Archive: May, 2009
With gay marriage fever sweeping the nation (especially Red Sox Nation), it's still hard to imagine Pennsylvania -- a.k.a. "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between" -- as getting caught up. The Keystone State is diverse melting pot of people, but that pot has been larded with our own unique blend of social conservatism. When I was researching my cover story on same-sex marriage for today's Daily News, I was surprised to learn that political numbers guru Nate Silver, in contructing a nationwide map of where gay marriage will next win support, had us pegged at enacting such a law just three years from now. From my article:
Some experts believe that Pennsylvania will eventually join the list of states - which now includes Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, Connecticut and Maine, as well as the District of Columbia - that have legalized gay marriage or are about to and, in fact, that the day of reckoning might come sooner than people expect.
Worked a different shift and wrote a fair and balanced article about gay marriage for tomorrow's DN -- so I'll see you tomorrow!
The empire struck back today, as Inquirer editorial page editor Harold Jackson (that's our policy here at Attytood, to use people's actual names when we know who they are) gave what amount to a three-quarters-throated defense of giving U.S. torture architect -- and (native) Philadelphian! -- John Yoo a monthly contract. This is my third post in the last seven days regarding Yoo -- I can't promise it will be my last because with blogging you can never say "never" -- but I hope Harold's column is a good point for winding this thing down.
Three things.
This will not help save newspaper journalism.
Plus, when someone criticizes torture and their methods are unethical, that means that torture is now ethical. I believe that's an old proverb.
I got a few snarky emails or blog comments yesterday from Michael Smerconish listeners (I thought conservatives had stopped listening to him....). My stumbling voice-for-print is certainly a fair enough target, but a couple of people were also outraged when I said that the primary goal of the torture program as it unfolded became less to get real actionable intelligence and more to get info that was desired by Dick Cheney that would falsely link al-Qaeda and thus 9/11 to Saddan Hussein and Iraq, justifying the war they went ahead and fought anyway.
OK, maybe I'm not a primary source on this, but how about Lawrence Wilkerson, the former Army colonel and Colin Powell aide (and Republican). Here's what he wrote today:
OK, they're not exactly the same -- President Obama can probably say "I am not a crook"and really mean it. But when it comes to important issues of war and national security, the new president is starting to pull a Nixon, taking office in a time of great national tumult and despair, promising changes...and then largely carrying on the discredited policies of his predecessor.
Keep talking...I'm not working today (officially, for a change) but I expect to be back tomorrow. Did President Obama do anything horrible in the meantime...he did what?
(Photo from The 700 Level.)
The New York Times, the so-called "paper of record," adds to the record of how torture architect John Yoo got that Inquirer column:
Harold Jackson, The Inquirer’s editorial page editor, said he was surprised by the sudden delayed anger directed his way over Mr. Yoo. He said the decision to hire a columnist was his, but that “Mr. Yoo was suggested by the publisher,” John (sic..er, that should be Brian-ed.) Tierney.
A newspaper blogger is only as good as his software, and mine is undergoing some kind of "maintenance" that keeps eating my post. I'll have to try again tomorrow.
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