Quote of The Day
Cement for Brains Award:
"Women might also remember back 20 years, when the United States was supplying arms to the mujahedeen, or the "freedom fighters" trying to rid Afghanistan of its Soviet invaders. The Soviets built schools and educated women, actions that the fundamentalist mujahedeen despised. Many of those mujahedeen now make up large parts of the Northern Alliance, America's current ally, and the Taliban. "
--Gloria Steinem
Hopefully, W's only pardon
Just Do It: As civil liberties groups make a halfhearted stab at protest, W explains his stand on military tribunals hopefully, for the last time. He may not need them from the "take no prisoners" approach Donald "Just shoot them" Rumsfeld has taken. What we need is a Secretary of Reminders who just keeps repeating. "They are trying to kill us. Kill us all," and point out repeatedly that 5000 victims of 9-11 never got a trial.
Words Count: Four journalists were slaughtered by Talaban crazies on a dusty roadside outside Kabul yesterday. Two of them worked for Reuters, the news agency that advised their writers not to use the word "terrorist" - too judgmental, they said. It might hurt the murderers feelings. Perhaps Reuters management is rethinking that position.
The Blubber Brigade: CNN news executive Chris Cramer says it's okay for reporters to break down on camera. Cramer is a fan of journalists sharing their feelings. Cramer says that instead of taking employer provided counseling when he was released as a hostage at the Iranian embassy in l980, he went out and got drunk. That sounds like the better plan. Dan Rather's breakdown was quite enough. Let them all go cry in their beer.
A Star is Recycled: We were thrilled that Geraldo's new kit arrived from Wars R Us and he's now "in country." His first report from Afghanistan was last night on Fox News. He spoke of the death of the four journalists and badly mangled the pronunciation of Corriere della Sera. That's okay. He's new.
Go West Middle-aged Man: Al Gore has found work and none too soon. He's only been "on the street" for a year. The New York Post reports that he had to take a job with a California firm because Wall Street didn't want him. Lucky duck. If they had he would have been there on 9-11. Sometimes, things just work out.
Meaningless Social Note: George Stephenopoulos is getting married tonight to an actress named Alexandra Wentworth. She recently told a fashion magazine that she would have been an unwed mother or a lesbian if she hadn't met George which we thought was an odd thing to say. Now we learn that she is the daughter of Nancy Reagan's former social secretary Muffy Brandon so we guess it's all okay.
Your Slightly Retrograde LComStaff
-- Anonymous, November 20, 2001