February 28, 2012


Media Matters Calls for "Action" against MSNBC over Clinton Remarks

Posted on February 12, 2008 by  | 
Clinton Media Group Has Panties in a Bunch
Media Matters’ David Brock recently testified
(in the MM newsletter) about the scurvy journalism
practiced at MSNBC against MM beneficiary, Hillary Clinton.
“As a journalist, I cherish Oscar Wilde’s opinion of sincerity: He called it “the highest form of acting.” Few of my subjects have told the whole truth, though many were honest. That’s why the best reporters multi-source their stories. But there’s no way to check out David Brock’s account of his illustrious career as a professional liar.”
–Richard Goldstein
Media Matters, the Hillary Clinton-sponsored front group–which tries to pass itself off as an impartial “press watchdog”–has issued its weekly newsletter.
If you’re looking for a source of unintended laughter, you could do worse than get on its mailing list–we did.
It rarely disappoints.
Last fall, Media Matters was busy attacking popular conservative commentators over their philosophical disagreements with liberal/progressive issues.
With Hillary Clinton locked in a nomination dog-fight, Media Matters has dropped its pretenses of looking out for all liberals and focused on those it feels are biting the hand that feeds MM.
This week’s Media[About Hillary]Matters’ target is foaming-at-the-mouth liberal network, MSNBC.
What did the network of Kountdown Keith Olbermann and Chris Mathews do that has upset the “media about Hillary watchdog”?
Well, they’ve made the same remarks about the former first lady usually reserved for conservatives. MM mouthpiece, David Brock, is obviously concerned that some regular viewers may become confused and think Clinton is running on the Republican ticket.
During the past year, three MSNBC commentators have been suspended, reprimanded, fired, or forced to apologize for their sexist and/or racist comments. Rather than address these problems by proactively moving to make certain they do not happen in the first place, MSNBC has instead decided to use these controversies as part of an advertising campaign to promote its political coverage.
That’s right — MSNBC has turned the recent mea culpa by Hardball host Chris Matthews for his sexist comments into an advertising campaign, using clips of his statement to push MSNBC programming. Left on the cutting room floor, of course, are the portions in which Matthews acknowledged having been “callous,” “nasty,” and “dismissive” toward Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Thank God for the Imus affair, or the MM newsletter would have had to been declared a Clinton contribution under campaign finance law.
Reaction was swift when Media Matters first called itself
an impartial “press watchdog”, with no links to Hillary Clinton.
Brock goes onto to lament the coverage of another MSNBC newsperson who deviated from the lapdog position.
The latest example of the systemic problem of sexism and misogyny on MSNBC’s airwaves came last week from correspondent David Shuster when he stated, while talking about Chelsea Clinton’s campaign activities on behalf of her mother, “doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way” by Sen. Clinton’s presidential campaign. Following criticism from many who found Shuster’s comments indefensible and demeaning, MSNBC suspended Shuster indefinitely and aired an apology from him that evening.
Of course, MSNBC wouldn’t suspend one of its newscasters for remarks made about either President Bush or conservatives–Olbermann alone has labeled Bush as “stupid” and “facist”. But it did after a wayward comment about Chelsea Clinton.
But for this “press watchdog”, suspension is not enough: they want the reader to take action!
The newsletters says “news organizations like NBC News and MSNBC have a sacred duty to be good stewards of accurate, balanced, and responsible political discourse.”
It may be a first for Media Matters: using the word “sacred” in a sentence without the accompanying words: “dumbass”, “conservative” or “Christians”.
“Media Matters is a “press watchdog”?
“Impartial”?? Stop it! You’re killing me!!”
The newsletter ended on a call to “take action today – contact MSNBC president, Steve Capus”.
We just might.
Soon as we quit laughing.

February 26, 2012


Woman barred from all-male panel: Using contraception makes me qualified

By David Edwards
Thursday, February 23, 2012 13:55 EST
Print
39
 
Sandra Fluke testifies on contraception
 
A woman who was recently excluded from a House Oversight Committee hearing on contraception says she was qualified to testify because unlike the all-male panel of witnesses, she actually uses birth control.
Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) said at the time that he had rejected Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke because she was “not found to be appropriate or qualified,”dismissing her as someone who “appears to have become energized over this issue.”
During a special House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) finally gave Fluke a chance to respond.
“I will confirm that I was energized,” she stated as the committee erupted in laughter. “As you can see from the reaction behind me, many women in this country are energized about this issue.”
“In terms of whether or not I was an appropriate witness, I felt insulted not for myself, but for the women I wanted to represent, the women whose stories I wanted to convey to the committee, and the women whose voices were silenced that day,” Fluke explained, adding “I’m an American woman who uses contraception, so let’s start right there. That makes me qualified to talk to my elected officials about my health care needs.”
Because of its roots as a Catholic and Jesuit university, Georgetown does not provide contraception as a part of health care for students. An Obama administration mandate aims to change that.
Fluke said she would have told the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee how the lack of birth control coverage had impacted students on campus.
“My testimony would have been about women who have been affected by their policy, who have medical needs and have suffered dire consequences,” she explained to The Washington Postearlier this month.
“The committee did not get to hear real stories I had to share, about actual women who have been dramatically affected by this policy.”
Watch this video from C-SPAN, broadcast Feb. 23, 2012.
 

February 25, 2012


KRAUTHAMMER EMBARRASSED BY SCALE OF U.S. APOLOGY FOR KORAN BURNING, ASKS WHEN ISLAMIC NATIONS WILL APOLOGIZE FOR THE KILLING OF CHRISTIANS

Krauthammer Asks When Islamic Nations Will Apologize for the Killing of Christians
Appearing on Fox News’ Special Report Friday, conservative Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer was blunt in his opinion of U.S. Defense and White House officials emphatically apologizing to Muslims for the burning of Korans that took place on a NATO base early this week.
“That was embarrassing what we saw. We have gone from apology here to abject self-debasement and groveling, and groveling to whom? To the mob,” Krauthammer said in reaction to remarks made by acting Assistant Defense Secretary Peter Lavoy Friday. ”We should have had a single apology coming from the commander on the ground and that’s it. Not from the Secretary of Defense, not from the President of all people”
Thousands of angry Afghans have been protesting since Tuesday when word spread that the Islamic holy book and other religious materials were inadvertently burned by U.S. forces at a NATO military base in Afghanistan. Since the anti-U.S. demonstrations began Tuesday, hundreds have been wounded and at least 28 people have been killed, including two Americans.
Krauthammer cited the hypocrisy in the immediate apology to Muslims all over the world for the accidental yet inappropriate disposal of Korans, compared to the unequal reaction from Muslim leaders to atrocities committed against Christians in the name of radical Islam:
“This is a world in which nobody asked the Islamic Conference, a grouping of the 56 Islamic countries, to issue an apology when Christians are attacked and churches are burned in Egypt or in Pakistan. And had we heard a word from any Islamic leader anywhere about the radical Muslims in Nigeria who are not only burning the churches, but burning women and children who are in the churches, when I hear that, I’ll expect my president to start issuing apologies.”
Mediaite video of Krauthammer’s reaction and discussion with Fox News Panelists Tucker Carlson and Kirsten Powers:

Pep the Dog Mug shot from the Eastern State Penitentiary:


Pep the Dog

A great piece of history this morning, from the Eastern State Penitentiary:
"Pep, The Cat-Murdering Dog" was a black Labrador Retriever admitted to Eastern State Penitentiary on August 12, 1924. Prison folklore tells us that Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot used his executive powers to sentence Pep to Life Without Parole for killing his wife’s cherished cat. Prison records support this story..."
Visit link on mugshot page for this intriguing story.
The following Official Record of Pep the Dog is being redistributed by Mugshots.com under the Freedom of Information Act. This Official Record was collected from a Law Enforcement agency on 10/06/2011.
Mugshots.com ID: 4217355
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