Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Matt Drudge vs. Keith Olbermann

From Think Progress:
On his Sunday night radio program, Matt Drudge blasted Keith Olbermann as a “phony,” calling him “complete and utter camp.”

Drudge — the operator of the right-wing pseudo news site Drudge Report — was talking about the Venezuelan government’s shutdown of the country’s oldest private TV station when he veered the discussion into a hit piece on Olbermann. “When we start hearing that the National Guard is seizing television stations, alright then I’m on board,” Drudge said. “Then I’m on board, Olbermann. Until then, it’s all pancake, makeup, and Edward R. Murrow ‘good night and good luck’ and…complete and utter camp.”

“What’s being peddled over there at MSNBC” is “phony — phony lights, phony music, and everything there,” said Drudge, an Internet gossip who frolics in “the most salacious aspects of American politics."

In 1998, Matt Drudge ran a TV series on Fox. Olbermann said at the time that Drudge “has gone from being an idiot with a modem to an idiot with a modem and a television show on the most irresponsible network in America.”

Transcript:

DRUDGE: When we start hearing that the National Guard is seizing television stations, alright then I’m on board. Then I’m on board, Olbermann. Until then, it’s all pancake, makeup, and Edward R. Murrow good night and good luck and all… you know. Camp. Camp! That’s the right word to describe what’s being peddled over there at MSNBC. Complete and utter camp.

OLBERMANN (voice over): “Good night and good luck.”

DRUDGE: And some people are taking it seriously because they think it’s on TV so it has to be real. Please. And then they take off the hair, they take off the teeth, and they peel the face off — and then it’s you know, it’s all this phony — phony lights, phony music, and everything there.

LINK: Internet Gossip Monger Matt Drudge Blasts Olbermann As A ‘Phony’

I like Drudge, but I like Keith more. I wonder how he will respond...
-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (6/2/07):
Crooks and Liars: Drudge: Olbermann is phony, camp

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Al Gore on the Daily Show

His performance was impressive. I really enjoyed the interview.

Crooks and Liars:
Former Vice President Al Gore talks to Jon about his new book The Assault on Reason and the power of the internet.
I'm shocked Jon didn't ask about his weight or his presidential ambitions. Just a substantive discussion on the thesis of his book. What a concept!
VIDEO/LINK: Al Gore on The Daily Show

I really hope he does, eventually, enter the 2008 Presidential race.
-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (5/30/07):
A reader alerted me of this story...
LINK: Al Gore Scares David Brooks

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Draft Gore-Obama for 2008

Brent Budowsky wrote a fine article recently. I couldn't agree more with this...

A ticket of Al Gore for president and Barack Obama for vice president would create an electricity and enthusiasm that would transform American politics and send shock waves of excitement throughout a world yearning for new American leadership.

With the release of Al Gore’s new book about reason and truth in politics, and the July 7 worldwide concert for global warming, the stage is set for a new era in American politics that would be more exciting than any event since the inaugural of JFK.

Al Gore would bring the most commander-in-chief qualities in the history of presidential candidates with a passion and depth that would lift the hopes and hearts of Americans ready to inaugurate the post-Bush era.

Barack Obama would bring an enthusiasm, idealism and spirit that would make the ticket soar above partisan politics, would rally young people into public service in ways reminiscent of John and Robert Kennedy, and would be the greatest worldwide boost to American leadership for freedom and democracy in many years.

Al Gore was and has remained right about the Iraq war, and has the experience to lead America through the challenges left by the disasters of George W. Bush.

For a generation Gore has focused with great clarity and depth on the great issues facing the country, from nuclear arms control to global warming, from the power of new technology to better the world to a rousing call to respect our Bill of Rights and honor our political, civic and religious freedoms.

He has excelled in every endeavor he has undertaken as a member of Congress, senator, vice president,and idea entrepreneur who thinks big and knows how to get things done.

Gore has always been ahead of his time on great issues and his breadth of experience reaches from head of state diplomacy to financial and capital markets.

Barack Obama would be an extraordinary and unique vice president who would inspire young people everywhere, and would be a powerful symbol of American freedom, American justice and American opportunity throughout the world.

Obama’s appeal would transcend political parties, generations, and nations.

Partnered with the most experienced presidential candidate in American history, Barack Obama could well ensure his ultimate path to the presidency.

A Gore-Obama ticket would lift the hearts of Americans ready to dream again and lift the spirit of a nation that hungers for a unity of optimism, patriotism and community.

A Gore-Obama ticket would raise gigantic sums of money because it would raise gigantic hopes about what is possible for the future of America if we dare to dream again.

Personally I would enthusiastically support any of the Democratic candidates and am intrigued by the possibilities if Chuck Hagel declares independence from a decayed Republican Party.

Gore-Obama, however, is about something bigger, larger, grander and more noble than mere conventional politics.

The incumbent has divided us against each other, and has divided our generation from future generations on almost every level. Future generations will pay the price of misdeeds and mistakes today, from debt to war to pollution.

Gore-Obama is about the future, about the kids, about the generations to come and about an America that would once again believe that it is our sacred obligation to leave a better world to the kids and to the generations that follow.

Gore-Obama is about who we are, the standards we set, the future we build, and the great aspirations that should once again be our mission as men, women, Americans and citizens of the world.

The poet told us that our reach should exceed our grasp, otherwise what is heaven for?

It is time to dream again, to reach for the stars again, to have great aspirations and great expectations again.

It is time to lift the country we love again, to join a call to conscience, a call to action, and a call to confidence based on who we are, and what we stand for.

Draft Gore and Obama, and we will have a dream team for the generations.

LINK: American Dream Team: Draft Gore-Obama for 2008

G-O, 08!
-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (9/30/07):
PT now officially supports the Edwards-Obama Ticket for the 2008 Presidential Race.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Wrap-Up of Political Humor

Think Progress and Crooks and Liars bring together some of the best moments of political humor of last week from The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, the Daily Show, and Real Time.

TP:

In its highly-publicized 400th episode last night, The Simpsons skewered Fox News and modern journalism. At one point, outraged news anchor Kent Brockman confesses to the world:

Friends, the press and the government are in bed together in an embrace so intimate and wrong, they could spoon on a twin mattress and still have room for Ted Koppel. Journalists used to questions the reasons for war and expose abuse of power. Now, like toothless babies, they suckle on the sugary teat of misinformation and poop it into the diaper we call the 6:00 News. Demand more of your government. Demand more of your press.

LINK: The Simpsons v. the media.

RELATED READING...

LINK: Homer Simpson for President

C&L:
The 2008 presidential candidates air their dirty laundry.
LINK: SNL: Presidential Candidates Come Clean to Oprah

Then...
Samantha Bee takes a look at the "attractiveness" of cable news. Lara Logan will always be my personal favorite.
LINK: Daily Show: News I’d Like to F@#k

Followed by...
From Friday's "Real Time." Bill Maher captures the essence of last week's Republican debate in 45 seconds.
LINK: The FOX News GOP Debate in 45 Seconds

And of course, from About Political Humor...
A roundup of the latest political insanity:

• The 2008 presidential candidates appear on Oprah to air their dirty laundry in a hilarious new SNL TV funhouse cartoon.

• Michael Moore's new film, Sicko, received a warm reception in Cannes. FOX News called the film "brilliant and uplifting," and the Wall Street Journal said, "After the screening, several hard-nosed U.S. critics and journalists admitted to crying during the film."

Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones serves up "blooper reels" from South Carolina's Republican presidential debate. (Comedy Central video)

Stephen Colbert debates himself on the future of Iraq. (Comedy Central video)

• From The Borowitz Report: GOP Hopefuls Clash Over Who Is the Whitest

David Letterman presents the Top 10 Little-Known Facts About Mitt Romney. #4: "Is the model on packages of Jockey underpants."

• Watch a funny political satire bit from FOX's Family Guy, in which Lois Griffin resorts to fear-mongering and meaningless catch phrases to dupe undecided voters. (video via Crooks & Liars)

Read more insanity...
LINK: This Just In...

RELATED READING...

LINK: The Week in Political Cartoons

-Mr. Joseph

Check out all the goodness at AdultSwim.com as well! (I'm partial to Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Robot Chicken, and Saul of the Molemen.)

Dr. Laura’s son linked to lurid Web site

From Think Progress...

The 21-year-old soldier son of right-wing talk radio host “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger “is under investigation for a graphic personal Web page that one Army official has called ‘repulsive.’”

The MySpace page, publicly available until Friday when it disappeared from the Internet, included cartoon depictions of rape, murder, torture and child molestation; photographs of soldiers with guns in their mouths; a photograph of a bound and blindfolded detainee captioned “My Sweet Little Habib”; accounts of illicit drug use; and a blog entry headlined by a series of obscenities and racial epithets.

LINK: Dr. Laura’s son linked to lurid Web site.

More from The Salt Lake Tribune...

Did you know that Dr. Laura was once divorced? Check this book out for more information...

-Mr. Joseph

Rev. Jerry Falwell, R.I.P.

In the words of Drudge, "FALWELL DEAD".

From CNN.com...
The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the television minister whose 1979 founding of the Moral Majority galvanized American religious conservatives into a political force, died Tuesday at age 73.

Falwell was found unconscious and without a pulse in his office at Liberty University, the college he founded in Lynchburg, Virginia, said Ron Godwin, the school's executive vice president.

Though paramedics tried to revive him at his office and en route to Lynchburg General Hospital, "Those very timely and very efficient and effective efforts were unsuccessful," Godwin said.

Godwin said he had breakfast with Falwell Tuesday morning and said they talked about the future.

"He seemed to be in good spirits," Godwin said.

Godwin said they finished breakfast about 9:50 a.m. ET and Falwell went into his office. He was found there about 11:30 a.m. ET.

The minister, who had a history of heart trouble, was pronounced dead of heart failure at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, his doctor, Carl Moore, told reporters. He had been hospitalized twice in early 2005 with acute onset pulmonary edema, or congestive heart failure, and at one point was placed on a ventilator.

Moore said it was "a little early to speculate" on what caused Falwell's death, but said he did have a heart condition.

"I would assume that he passed away from a cardiac rhythm abnormality, which can be a manifestation of any heart disease, heart attack or otherwise," Moore said.

Godwin said Falwell's wife, Macel, and three children "are bearing up as best as could be expected."

Godwin told reporters that Liberty students and members of Falwell's congregation were gathering at Thomas Road Baptist Church for a service later this afternoon.

Laying the foundation

Born to a man who sold bootleg whiskey during Prohibition, Falwell became the father of a religious and political movement that sought to "reclaim America for God." (Read about Falwell's influence on politics)

At the age of 22, he founded the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg in 1956. The church began with 35 members and now boasts 24,000.

Within six months of starting the church, Falwell, a onetime prospect for baseball's St. Louis Cardinals, was airing his "Old Time Gospel Hour" on radio and television.

He founded Lynchburg Bible College -- now Liberty University -- in 1971. It opened with 154 students and four full-time faculty members.

In 1973, Falwell began a series of meetings with fellow pastors and conservative politicians on what he considered their responsibility to support "pro-traditional family" policies. That led to the founding of the Moral Majority, which claimed to have mobilized nearly 9 million voters and helped put Ronald Reagan in the White House in 1980.

In his 1980 book, "Listen, America!" Falwell said religious voters "cannot be silent about the sins that are destroying this nation," which he identified as pornography, abortion, "amoral liberals," drugs, welfare and the abandonment of biblical morality.

"If Americans will face the truth, our nation can be turned around and can be saved from the evils and the destruction that have fallen upon every other nation that has turned its back on God," he wrote. "There is no excuse for what is happening in our country. We must, from the highest office in the land right down to the shoeshine boy in the airport, have a return to biblical basics."

A lightning rod for controversy

In the mid-1980s, Falwell found himself at the center of what would become a landmark First Amendment case. Hustler magazine published a parody ad of him regarding drunkenness and incest. Falwell sued publisher Larry Flynt and the magazine for libel.

Falwell did not win the libel claim, but in 1984 he was awarded $200,000 for emotional distress. The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the original verdict in favor of Falwell was overturned.

The details of the case were played out in the 1996 film "The People vs. Larry Flynt."

Charmaine Yoest, a spokeswoman for the Family Research Council, said Falwell was willing to become a public lightning rod for his beliefs.

"In watching the clips that have been rolling of him speaking out, he was adamant about standing for the unborn and speaking out on behalf of pro-life principles," Yoest told CNN.

"Even those who are detractors of Dr. Falwell emphasize the fact that he was a man of integrity and consistency and real courage and bravery in taking a public stance in what he believed in."

The Moral Majority was formally disbanded in 1989, but Falwell remained an influential figure and source of controversy.

In 2001, Falwell had to apologize after televised comments in which he described the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as a judgment on America for "throwing God out of the public square."

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America," he said. "I point the finger in their face and say 'You helped this happen.' "

A day later, he told CNN that he would "never blame any human being except the terrorists, and if I left that impression with gays or lesbians or anyone else, I apologize."

Falwell wanted 20 more years

One week before his death, Falwell told CNN's Christiane Amanpour he needed at least 20 more years to accomplish his vision for Liberty University.

Falwell told the story of Hezekiah, who in the Bible asked to live for 15 more years.

"I'm praying the same prayer with an option to renew," Falwell said.

He described his goal to expand Liberty into a "major evangelical Christian university."

"We want young people to know what they believe, why they believe it. I believe America was built on the Judeo-Christian ethic; I want to see the nation return to the Judeo-Christian ethic," he said.

Godwin said that Falwell had planned for a transition and that his two sons would carry on his ministry.

"He has left instructions for those of us who have to carry on, and we will be faithful to that charge," Godwin said.

Services for Falwell will be held Tuesday at Thomas Road Baptist Church, according to Mark DeMoss, Falwell's former chief of staff. There may be a viewing at a building on the Liberty University campus before the funeral, he said.

LINK: Rev. Jerry Falwell dies at age 73 (With video)

RELATED READING...

LINK: C&L: Bill Maher’s Touching Tribute to Jerry Falwell (Key Quote: "I know you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but I think we can make an exception because speaking ill of the dead was kind of Jerry Falwell's hobby." -Bill Maher)

YouTube Video...

LINK: Bill Maher - Bye Jerry Falwell

LINK: Media Matters's Profile of Jerry Falwell

LINK: The Religious Freedom Coalition Presents the Two faces of Jerry Falwell

LINK: About Political Humor's Crazy Jerry Falwell Quotes

LINK: Positive Atheism's Big List of Jerry Falwell Quotations

LINK: Wikipedia: Jerry Falwell

LINK: BBC's Jerry Falwell Obituary

VIDEO: Jerry Falwell Appears On Imus

VIDEO: Which of Them Will Jesus Smite First? (Falwell and Robertson on 9/11)

LINK: Political Thunder's Profile of Jerry Falwell

UPDATE (5/21/07):
LINK: Hitchens Brutally Eulogizes Falwell on Hannity & Colmes

I apologize for not posting earlier. The end of classes has kept me busy. I graduate high school next weekend!

-Mr. Joseph

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Brownback Loses Wisconsin Vote

From Yahoo! News...
Note to Sen. Sam Brownback: In Packerland, it's not cool to diss Brett Favre.

The GOP presidential hopeful drew boos and groans Friday at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention when he used a football analogy to talk about the need to focus on families.

"This is fundamental blocking and tackling," he said. "This is your line in football. If you don't have a line, how many passes can Peyton Manning complete? Greatest quarterback, maybe, in NFL history."

Oops, wrong team to mention in Wisconsin, once described by Gov. Tommy Thompson as the place "where eagles soar, Harleys roar and Packers score."

Realizing what he had said, the Kansas Republican slumped at the podium and put his head in his hands.

"That's really bad," he said. "That will go down in history. I apologize."

His apology brought a smattering of applause and laughter. He tried to recover, saying former Packer Bart Starr may be the greatest of all time, but the crowd was still restless.

"Let's take Favre then," Brownback said. "The Packers are great. I'm sorry. How many passes does he complete without a line?"

"All of them!" more than one person yelled from the back.

"I'm not sure how I recover from this," Brownback said. "My point is we've got to rebuild the family. I'll get off this."

LINK: Football reference trips up GOP hopeful

RELATED READING:

C&L: Brownback Blows Sports Analogy, Disses Favre in WI, Gets Booed

To Hell with this guy. Just another reason why he is my least favorite 2008 Candidate...

-Mr. Joseph

Artistic Vandalization

From Crooks and Liars...

From TRex at Firedoglake:

In a town so tough that most murders get just a few paragraphs in the paper, somebody called The Sun about 8 a.m. yesterday with a tip about a vandalized billboard.

By noon, the story was all over the Internet, Rush Limbaugh was kicking off his national radio show with it, and City Hall was fielding calls from as far away as California. By 5 p.m., the story had become one of the three most popular individual articles in the history of the paper's Web site, with nearly 200,000 page views.

There's a reason the story had legs. The paint-splattered billboard featured Limbaugh's mug. And the tipster was a spokesman for a city agency - the one responsible for cleaning up graffiti - who let it be known that he was no "dittohead."

"It looks like they took globs of paint and threw it on his face," Robert Murrow of the Department of Public Works told The Sun. "It looks great. It did my heart good." (via Romenesko) Read more…

More details from The Baltimore Sun.

LINK: Limbaugh Sign Vandalized, City Official Says “It Looks Great”

Too funny...
-Mr. Joseph

Coulter Cleared in Voting Fraud Case

From PalmBeachPost.com

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter has been cleared of allegations that she falsified her Palm Beach County voter's registration and voted illegally — this, after a high-level FBI agent made unsolicited phone calls to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to vouch for Coulter.

The caller wasn't just any G-man. According to PBSO documents, he was Supervisory Special Agent Jim Fitzgerald, of the FBI Academy's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Va. — the closest reality gets to the serial-killer catchers on CBS' Criminal Minds.

So why would an FBI profiler who went after the Unabomber take time from his busy day to even think about a municipal election snafu?

Fitzgerald is mum. But when the bureau heard about this from Page Two, it immediately launched an internal review of the agent's involvement.

"We're looking into it," bureau spokeswoman Ann Todd said.

She declined to say whether Fitzgerald acted on his personal behalf or as an FBI agent or on someone else's orders.

County Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson, meanwhile, decried what he called "FBI intrusion." He referred the Coulter case to PBSO after poll worker Jim Whited originally reported the incident.

"This doesn't bode well in terms of the public's impression that celebrities receive preferential treatment," Anderson said. "I'm curious about how anyone can justify the FBI's intrusion."

First-year Detective Kristine Villa in December was assigned the job of investigating whether Coulter committed a felony in February 2006, when she cast her ballot in the wrong precinct in a Palm Beach election after registering to an address that wasn't hers.

Villa's report leaves the clear impression that Coulter's attorney, Miami's Marcos Jimenez, stonewalled Villa for five months — at times agreeing to make Coulter available, at others reneging, often not returning calls promptly or claiming not to be able to reach his client.

But in one conversation with Villa, the White House-connected Jimenez said Coulter simply received bad advice from a previous lawyer when, in March 2005, she first moved into her $1.8 million home on Seabreeze Avenue. He said Coulter may have put the wrong address on record to protect herself from a stalker.

Stalker?

Enter Fitzgerald, who spoke with Villa by phone Jan. 18. He confirmed "he has been working a stalking incident" involving the best-selling author. He added that "he did not have information relating to the allegations of voting improprieties nor did he have any intention to sway the outcome" of Villa's investigation.

Still, Villa closed the probe April 12 without interviewing Coulter; a Realtor, whose Indian Road address Coulter used; or neighbors of Coulter's Seabreeze homestead.

"We stand by our detective's work," PBSO spokesman Paul Miller said. "Based on the nature of the allegations, she did as much as she could."

Miller said Villa, who last month returned to uniformed detail at Palm Beach International Airport, based her decision to clear Coulter on poll worker Whited's testimony.

Whited, a staunch Republican who once ran for West Palm Beach mayor, told Page Two last year that Coulter dashed out of his polling place when he asked her to write a change of address. He later bragged on a radio show that he witnessed her committing a felony.

To Villa three months ago, however, Whited said Coulter may have misunderstood him and that he may have had a hand in her voting in the wrong precinct.

Anderson, whose office has been under fire for voting glitches, said he'll mull Villa's report before deciding whether he'll ask the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to step in.

As for Coulter's alleged stalker, check this out: Fitzgerald identified him as conservative Christian, rabid anti-Coulter blogger Dan Borchers of coulterwatch.com. Borchers said he remembers talking to two FBI agents about stalking accusations — in 1998.

"They stayed for five minutes," he said, "told me to be careful not to scare Ann Coulter. She hollers stalker at anybody who opposes her."

Fitzgerald told Villa that the supposed Borchers probe led to no arrest and he saw no reason why Coulter's address should remain secret.

LINK: FBI agent steps into Coulter voting case

Strange...
Mr. Joseph

Rev. Robertson's Regent University

Crooks and Liars rip into Pat Robertson's powerful institution...
Bill Moyers ran a special last night on PBS that examined the separation of church and state in the context of Pat Robertson's Regent University School of Law and its mission of "bring[ing] to bear the will of our Creator, Almighty God, upon legal education and the legal profession." Moyers paints a stark picture of a law school and a religious leader that are having a profound effect on the American system of law and government. Seeing Regent's newly graduated students talk about the philosophy they intend to bring to the practice of law (and most likely to the federal government) is frightening to anyone who appreciates the traditional notion of the separation between church and state.
LINK: Chipping Away at the Wall of Separation

C&L also writes a clever parody of Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points" by just switching around a few words...

-Mr. Joseph

UPDATE (6/27/07):

LINK: Giuliani To Regent University: ‘The Amount Of Influence You Have Is Really, Really Terrific’

Thursday, May 03, 2007

MUHS Letter to the Editor

I wrote this letter to the school newspaper in response to a highly conservative and misleading article that it published. I posted the story here in order to include my electronic sources...

---

Dear Flambeau,
For the third year now, I find myself putting together a response discussing Nik Nelson's unfair and factually incorrect "Year in Review" article. Although this year's article was the most interesting edition and the added quotes and pictures were very appealing, this article was full of misleading and inflammatory statements. Since my call for an end to these irresponsible statements has been completely ignored, I merely wish for the Marquette High community to look at the basic facts of these political issues.
Mr. Nelson brings up the issue of wiretapping several times through the article. In "May", he mentions that the NSA has a huge database of every phone call placed through three major telephone providers, Mr. Nelson then asks, "If this means helping to end terrorism, what's with all the objections?". Wiretapping has not helped bring an end to terrorism. It has merely violated our civil liberties, with little to show for it. In "August", Nelson points out that British intelligence prevented a terrorist plot from occurring. He then asks, "Will someone please remind me why we can't tap these people's phones?" My answer to him is simply, since when does the United States tap British phones? Also, wiretapping did not prevent this potential disaster; it was a British agent that infiltrated the group. Mr. Nelson hits on wiretapping again in "December", when he discusses AT&T's purchase of BellSouth. He states, "Just think of all of the terrorists we can spy on now!" I guess I don't understand the logic behind that comment; however my concern over this purchase is one to consider. With these telephone giants merging, I think to myself, "Just think of the corporate domination that we will be subject to now!"
Another issue that Mr. Nelson does not relent on is global warming. In "February", he asks if a "hurricane-like snowstorm" is "part of the global warming Al Gore was warning us about?" I would say, possibly yes. The common misconception about global warming is that all it does in make the Earth hotter. This is not true. The true climate threat of global warming is that it will cause severe, deadly weather. Hurricane Katrina and other intense storms (like the "hurricane-like snowstorm) that have increased alarmingly (the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years) in recent years are evidence of this. In "March", Mr. Nelson suggest that Al Gore "rejoice[d]" at the news of Tropical Cyclone Larry for it would raise An Inconvenient Truth DVD sales. This is a preposterous smear that is a perfect example of the global warming skeptics' crowd: attack the messenger; ignore the message. In "July", Mr. Nelson refers to Al Gore as "Internet Inventor Al Gore". Another ridiculous smear; Al Gore never claimed to invent the internet. When he stated "During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the Internet," all he meant was that he did the most of any elected official to support the growth of internet ever since the 1970's. This is true. According to Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf (the guys who actually did invent the internet), Gore "was the first political leader to recognize the importance of the Internet and to promote and support its development".
Perhaps the most damning of Mr. Nelson's article is the fact that he leaves out some very important aspects of stories he mentions. In "February", he discusses Vice President Cheney shooting his friend in the face. Mr. Nelson fails to mention that there were questions regarding how Vice President Cheney reacted and why the media was not informed earlier. Instead he states something about how "no one likes lawyers". In "February", Mr. Nelson suggests drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in response to Hugo Chavez threatening to cut off the supply of oil to the United States. I can see his logic here, but, perhaps a better suggestion is alternative fuels, for that would end the problem of oil dependency forever. In "May", Nelson mentions the news of the Enron executives Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay being found guilty of their corporate crimes; however Mr. Nelson fails to note the close relationship between Lay and President Bush. For instance, Lay and Enron were once President Bush's number one campaign donors. Lay gave Bush a documented $736,800 (a staggering sum on its own), however, through campaign contributions, consultancies, joint investments, deals, presidential library and inaugural contributions, speech fees and the like, the real amount of contributions could be anywhere from $8 million to as high as $25 million. In “June”, Mr. Nelson declared that “Liberals flee in terror” from Ann Coulter’s Godless: The Church of Liberalism. This is not true. I read Coulter’s book, and I was thoroughly dissappointed. It was full of inflammatory statements, blatant distortions, poor grammar, plagarism, strange misconceptions, and (seriously) a talking-point from humor columnist Dave Barry. The website MediaMatters.org did an effective job of debunking of the book’s false statements. Also, in “June”, Mr. Nelson accused the New York Times of treason for reporting a leaked story regarding “an international program to monitor money transactions of terrorist organizations”. However, he left out the fact that President Bush and his staff have been quite open about this program. In a September 24, 2001 speech, Bush announced the establishment of a "foreign terrorist asset tracking center at the Department of the Treasury to identify and investigate the financial infrastructure of the international terrorist networks." He added, "It will bring together representatives of the intelligence, law enforcement and financial regulatory agencies to accomplish two goals: to follow the money as a trail to the terrorists, to follow their money so we can find out where they are; and to freeze the money to disrupt their actions." Is this treason as well? Perhaps a better example of treason is leaking the name of a CIA operative to a conservative columnist who publishes her name, thereby destroying her lifetime career, all with the intention to strike revenge at the operative’s husband (who proved the administration wrong about an argument promoting the invasion of Iraq).
In “August”, Mr. Nelson jokes about how Mahmoud Ahmadenijad ordered “advanced tickets to Apocalypto” in response to Mel Gibson’s drunken, anti-Semitic tirade. My question is, did FOX News’ Sean Hannity also order advanced tickets? Hannity proved to be Gibson’s most vocal apologist, stating that, "people deserve compassion when they are in this kind of trouble." That is, unless that “people” is Alec Baldwin (someone Hannity has no compassion for). In “December”, when referring to Iran’s Holocaust Conference, Mr. Nelson jokes about how Mel Gibson was “strangely absent”. Mr. Nelson forgot to mention someone who was present: former Republican Louisianan State Representative and notorious white supremacist David Duke.
Mr. Nelson’s inflammatory statements continue in “September”, when he criticizes Bill Clinton for “throw[ing] down” Chris Wallace after Wallace conducted a “real” interview with “tough questions, not the softball lobs that everyone else throws...” However, during the interview, Clinton accused Chris Wallace of not asking the Bush administration similar questions, to which Wallace replied, “Have you ever watched Fox News Sunday, sir? ... We ask plenty of questions.” The weblogs Think Progress and Media Matters later found President Clinton’s accusations to be true. Chris Wallace has not conducted "real" interviews with several members in the Bush Administration.
In “October”, Mr. Nelson mentions the horribly offensive comments Rush Limbaugh made about stem cell research proponent Michael J. Fox. Mr. Nelson then accuses Fox of appealing in “propaganda ads for Democratic candidates”. This is an appallingly irresponsible statement. Michael J. Fox is a staunch supporter of stem cell research, but he does not blindly support Democrats. “Arlen Specter is my guy” is what he said of one of the Republicans he supported. I saw Michael J. Fox give a speech in November of 2006, and all he did was simply ask the American people to support a line of research that can help bring an end to the pain people suffer like he does. To attack a courageous man such as he, is truly cowardly. The other is issue with “October” is a glaring omission of an incredibly important event in the political realm. Mr. Nelson did not mention the Mark Foley scandal. He also did not mention that Speaker Denny Hastert and other leading Republicans were well aware of Foley’s inappropriate behavior regarding the congressional page program. Mr. Nelson also made no mention of Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, and the continuing lobbying scandal that brought down several Republican lawmakers. To ignore such significant stories is truly evidence of a problem of blatant bias, and it is the fundamental flaw of having articles such as these printed in a student newspaper.
Now, Mr. Nelson did not completely ignore the 2006 elections. In “November”, he states that in response to the Democratic Congressional victories, “Enrollment in support groups around the country skyrockets”. Also, in “March”, Mr. Nelson wonders “how extraterrestrial life got elected Speaker of the House”. Never mind that Denny Hastert was Speaker of the House in March 2006, Mr. Nelson’s attacks are immature and unnecessary. It is more relevant to discuss why the Democrats had such resounding victories in the 2006 elections. The 2006 elections was a mandate to change course in the disaster that Iraq has become and to reflect this country’s outright dissatisfaction with President Bush (who currently enjoys a 28% approval rating).
All in all, Mr. Nelson’s article is disappointing. In a time when our country is so harshly divided, the MUHS community does not need to read partisan pot-shots. We here at Marquette are supposed to be intellectually competent and open to growth. This article simply rehashes careless partisanship and makes a mockery of what political discussion is supposed to be. Since this is Nik Nelson’s and my final year here at Marquette, I bring a message of hope: bring an end to careless partisanship and may the Marquette community have some decent dialogue.

Most sincerely,
Joseph G. Kay, 2007

PS In order to cite every source I used in this article, I posted the full article online with all my sources at http://political-thunder.blogspot.com/

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