The American Spectator

Reader Mail

THE PELOSI PULSE
Re: The Washington Prowler's Nancy Pelosi in a Lott of Trouble:

As a news junkie, I can't believe I totally missed this story.
-- Bruce Demo
Carlsbad CA

Election is over. Time for Buckwheat Jefferson and the other Negroes to git to the back of the Democrat Plantation Bus. They never wise up. Thanks,
-- Howard Lee, X-Democrat
Reserve, La

Please expose the hypocrisy of Nancy Pelosi over the years. She gave a scathing rebuke of Newt Gingrich and accused him of "disgracing the U.S. House and the Congress" and said that he was not fit to serve in this "esteemed body." Please get a tape of her comments when she served on the Ethics Committee. Months later, she saw no problems in Bill and Hillary's actions -- ranging from the Monica mess and the book deals for both Clintons. to the questionable Rich pardon. She never apologized to Newt G. even though he was later acquitted of 64 charges, I believe.
-- unsigned

KERRY EXTRA
Re: Jed Babbin's Who Is John Kerry?:

Jed Babbin is publishing pure anti-Democratic propaganda and Bush-fed rhetoric. Linking Clinton to Kerry is like linking that other racist criminal Ronald Reagan to G.H.W. Bush, the first. So he is starting out blasting Sen. Kerry's service to his country, while Dubya went AWOL. Why would Kerry get three Purple Hears if he hadn't distinguished himself? This piece is tantamount to calling Kerry a traitor, but Mr. Babbin speaks out of both sides of his mouth by stating, we should "honor and respect Kerry's wartime record." Huh? And give me one reason Mr. Kerry shouldn't be trusted.

Oh Yeah, the Bush machine is at work early so they can "steal" the next election because he didn't win the first one. Bush is a fraud and perpetrator of pretending he is the president. I call Bush a "pretender to the throne." I can't respect a thief, nor his racist supporters. So what's next? Rolling back the 1964 and '65 Civil Rights Acts? People like the Trent Lotts are bent on doing just that. Even Dubya's father voted against the Civil Rights Act, when he did that one stint in Congress. No intelligent African-American will ever vote for him. I know, I'm one of them, raised under segregation, while lazy whites took college deferments to keep from serving Uncle Sam back in the '60s. Racism and journalists that foment racism is alive as ever and Blacks are as ever vigilant, as I expect to be on the front lines to protect my hard-fought-for rights and fight for reparations to Blacks for 400 years of free labor, rape and inhumane cruelty to an enslaved people. Kerry for President? I hope that in three years African-Americans form their own political party, that's my hope!
-- Sharon Boone

BIASWATCH
Re: George Neumayr's Neo-Objectivity:

Kudos to George Neumayr for his recent article about liberal bias in the press.

As a newspaper reporter who came into the business a late bloomer (I was in my early 30s when I landed my first newspaper gig), I work with a number of reporters more than 10 years my junior. Some go about their work with a simple edict in mind: Republicans can do no right and Democrats can do no wrong. Others align themselves with the left as a sort of reflex reaction.

The bias or the foundation upon which their bias is based comes in part from what they were taught in J-school and partly by their lack of life experience. None of the reporters I work with have worked outside the industry save for a temporary job at McD's while in high school or at a bookstore while waiting for a full time slot to open up. In essence, they went from the classroom to the newsroom. For example, of the 20 reporters, 10 stringers, and eight editors in our newsroom, I am the only one who has served in the military.

Thanks to the high standards set by our top editor and managing editor, I am proud to say bias does not creep into our coverage.

Still, there is another kind of bias among journalists. Professional arrogance. Pick up any edition of Quill and you'll find the tenor of most of the articles ranges from self-righteousness to navel-gazing. When they are not reminding each other of the First Amendment, they are wringing their hands over a lack of diversity in the newsroom. It never occurs to the self-anointed spokesmen that perhaps women and "people of color" might be interested in careers that are more lucrative.

On another note, bias in the media also came about by a failure or lacking among conservatives. For decades, they railed about media bias and did little to counter it save for Reed Irvine founding Accuracy in the Media in 1969. He was a lone and brave soul for doing so, and it took 20 years after that for the press to come to terms with bias and admit it exists. Only in recent years have conservatives or conservative-minded individuals pursued careers in the media. In doing so, they have changed the nature and scope of journalism for the better.
-- Jonathan Athens

The liberal media is using the old Clinton denial, "we aren't guilty as charged...it's a right wing conspiracy."

I think, at least for the broadcast networks, they realize that they are licensed by the FCC to broadcast over airwaves owned by all Americans, not just for the libs. If a court case could prove illegal bias they would stand to lose their ability to broadcast or face stiff fines and be made to correct the situation. Having to hire Ann Coulter for counter-balance would cause collective stomach pains and change the networks as we know it.

The only other option for change, other than Fox cleaning their clocks, is for conservatives to drop, or not purchase, stock in the broadcast networks. Nothing would get their attention like a slumping stock price due to outraged conservative viewers. The slogan could be, "Why would you own stock in a company that hates you and what you stand for?"

It may never happen, but I can dream.

Good work.
-- Don

"One of the strongest proofs of the media's liberal bias is that liberal
journalists deny its existence," writes George Neumayr.

So Dan Rather, for example, must have a strong Conservative bias. It's easy to tell: Any Conservative will deny that such a bias exists, therefore it does! "If ye deny there be witches, then ye be a witch!"

The mainstream media certainly has a strong liberal bias, but Neumayr would do much better to cite some of the more damning examples of that bias. The Media Research Center is an excellent source of such material. Neumayr's argument that liberals' attempt to defend themselves against the charge proves their guilt opens up a Pandora's box of arguments laced with the same fallacy: If Conservatives deny that they are bigots, then that proves that they are bigots...and so on in the same inane vein. Ick.

Regards,
-- Samuel Mc Kee

NESTING
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s Byrd Most Foul:

Many of us have been wondering the same thing about Senator Byrd's actions over the years and why he hasn't been called to task. It's also curious to me that although he is of the right age, he didn't serve in the military during World War II. Seems he sat out the war years as a shipyard welder at home rather than serve overseas.
-- Charles R. Bell

IT HAD TO BE HER
Re: Enemy Central's Enemy of the Year:

I am delighted with your choice of Enemy of the Year! Totally delighted, completely delighted, fantastically delighted, terrifically delighted, over the top delighted. Yup, I am delighted, It is too bad it was so obvious! Thanks,
-- Carole Graham

How fitting that you put Senator Patty Murray and General Eric Shinseki in the same article. General Shinseki and Senator Murray are of a similar stature and they share many common ideas regarding the use of this nation's military power. The first time I ever laid eyes on the twerp he was sitting next to General Hugh Shelton at a conference on C-Span. My first thought was that General Shelton must practice ventriloquism as a hobby and that he'd brought his "dummy" to the conference to entertain the other generals....
-- Tillman L. Jeffrey

topics:
Nancy Pelosi, Mainstream Media, Business, Books, Military, NATO, Africa