ABC's comment line is still overloaded

I just called the ABC switchboard again, and the comment line is still busy. The harried receptionist I spoke with told me that I am "not alone" in calling the network to voice my displeasure with last night's debate performance by Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous.

Keep calling people - the switchboard number is 212-456-7777. Keep 'em hopping - but be nice to the receptionists answering the phones. They aren't the ones we are mad at...

UPDATE by Blue Girl at 3:30 p.m. central

I just called again, and had a pleasant chat with the receptionist who answered the phone - she had fielded over 200 calls today, all of them from people who are pissed off about the debate last night. I was sympathetic and that seemed to bowl her over. Apparently many of the callers think that the folks who answer the phone have the power to fire the anchor of the Nightly News. After talking to her, I put down the phone and sent the following email to ABC News:

That "debate" was the most embarrassing spectacle I have ever witnessed. What was up with that ignoramus and her "flag" question? Why was the war glossed over? Why weren't serious issues addressed? It was humiliating for your news organization.

If George and Charlie are not fired for that patently un-serious display and assault on the public discourse, then would you be so kind as to email me the information about the impending funeral services for ABC's journalistic integrity?

Jesus, our discourse sucks!

That debate was a humiliating, Disneyfied display of "discourse," and in medieval Japan both Gibson and George Steph would be obligated to kill themselves ceremonially for being such towering nincompoops.

But this isn't medieval Japan, so I'll just say this - if those morons are not both fired by noon eastern tomorrow, ABC has abdicated any claim to journalistic integrity, and should close the news division by 5:00 p.m. Friday.

Light up the switchboard and let them know just how disgusted you are by that display - the number is 212-456-7777 - when I called, the comment line was busy, but I will be calling back tomorrow morning, and I'll call my local affiliate, too.

It's Only Surprising Because of the Media Bias

First of all, I discount most of these stories because they are extensions of a continuous dog and pony show that essentially puts the media in front of troops who can't really speak their mind.

Second of all, the only people surprised that there are people in the military who are liberals or liberal-minded or Democrats are the media, who have been spoon-fed a bullshit view of the military, fostered by God-Boy Republican wingnut officers who don't represent anything other than their own bias against other Americans.

Troops cannot speak their mind. They cannot exercise their First Amendment rights. This is not new, has never been new, and shouldn't shock anyone.

And they KNOW they can't really speak their mind. Countless examples are put in front of them by NCOs and officers--everyone is briefed and they are told, watch what you say to the media, refer a reporter to public affairs, etc--and they are told what the consequences are. The consequences are demotion, loss of money, loss of freedom. It's that simple. Do you really think that a soldier who is told repeatedly that he or she cannot start a blog without registering it with DoD and getting the approval of their Company Commander (for example) on everything that they write on that blog is then just going to blurt something out to a reporter?

ABC's Martha Raddatz asked American soldiers in Iraq what issues are most important to them when looking at the presidential candidates.

A look at the key political issues for U.S. soldiers in Iraq.Though the military is not supposed to engage in partisan political activity, these soldiers spoke out about their personal endorsements, and their opinions are likely to matter. In 2004, 73 percent of the U.S. military voted for a presidential candidate, and officials believe it may be even higher this time around.

PFC Jeremy Slate said he supported Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., because of his stated intention to pull out of Iraq right away.

"That would be nice," Slate said, "I'd like to be home, yea."

SFC Patricia Keller also expressed support for Obama, citing his representation for change.

Spc. Patrick Nicholls from Eggawam, Mass., pointed out that many soldiers on the frontlines frequently think about their families back home.

He suggested he was too engaged in Iraq to keep up with politics back home. "I haven't really been following it too much since we've been over here, ma'am," he told Raddatz. "So, don't really know which issues are too important to me right now. ... I don't know who's running, ma'am."

Lt. Leah Wicks said that, tied into concerns about her family's welfare, were concerns about the economy, "where we're going to be in the future."

Only moments before speaking with ABC News, the troops had been listening to Vice President Dick Cheney give a rousing speech, but it didn't change their political preference.

These stories don't mean anything when the troops all rally round the Surge and Bush and McCain; they don't mean much when they lean the other way.

What I do believe is this--no one is more sick of being deployed than someone who's done two or three tours in Iraq. I would have to believe that there is a schism developing in the military--anyone who isn't wearing a combat patch is probably not going to be a respected leader or a candidate for promotion or treated the same as someone who could put three different combat patches on their uniform.

That's my take on it anyway.

Another Reason to Despise the Useless Media

First of all, I'd like to point out that there are two things that an American President should never do while standing in Saudi Arabia, the holy land of the Islamic faith:

1. Use medieval terms like "crusade"
2. Wave around medieval weapons like "swords"

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This little piece is a classic example of a member of the media making their own experiences larger than the story they are covering and humiliating themselves, unknowingly, of course, in the process:

By MARTHA RADDATZ
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 14, 2008

The Bush administration announced Monday that it intended to sell 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions -- or JDAMs those big, precise GPS-controlled bombs -- to Saudi Arabia, a country that won't even let me go to the hotel gym because I am a woman.

The announcement that the JDAMS would be added to a $20 billion weapons package for the region came at almost the precise time I walked into the Marriott hotel gym in Riyadh, to inquire how late it would be open.

A hotel, by the way, that is an American-owned Marriott.

"Sorry, ma'am, but ladies are not allowed in here," the man at the reception desk told me.

Her experience was so important--sooooo important--she put it in the lede! Granted, this is from the ABC "Reporters Notebook" section and is NOT an actual news story per se. It is an item you can find on their website. It is an item about the experiences of Raddatz covering Bush's trip overseas. And you better believe that she is more important than those pesky JDAMs.

As you might imagine, this did not sit well with me.

I'm in Saudi Arabia covering the president's trip across the Middle East. After eight brutal days on the road, hopping from country to country, you need to grab a workout whenever you can.

So I offered what I thought was a reasonable compromise. Let the men work out for a few hours, then let the ladies work out.

"Let me check," the man at reception offered.

I knew it wouldn't happen, but I had to try. After a few minutes, I received the answer I expected. "Sorry, ma'am, but that is not possible."

Now, don't get me wrong.

I respect other cultures and am a seasoned traveler in the Mideast. I know in some places they separate women and men, hence my attempt at offering the compromise.

But this is the first time in decades I was made to feel like a second-class citizen, and it is not a pleasant feeling.

Being denied access to an exclusive gym in an expensive hotel makes YOU feel like a second class citizen? Wow. Here's what makes ME feel like a second class citizen: knowing there is no Habeus Corpus, knowing my government won't protect my city from standing water, knowing this is a war in Iraq without end and we're not being given candidates for the Presidency that the media likes who will end the war, knowing the right to privacy is now gone and the Director of National Intelligence insists on being able to read this blog post as I publish it and send it to Blogger, knowing there is no legitimate right to strike in this country because unions and union organization is a thing of the past, knowing this country can't stop spending money like it's going out of style, knowing there is no competence left in government and knowing my grandchildren are going to be paying for this bullshit for most of their natural lives.

Raddatz has to quantify her delusional ranting about gym access--the horror of it all!--and bring up a topic that she pretends to care about:

Of course, my experience of being turned away at the hotel gym pales in comparison to the suffering of many Saudi women. The country has an abysmal record when it comes to women's rights.

Recently, a woman who was gang raped was sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes by the Saudi legal system.

That's a great story, Martha. How many Saudi officials have you spoken to about this topic? Did you ask the man standing next to Bush and holding his hand about it? Did you ask Bush to take the comical sword off his shoulder and speak to the issue? Or were you sidetracked by complaining about not being able to futz about on the elliptical machine?

Here's the kicker:

But I wondered how President Bush, a self-avowed exercise fanatic, would feel if he were turned away from a gym.

That's right--because you're just as important as the President of the United States of America, aren't you? You're still living under the illusion that the working press serves as some sort of "check and balance" on the Executive Branch of government, aren't you? It must have been exciting that first day at Journalism School, knowing that you were going into an honored profession that included the likes of Murrow, Brinkley, Woodward, Bernstein and Cronkite. And you must have harbored that feeling that, one day, you'd uncover and unravel a huge story and make a politician resign and change things for the better. What happened? Did someone forget to send you an invite to a cocktail party somewhere down the line and now you just want to complain about things that don't matter? Oh, I get it. The call of the village was too great. You decided to conform rather than stick out. How could you turn on "your own kind" and report the news that would make people "uncomfortable?" After all, you're just as important as the President of the United States of America, right? Because you and he are the same high class of people, aren't you?

And we wonder why bloggers are so unhinged these days. I know, I know--more pictures of bears fighting!

[Special Bonus Action Underwater Polar Bear Happy Fight!]

Debate Blogging

The ABC This Week Democratic debate just ended. I watched it with what started as a critical eye, set to pick apart the minutiae. Then I remembered that there are a gazillion blogs that will be doing that, so I’m just going to give my overall perceptions of each candidate.

I can’t really put my finger on it, but Barack Obama is like the guy from high school you wanted desperately to go out with, but once you went out with him, it turned out he does nothing for you. He's supposed to be perfect, so why is there no zip? Ladies? Know what I mean here? He presents himself very well, he has some good things to say, they are just so scripted it’s dizzying. Or they strike me that way, at least.

Hillary, too, is well scripted and polished and on-message. Of course, being able to control a message the way she does is a good quality in a lot of ways when it comes to selecting a president. She seems to be flirting with an apology for her vote on the AUMF.

John Edwards is forthright with his apology, and that plays well in a country that is sick to death of this war. He seemed to hit a lot of the right notes, and at times seemed downright presidential. At other times, he seems to flirt with schmaltz and that makes me roll my eyes.

Joe Biden amuses me. He always has, actually. I’m not sure what he is running for, certainly not president, most likely a cabinet position, and I think that would be just fine and dandy.

Chris Dodd is having a blast! He is having more fun than any candidate on the stage. That is because he might as well just come out and say “Hey, I’m running for Secretary of State!” And if we can’t get Bill Clinton, then Chris Dodd would be a good alternative.

Mike Gravel is clearly nuts. In his lucid moments, he says some things that need to be said, and makes some sense. But the rest of the time – that is to say most of the time – he’s the crazy uncle that you were afraid would send your significant other running for the exits when they met him. After one of his outbursts of unspeakable truth, my husband said “He’s insane. I love him.”

Dennis Kucinich – what the hell? He sure does say a lot of the things I want to hear, damn him anyway. Why does the Rob Schneider candidate have to be the one getting so much right?

Finally – as you know if you have looked at the side bar, I am supporting Richardson in the primary. That is because he comes right out and says in plain English that he will restore the Constitution, Habeas Corpus and the Fourth Amendment. And damnit, that is the most important thing. I trust him to end the war, I trust him to negotiate first and give diplomacy it’s proper due. He simply has the best resume. His presentation needs a little tweaking, but his message is right. If he isn’t on the ticket, I would prefer him in a diplomatic role. In fact, he falls between Bill Clinton and Chris Dodd on my short list for Secretary of State.

It’s early, the first vote has yet to be cast. But any one of the candidates on the stage – Gravel included – would do a better job of governing than the slavering authoritarians on the other side that would just finish scrapping the Constitution and the ideals that make us Americans.

NOW it makes sense...

You know how this morning I was engaging in eye-rolling and poking fun at the morons who floated the bit of fantasy in the Guardian about Iran forming an alliance with al Qa’eda (!!!) ?

Well, after the lead story on ABC News reported tonight what we who read the think-tank policy papers have known for ages – namely, that the US has been meddling in Iran for ages got some attention from the MSM.

It makes perfect sense now!

That bit of fluff/fantasy/fiction in the Guardian this morning was the best they could get out there on such short notice.

The thing is – anyone who reads this blog knows that I have been posting on reports from policy research organizations for a year now, saying “pardon me, but you really should be looking at the cross-border meddling that we are doing in Iran.” And pointing out that their sense of urgency where nukes are concerned is understandable to anyone who can read a map – and bothers to do so.

Here is where it gets really rich:

"The kind of dealings that the Iranian Revolution Guards are going to do, in terms of purchasing nuclear and missile components, are likely to be extremely secret, and you're going to have to work very, very hard to find them, and that's exactly the kind of thing the CIA's nonproliferation center and others would be expert at trying to look into," Riedel said.

Refresh my memory - but wasn't nuclear proliferation what valerie Plame dedicated her entire career to, before she was outed for political reasons by Vice President deserves-to-hang?

C'mon people - you know where your torches and pitchforks are, don't you?

We have long-since passed tolerable and acceptable behavior on the part of our government.

How much more is needed for you to reach the pissed-off tipping point?

(Jesus! Read the comments at The Blotter! What a bunch of reich-wing sycophants! No wonder aWol got away with referring to the Constitution as "just a god-damned piece of paper" - most of the comments over there apparently think that it's an inconvenience to their dream of an authoritarian existence the rest of us would consider a nightmare.)