?" --online comment by DanCnKC "Oh and I don't think Lori Drew is so evil as everyone says. Megan was a total bitch to everyone around her especially Laura so if I was her mom I would be mad at Megan too and I would check up on her to see what shit she was spreading about my daughter." --"Kristen", author of "Megan Had it Coming" blog. "Lori Drew is a psychopath. That part is clear. But more disturbing than that are the actions of authorities: If it had been an adult MALE that "carried on" in a sexually explicit way with a 13 year old girl, even if it WERE for the purposes of revenge for his teen daughter, he'd be locked up as a pedophile." --online comment by Danny Vice "Every story has two sides and if you don't think so - then I hope you are never tried and convicted in your own court." --JennaD, from a comment posted on "Megan Had it Coming" blog "All we feel is frustration, anger. For months, we've been asking ourselves, 'What mother in her right mind would do this? And why won't the cops do anything to punish them? We just want them gone." --neighbor Kristie Kriss, of the Drews "The woman emotionally raped this child. She took her supposed love and sexual stimulation and crushed the girl emotionally with them. This girl was mentally raped [by] a mother and her employee. This adult and her friends played this girl into an emotional high... and then pulled the plug when it would inflict the highest possible damage. It took 4 months of planning." --online comment by DanCnKC "So nobody in the news talks about what Megan the bitch was like so now you know. Oh and don't bother trying to figure out who I am. Unlike Megan, I DO have a boyfriend and he knows computers and he totally covered my tracks." --"Kristen", author of "Megan Had it Coming" blog "Lori Drew groomed her victim like many child predators do, enticing her with flirtation, mild sexual conversation and playing on Megan's weakness. Lori knew that Megan had a low self esteem and was treated for depression. Outing Child Predators has been public policy in most states and is usually upheld under the premise that the public has a right to reasonably protect itself from criminal behavior where it exists. Families with children have a right to know when those who might prey upon their child, live nearby. Public policy dictates that if a child is exposed to potential harm from predatory activity, then parents should at least have the opportunity to be aware such harm may exist." --online comment by Danny Vice "It's not to say if only Megan (spoke out/did this/did that/reached out), it's to say there has to be more positive and supportive role models out there for our youth. The parents can only do so much. My solution: it's time to stop the "code of silence." It's time to not be afraid to speak up when something is wrong." --online comment by Jo "Megan's story really won't matter; some writers will bend it to fit their preconceived point of view. It'll not be about Megan to them: it'll be about using her as a tool to advance their cause. Laws for regulating the Internet; for stricter controls on what can be said online; to raise money; that any negative reactions are 'vigilantism'; for more money for suicide prevention: take your pick. They'll all invoke the name and story of Megan Meier. To most of those, she'll cease to be a 13-year-old schoolgirl: she'll be a slogan." --RE Bierce, commenting the first week of the story on future likely reactions. “There are no words to explain my rage.” --Tina Meier by Mondoreb

Sources:
Parents Want Jail Time for MySpace Hoax Mom - ABC News

New York Times - A Hoax Turned Fatal Draws Anger but No Charges

Missouri Weeklies That Broke 'MySpace Suicide ' Story Still Won't Name Alleged 'Cyberbully'
-Editor & Publisher

Megan's Vigilantes blog

Megan Had it Comingblog

"Frontier Justice in an online World?"- Seattle Times

"Megan Meier MySpace Suicide: Reactions to the Reactions" - Death by 1000 Papercuts blog

Weekly Vice blog

"MySpace Cruel Hoax Leads to Teen's Suicide" - Death by 1000 Papercutsblog




DBKP.com - Bigger, Better!.
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

One More Glenn Greenwald Joke

Hey everybody! Glenn Greenwald's gonna tell another joke!
When a litigator pretends he's a journalist pretending to be a press nanny, the result is usually another Glenn Greenwald joke pretending to be a column.

Only a former litigator could manage to make the claims that Glenn Greenwald does without his body twisting into spasmodic fits of laughter.

In "Bad Stenographers", Greenwald reaches the correct conclusion that most mainstream hacks are little better than stenographers.

If only.

Greenwald proceeds to tell us what he thinks a journalist should do, ought to do, doesn't do, whatever.

One example:

I worked for years with highly professional stenographers in hundreds of depositions and court proceedings. Their defining trait is that they have a fierce devotion to transcribing accurately everything that is said and doing nothing else. It's not uncommon for lawyers, in the heat of some dispute, to attempt to recruit the stenographer into the controversy in order to say who is right.

Say, sounds like what reporters used to do.

Back in the day--before journalists got the bright idea that someone elected them to make policy--reporters/journalists used to record the facts and what was said: without trying to resolve the "good guy" or "bad guy" issue for the reader.

Greenwald then takes the press to task the few times they slip up.

Stenographers will never do that [say who is right]. They will emphasize that they are only there to write down what is said, not to resolve disputes or say what actually happened -- exactly like Time Magazine and most of our press corps. If someone in a court proceeding voices even the most blatantly false accusations, stenographers will faithfully write it down and publish it without comment -- exactly like Time Magazine and most of our press corps, at least when it comes to claims from the government and its GOP operatives.

"Greenwald said what? The press are Bush robots??

So the Washington press is nothing more than a herd of Bush poodles.

Journalist n. A person who collects and edits news for the public.

Sound familiar?

I didn't think so.

It doesn't sound familiar to Greenwald either.

After wading through the rest of the piece (with a short nap in the middle), the former litigator has completely convinced the reader of his case for liberal media bias--all the while swearing it doesn't exist.

Not content with completely disgusting anyone who believed the Journalism 101 teacher about a "disinterested press", he inserts this howler. Probably to check to see if anyone was still awake.

As Eric Alterman documented before most people were pointing it out, the greatest myth in our political culture is the Rush-Limbaugh-generated complaint about the "liberal media."

Greenwald even writes the phrase "liberal media myth".
Did he say "liberal media myth"?? Stop it! You're killing me!
Long before Limbaugh settled into his popular show, complaints of bias on the network newscasts began, people switched off their sets and network ratings began their slide down. Greenwald argues that Limbaugh manages some kind of mass hypnosis/mind control to plant this outrageous voo-doo idea of "liberal media bias" in the public's imagination.

Limbaugh is an evil genius. With the powers he possesses, he should quit his radio show and take over the world.

Then maybe he'd use his power to save us from former litigators masquerading as journalists masquerading as concerned press nannies.
Glenn, will you be my nanny?

by Mondoreb

Source:
Bad Stenographers




Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.