DUDE/DWEEB OF THE WEEK

DUDE
Tissue Of Lies Public Editor Byron Calame for his piece in today's Week In Review "Behind The Eavesdropping Story, a Loud Silence."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/opinion/01publiceditor.html?n=Top%2FOpinion%2FThe%20Public%20Editor

Kelso will take care of some of the ducks left on the pond. Bill Keller and Pinch Sulzberger would have sat on the story forever had the prospect of the publication of James Risen's book "State Of War" hadn't forced their hand. Why? Because it was absolutely essential to both that John Kerry NOT be elected president. Keller has been beating the drums for war in Iraq and for the maintainance of the Bush presidency since he took over for Howell Raines. For this reason, EVERY reporter connected to government or the war have been staunchly supportive of both the Bush Administration and the Wars and all attendant business: Judith Miller, Adam Nagourney, Elisabeth Bumiller, Jodi Wilgoren, John F. Burns, Richard Stevenson, Katherine Q. Seelye, and Dexter Filkins to set down an incomplete list. The Editorials were initially pro-war and pro-Bush and have become somewhat neutral. The Op-Ed denizens break out somewhat like this: Brooks, Friedman, Safire, Tierney PRO; Dowd, Herbert, Krugman, Rich ANTI. So, it's not really the opinion pages that matter. Opinion is opinion. The reporting had to always be usable by the administration.

Again, why? Isn't the Tissue Of Lies supposed to be such a liberal newpaper? There is nothing remotely liberal about the Tissue. It is a ruling-class newspaper, absolutely committed to the maintainance of the status-quo and a compliant populace. To publish this story before the 2004 Presidential election would have probably given Kerry somewhere between a clear win and a landslide and would have created tremendous unrest among the citizenry. Investigations would have followed and the public's compliance would have been shaken. Well, isn't that the job of a newspaper, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable? Of course it isn't. The job of a newspaper is to make money and protect market share. The Tissue Of Lies has business every day before Bush's FCC and a Republican congress and it is much easier to get that business done in a Republican environment than in a Democratic one. Why was the Tissue Of Lies and "ace" reporter Jeff Gerth the prime movers in the investigations that led to the impeachment of Clinton? Even though Clinton turned out to be a great friend to big media, the Tissue could never take the chance.

And besides, as Fox, CNN, and Bob Woodward have shown, jingoism and cheerleading are more profitable and more fun than investigative reporting is. As far as the reporting of real news goes, there is Adam Liptak, David Leonhardt, Keith Bradsher, and Diane Cardwell. That's it. Well, finally, Byron Calame shows that he has a pair of balls. He's your DUDE OF THE WEEK.

DWEEB
So many to choose from...Kelso's giving it to Mayor "Mike" Bloomberg for his racist rants in the days leading up to and during the transit strike. It qualifies for this week's prize because unless Kelso has missed something, the little freak has yet to apologize. Bloomberg's Tissue hand-maiden, Clyde Haberman, wrote a repulsive little column this week essentially on how wonderful it is to be white, and what a myth ethnic group power is in municipal elections. No surprises, there. Haberman has been writing this racist shit for years in aid of Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani. He so embodies the concept of dweeb that he could get the prize any week, but as Bloomberg wore his race prejudice right on his sleeve, and appears to be revelling in it, he's your DWEEB OF THE WEEK.

Oh, here's a message to some landsmen. "Mike" Bloomberg, Clyde Haberman, David Brooks, William Safire, Tom Friedman: Adolf Hitler does not consider you White. Nor does most of the famous Republican "base". You love being White so much? Start spending some time with some real Whites. You'll be begging to be back among the African-Americans, Latin-Americans, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans, etc.

Now, Floppers, here's a HOLIDAY gift: New York Giants -3 +$1.18 over Carolina Panthers.

Kelso's Nuts love you.