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May 31, 2005
Leftosphere - An extension of the MSM?
Is Bayosphere, a new bay area blog by Dan Gillmor, poised to become anything more than an online extension of the MSM's liberal tentacles? Some say it's too early to tell, as the blog hasn't officially launched. But, early signs aren't promising.
Dan chose to use Memorial Day as a chance to do a little self-loathing. This is old hat for the liberal MSM, as there's no bad time for a little self-loathing, with a link to the east coast mavens at the NY Times. Typically, they like to do a little grandstanding on days like the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day. (They usually miss April 19th, because there's not one in a hundred that knows the significance of that proud day.)
Now, I'm not in favor about what's going on at Camp X-ray down in Gitmo, but where is the independent, objective analysis we were promised? How about mentioning the benefits of the invasion of Iraq, like the blooming democracies in the region? Witness the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, and the Purple Revolution in Iraq.
What will Dan do come September, when the NY Times starts charging for their oped swill? Aside from a persistent bleating of the wisdom of renting in the strongest real estate market in the country, Bayosphere looks more like it's poised to become a localized version of the Daily Kos blog, than a new form of media.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on May 31, 2005 at 9:57 AM
Comments
In the comments section to his original post, Mr. Gillmor wrote:
It's not about hate
Submitted by Dan Gillmor on Mon, 2005-05-30 22:41.
Al, disagree all you want, but impugning the patriotism of people who disagree with you is truly repulsive.
When you say that people who question American policies are somehow expressing "hate" for our nation, you only demean your argument. This has nothing to do with hate. It has everything to do regret -- regret that we Americans are losing touch with the principles to which we have so long aspired.Save the word "hate" for something meaningful, if you don't mind. Using it in this context is just ugly right-wing boilerplate. You are better than that.
It's one thing to criticize an anonymous poster on your internet blog. But does anybody know what Mr. Gillmor's reaction was when, two weeks after the worst terrorist attack in the United States, the president used it as an excuse to equate his political opponents with terrorists? Did he dare call the president "truly repulsive" back then?
...But that threat is not isolated. And you must not believe it is. We see that threat again in the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York...
That is why I have insisted that Congress pass strong anti-terrorism legislation immediately...
We can do this without undermining our constitutional rights. In fact, the failure to act will undermine those rights...
It is with this in mind that I would like to say something to [those] who believe the greatest threat to America comes not from terrorists from within our country or beyond our borders, but from our own government.
I want to say this to [those] who believe this, to those nearby and those far away: I am well aware that most of you have never violated the law of the land....I believe you have every right, indeed you have the responsibility, to question our government when you disagree with its policies. And I will do everything in my power to protect your right to do so.
But I also know there have been lawbreakers among those who espouse your philosophy....
[T]he Weathermen of the radical left who resorted to violence in the 1960s were wrong. Today, the gang members who use life on the mean streets of America, as terrible as it is, to justify taking the law into their own hands and taking innocent life are wrong. The people who came to the United States to bomb the World Trade Center were wrong....
How dare you suggest that we in the freest nation on Earth live in tyranny. How dare you call yourselves patriots and heroes...
[T]here is nothing patriotic about hating your country, or pretending that you can love your country but despise your government.
It wasn't limited to that one speech. In his last weekly radio address that year, the president again said "we can't love our country and hate our government."
Where was the outrage then? Most of the mainstream media agreed with the president's asssertions, and eagerly assisted with the dirty work of painting his opponents as enabling terrorists.
Praise Allah that there are now alternatives to the legacy media.
Posted by: Robert on May 31, 2005 at 11:44 AM