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Mike's Blog Round Up

Good morning, reality fans. Hope the caffeine is treating you well. I’m Brad Jacobson of MediaBloodhound, your round-up guest sommelier for the week. I normally traffic in media critiques, reports, and satire over at my site. But, in this role, anything goes. Well, within reason of course. (Had to decline posting a link to David Brooks’ erotic love poetry. Sorry, Mr. Brooks. Though The New York Times tremendously underappreciates your rhyming ability.) Without further adieu:

Michael J.W. Stickings calls out “moral degenerate” Jonah Goldberg, after the L.A Times columnist declares, “Iraq needs a Pinochet.” Stickings also provides an excellent roundup of other voices in the blogosphere responding to Goldberg’s shameless piece.(Update: I meant to frame this as a flashback, a reminder of chickenhawk Jonah Goldberg's documented idiocy and anti-democratic pronouncements. Instead, in my post-move sleep-deprived state, I accidentally made it look like I was having a flashback. Apologies.)

Now that we know Democratic members of Congress – including Nancy Pelosi, Jay Rockefeller and Jane Harman – were briefed on waterboarding and other torture, er, uh, interrogation techniques five years ago, Robert Stein aptly reminds us of the Milgram experiments from the ’60s.

Great catch by Zaius Nation: President Bush says, "Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous, and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," but forgets his own feckless contribution in providing such knowledge. And so does the media.

So you want to be a doctor but don’t believe in the “germ theory of disease transmission”? No More Mister Nice Blog applies the metaphor to postdoctoral biology researcher and creationist Nathaniel Abraham, who’s currently suing his former employer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, for $500,000. (Holy crap, is right.)

I’m not sure if including a shout-out to great investigative journalists who need donations to continue their work (welcome to America!) will be a running theme this week, but I just stumbled across a very interesting article about the fearless Greg Palast, who works in his New York office “in journalistic exile” while being celebrated in the U.K. (Allen Ginsberg’s assessment a much younger Palast’s poetry is worth the read alone.)

And don’t miss what Michael Moore cut out of Sicko because no one would believe it. (h/t Avedon Carol.)

Until tomorrow. Send those tips and suggestions to mediabloodhound (at) yahoo (dot) com.

About Nicole Belle
Nicole Belle's picture
Mom, Wife, Media Critic/Political Analyst, Blogger, Austen Fanatic, Unapologetic Liberal NicoleBelle@crooksandliars.com
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21 Comments
ysbaddaden's picture

Reality Bites.

Bison's picture

I can not tell if this is real or just a joke Students for an Orwellian Society God I hope it's a joke but if it's not, should this be investigated as anti-American activity's?

pissed off patricia's picture

I just listened to Al Gore give his speech in Oslo as he is being given his prize. God, the Supreme court made such a mistake seven years ago. Had he become president, what a different world this would be today. If anyone gets a chance to see/hear his speech at C-span, please listen. It was so good. Damn, the Supremes gave us a loser when we were so close to having a winner.

I'm sorry if this is off topic but I was just so moved by Al's speech. So nice to hear someone speak without a political axe to grind and instead just get to the facts.

donkee's picture

"the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon"

knowledge is the most frightening

thing to bushco

that's why he is trying to give it all

away for free on the internet

heh...

HumboldtBlue's picture

Without further adieu?

Have you said a lot of goodbyes lately?

miss marple's picture

I listened to Al Gore's speech too and I'm simply glad that he isn't running for office this time. The Press would ridicule him as they did in 2000 and use his stand on Global Warming as their tool. What a fine President he would have been.

Erroll's picture

Interesting link to Michael Moore's visit to Norway. Certainly no country is perfect but with Fox "News" claiming how good life is in the U.S., it comes as a shock that a tiny country like Norway could actually do some things better than the all powerful and all knowing United States. But the U.S. is certainly better than Norway in trying to assert its will against other people whose faces are not white. Perhaps America might have something to learn from a country that is not democratic but is instead [gasp!] socialist.

rasta's picture

“moral degenerate” Jonah Goldberg, after the L.A Times columnist declares, “Iraq needs a Pinochet.”

DISGUSTED? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.....

letters@latimes.com, readers.rep@latimes.com, aaron.zitner@latimes.com, barry.siegel@latimes.com, James.Rainey@latimes.com, bill.rempel@latimes.com, bob.drogin@latimes.com, chuck.neubauer@latimes.com, davan.maharaj@latimes.com, david.kelly@latimes.com, david.savage@latimes.com, david.willman@latimes.com, david.zucchino@latimes.com, don.frederick@latimes.com, don.woutat@latimes.com, doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com, faye.fiore@latimes.com, greg.miller@latimes.com, janet.hook@latimes.com, joan.springhetti@latimes.com, joel.havemann@latimes.com, johanna.neuman@latimes.com, john.glionna@latimes.com, john.stewart@latimes.com, jonathan.peterson@latimes.com, josh.getlin@latimes.com, josh.meyer@latimes.com, judy.pasternak@latimes.com, leslie.hoffecker@latimes.com, letters@latimes.com, linda.finestone@latimes.com, maggie.farley@latimes.com, maria.laganga@latimes.com, marjorie.miller@latimes.com, mark.barabak@latimes.com, mark.porubcansky@latimes.com, maryann.meek@latimes.com, mary.braswell@latimes.com, matea.gold@latimes.com, maura.reynolds@latimes.com, michael.finnegan@latimes.com, michael.muskal@latimes.com, millie.quan@latimes.com, patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com, patt.morrison@latimes.com, paul.feldman@latimes.com, peter.wallsten@latimes.com, readers.rep@latimes.com, richard.cooper@latimes.com, richard.simon@latimes.com, robin.abcarian@latimes.com, roger.ainsley@latimes.com, scott.gold@latimes.com, scott.kraft@latimes.com, stephanie.simon@latimes.com, steve.braun@latimes.com, tom.furlong@latimes.com, tom.hamburger@latimes.com, tom.mccarthy@latimes.com, alan.miller@latimes.com

txindy's picture

I listened to Al Gore this a.m. as well, but one thing he said really struck me. He said the error the Supreme Court made caused him to turn his attention to something else he really cared about, which is why he was standing where he is now. Even if you don't believe in God, you have to wonder about the mysteries in life that closes down one path, but opens another in which your efforts are so desperately needed. We have lost over eight years with the lunatic-in-charge, but hopefully we can soon start to change that as any one of our top three will be so much better than what we have had to put up with. I was so proud of Al Gore, I got a lump in my throat and then when they gave him a very lusty and long standing ovation, the tears started to fall. Yes, we lost a great man as our president and I wish some one could drive the stake of knowledge into the hearts of all those unjust (corrupt?) justices who were guilty of that massacre of our constitution and make them weep for what they did to the U.S.

ysbaddaden's picture

I saw mommy frenching Santa Claus.

pissed off patricia's picture

Okay txindy, I'll 'fess up, I was crying too. Goose bumps and crying and smiling all at the same time. Of course you are so right, had he become president it would have been great for us in the short term but the work he's doing now will hopefully be great for the world in the long term. I just would like to see where our country could have been today with him as our leader. I'm positive we would all be in a better place. I really am.

bob's picture

The Goldberg post was a year ago. Not exactly breaking news. Note the date: Dec 15, 2006. Of course, it still applies as the shorter Jonah for everything he writes is: "Hi, I'm Jonah. I'm a fucking idiot."

Brad J.'s picture

Bob, you're correct on both accounts. My apologies for not presenting this as some kind of flashback or historical perspective on Goldberg. I'm horribly sleep-deprived post-move, so forgive me.

lactose intolerant's picture

I read about Nathaniel Abraham in Yahoo news...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071210/od_nm/evolution_lawsuit_dc

good gravy. How can someone get a doctorate in biology while rejecting evolution? Evolutionary theory is based on basic scientific principle - it's the best explanation we have given what we've observed.

I'm sure Mr. Abraham is at home where he is now - Liberty University. ( I refuse to call him Doctor.)

PaulD's picture

Thought I'd share an absolutely unbelievable clip about the White House Press Secretary Dana Perino -

She literally admits to not knowing what the Cuban Missile Crisis is! This has to be heard to be believed.

Dana Perino Knows "nothing" about Cuban Missile Crisis
http://test.redlasso.com/service/svc/clip/playClip?fid=5fceaa0d-d145-4d6...

Ben Cohen's picture

Emailed Brad about this one: http://www.thedailybanter.com/tdb/2007/12/racist-genetici.html
A racist geneticist who stated that blacks are less intelligent than whites turns out to have black ancestry! The story is too good to be true.

Brad's picture

re: So you want to be a doctor but don’t believe in the “germ theory of disease transmission”

Before babies get tossed with bathwater:
I operate under both the Pasteur germ theory of transmission, and the Beauchamp terrain theory.

Maintaining a protective, balanced bio-terrain challenges the most terrain conscious. To all you "just eat a balanced diet" folk:

The soils modern agriculture depend on have been depleted for decades. Most nurses and doctors take supplements. It's work identifying and consuming all the nutrients to make up for the toxin-promoted loss of nutrients. Many of the supplements I enjoy are unavailable in Canada and the UK. My access is threatened by FDA reps subverting US law at international CODEX Alimentarius meetings, and pharma-bought lawmakers at home.

We are challenged by toxicity from benzene (preservatives, second hand smoke, preservatives,) mercury (amalgams, broken light bulbs, thermometers, mercury based preservatives,) fluoride, chlorine, pesticides, and that is just getting the ball rolling.

Toxicity and deficiency challenge efforts to deal effectively with pathogens through terrain balancing efforts alone.

Brad J.'s picture

PaulD, I agree. It's almost hard to believe a White House spokesperson can know so little about history. I was initially shocked when I heard about and then saw this the other day. Then I thought, hey, why should Perino be so different from the gang of incompetent, inexperienced and/or IQ-lacking cronies in this tragically disastrous administration? Also, what's more Orwellian than a WH spokesperson who's deficient in American history? Of course, particularly with the Bush administration, their spokespeople aren't intended to engage with the press. They're merely one-way, obfuscating, regurgitation automatons. McClellan was the least effective because he showed emotion and often looked pained. Now try to imagine what the press would do to a Democratic WH spokesperson if he/she revealed such stupidity.

Jacques's picture

Hey Goldberg, Iraq *had* a Pinochet, ya dumb fscking jackass. Fsck these people are too stupid live.

James Izzard's picture

Sorry for a bit of blatant promotion but this article on Upchuckabee was to good to pass up passing on.

http://www.queerty.com/news/huckabee-may-have-lost-weight-but-hes-still-...

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