Now I'm a friend and fan of Jim and I'm not very familiar with LGF. So I can't offer an informed, unbiased opinion on the controversy. But I'd never let that stop me from writing a silly poem about it:
Linkers' Lament By Madeleine Begun Kane
Shall we LGF de-link?
'Tis a quandary I think.
Is there a censorship stink?
Is Capozzola just a fink?
Is it a cesspool filled with hate
That brings James to such a state?
Has it earned its de-linked fate?
Does it such attention rate?
So much controversial ink
Could drive us bloggers straight to drink.
I for one am on the brink,
Though I never had a link.
The only places where these ideas are considered bad are on the two coasts. Where the meat is in the sandwich, the rest of America, these are pretty mainstream ideas.
Here's a taste of Yglesias' reaction to anti-coastal bias:
... does anyone in Middle America need to put up with this sort of direct abuse from the top leaders of the Democratic Party? Of course not. And we on the coasts get it all the time, from Bush's cracks about "sucking salt air" and "swilling white wine on Martha's Vineyard" on down. Frankly, I'm getting a bit sick and tired of it. We're Americans just like everyone else. We work, we pay the bulk of the taxes that support the government's generous subsidization of rural life, we obey the law, we're good citizens, what's the problem? I can't help but feel that there's a hint of racism in the sentiment that the "real" America is the part least reflective of our nation's grand diversity, and there's far more than a hint of truly asinine anti-intellectualism in it.
I think Lott deserves a song parody, don't you? (Feel free to sing along using this midi link.)
The Rantings Of Trent Lott (To be sung to "The Sidewalks Of New York," by Chas. B. Lawlor and James W. Blake)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Sounding off in DC
From his Senate stoop,
In his right-wing meetings,
Lott leads a scary group.
Plots unfurled together,
Planning Lib'ral assaults.
Lott so loves divisive slogans
'Gainst coast cities like New York.
East side, west side,
Lott scorns coastal towns.
Trent Lott's gang slams east coasters,
Doesn't care if L.A. drowns.
Praises Mid-Amer'cans,
Keeps on sending them pork.
Whips his mighty Heartland
Into hating my New York.
I can't stop thinking about the President Bush "is not a moron" item I blogged about in my last entry. And imagining what must have been Bush's furious reaction to Chretien's non-apology apology.
I'm betting Bush (being the Commander-in-chief and all) commanded Powell to demand an apology from Chretien for declaring him "not a moron." The question is: What would be a suitable apology?
I've got it: "President Bush is a friend of mine. And I apologize for reminding people that he's a moron by declaring him not a moron."
Yup! That works for me.
Apology, or no apology, something tells me the folks over at the aptly named President Moron won't be changing the site's URL any time soon. And witty Canadians like Lisa Kadonaga will surely continue to have fun with the not a moron story, as well.
And speaking of witty, Jim Capozzola of Rittenhouse Review, one of my favorite progbloggers (my word for progressive bloggers), blogs about things that make him go ha-ha and offers a fine selection of laugh-inducing blogs. (And I'd say that even if he didn't include me in such delightful company.)
A massive database that the government will use to monitor every purchase made by every American citizen is a necessary tool in the war on terror, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
I'm guessing that the Pentagon's database software probably isn't quite ready for prime time. So as a patriotic citizen, I feel I should help out.
Let's see... Yesterday I bought a quart of milk (skim), one half-gallon of grapefruit juice (pulp, but just a little), and five bananas.
Come to think of it, maybe I should cancel my They Misunderestimated Me Calendar order, now that Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has pronounced Bush not a moron.
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, attempting to head off an embarrassing spat with Washington, on Thursday quickly distanced himself from a senior official who reportedly called U.S. President George W. Bush "a moron".
Opposition legislator Jason Kenney told parliament he believed the comments -- which were reported by several newspapers -- had been made in Prague by Chretien's communications director Francoise Ducros.
"He (Bush) is a friend of mine, he is not a moron at all," Chretien told reporters in Prague, where he was attending a NATO summit to discuss expanding the alliance.
I think Liberals and Democrats need an Election 2004 anthem, so I couldn't resist writing one. (You'll find a midi link here, if you'd like to sing along.)
When Liberals Rule (To be sung to "Blue Bayou," by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
I feel so bad, I got a worried mind,
I`m so anxious all the time,
Since the Dems were left far behind
And George Bush rules.
Saving nickels, saving dimes,
Working 'til Rove's in a bind,
Looking forward to voting time
When Dems will rule.
We're coming back I say,
On a day
That Bush will rue.
When the voters shine,
And are not supine,
And lib'rals rule.
When they count each vote,
And Karl Rove can't gloat.
Good-bye Bush dynasty.
They'll be brought down to size
With open eyes.
How happy I'll be.
Got to see our nation again,
Back to being led by good Dems,
I'll be very happy when
Democrats rule.
Saving nickels, saving dimes,
Working 'till Rove's lost his mind,
Looking forward to voting time
When Dems will rule.
We're coming back I say,
On a day
That Bush will rue.
When the voters shine,
And are not supine,
And lib'rals rule
Oval office lies
Will subside.
Spelling doom for corporate crime.
Oh, some sweet day
Gonna take away
Those war mong'ring guys.
{MUSIC BREAK}
Oval office lies
Will soon subside.
Spelling doom for corporate crime.
Oh, some sweet day
Gonna take away
Those war mong'ring guys.
I'll never be blue,
My dreams come true
When Lib'rals rule.
I was feeling kinda bummed because, although Altercation finds me link-worthy, The American Prospect's Tapped apparently doesn't. Then I read jeanne d'arc's fascinating post on "that p.c. liberal media" and found out I'm not alone. She points out that although they link to 27 bloggers (actually, I think there are 28 ... but who's counting?) they "managed to find only one woman worthy of inclusion..." Verrrrrrrrrrrry interesting!
She also links to several female bloggers (including me, I'm pleased to say) and male bloggers who belong on Tapped's link list. Hey, Tapped, she's done some great homework for you. Check it out.