Tony Snow -- R.I.P.
This was a shocker to me. I thought he was doing better.
Tony Snow, a conservative writer and commentator who cheerfully sparred with reporters in the White House briefing room during a stint as President Bush's press secretary, has died of colon cancer, Fox News reported Saturday. Snow was 53 years old.
Prayers for his family and friends. He was a good man and did a great job everywhere he went. I loved his interaction with reporters when he worked as White House Press Secretary.
THOMAS: We have gone for collective punishment against all of
Lebanon and Palestine. And what's happening -- and that's the
perception of the United States.
SNOW: Well, thank you for the Hezbollah view, but I would encourage you. . . .
THOMAS: Nobody's accepting your explanation. What is it say, to call for. . . .
Heh. That's how I'll always remember him. Rest in peace Sir.
1
Thank you for writing about this, Stash. He was classy, wasn't he?
Posted by: sillyblindharper at 13 July 2008@00:42:45 (5+XEL)
2
I got to see film of Tony Snow playing flute last night. What fun! He was good at it. Still keeping your threads warm and hoping for your comfort, my friend.
(((poof)))
Posted by: sillyblindharper at 20 July 2008@15:26:49 (5+XEL)
What Media Bias?
Two stories came up on the Reuters feed at the same time just now. One was about Obama, and one was about McCain. They're not even trying to hide it anymore.
Just contrast this...
Obama to take big step in Democratic race
Obama expects to claim a majority of pledged delegates won in
state-by-state races after Tuesday's returns, but he will still be
about 75 short of the 2,026 needed to clinch the nomination without
further help from superdelegates -- party officials who are free to
back any candidate.
With this...
McCain to mark Cuban day with new attack on Obama
Obama's vow to hold direct talks, without preconditions, with
leaders of countries hostile to the United States, including Iran,
North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Cuba, has given McCain a broad
opening to attack Obama over foreign policy.
He pounded Obama on Monday for pledging to meet the leader of Iran,
saying to do so would reward a government in Tehran dedicated to
destroying U.S. ally Israel.
At a town hall meeting in Miami, McCain planned to accuse Obama on
Cuban Independence Day of wanting to soften the decades-old U.S.
embargo against the communist government of Cuba.
Any difference in tone or content? It seems like it to me. Not only that, the McCain story is more about Obama than McCain. The pro-Obama story mentions McCain briefly... more...
hmm.... so they have. I didn't think to get a screencap, but I think my credibility is probably higher than theirs (my dog's credibility is higher than theirs) so folks will believe it was there. I'll know better in the future. Thank you Sir.
I wonder if Google cache would have it?
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 20 May 2008@15:56:30 (Q5ggV)
4
I'm beginning to get a very serious malaise because of the hopelessness the media gives to me.
Posted by: Moron Pundit at 20 May 2008@20:43:33 (8Dgzz)
CNN Kowtows To China
China demanded CNN apologize for a commentator saying that the Chinese government was "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." Of course, CNN obliged.
"It was not Mr. Cafferty's nor CNN's intent to cause offence (sic) to the
Chinese people, and (CNN) would apologize to anyone who has interpreted
the comments in this way," CNN said in a statement.
Of course, CNN has a history of appeasing despots and currying favor with totalitarian regimes.
On April 11, 2003, Jordan revealed that CNN knew about human rights abuses committed in Iraq by Saddam Hussein since 1990 and provided gifts (emphasis mine) to Saddam's family in a New York Times story called The News We Kept to Ourselves claiming the network refrained from coverage of them in order to gain better access to information on Hussein's government.
Is there any conceivable circumstance where CNN would apologize to President Bush for anything they said about his administration? Especially if it was "demanded" from them? And they call themselves the most trusted name in news. If they had any integrity, they'd ... moot point, they don't. Wankers.
4 Out Of 5 Dentists Say... America Is On The Wrong Track
Or at least 4 out of 5 Americans do, according to a poll published in the New York Times (no, I won't link them... I'll tell you why in a second).
A majority of Democrats and Republicans, men and women, residents of
cities and rural areas, college graduates and those who finished only
high school say the United States is headed in the wrong direction,
according to the survey, which was published on The New York Times' Web site.
I'm going to call bullshit on this one without even seeing the data,
the questions, the demographics, or anything besides the fact that it
comes from the New York Times. This is the same journalistic rag that divulged a secret program for tracking terrorists that was vital to our national security. This is the same journalistic rag that pimped the Plame fiasco/non-outing of a CIA desk-jockey whose asinine husband bragged she was in the CIA. This is the same journalistic rag that has lied about the economy, lied about the Administration, lied about Iraq, lied about the military, and kept lying over and over again anytime they thought it would further their leftist agenda.
I won't ever link them unless I absolutely have to. I won't buy their paper, read their website, or believe anything they say or write. They have zero credibility and should be bankrupt financially since they're already morally bankrupt. With their declining readership, the financial part is coming soon and I will toast their demise.
Actually, I believe this one. Problem is, of those who think we're moving in the wrong direction, roughly 50% think we need to move righter and 50% think we need to move lefter.
It's like all those approval polls of Bush they used to trot out. You were supposed to infer that everyone who was unhappy with Bush thought he was too conservative. But how many of us were frustrated with him because he was not conservative enough?
Posted by: S. Weasel at 04 April 2008@10:24:19 (rasT+)
2
I understand that completely, but the story implies that there are specific reasons: The survey comes as housing turmoil has rocked Wall Street
amid an economic downturn. The economy has surpassed the war in Iraq as
the dominating issue of the U.S. presidential race, and there is now
nearly a national consensus that the United States faces significant
problems, the poll found. That's why I called bullshit, for the very reasons you describe... they take these numbers and say they're so bad because we're unhappy the socialist agenda is being stalled. They don't make the connection that they rose sharply after the 2006 elections brought us "the most ethical Congress ever" and that's a bigger reason to think we're moving in the wrong direction. It's a bullshit survey because it doesn't measure what they're trying to say it measures.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 04 April 2008@10:37:45 (tarqT)
3
I really don't like the MSM... have I mentioned that?
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 04 April 2008@10:51:50 (tarqT)
Exactly What I've Been Saying -- Where's My Hat-Tip Fox?
All the negative talk about the economy and a recession? Baloney!
Over 78 percent more negative news stories
discussed a recession when the economy under a Republican was soaring
than occurred under a Democrat when the economy was shrinking.
So the last quarter growth was down to 0.6% of GDP, which is much lower than the previous quarter's "sizzling" 4.9% growth.
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the gross domestic product, or GDP, increased at a feeble 0.6 percent annual rate from October through December. The reading, unchanged from a previous estimate a month ago, provided stark evidence of just how much the economy has weakened. In the previous three months, the economy had a sizzling 4.9 percent growth rate.
The GDP measures the value of all goods and services produced in the United States and is the best barometer of economic health.
If last quarter's growth was so "sizzling", why were we getting the doom-and-gloom stories throughout the past year? Why should anyone doubt that the media has been spinning the economic news for the past 7 years? We still haven't had a single quarter of negative growth and the talk of a recession has been non-stop. It's disgusting how the media's hatred of the Bush administration has dominated the coverage. If this were a Democrat in office, this last quarter would have been the "blip" or "market" correction and seen as temporary. Since it's not, the media deciders inform us that it is just a portent of things to come.
That's not all however, down further in the article we get this:
In a second report, fewer people signed up for unemployment benefits last week, although that did not change the broader picture of a deteriorating job market. The Labor Department said jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 366,000, a better showing than many economists forecast. Still, unemployment is expected to rise this year given all the problems affecting the economy.
Unemployment goes down, so of course that means unemployment is going to go up. George Orwell ain't got nothing on the MSM.
Let's Not Jump To Conclusions
The media will speculate on anything reflecting poorly towards the United States, the military, the police, the economy, or anything else that progressive deem evil. Notice how careful they are not to speculate in this story?
The owner of the business told police that he believes he may have shot the suspect in the back.
Shortly
afterwards, police responded to a call from a man who said he was shot
in the back at an address 1/2 of a mile away from the scene of the
robbery. It is unknown whether these two incidents are related.
Idiots. They must think we're idiots. There's no other explanation.
1
In my experience, this sort of agnosticism comes from the spokesman of the PD, not the reporter or his editors. Reporter: Can I say this man is the same one who was shot in the back down the street? Spokesman: No. We haven't finished investigating. We don't know if the two incidents are actually related. So reporter uses the spokesman's line. Also remember this is one of the low on the totem pole reporters. You're not allowed to speculate until you slither higher up on the totem pole
Posted by: kishnevi at 23 March 2008@20:13:19 (456EJ)
On Sunday, arraignment court staff confirmed that Damon Dreher is being
held in the Allegheny County Jail under $150,000 bond in connection
with the shooting. He is being charged with robbery, aggravated
assault, and gun violations.
If the original statement came from the police, it should have said so. "The police spokesman wouldn't speculate on whether the two incidents were related." would have sufficed. Then, they edit the story without any notation of having done so. As written, all statements in the original are attributed to the reporter. I'm rarely inclined to give the MSM benefit of the doubt... this case isn't one I would start with.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 23 March 2008@20:49:52 (Q5ggV)
Unfortunately, they have found little reason to regret holding us in contempt. They have found it all too easy to manipulate an ignorant, lazy, and apathetic public. It is one of the reasons I fear we are beyond the point of no return.
Posted by: Machinist teh knucklehead at 24 March 2008@08:28:23 (yFIK0)
4
Newspaper revenues are universally down, unprofessional "journalism" is quickly and loudly debunked by multiple blogs which have become a standard avenue for daily news, and television news shows find themselves covering Paris and Britney just to bring in viewers looking for entertainment and salacious content.
I'm pretty sure the smart ones have some regrets my friend.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 24 March 2008@08:37:48 (Q5ggV)
5
You have a point, as always. I wonder how many recognize or admit the reason for this, though. Both print, radio, and TV networks seem to rationalize and blame others.
I do wonder as well how much of the newspaper loss comes from a growingly illiterate population. It's like financing public health programs with tobacco taxes. Trying to pay for an ever growing program from a shrinking revenue stream. PC schools and an ignorant population make sheep who are easy to manipulate but sheep don't read newspapers or follow current events. This is a two edged sword for socialists in a capitalist society.
Posted by: Machinist at 24 March 2008@11:25:51 (yFIK0)
6
Rather than illiterate, I would venture to say they're more superficial. Less inclined to study classical literature or technical reading outside their own interests. There is much to be said for a well-rounded knowledge base, but little call for it in today's workplace. This means only those who are self-motivated, or have been taught the value of knowledge by their parents, seek out reading material for their own education.
I would also say that socialism is a two-edged sword in any society... with both edges threatening anyone outside the power structure. There are more sheep around than is really healthy for our country, but far fewer than you fear. They just keep getting the best headlines.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 24 March 2008@14:41:44 (Q5ggV)
They're At It Again
The "doom-and-gloom" media never tire of beating the same old drums. There is always disaster just around the corner when they talk about the economy.
To the drumbeat of signs that seemed to foretell a traditional
recession, this added a nightmarish specter — an old-style run on the
bank, customers clamoring to pull their cash, a stately Wall Street
firm brought to its knees.
Of course, that "traditional recession" they speak of has yet to see a single quarter of negative GDP.
As economists and Wall Street types grope for historical perspective — which is another way of saying
a road map out of this mess — Americans are nervously wondering about
retirement savings, interest rates, jobs that had seemed safe.
I'm glad they clarified that for us... feh. Because Americans have never worried about retirement savings, interest rates, or jobs that had seemed safe.
They are peering over the edge and asking: How far down? And the scariest part of all? No one can say for sure.
No fear-mongering here, right? The same tired rhetoric that they've pumped since Bush was elected, even before September 11th, and we're still supposed to be breathless in anticipation of the coming doom.
But Wait... Haven't We Been in a Recession? Part 4
DRJ has a post over at Patterico's linking this post by Beldar who echoes much of what I've been saying about the MSM's coverage of our economy and how that coverage influences it.
Specifically, here, and here, and finally here. This is obviously one of my pet peeves so I'm glad to see two of the more popular sites take up the point on their own. Go read their posts, especially the comments... then come on back and read Parts 1, 2, and 3 when you get a chance.
While you're at it, look around for a while and see if there's anything else that catches your interest. I'll be around.
I pay a lot of attention and try to remember things, but I have to wonder, does the average person get this? I mean, they've been reading about the coming recession for years, they've thought we were in recession (look at the polls over the last 5 years as "consumer confidence" has been incredibly low considering the great economy) and now, the papers are talking about stuff like "That's the slowest growth in over 5 years" and "That's the biggest loss in over 5 years".
I know trust in the media is low, but do people really get how much they lie about just about everything and are mostly ignorant about most of everything else?
My opinion of most of today's "journalists" is summed up as "Remember, they're not just biased, they're lazy, stupid and ignorant."
Posted by: Veeshir at 15 March 2008@08:06:27 (ThMnZ)
2
"Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice." -- Grey's Law
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 15 March 2008@09:31:36 (2d2df)
Until it's over, there is a fine line between a normal downturn and a recession. I don't claim to see the future so I don't know what this is, but I do know that there is a mental aspect to economics. If everyone thinks the economy is going to tank, it probably will.
In addition, you can't discount the way people feel about the economy. If their daily experiences tell them things cost more, they will believe that the economy is bad. All the statistics in the world won't change that feeling.
But Wait... Haven't We Been in a Recession? Part 3 *UPDATED* *UPDATED AGAIN*
I just can't help pointing out how the MSM thinks we're all idiots by floating one doom and gloom story after another. It must have really hurt them to put this out:
Economists see US avoiding recession
"We don't see that happening," said Edward Leamer, director and
co-author of the forecast released Tuesday. "This is a tough call, but
I will be very surprised if this thing actually precipitates into
recession."
But all is not lost... they find a way to look on the "bright side":
A recession could still happen though, if the credit crisis that has stifled the housing market deepens
Glad to see they're still looking out for us. I would just ignore this as typical behavior from our 4th estate/5th column "deciders", but the United States economy is vastly influenced by confidence. Investors, Consumers, and Producers with confidence will make the economy grow even when things don't go perfectly. Shake that confidence and it doesn't matter how well our industries run, jobs increase, crops get harvested, etc... the economy is going to take a hit. The MSM intentionally tries to shake confidence in the U.S. economy trying to damage the administration. It's just one more reason to despise the media.
*UPDATE* I figured out why they had to print some good news today... I hadn't looked at the stock market results yet. More on the Dow here. Heh. *UPDATE X2* That certainly didn't last long. Imagine my surprise. Sigh.
"The evidence has built to the point that it is now beyond
a reasonable doubt that the U.S. economy has entered
recession," said Scott Anderson, a senior economist at Wells Fargo & Co. in Minneapolis.
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Recent Comments
sillyblindharper
I got to see film of Tony Snow playing flute last night. What fun! He was good at it. Still keepin... entry
sillyblindharper
Thank you for writing about this, Stash. He was classy, wasn't he? entry
Moron Pundit
I'm beginning to get a very serious malaise because of the hopelessness the media gives to me. entry
Stashiu3
hmm.... so they have. I didn't think to get a screencap, but I think my credibility is probably hig... entry
kishnevi
Actually, they've also rewritten the McCain article, to reflect the fact that speech has been given. entry
kishnevi
I was going to comment on this, but then I decided that a post at my place is better. But the part ... entry
kishnevi
Wankers? No. More fellatio-ists. Err, whatever the formal term is. I'm sure you understand the me... entry
Stashiu3
I really don't like the MSM... have I mentioned that? ;) entry
Stashiu3
I understand that completely, but the story implies that there are specific reasons: The survey come... entry
S. Weasel
Actually, I believe this one. Problem is, of those who think we're moving in the wrong direction, ro... entry
Stashiu3
Rather than illiterate, I would venture to say they're more superficial. Less inclined to study cla... entry
Machinist
You have a point, as always. I wonder how many recognize or admit the reason for this, though. Both ... entry
Stashiu3
Newspaper revenues are universally down, unprofessional "journalism" is quickly and loudly debunked ... entry
Machinist teh knucklehead
"They must think we're idiots." Unfortunately, they have found little reason to regret holding us i... entry
Stashiu3
From the (updated) news story link: On Sunday, arraignment court staff confirmed that Damon Dreher ... entry
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All the negative talk about the economy and a recession? Baloney!
