The stuff rolling across the transom this morning isn’t filling me with rainbows and unicorns. First off, as I wipe the sleep from my eyes I realize that the Virginia Tech tragedy wasn’t all just a horrible dream. I’m reminded of a similar crisis that hit my community eight years ago, and I grieve deeply for Blacksburg. Then Cenk Uygur
Read moreI’ve heard from some conservative quarters lately that the librul campaign to unhorse Don Imus is anywhere from hypocritical to a full-Monty assault on the right to free speech. In some cases there may well be some hypocrisy – I’m sure there are people on the “left” side of the aisle who have made comments that are just as egregious
Read moreFormer Ambassador Joseph Wilson (some of you may know him by his married name, Mr. Valerie Plame) addressed the 59th Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado this morning, speaking on “The Politics of Truth.” I didn’t really expect anything terribly newsworthy out of the speech, but I went in hoping he’d take the occasion to articulate a
Read moreI turn 44 tomorrow, so the timing is about right for a mid-life crisis, no? Some guys deal with their mid-life crises by buying little red sports cars, but most of us professors can barely afford the payments on our mid-sized economy sedans as it is. Some cheat on their wives with pretty girls 15 years younger than them, but
Read moreThis article originally appeared in the Shoptalk section of the Editor & Publisher online edition. — High hopes for the watchdogs in the blogosphere during Campaign 2004 were only partly realized, as consumers strapped on their blinders and hung a fast left or right, looking for a witty putdown they might agree with. (November 13, 2004) — Expectations were high
Read moreMuch has been made lately of the group calling themselves the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” (SBVT) and their little slander campaign against John Kerry. Kerry initially tried the old “I won’t dignify that with a response” tactic, but in doing so dramatically overestimated the intelligence of the electorate (I mean, come on, when has that one ever worked?) This
Read moreSteve Reynolds, friend of the Pit, sent me today’s NY Times op-ed by Bob Herbert, and it just set me off on some things I’ve been meaning to say lately. So I said them. Have a look at the op-ed first, though. Sorry folks, but this little editorial just caught me wrong. The ultimate irony is the nature of who’s
Read moreA couple interesting links forwarded to me by a co-worker: “The Battle Between Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon” “What Was Rumsfeld Thinking?” The first is a good analysis of the planning leading up to the war, while the second speculates on why Rumsfeld has been so insistent on a policy that stretches US forces so thinly. The reasoning seems plausible
Read moreA roundtable between Paul Barrow, Jay DeFrank and myself . It began last night when Aaron Butler sent me Mark Franchetti’s recent piece for the London Times, “Slaughter at the Bridge of Death: US Marines Fire on Civilians.” Brutal, ugly, horrific – this was war at its most disturbing. So I sent the URL around and encouraged people to read
Read moreOkay, I did my little evil scenario blog the other day. Next morning, out of feckin’ nowhere, ABC News (Diane Sawyer Division) is doing this story in southern Iraq, I think, where people were happy to be liberated (they hate Saddam), but were already bitching about where’s the humanitarian aid. One guy they have on camera is saying there’s no
Read moreSome friends – specifically Greg and Lair, the Brothers Stene – have recently been pondering how, exactly, we’re going to win this war – and by “win” we’re talking about terms of resolution, not merely body count or square miles under technical control. Superior firepower notwithstanding, there comes a time when this turns into a streetfight, a door-to-door campaign through
Read moreThis little exchange occurred via e-mail. Recorded here for posterity. Lair Stene: Please give me a reality check: Somewhere between the cynical (we’re invading at the direction of a president who came to power in a coup, supported by an Administration made up of Texans, who want their own private Texas-sized oil well in the Middle East) and the naive
Read moreA roundtable between Jay DeFrank, Greg Stene, Denny Wilkins and myself. It begins with Matt Taibbi’s column in New York Press.com this morning: “Cleaning the Pool: The White House Press Corps politely grabs its ankles.” You really need to read this first. So Dr. Denny Wilkins, our friend and colleague at St. Bonaventure University (no connection to the basketball program,
Read moreTime for a quiz. Q1: You’re charged with murder. Who would rather have defending you? A: The best lawyer in town, the guy who graduated top of his class, nailed the bar exam first try, and can’t remember the last time he lost a case. B: The guy who partied all the time, was just barely bright enough to get
Read moreSometimes the important stuff goes down via e-mail. Greg Stene and I have been having a pretty good back forth over the pending war, and what you have below is one of the e-mail exchanges. I apologize that things are picking up in medias res, but you can sort of infer what has been said by who and when. Sam:
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