Notes On The Collapse

Requiem For An Unbiased Press

“Objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long. You can’t be objective about Nixon.”
– Hunter S. Thompson, interview, Atlantic Monthly 09/97

“So much for Objective Journalism. Don’t bother to look for it here — not under any byline of mine; or anyone else I can think of. With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.”
(from “On The Campaign Trail”)

Once again, the Press has become the story. (more…)

Elizabeth Warren: Heroic Martyr?

In a few hours, the Senate will vote on whether Senator Jeff Sessions is worthy of being confirmed as Attorney General of the United States.

He’s faced opposition before.  During his confirmation for a Federal judgeship in 1986, Sen. Ted Kennedy led the charge against him, and a condemnatory letter from Coretta Scott King was read into the Senate record.  After that, his name never made it out of committee.  And last night, the letter was read again and the speech excerpted — but this time with a different result.

Every major media outlet is talking about Senator Warren’s fiery oration and her subsequent (more…)

DeVos In – No Surprise

Yes, the mainstream media got it right:  Betsy DeVos, widely detested and universally understood to be a completely unqualified Cabinet appointee, has been confirmed as Secretary of Education by the Senate.

And while a lot of people are disappointed, nobody’s really surprised by this. (more…)

I Am Not Spider Jerusalem

Those who know Spider Jerusalem already know this, and those who don’t know him could care less.  Too many of you don’t know him.

Twenty years ago there was a new comic book out under one of DC’s fringe labels — yeah, Vertigo.  “Transmetropolitan”.  Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson.  I stole their art.  I don’t get paid for this; they can sue me.  Either way:  Read.  It.  Read it now.  Go out and buy it and read it.

It was some serious brain-twisting, a mess, a work of paranoid comic genius that showed a horrifyingly plausible (more…)

What’s Behind Conway’s Aleppo Moment?

We’ve heard the jokes; we’ve seen the memes.  Kellyanne Conway is now a national laughing stock.  Which happens, so big whoop, right?

For those few of you who may have missed this story, CNN published the best account I can find — not snarky, not snotty at all, which is worthy of note as they tend to give Conway a hard time whenever they can.

If you don’t (more…)

I Don’t Think We’re Invading Iran Today

I’ll admit, for a few minutes yesterday, I was getting very worried about whether or not we were about to go conquer Iran.

Bear in mind, if we ever do go in, it’ll probably be a Friday afternoon (more…)

So About These Australian Refugees

I don’t know about you, but when I woke up to discover that we’re having a refugee problem with Australia, it made my brain hurt for a bit.  I mean, I know they’ve got this cane toad problem, and some of the most poisonous nasty creatures on earth live there — I mean, spiders and snakes, sure, but a snail?  A deadly stinging tree?  Gina Rinehart, for God’s sake?! — but that’s no reason to flee the country.  Or maybe it is; I don’t know.  I’ve never met the woman. (more…)

You Just Can’t Talk To Some People

“You just can’t talk to some people!”

The number of times I’ve heard this before — it’s mindblowing.  And for the most part, it’s not true.  What is true is that there are some people out there who can never persuade certain other people.

Sometimes they just don’t like each other; whether it’s a class thing, or race, or gender, or what have you.  Other times, people just (more…)

Travel Ban — Justified?!

Warning:  Not for the sensitive.  Stop reading right now if you’re not a jaded cynic; there’s no shame in it.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of the chaos caused by the recent seven-country immigration ban.  Of particular interest to those pillars of rectitude, the unbiased press, was a picture of a five-year-old in handcuffs.  Which, while indeed horrific, was only one of many stories told about the events (more…)

Merrick Garland versus Neil Gorsuch

After 283 days, on January 3, 2017, Merrick Garland’s nomination for appointment to the United States Supreme Court expired, as the Senate refused even to consider his candidacy.

Despite persistent claims, this was not entirely unprecedented.  However, it was indeed an undeniable abuse of partisan political power by one of the few individuals in history capable of getting away with it, Senator Mitch McConnell.  That action revealed a dangerous weakness (more…)