Maureen Channels Marvin

I hate it when she does that.

Maureen Dowd wrote one heck of a funny column today with next to no fingernails on the blackboard. Next to; she did say that New Orleans was "the city [Bush] let drown."

She concludes the piece by channeling Dr. Suess' “Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now!”

“The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just go. ... I don’t care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Hillary R. Clinton, will you please go now! You can go on skates. You can go on skis. ... You can go in an old blue shoe.

Just go, go, GO!”

But she won't, she won't go now. No matter how they howl, she won't go now. Not on a horse, not on a cow. Look at the ruckus they raise! But she just stays and stays and stays!

Leaving Obama with this:

But this is clearly a man who can’t wait to get back to his organic scrambled egg whites. That was made plain with his cri de coeur at the Glider Diner in Scranton when a reporter asked him about Jimmy Carter and Hamas.

“Why” he pleaded, sounding a bit, dare we say, bitter, “can’t I just eat my waffle?”

His subtext was obvious: Why can’t I just be president? Why do I have to keep eating these gooey waffles and answering these gotcha questions and debating this gonzo woman?

Nice. It must be crushing to him that we aren't just handing him are nation on a platter because he's so darn special.

Baghdad Harry, NYT Mouthpiece

Unable to sleep, I've been reading the Watcher's Council entries for this week and had to share this hilarious picture of Baghdad Harry with you.

It's from Wolf Howling's post, Iraqi Political Progress Leaves Few Places For The Left To Move The Target (Whoa! Long enough title, Wolfie?). At first, the piece appeared to be a rather routine NYT editorial board fisking – and what’s the challenge in that? – but it turned into a thoroughly researched milestone by milestone history of the NYT editorial board’s tilted (careening?), re-shaping, denying approach to Iraq.

I'm not tipping my hat on the entries this week quite yet -- I've read several other outstanding ones -- I'm just sharing a photo, OK?

A "Gay Mafia" At The NYTimes -- And Beyond

Women's Wear Daily knows a thing or two about gay men, dahling, so it gaily reported on a story in Out that alluded to a "gay mafia" at the NY Times:

Does a scattershot list of gay Timesmen a mafia make? According to Out magazine's media-heavy Power 50 list, which ranked several New York Times reporters a collective seventh on the list, it does, even if many of its made men don't actually know each other. "Yes, there really is a queer cabal in the Eastern elite media, and it works on West 43rd Street in New York City," reads the accompanying text

Those outed (I won't use their names) include the editor of T magazine, an assistant managing editor, a national correspondent, the advertising columnist, a style reporter a theater critic and a restaurant critic.

A theater or restaurant critic doesn't have much influence over how the gay agenda is presented, but a national reporter, an assistant managing editor and a magazine editor certainly do. Out certainly thinks so:

As for the use of the 'M' word related to the assorted journalists, Aaron Hicklin, editor of Out, told WWD: "The Times still has an old-fashioned power that I think the Web has tried to replace but been less successful at. It's still a cultural arbiter….Should we have used the word mafia? Only inasmuch as mafia is shorthand for people whose combined weight is fearsome." And according to Out, these Timesmen are "one group you don't want to run into in a dark alley."

Agreed on that last point, for sure. Fortunately, Elliot suggests a defense:

"What are we going to do?" wondered Elliot. "Beat them with the Sunday Times?"

So much has been written over the years about gay teachers and their ability to influence (or, more sinisterly, corrupt or even abuse) the next generation, but little has been made of gays in the media, and the potential they have to position the gay agenda as mainstream.

Perhaps we should. Look at who's who in the top ten of Out's Power 50. People who worry about Jewish control of the media are whacked; people who ponder gay influence and control have reasons to be concerned. (All copy below is from Out except for my comments in brackets.)

1 David Geffen
What does $4 billion-plus buy for a Hollywood entertainment powerhouse? Your name on UCLA’s medical school; great American art (Pollock, de Kooning, Johns); and headline-making influence over Democratic presidential politics: When Geffen supported and later dissed Hillary earlier this year, the fur flew between the candidates’ camps. “If you’re his enemy, you might as well kill yourself,” Howard Rosenman once told The New York Times. And to think it all began in the William Morris Agency mailroom. [Note: Geffen has not given up on plans to acquire the LA Times.]

2 Anderson Cooper
Anointed an “emo-anchor” by The New York Observer for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the rise of Anderson Cooper heralded the simultaneous demise of the Dan Rather-Tom Brokaw era of dry efficiency. Despite an unfortunate side trip into reality TV in 2001 as host of ABC’s late, unlamented The Mole, his instincts have served him well: His annual salary at CNN was reportedly doubled this year, from $2 million to $4 million.

3 Ellen DeGeneres
With over 2.4 million viewers on a daily basis, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is an essential stop for any celebrity peddling their wares, and her breakthrough gig at the Oscars only elevated her Hollywood stature. The fact that seemingly everyone loves an out-and-proud lesbian makes her powerful—that and the $65 million she’s reportedly worth. [Lately, DeGeneres has played down her sexuality and appears a very different woman than she was in earlier days ... but things can change.]

4 Tim Gill
Gill is the country’s biggest gay political donor and “the nexus of an aggressive new force in national politics,” according to a major story in The Atlantic. After founding and making his fortune at publishing software giant Quark, Gill moved on to philanthropy; in January he launched the Gill Action Fund. His guiding strategy: Giving to many key local and state candidates is more cost-effective than large donations to a few national candidates. [Gill has donated over $100 million to LGBT causes, and is a big Dem campaign contributor. The foundation is headed by a former Log Cabin republican, however.]

5 Barney Frank
When the Democrats took over control of the House and Senate this year, the outspoken, popular, and frequently quoted Massachusetts Democratic congressman assumed chairmanship of the House Committee on Financial Services. [I'm sure Frank is very popular with Out's readers, but I can't say that I share the feeling.]

6 Rosie O’Donnell
The View is much better since O’Donnell took over as moderator last fall. Her opinionated stances and battles with the Donald have fanned a huge ratings rise. Plus, her R Family Vacations have elevated the world of gay travel. [The View is much better? Yeah, and Bush blew up the WTC.]

7 The New York Times Gay Mafia Richard Berke, Ben Brantley, Frank Bruni, Stuart Elliot, Adam Nagourney, Stefano Tonchi, Eric Wilson
Yes, there really is a queer cabal in the Eastern elite media, and it works on West 43rd Street in New York City. Style editor Tonchi, style reporter Wilson, assistant managing editor Berke, national correspondent Nagourney, and advertising columnist Elliot can set agendas in their areas of expertise. In the case of restaurant critic Bruni and theater critic Brantley, the fate of fledgling enterprises rests in their hands. This is one group you don’t want to run into in a dark alley.

8 Marc Jacobs
One of the most recognizable names in fashion, Jacobs helms his own label and is also artistic director for Louis Vuitton. His empire extends beyond clothing (including his acclaimed spring shows in New York, London, and Paris) with new fragrances for Coty, home decor for Waterford, and watches. For his opulent holiday ball last December, he arrived disguised as a pigeon. [Wow, a pigeon.]

9 Andrew Tobias
He’s not just a personal finance guru (The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need) and memoirist (The Best Little Boy in the World), he’s the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee and a major fund-raiser for the party. [Repeating, the treasurer of the DNC.]

10 Brian Graden
As president of entertainment for MTV Networks’ music channels, Graden oversees the programming on those arbiters of youth culture MTV, CMT, MTV2, and VH1. Since taking the reins at MTV in 1997, MTV has been the number 1 basic-cable network in the advertiser-coveted age 12-24 demographic, and after adding VH1 to his responsibilities in 2002, ratings have risen there an astonishing 95%. He championed the ever-expanding Logo—now in over 26 million homes—and serves as its president as well. [Woe, woe, ye of the next generation!]

Homophobe disclaimer: This article is about the gay agenda, not gays. Some of my best friends are gays. Really. All of these folks have every right to their jobs, but we also have the right to ponder the consequences of having pro-gay agenda powerhouses like these in positions that afford them so much opportunity to move that agenda throughout society.

The Next Time MSM Bleat About "Obscene CEO Salaries" ...

You've seen the endless stories about obscene CEO salaries and bonuses, right? Turns out the media -- especially the Grand Dame of 'em all, the NYT -- is showing it can do "obscene" quite well, too.

NYT shares lost 11% last year, so if you're a widow hoping those 1,000 shares you've got will do you well, you saw your investment drop by by $3.76 a share. Tough for you, but not tough for the gal in the picture, NYT CEO Janet Robinson, 56, who oversaw the dramatic decline in the NYT's value.

Robinson got an 11 percent pay raise, including stock awards, to collect $4.4 million , plus she's squirreled away another $4.13 million in restricted stock. To accomplish this feat, gleefully reports the NYPost,

... directors revised its bottom-line bonus formula to exclude embarrassing write-downs, converting millions in losses into instant profits of $1.58 per share.

As a result, the revisions triggered a payday clause to unleash 75 percent of the cash bonuses targeted for top executives and family members that otherwise would have been lost, filings said.

The man most to blame for the NYT's diminishing credibility, Chairman Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger, 55, was due no bonus because the company didn't meet his bonus targets, but says the Post, "the board voted anyway to let him collect as much as $3.4 million in bonus and stock awards by using more optimistic cash flows instead of final earnings per share."

Pinch winced,though, and accepted a mere $560,521 for not making his bonus target.

How do you spell liberal mainstream media? H-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e-s.

He's Not A Scientist, But He Plays One In Films

One question, and one question only about the NYT's story today dressing down Al Gore for hyping up global warming hysteria:

Why didn't they run it before the Oscars?

The controversy regarding Gore's statements about the amount of ocean rise, the frequency of hurricanes and the level of blame to be placed on humans has been growing from much earlier in Gore's hype-history than the release of An Inconvenient Truth.

Check out this Canadian article from last June, that leads off with this quote:

"Gore's circumstantial arguments are so weak that they are pathetic. It is simply incredible that they, and his film, are commanding public attention."

That's from a professor at the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at Australia's James Cook University. It ran in the Canadian Free Press; maybe the NYT missed that. But how could they miss the controversy over CNN's Glenn Beck's comment:

Now, what happened where this thing falls apart -- and it won't for most people who go to this movie -- is he then projects what's coming. Again, it's the projection that's the problem. See, when you take a little bit of truth and then you mix it with untruth, or your theory, that's where you get people to believe. You know? It's like Hitler. Hitler said a little bit of truth, and then he mixed in "and it's the Jews' fault." That's where things get a little troublesome, and that's exactly what's happening. Now, if Al Gore's projection is right about the CO₂ level going as high as he says it will, then the temperature here on planet Earth will be about 400,000 degrees. We'll be the sun; we'll be the frickin sun. But that's a huge "if."

That was in June 2006.

The NYT waited until hype had conquered all, Al had his Oscar and the malleable easy-believers were firmly in the Warmie camp before they broke ranks with this article.

Obviously, the motivation was to be the hard-hitting truth-teller they see themselves being. But by waiting so long to tell the obvious story, they've merely proven that they can be trusted to be at the head of the journalistic pack, then grandstand by breaking out of it.