Judy Miller and the March to War

Arianna Huffington has an excellent article suggesting that Judy Miller is sitting in jail not on the principle of protecting her sources, but because she really does have something to hide. We have forgotten that her shoddy articles were instrumental in garnering support for the war, and Joe Wilson's op-ed piece was in direct conflict with everything she had written about weapons of mass destruction. She had a lot to gain from helping to discredit him. Below the article, a commenter reminds us that Miller was one of the recipients of an anthrax letter post-9/11...

With all the talk about the media's failure in the run-up to war, we forget what the press has at stake in situations like these. The media can hardly afford to be too critical of the government, even in the absence of coercion or dirty tricks to manipulate stories. In times of war, the press has a lot to lose if they end up on the wrong side of public opinion. If a war goes well, the public will support it, and will not forgive those who "sided with the enemy". And to be sure, if the Iraq war had been won easily, we would not be talking about its justification today.

I remember in early 2002 talk of war with Iraq in the media was odd in that it sounded like a foregone conclusion, long before any real reasons had been presented to believe it was necessary. Where was this coming from? In hindsight, it seems almost obvious that in the backrooms, whispering campaigns were being pursued amongst the press and government officials to let everyone know that, whether justified or not, this war was going to happen. The media had better get on board, or they were going to look bad in the end.

The Reversal of Privacy

The Rude Pundit opines on the hypocrisy of Patriot Act and various cover-ups in the White House. "What are you trying to hide?" Indeed.

It is striking how the public's expectations of privacy have reversed themselves since 9/11. Suddenly, it's OK to fritter away our own privacy rights at the same time allowing those in power to hide the truth in the name of "national security" and "ongoing investigations". Where once the public held the government in respectful distrust, we now show trust where it is not deserved, and attack those who speak out as being unpatriotic.

the tone is all gone pete tong

BILL, HILLARY, SAUL, AND MORAL RELATIVISM Saul Alinsky and the Lessons He Taught Bill and Hillary

This comment is a gem- it must be satire.

Which is why every leftist is nothing but a mirror image of Satan in human form. They are the Lie made flesh. They are the spirit of the Antichrist, a cancer trying to eat away at creation. God created order out of chaos by imposing His will, and the Left (at the instigation of Satan) is simply trying to impose chaos upon that order. The entire philosophy of the Left runs counter to the very fabric of the universe. They are like a river which fights to flow upstream, rebelling against natural law. They will not succeed, but they will not stop trying to subvert truth and reality until they are finally destroyed by the God they hate so much.

Reading right-wing sites can be an eye opener, to be sure. It makes me realize that on both sides, one of the big problems is that we don't attack our own- we let ridiculous statements go by, on the assumption that the speaker meant well. Sometimes these exaggerations, distortions, or lies seep into mainstream belief-systems. It's all a very bad scene, especially when some are spewing such pure, unadulterated toxic waste and passing it off as opinion.

the obsolescence of truth

Paul Krugman talks about how the truth doesn't matter anymore. Oy.

KARL ROVE: WORSE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN

KARL ROVE: WORSE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN

Ted Rall writes a great article, if just for the title. Truth to power, bitches!

God Bless Americana

Gracefully spanning the Will Rodgers Turnpike in Vinita, Oklahoma, this is the world’s fastest drive-thru, the Glass House Restaurant. The fine folks at Conoco Oil brought us this miracle of modernity in 1957. It was the first restaurant constructed over a United States public highway and the simple solution to cater to motorists passing in both directions. The term “roadside architecture” doesn’t apply here. It’s not on the side of the road. It’s over the road. And why did they call it a house? It’s much more like a bridge.

The Glass House Restaurant, Vinita, Oklahoma

What a beauty, eh?


It's now a McDonald's.