So this morning, when I opened My Google and grabbed a look at the top CNN headline, I decided I shouldn't wait any longer. Today was the day "Friday Follies" would begin:
- Miley Cyrus Gets Tattoo No. 5 You know, there used to be a time when you could depend on Miley for some real news.
- From Bradblog: Limbaugh Jokes about NYT Detention until he Learns about Fox Reporters in Hospital. Okay, there's nothing funny about reporters getting beat up. Not a thing. But how about Limbaugh having to eat his words? That's funny, right?
- "What in hell is this man talking about?" Chris Matthews has taken to calling Glenn Beck 'nuts'. No big words, no explanations. Just 'nuts'. And then he gets into Frank Gaffney, who might require a word a little stronger than 'nuts'.
- NYC Mayor Bloomberg ♥ Bloomberg. “I like what I see in the mirror, and I hope everybody here does,” the mayor said.
- Donald Rumsfeld's new book, "Known and Unknown" came out last week. Howard Kurtz quotes from it:
When Rumsfeld was serving as Gerald Ford’s White House chief of staff, he asked his friend Dick Cheney to serve as his top assistant. Cheney “reminded me about a couple of arrests he had had for drinking and driving after he got out of college and was working on power lines in Wyoming.” Rumsfeld briefed the new president. “Do you think this is the guy you need for the job?” Ford asked. Rumsfeld said he did. “Then bring him aboard.” The rest, as they say, is history.
(Okay, that's not funny.)
- And lastly, I stole this from Mario Piperni (who borrowed it from Daryl Cagle), but I plan to put it back as soon as I'm finished:
This is a shortened version because I only just thought about it this morning, but watch next Friday for another installment of FF. I'll be on the lookout for the best of the week, and I'll put them here. If you have any ideas for this, send them on. It's the least you can do. (There's a smile in there.)
I know a lot of people who are members of the press, as you know. I've even gone so far as to commit acts of journalism myself on occasion, though never in combat or revolution. Some journos I know have friends who didn't come back, from places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and more.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing to go into a "hot zone" armed and armored, having a chance to fight back. It's quite another to walk in carrying a camera or two, or in one friend's dad's case, hitting Omaha Beach with the most dangerous thing on you being a pair of bandage scissors.
These people are placing their lives at risk to bring us the truth.
I remember someone denouncing Bob Woodruff on Kos back when I was a regular there. It was the first time I ranted, and I gave whoever it was a serious thrashing. Those people deserve all the respect any professional is due for grace under literal fire, Arthur Kent included. (But not necessarily Geraldo. Drawing maps of troop movements on the way in to Iraq in 2003 should have resulted in a "tragic friendly-fire incident" on live satellite.)
And I'm glad to see Chris, perhaps alone among the commentariat, calling a spade a m-----f---in' shovel with respect to Beck. I knew the guy's heart was in the right place from my first time working with him back over 10 years ago.
Alan, you always provide such fascinating insight into the topics. Thanks so much. The journos who put themselves in harms way in order to get story and pics have nothing but my undying admiration. Yet there are always the pricks who like to draw attention to themselves for knocking our heroes.
ReplyDeleteThey're nothing and will always be nothing. Limbaugh is like a child who likes to shock but pouts when he gets caught. Amazing that he and Beck have managed to keep their well-paid soapboxes, still creeping out the majority--and enjoying it way too much.
We all know people with good stories to tell. I just have the good fortune to know people who have gone out into the world in search of some of the more...intense ones.
ReplyDeleteAs with voters, we need a better class of listeners/viewers too, I think.
Ramona... thanks for the Cagle cartoon... I'm considering it for Cartoon(s) of the Week which I post tomorrow.
ReplyDelete-Bill