by Don Pogreba on March 31, 2006
in The Media
The Missoula Independent has a brief about Kaci Clipe, the parody artist who came up with the rather lame mockery of the Big Sky Democrats page. You might remember there was some controversy about the site related to the identity of the author and the bias displayed by the media in the story.
I remember thinking to myself “Surely, the Tribune checked the domain registration and contacted that person.” Surely they aren’t running a story speculating about the owner of the web page without contacting the listed owner of the domain.” After all, it took me 14 seconds to find the identity of the site’s owner, surely a daily newspaper can do it.
Guess not.
Dear Jonah has this to offer:
But Jill Carroll is increasingly starting to bug me. The details are still murky and it’s hard to appreciate what she’s been through. And maybe JPod’s right about Stockholm syndrome. And maybe the media’s selectively choosing what to show of her statements. But it would be nice to hear her say something remotely critical of her captors, particularly about the fact that they murdered her translator in cold blood. I’m very glad she’s alive, but I’m getting a very bad vibe. More, no doubt, to come.
You know Jonah, right? He’s the conservative columnist who believes that the Iraq War is some sort of moral crusade, but not one for pundits with easy jobs:
As for why my sorry a** isn’t in the kill zone, lots of people think this is a searingly pertinent question. No answer I could give — I’m 35 years old, my family couldn’t afford the lost income, I have a baby daughter, my a** is, er, sorry, are a few — ever seem to suffice.
In the context of that hypocrisy, it’s not surprising at all that he would try to score political points based on the video of someone who was just released from three months of captivity. It certainly takes courage to do it.
America’s rightwing, compassion in action. Given the news of Jill Carroll’s release today, the monstrous right wasted no time today in beginning the attacks. There are a number of sites involved in the smear, including the usual suspects at Michelle Malkin, but Debbie Schlussel (and her readership) wins today’s award for most evil Republicans.
From Schlussel:
Oh, and by the way, you know those female Iraqi terrorists we released for Princess Jill? Why have we never done anything like that for the lives of sundry American contractors and soldiers risking their lives over there? But yet we do it for this spoiled brat America-hater from Ann Arbor. Why?
From her cretinous readers:
That woman has strange S&M fantasies. She’s probably the type that thinks the harder a man hits her, the more he loves her.
Another telltale sign that obviously indicates which side she’s rooting for is her choice of garb. After her release, this “Christian” chooses to wear the head and body coverings that typical female Moslems are forced to wear. She wears the mark (clothing) of an indentured Muslim women by CHOICE.
When I heard she was let loose, I shook my head and rolled my eyes in bored disgust.
I’m glad she survived, but she is now going to be elected U.S. Foreign Policy Spokeswoman by the left. I bet Cindy Sheehan is jealous already.
It’s easy to dismiss the insane rantings of these people and their freeper ilk, but when partisanship is so important that people can actually wish ill of another human being held hostage in a foreign country, it’s hard to see how we can ever work together again.
And the part that pisses me off? These people have the gall to argue that there is something wrong with us–that we are unpatriotic, immoral, treacherous. Why does the media, always eager to show the extreme elements of the left in unflattering ways continue to give these fascists a free pass? Their discourse and their ideology are real threats to our democratic institutions and values, and our silence emboldens them.
Earlier this week, I referenced the latest Conrad Burns advertising delight. Not satisifed with just parroting the latest Republican talking points, that inane right-wing site in Montana approvingly copied the whole text of the ad.
Here are the key points:
They don’t talk about issues because they can’t compete with Conrad Burns’ record of success for Montana.
and
Imagine…a Senate controlled by Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy…a Senate under the influence of Hollywood liberals and trial lawyers.
Imagine a Senate that did not strengthen national security or confirm two new Supreme Court Justices.
Imagine a Senate that wants to censure or impeach President Bush – for making us safer.
Imagine a Senate that will forget about Montana’s economy.
National Democrats and East Coast Liberals are trying to make that Senate a reality.They’re conducting a smear campaign against Senator Conrad Burns – launching untrue, partisan attacks.
Uh…those are issues? God, I wish Montana Republicans would just admit what they must be thinking. Burns is an embarrassment. He is a crook. He is more interested in lobbyists than constitutents. Despite this, Montana Republicans would rather parrot his absurd attack ad than consider the possibility that another candidate from (gasp!) another party might be a better option.
ThinkProgress reminds us why Faux News is the most entertaining television this side of The Sopranos:
