Thursday, July 05, 2007

This got me to send a Letter to the AP

Letter to AP titled "Serious Lapse of Journalistic Standards"

The article titled "Analysis: Thompson Lacking Substance" by Liz Sidoti is a shoddy work unworthy of the AP. Particularly egregious is the gratuitous inclusion of this paragraph:

"In response to such inquiries, Thompson told reporters: "Nobody yet has pointed out any of my clients that didn't deserve representation." That kind of statement is not likely to deter reporters from looking more closely any more than it did in 1987 when Gary Hart dared people to investigate him amid allegations of philandering. They did and he ended up withdrawing from the race for a time when an extramarital relationship was discovered."

The irrelevant reference to Gary Hart is inexcusable. Many may find Mr. Thompson's association with Aristide troubling but that was certainly not the professional way to raise it as an issue.

Also it is worth noting that the link to the "The AP's News Values and Principles" does not load and bounces to your Pulitzer page.


Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Comment on LGF "Our Friends the Saudis Send Jihadis to Lebanon"

Comment on http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=26121_Our_Friends_the_Saudis_Send_Jihadis_to_Lebanon#comments
#517 lifeofthemind 7/04/2007 7:45:13 am PDT
Their native region also has no oil. The main oil regions are in the Eastern Province near the Gulf. Most of the population there are oppressed Shia.

The "No War for Oil" argument never made much sense to me. It is like if someone in the Civil War had started crying "No War for Cotton" and then denied the Union's right to blockade the South and seize contraband cotton stocks. We should seize the oil fields which we have as much right to as the thugs in charge of them now. We could then offer the native inhabitants of the region a more progressive future and give the world cheap energy. The time and prosperity we gain should be used while we work on technologies to keep the world free from dependence on diminishing fossil fuel stocks.


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