Roaming the Frogsphere....

Froggy has posted a letter, entitled Stop Using My Service As A Shield, written by a SEAL Chief friend of his, addressed to the San Diego Union Tribune. Since they don't have the balls to print it, liberals are such gutless twerps, Froggy posted it on his blog Froggy Rumininations.

Secondly, I have had enough of these people using my service as a shield for their seditious statements and cowardice. They claim to support us as troops but not the policies of our government. This to me makes no sense as we have all volunteered to serve, many after September 11, 2001. So, this logic does not work. And, I can tell you from personal experience that seeing these protests is incredibly painful when you are in serving in combat. I understand that most people do not read or understand history, but if they did they would understand that they are giving aid to the enemy by holding these rallies, prolonging the conflict as it emboldens the insurgency.

Sadly, we had to suffer through two inane comments by Tweedle-dum and Tweedle- dumber aka CL and Spartree, but Froggy gave as good as he got!

I'm also going to repost- in its entirety- a comment from Beth Barnat:

The following is from Neal Boortz' blog yesterday (8-29), regarding WMD. In my opinion, Saddam and his sons WERE the Weapons of Mass Destruction, but here's the text:

WMD FOUND IN IRAQ

The media is fond of reminding us that no Weapons of Mass Destruction were ever found in Iraq. This has been the clarion call of the Democrats for a couple of years now. However, did you know that WMD were found in Iraq? Not just a couple...but lots of them. A mother who lost her son in Iraq was interviewed on Fox News had this to say: "I have seen photos of entire fighter jets buried in the sand. I have seen pictures of entire caches of weapons that just my son's unit would uncover." I wonder why we never hear much about that one? Here's also a nice little list of what was found:

-500 tons...that's right...TONS...make that 1million pounds of yellow cake uranium. It was found at Saddam's nuclear weapons facility (yup...he had one of those too.)

-1.8 tons of partially enriched uranium found at the same place. You know, the stuff you need to make nukes.

-Hidden centrifuge parts and blueprints.

-Two dozen artillery shells loaded with Sarin and mustard gas.

Sounds like WMD to me!

Sure does, Beth.................sure does!

Help! He's A Hollywood Republican

I am a Hollywood Refugee.....and Robert Avrech is a very successful Hollywood screenwriter, a Brooklyn conservative jew,and a Hollywood Republican.

His body of work includes a favorite of mine "The Devil's Arithmatic"

He recently penned a funny yet honest look at what its like to be a Hollywood Republican, an experience that seems...familiar...LOL!

I 'm A Hollywood Republican, appeared in the Jewish Pres and Frontpage Magazine. If you want to know more about Robert, check out his blog Seraphic Secret.

Let’s be clear about one thing. Hollywood people are glamorous. But that’s about it. They are ill informed about jihad. They are ill informed about Islam. They are ill informed about Israel, the PA, Iraq, Afghanistan. They are ill informed about U.S. history, the Constitution, etc. The truth is, the movie people I’ve met are ignorant about most everything — save the weekend grosses of the top ten films. That they know like human computers.

The weekend grosses are what everyone lives for and dies by in Tinseltown. They can reduce grown men and women to tears, send others running to their shrinks, or guarantee that you'll still be able to get a reservation at the latest uber hip restaurant, and that people will return your calls!

Hollywood, once upon a time, was one of the most patriotic colonies on the planet. During World War II, Frank Capra made a series of propaganda films titled “Why We Fight.” Marlene Dietrich put herself through a most grueling schedule visiting and entertaining our troops and selling war bonds. Jimmy Stewart joined the Air Force. Numerous movie stars put their careers on hold to help the war effort. These men and women loved America and understood who the enemy was and why the enemy had to be not only defeated but obliterated from the face of the earth.

Look at Hollywood now. Sean Penn goes to Iraq and apologizes for American war crimes. Hollywood’s patron saint is Michael Moore, its liturgy his package of lies, the movie “Fahrenheit 9/11.” When this film had its Hollywood premiere, the red carpet was choked with stars just dying to make an anti-Bush statement. We’re talking about movie stars who know basically nothing about politics. To call them fools would be generous. I have spent time with too many of these people, and believe me, if you’re not talking about how beautiful or how talented they are, the conversation sort of just dies.

ROFLMAO.....ain't that the truth! While there are some exceptions..for the most part...these are really vacuous people being paid too much money to do very little!

When I worked in the biz, I actually read the paper to glean knowledge about the world at large, while most people in Hollywood read the paper seeking out some story that could be turned into a movie of the week. Need I say more! And yet these same people feel oh so freaking qualified to discuss, comment on, and offer up their thoughts and unsolicited opinions on International Relations, World Politics, and The War on Terror!

These Hollywood liberals spend their lives negotiating. They believe that when the time comes they will sit down with Osama bin Laden and cut a deal.

I can just hear the Hollywood power brokers..."Hey Osama, have your people, call my people,and let's do lunch!

Hat Tip to Bad Bob for the link!

Diaries of Danger

Today, The National Post, a Canadian newspaper, did a front page feature on Canadian milbloggers, written by Seri Agrell.

Canadian milbloggers.....Now thats a rarity! Milblogging has not caught on with Canadian forces in general, and those that do exist, do not offer up the same kind of intense and evocative topics that American milblogs provide their loyal audiences with.

The story features Capt Martin Anderson's blog, written while he served in Afghanistan.

On July 28th, a message from a man called Tariq appreaed on his blog. While not directly threatening, the message included a comment that could be perceived as a "warning".

This, along with the potential security threat posed by blogging soldiers, prompted the Canadian Forces to order soldiers not to post sensitive information in blogs, emails, or online chats. Interesting to note that in Afghanistan, the computer access of Canadian soldiers is confined to a truck that can be shut down instantly, providing an element of control, not so readily available to American Commanders.

The article goes on to say that the USDef Dept has adopted different and less honour based system aimed a regulating what milbloggers say,which as we know includes having them register their blogs with their units, and making them subject to quarterly checks for OPSEC viloations.

This article also references the Wired piece, by John Hockenberry, Blogs of War, and quotes a recent entry by Neil Prakash, as well as a very recent entry by Capt Danjel Bout.

Ahh...fame grows!!! LOL!

While there is no official monitoring policy of Canadian milblogs, the new policy makes it clear that someone is listening! "We make the assumption that the enemy is smart and has the capacity, if not the willingness, to listen to what we're saying, whether it be in the e-mail I write my wife, or the phone calls I make back home", siad Lt-Col Anderson.(Not related to Capt Anderson)

The idea that a soldier could unintentionally tip off the enemy has Capt Anderson nervous. He feels its only a matter of time, before the Canadian Military also requires blogs to be registered.

It became very clear to the Canadian brass, as well as to Capt Anderson, that the enemy was reading what he was writing, and " he's reading what a couple of others are writing, and he's starting to put things together"

Milblogs are a much needed counterpoint to an all too liberal biased MSM, hellbent on allowing their hatred for Pres Bush, Republicans, and their myopic love of all dictators paint an unfair picture of the war on terror; but it would be prudent for both American and Canadian milbloggers to pay heed to Capt Anderson when he says " its never just what you've done, its what a collection of people have done, that provides the information that allows formulated plans to take shape".

We can't afford to have our milblogs turn into Diaries of Danger.

Over There

For those who don't get the online version of the NY Times I have decided to post this article in its entirety.

Iraq Veteran's Question "Over There"

by David Carr.

Soldiers will often say that survival depends on the ability to make quick judgments about countless small things.

Was that a cat or a sniper I saw in the window? Is that car speeding up because its occupants are being pursued or because they want to kill me? And that bump in the roadside, is it a divot from the last convoy or a trace of an improvised explosive device?

Little wonder then that "Over There," the first television dramatic series about a war in progress, is coming under fire, from people who served in Iraq, for getting the small things wrong. Television requires drama. Soldiers prefer precision. So when a group of grunts is shown clumped together on a berm making themselves a rich target or an improvised explosive device has a little flag on it, they tend to question the series as a whole.

Through the Web and various veterans groups, The New York Times contacted more than a dozen soldiers, all of whom had been on active duty in Iraq and have since returned. They had a variety of opinions on the war they served in, but were almost universally negative about the show that attempts to depict it. (A spokeswoman for the United States Army declined to comment on the series.)

When Steven Bochco's "Over There" began last month, many military blogs immediately began pumping round after round of ack-ack into it, suggesting that it is both opportunistic and clueless. (The FX series will broadcast the fifth of its 13 episodes tonight.)

"There are a few bad war movies and TV shows, but this one takes the cake," said a recent post to Boots on the Ground, a blog written by an Army soldier currently serving in Iraq (bootsonground.blogspot.com). "If the inaccuracies they made in this new show was to keep the real enemy from watching and knowing our real tactics, then they did a SUPERB job."

Mr. Bochco, who was lauded for the authenticity of his cop shows - "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue" - is a bit mystified by the response. "Anecdotally, we have been getting a good response from soldiers, but some of them tend to get hung up on the specifics of what you are doing, whether that piece of equipment or that particular weapon is wrong," Mr. Bochco said in a telephone interview two weeks ago. "But by and large, I think they are impressed with the show's reality, our attempt to convey the truthfulness of the experience and portray their emotional lives as well."

You could understand why Mr. Bochco feels a bit fragged. He set out to render visible a war, one that has produced thousands of dead and wounded, that goes conveniently unnoticed by most Americans. He has never been to Iraq, but hired several consultants who had served, in order to get an authentic look and feel for his series.

To the civilian eye, his portrait of men and women fighting for their lives and their country, usually in that order, is a reminder that the rhetoric of politicians exacts a savage consequence from those who must live the reality of warfare. And that the series is appearing while the conflict is still under way reflects the immediacy of this war, which can be seen in almost real time, while etching its remoteness to most people here.

"This is a war that does not immediately affect most of the country," said Robert Timmons, who lives on Staten Island and served in the Army infantry in Iraq in 2003. "People here see yellow ribbons on cars, but they see very little of the reality of the war other than short stories on CNN when American soldiers die. This series is over the top, but anything that brings attention to a war that is not getting much coverage is helpful."

But soldiers who fought in Iraq, many of whom brought high expectations to the series, said that the devil is in the details.

"We see sand, we see guns and we see people in helmets," said Benjamin Flanders, who served as a military police sergeant in 2004 and 2005 as a member of the New Hampshire National Guard in and around Baghdad. "But I don't think that it addresses the real issues of being a soldier or what is going on in Iraq."

Rowe Stayton, a former lawyer who volunteered for duty in the Army National Guard at age 50, said that the series had affected him even though, as a fire team leader in 2004, the war he experienced was a close-in, urban affair, not a battle fought out in vast expanses of the desert.

"There are parts of it that still bring to mind thoughts and memories of things that I have not been thinking about for months and years," he said. An episode about events going awry at a checkpoint was particularly vivid. "Innocent civilians did get shot. It is in the nature of the war, but we used a tremendous restraint."

Much of what Mr. Bochco is taking hits over has to do with the generic requirements of television. To create storylines, he uses characters who scan to some people as clichés - the gung-ho all-American white kid who is maimed, the bitter dope-smoking black guy. And necessarily, action must be compressed, which does not reflect the grinding reality of real-time soldiering, a mix of weeks of boredom interrupted by occasional moments of terror. In blogs and interviews, soldiers suggested that the Army unit Mr. Bochco depicts saw more action in the first few episodes than they did in their entire tours.

"Vets are concerned with getting it right," said Paul Rieckoff, a former Army platoon leader and the executive director of Operation Truth, a veterans' advocacy group. "And I think it is sad that no percentage of the proceeds go to any veterans or family charities. Some of the money that is being made should go to the people who have died."

"Over There" has received its share of favorable reviews. But after a brisk start - the series garnered 4.1 million viewers for its first show, making it the most watched cable program on the night it ran - it then lost almost half its audience in the second week, dropping to 2.6 million viewers. In the third week, it managed to find a plateau, and then last week, "Over There" had just a 2 share, suggesting that there is not much momentum building over all. So far, the show has had a 2.4 rating average, which is far from a hit, but it bettered the average performance of the critically acclaimed "Rescue Me" in the same time slot last year.

If the show is going to find the kind of attention that will sustain it, the audience will probably be among civilians. "The reviews from G.I.'s I've seen are 100 percent negative; there is no array," said John Harriman, a Vietnam veteran and author who created the Mudville Gazette, an online community of soldiers who support the war and those fighting it (www.mudvillegazette.com). Mr. Harriman said that soldiers were amazed to see anachronistic Vietnam-era helicopters, and pointed out that the squad depicted seems to be just getting to know one another, which does not comport with how units are deployed.

Mr. Bochco said that within the limits of television and his budget, he is proud of what he and his team have accomplished. "Let me put it this way," he said. "If I had even a small amount of the money that the country is spending to fight this war, every detail would be there and it would look amazing." Mr. Bochco, who created a jittery visual lexicon with "NYPD Blue," has again innovated in "Over There," adopting a fuzzy, satellite-phone look, while using the short-form jargon of "Sopranos"-cum-soldiers to emphasize the high-intensity experience.

Some soldiers, however grudgingly, will admit that he got a few things right. A shot of a soldier on a computer sending a video message to his wife that is panned away from to show her in bed with another man rings true, as does the theme of boots on the ground paralyzed by politics from above. The fact that a convoy that ends badly was out on a beer run sounded familiar to some, as well.

Sean Huze, an actor who volunteered for the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks and who served in Iraq in 2003, is dealing with some similar issues in the current run of "The Sand Storm," a play about his experiences in the war that is being performed through Sept. 25 at the MetroStage in Alexandria, Va.

"I think it was certainly a noble effort that Mr. Bochco made," Mr. Huze said. "It's funny, I have spoken to people who weren't 'over there,' and they had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the show. Having experienced the war as an infantry soldier in the Marines, it's hard not to pick it apart. But if it sparks a conversation, it can probably do a lot more good than the talking heads who are always going on about this war.

Later on...I'll offer up my thoughts. But right now, dinner awaits.
(originally posted 6:31 pm August 24, 2005)

Update: My Thoughts

I am a fan of Steven Bochco. His landmark series, Hill Street Blues, altered the way we watched television, moving us from being a passive observer, to one that was engaged viscerally through the use of innovative jittery camerawork. NYPD Blue took it one step farther with some of the best writing,acting, directing and stories one could hope to find on tv!

I also like the idea that someone in the liberal anti war, anti Bush, pro-terrorist, pro-dictator world of Hollywood, has opted to make a series about the war in Iraq, a war still in progress.

Is it opportunistic? Everything Hollywood does is about making money! But it's not more opportunistic than Hill Street Blues, or NYPD Blue, was. Both those dramas are about "real" forces, albeit not forces fighting in Iraq, but forces fighting on the streets of America:our police forces! No one suggested giving those men and women any share of the revenues Mr. Bocho's shows generated, so that someone would suggest doing so in this case may seem unfair, but if one considers the very vocal position Hollywood has taken with regards to our War on Terror, it seems understandable.

But the idea, as put forth by David Carr, that Bocho has tried to"render visible a war that has gone conveniently unnoticed by most Americans," thereby implying Steven's attempt is a noble one, annoys me to no end.

Which Americans have conveniently not noticed this war? The liberals who have decided that this war is evil and vile and have chosen only to report the failures and deaths, while choosing to ignore completely or barely report on ALL the positive successful achievements such as: the building of roads and schools, the modernizing of infrastructures, women being trained in the new Iraqi police force, the thousands of insurgents captured by our troups and Iraqi forces, the letter to Al Zarquawi ADMITTING the insurgency was losing, the historic election in which Iraqi's voted even under the threat of death, and the monumental formation of an Iraqi constitution by the people for the people, and.the process of democracy unfolding before our eyes in an Arab nation in the heart of the Middle East which has barely registered a passing nod!

Or could he be referring to those of us who have simply opted to no longer watch or read the limited and BIASED media reports on the war, but have instead chosen to read milblogs, and blogs written by Iraqi's, thereby causing ratings and readerships within the MSM to DIVE.

Now correct me if I'm wrong - but didn't this country have a tight Presidential election in which the BIGGEST issue wasn't really about family values, but rather who would best lead this country in the War on Terror??? That would be the "war that has largely gone unnoticed"!

And what about the MILLIONS of Americans who support our troups with an overwhelming amount of CARE PACKAGES and EMAILS, and LETTERS, not to mention toys and clothing for Iraqi and Afghani children, and their loyalty to milbloggers...who are blogging about "this war that has gone unnoticed"!

Tell me again, David, which Americans have "conveniently not noticed this war"??

I also beg to differ with Robert Timmons. I think he is underestimating just how MANY Americans are very much aware of the reality of war.

Milbloggers are bringing home that reality through their writing, which both surpasses and excels anything the writers of "Over There" have produced thus far!

Maybe the reason the show is doing so badly in the ratings, is because we can get a more honest, real, raw, evocative account by reading Milblogs. We can experience the sounds, the sights, the smells, the fears, the anger, the relief, the sadness, the grief, the loss, the excitement and the joy our troups experience daily!

One need only read Michael Yon's blog to see the kind of real picture painted by his words. While most of us depend on visual imaginery for a visceral reaction, his writing manages to bring forth from within us all kinds of emotions. His pics capture images caught in the moment that are not contrived for a tv series.

Add to that, a buffet of blogs from Danjel Bout, Neil Prakesh, Rusten Currie, Michael from" A Day In Iraq", Sminkey from "In Iraq for 365" to name a few, and Americans are experiencing a reality that Bochco has yet to be able to capture despite his "attempt to convey the truthfulness of the experience and portray their emotional lives as well."

"Over There" is weak in writing, over the top in emotion, unrealistic in its detail, sloppy in its execution, and the acting leaves alot to be desired; no where near the level of NYPD Blue, and Hill Street Blues!

Why watch something so sub par, and / or the continous biased slanted reporting of the MSM, when we can get so much more from Milbloggers and more importantly, we get a deep dose of reality, not badly contrived reality, but the honest emotional reality of war!

The devil is in the details! Bocho's previous shows were extremely successful and "real" precisely because he paid attention to detail. Hairstyles, music, cars, weapons, uniforms, issues, and conflicts, all realistically reflected the era they portrayed.

To claim that if he had even a "small amount of money that the country is spending on this war " he could have made the show look amazing with every detail" being there" is disingenuous and a freaking cop out from one of Hollywood's most talented and successful tv producers. And trust me, when you consider that most of his one hour dramas cost close to a million a week to produce, the absurdity of that remark becomes clear. It's a dig at the Bush Administration, as is this clearly BIASED opinion by David Carr "To the civilian eye, his portrait of men and women fighting for their lives and their country, usually in that order, is a reminder that the rhetoric of politicians exacts a savage consequence from those who must live the reality of warfare. And that the series is appearing while the conflict is still under way reflects the immediacy of this war, which can be seen in almost real time, while etching its remoteness to most people here."

"Fighting for their lives and country in that order"!!!! I beg to differ, but our deployed men and women will tell you that they are fighting for their COUNTRY first and foremost, to protect freedom and democracy for ALL Americans, including the hollywood fuckwits and MSM left wing elites!

"A reminder of the rhetoric of politicians" - another dig at Pres Bush and Republicans!

"...while etching its remoteness to most people here" If by most people he means left wing liberals, the MSM and the Hollywood elites, then he's right.... but beyond that, this war is ANYTHING but remote to more than half the people of this country.

I don't need to watch a badly contrived Hollywood version of the war on terror to understand whats happening in Iraq. Thanx to milbloggers, I can experience the real sights, sounds, and smells going on"Over There".

Have A Little Faith

"You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies." -Psalm 23:5


Sgt B. over at The Gun Line has written an insightful, almost poetic post entitled "A Grunt and A God"

I've seen men who, by all rights, should be dead, who walk out of the fire unscathed.

Coincidences? Maybe, but I'm not going to try to wrap my mind around the dynamics; they're too big for me... I'm going to give God the benefit of the doubt, and continue to march...

After all, He's God, right?

Have a little faith...

Or just ask the Marines of the 1st Btn, 5th Regiment. There are some places where you just don't expect to find God. One of those places was downtown Baghdad. When the smoke settled, God's footprints were clearly visible.

A Table In The Presence, by Lt.Carey Cash, chaplain serving with the US Marines, is the stirring, evocative, eloquent, dramatic firsthand account of how this Btn experienced God's presence amidst the chaos of the war in Iraq.

You will believe!

The Case For Victory

Tony Blankely has written a wonderful op- ed piece, The Case For Victory, in one of my favorite papers, The Washington Times.

I've excerpted some parts that resonated strongly with me:

In Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, reporters Farnaz Fassihi and Christopher Cooper wrote the phrase: "Mr. Bush and others have stopped talking so much of an outright victory in Iraq as they focus on plans to train Iraqi soldiers ... so American troops can come home."

The Wall Street Journal version of reality is of a piece with the liberal journalists I debate on radio and television. They are keeping up a constant drum beat of not only their own defeatism, but the regular suggestion that President Bush also has stopped calling for victory in Iraq.

In a major USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll from three weeks ago 32 percent of the public said we can't win the war in Iraq. Another 43 percent predict victory, while — critically — 21 percent say "the United States could win the war, but they don't think it will."
If one adds that "could win, but don't think we will win" 21 percent to the 43 percent who predict victory — one has a very solid 64 percent supporting the war.

But although President Bush suffers from a biased, defeatist mainstream media, he still holds his (and our nation's) fate largely in his own hands.

We are a country of 300 million citizens with an annual GDP of twelve trillion dollars and the lead in virtually all human technologies. Within a couple of years we can marshal whatever level of resources — men and material — that are needed to win on this front of the war.

Defeat being unacceptable, victory must be seen as inevitable.

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies!

Paul Krugman wrote an op ed piece in the NY Times ( where else) once again crying about how the 2000 election was stolen from Gore, and of course, how the 2004 election was stolen from Kerry.

Y A W N!

Do liberals have nothing ELSE to whine and moan about? I mean come on...where is the outrage at Michael Moore NOT winning an Oscar for Fullofshit 9/11???

Most of Krugman's op ed pieces are filled with lies....but then again...that shouldn't come as any surprise, after all, Paul Krugman was a former ENRON ADVISOR.

Paul Krugman....Bush Hater, ENRON ADVISOR! 'Nuff Said!

But I do encourage everyone to read Richard Baehr's piece entitled Krugman's Big Lie.

I LOVE how he tears apart Krugmans lies, distortions, and half truths!

Major Kudos to Richard....the piece is brilliant!


Hat tip, about Richard Baehr, to Betsy Newmark guest blogging for Michelle Malkin

Project Valour IT

Soldiers Angels has embarked on a very special mission: Project Valour IT. Their goal is to provide voice controlled software and laptop computers to every wounded Soldier, Airmen, Marine, and Seamen, recovering from hand and arm injuries, in major military medical centers.

Every cent raised goes DIRECTLY to purchasing and shipping laptops, software, and equipment to wounded service members.

The project came together when a recently wounded milblogger, Capt Zeigenfuss, and another blogger, Fuzzybear Lioness (FbL) realized they shared a vision of creating libraries of laptops with voice-controlled software that could be brought to the bedsides of wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers' Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour IT was born. Project Valour IT honours our wounded servicemen and women, and also honours the memory of both their respective fathers, who taught them lessons of courage and generosity.

Please spread the word to all your local papers, radio stations, friends,church groups, office co-workers, golf buddies, and find some creative fun exciting ways to raise donations; how about a bowling for donations tournament, or a neighborhood car wash, or a bake sale...or just donate on your own,through paypal.

And to all those in media that spent WEEKS chasing after me for interviews, why not give the George Smith story a rest, and help draw attention to this wonderful project by giving it some coverage.

Let's help them turn this into a successful mission!

Fair And Balanced - They Still Don't Get It!

I've been catching up on my reading today, and came across an interesting article in the NY Times written by Katharine Seeyle.

Rosemary Goudreau, the editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune, has received the same e-mail message a dozen times over the last year.

"Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?" the anonymous polemic asks, in part. "Did you know that 3,100 schools have been renovated?"

"Of course we didn't know!" the message concludes. "Our media doesn't tell us!

Since Ms Goudreau's paper, like MOST papers, receives its news from the AP, she decided to contact Mike Silverman, the AP's Managing Editor, prompting a discussion at a meeting in NY by the editors whose papers are AP members.

The editors expressed concern that a kind of bunker mentality was preventing reporters in Iraq from getting out and explaining the bigger picture beyond the daily death tolls.

"The bottom-line question was, people wanted to know if we're making progress in Iraq," Ms. Goudreau said, and the A.P. articles were not helping to answer that question.

"It was uncomfortable questioning The A.P., knowing that Iraq is such a dangerous place," she said. "But there's a perception that we're not telling the whole story."

Mr. Silverman agreed that this was the general perception. "Other editors said they get calls from readers who are hearing stories from returning troops of the good things they have accomplished while there, and readers find that at odds with the generally gloomy portrayal in the papers of what's going on in Iraq," he said.

Now, while all this is good so far, here is what Mr. Silverman said that ANNOYED ME."I was glad to have that discussion with the editors because they have to deal with the perception that the media is emphasizing the negative," he said.

THE PERCEPTION that the MSM is emphazing the negative??!!
ITS NOT A PERCEPTION..ITS REALITY. His choice of words implies that we, the public, are all suffering from some kind of mass misperception.

He then says "We're there to report the good and the bad and we try to give due weight to everything going on," he said. "It is unfortunate that the explosions and shootings and fatalities and injuries on some days seem to dominate the news.

Its UNFORTUNATE that they SEEM to dominate the news??? SEEM??? What freaking alternate reality is Mike living it. The MSM selectively CHOOSES to emphasize the explosions, fatalities, and insurgent victories!

And the reason they DO so is because anything positive coming out of Iraq, such as the email to Al Zarquawi which clearly stated how the "insurgency" was weakening and losing, is relegated to page six, is because IT DOESNT FIT INTO THEIR LEFT WING AGENDA THAT IS HELLBENT ON FRAMING THIS WAR AS A FAILURE AND ANOTHER VIETNAM SO AS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO VILIFY PRESIDENT BUSH. Originally it was done to alter the outcome of the 2004 elections, but now that this failed, the MSM is continuing this unfair, biased reporting, in order to shape the 2006 elections, and the 2008 Presidential elections!

While HOURS on end of newstime and resources are spent focusing on "the Natalie Holloway and George Smith disappearances", and while most of the facts surrounding his death are ignored in order to put forth salicious innuendos, and truths are twisted to once again reflect their bogus theories; time and resources, better spent covering the events in Iraq in a fair and balanced way, is lost.

How about reading Michael Yon's dispatches, and working those into your stories, Mike???

One of the things the editors felt was that as much context as you can bring, the better," Ms. Dardarian said. "They wanted them to get beyond the breaking news to 'What does this mean?' "

She also said that as Mr. Silverman and Kathleen Carroll, The A.P.'s executive editor, responded to the concerns, the editors realized that some questions were impossible to answer. For example, she said, the editors understood that it was much easier to add up the number of dead than to determine how many hospitals received power on a particular day or how many schools were built.

Well Mike and Kathleen and Rosemary, how about reading any of the many Milblogs, as well as Michael Yon's dispatches, and including those in your stories. How about asking those reporters at the Palestine Hotel to travel to the bases where the milbloggers are located, and speaking with them and the men in their units, how about travelling to Mosul to speak with Michael Yon?

Hell....Michael travelled across Iraq in July...why didnt your reporters in Iraq set up some time to meet with him to help them get the big picture??. And if travelling to the bases to meet milbloggers is too dangerous..how about emailing them and calling them...and then how about crediting them with contributing to your stories!

And, how about reading Iraqi blogs, like Iraq The Model, or FreeIraqi...both of which offer up the Iraqi perspective on the successes, the setbacks, and the future!

The fact that many Americans are avid readers of milblogs as well as those two Iraqi blogs, should have been the impetus for you to use the those authors as "reliable sources". But lets face it, while their perceptions, their stories, and their insights, would serve to put the war in context, which is what you need badly, they would not lend credence to the cluster fuck mentality that you, in the left wing MSM, subscribe too, and that fact alone is why you simply refuse to do something as obvious and easy as what I've suggested!

Mr. Silverman said the wire service was covering Iraq "as accurately as we can" while "also trying to keep our people out of harm's way."

Mr Silverman is seriously disconnected from reality!

"The main obstacle we face," he said, "is the severe limitation on our movement and our ability to get out and report. It's very confining for our staff to go into Baghdad and have to spend most of " their time on the fifth floor of the Palestine Hotel," which is home to most of the press corps. The hotel was struck by a tank shell in 2003, killing two journalists.

Once again, Mike, I refer you to my above suggestions, let me reprint them one more time:

How about reading any of the many Milblogs, as well as Michael Yon's dispatches, and Iraqi blogs, including those in your stories! How about asking those reporters at the Palestine Hotel to travel to the bases where the milbloggers are located, and speaking with them and the men in their units, how about travelling to Mosul to speak with Michael Yon, or if all thats too dangerous, then have your people email or call them, as well as reading their blogs, and use their insights, and credit them in your articles!

Iraq remains the most dangerous place in the world to work as a journalist, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. At least 13 media workers have been killed in Iraq so far this year, bringing the total to 50 since the war began in 2003.

It ain't exactly a walk in the park for our deployed men and women, or for Michael Yon. Yet they manage to provide some of the best damn balanced perspectives on the war, on our succcesses, our failures, our challenges, and how we are winning the battles, and the hearts and minds of Iraqis. They share with us the triumphs and successes of the Iraqi's as well as their challenges and losses!

"Postwar Iraq is fraught with risks for reporters: Banditry, gunfire and bombings are common," the committee's Web site says. "Insurgents have added a new threat by systematically targeting foreigners, including journalists, and Iraqis who work for them."

So why bother having them their at all? It seems to me that IF they can talk about the failures, the deaths, the car bombs, and the rest of the negative shit, they sure as hell can find a way to talk about the other stories. Otherwise...get them the hell out of Iraq...we don't need your reporters to be in Iraq to "give us the news"....its a brave new world now, Mike, and we all know where we can go to get our news......Milbloggers, Iraqi Bloggers, and Michael Yon!

Bring back your reporters..there are plenty of stories stateside for them to mangle....errrrr.... cover.

Mr. Silverman said The A.P. had already decided before the meeting that it would have Robert H. Reid, an A.P. correspondent at large who has reported frequently from Iraq, write an overview every 10 days.

Wow....Im impressed. NOT!!! What overview will a member of the MSM be able to offer if he is faced with the same challenges the reporters at the Hotel Palestine are facing? From whom will he get his fair and balanced stories? How will he get them? And if he can do so, then why can't the rest of your reporters do the same? Unless you're planning on taking up any of my suggestions, I doubt we will see anthing different in the MSM.


Mr. Silverman also said the wire service would make more effort to flag articles that look beyond the breaking news. As it turned out, he said, most of the information in the anonymous e-mail message had been reported by The A.P., but the details had been buried in articles or the articles had been overlooked.

Oh puhlllleeezzzeee.......... the articles are NOT overlooked, they are damn near impossible to find, and frankly we are sick of trying to dig through the trash you put forth in order to find the one small line devoted to something good! We know where to go when we want to get our news on the War on Terror,and it's NOT the MSM!

Hint...I've already mentioned those places TWICE but in case you still need some guidance, start with my blogroll.

Before the meeting, The A.P. collected three articles by reporters for other news organizations who were embedded with American troops and sent them out over the wire to provide "more voice." Mr. Silverman said he wanted to do more of that but the opportunities were limited because there are only three dozen embedded journalists now, compared with 700 when the war began more than two years ago.

All Mike Silverman can do is come up with the same tired excuses!

One more time Mike, LOOK AT MY BLOGROLL, and reread what I suggested TWICE, that the answer to your "limited opportunities" excuse.

Ms. Goudreau, for one, found the discussion useful. By the end, she said, editors were acknowledging that even in their own hometowns, "we're more likely to focus on people who are killed than on the positive news out of a school.

And yet another cop out! "If it bleeds it leads" is SOOOOOOO over. This is why the MSM is losing its audience, be it print, or tv. Because we NO longer care for your old school habits.
We want to hear fair and balanced reporting. And if you can't give it to us, then close down your papers,and go find something else to do with your lives. I am no longer interested in the shit you're selling, and my spidey senses tell me, I'm not alone!

Risky Business

I have to wonder how some of the world's most popular actors are so unconvincing in their real life roles.

Before I left on the "Murder She Wrote-Mystery at Sea" cruise, another Cruise was sinking faster than the Titanic.

I am of course, referring to Tom Cruise, who was making the "talk show rounds" that celebs do prior to the release of their latest film, tv show, or cd.

Spielberg, hoping to bounce back from his last "Terminal"(ly) dead film, with the mega pricey "War of The Worlds", could not have anticipated the meltdown of one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

Tom has spent the better part of his career denying rumours of his sexuality, mostly out of fear that his box office revenue would dwindle, yet he spent the better part of this press tour acting like a fucking insincere fool!

Hey Tom:

Your over the top declarations of love for Katie Holmes on Oprah and Leno were so unbelievably insincere that it only served to bring up more questions about your sexuality!! Honestly at one point I almost expected you to shout out with glee "I stuck my penis in her gineeeey"

And engaging in discussions about subjects where your opinion is neither wanted nor valued; your attack of Brooke Shields (the former GERBER baby for heavens sake) and your jousting match with Matt Lauer debunking psychiatry and prescription medicine, while evangelizing about Scientology, only served to bring up questions about your SANITY!!

Did you REALLY expect that anyone outside of your immediate circle of "yes" men and handlers would believe your passionate attempt at convincing Billy Bush that you genuinely feel "responsibility because I care man, I care, I care about you, your children, these people in the room....and I mean it!"

Dude, if you thought your sexuality was going to negatively affect box office revenues, but that spouting out your badly written movie script to a rather savvy audience and evangelizing about Scientology was going to protect your box office clout...you were SOOOOOOOO wrong!

War of the Worlds F L O P P E D. BIG TIME.
Spielberg must thrilled with you!
I'm guessing when he tells the studio he wants Tom to star in his next film..... he'll mean Tom Hanks!!

Guess you didn't get the memo, Tom! You were supposed to be promoting "War of the Worlds" NOT engaging in war of the words with Matt Lauer! The movie was supposed to rescue Hollywood from the same meltdown you were publically having.

You really have no idea just how absofuckinglutely insincere you appear to Mr. and Mrs. America. Well... to be fair...not just you Tom, your buddy Russell Crowe with his lame apology to Nestor Estrada, and the self annoited prince of pop Michael "I am not a child molester" Jackson, are also oblivious to just how insincere they come across when trying to be "real".

Gawd Tom...All those people who kiss your ass..and not one of them could reign you in! Shheessh! Maybe you should REHIRE your former publicist, and pay close attention when told to shut up and smile! That might be the only way you prevent any futher " Collateral" damage.

I remember hearing someone comment on how Hollywood is the more powerful, more menancing and more ruinous of the two cults you belong to, Tom.

I think he may be right!

After, all, who better than you should know that even when you've got "All The Right Moves", Hollywood is still a "Risky Business".

Freedom, Courage, Sacrifice and Valour: A Message to Cindy Sheehan

Today, I read one of the most beautiful eloquent hearfelt compelling insightful commentaries on freedom and sacrifice, in an open letter addressed to Cindy Sheehan. The entire letter can be read on Iraq the Model.

At the beginning I told myself, this is yet another woman who lost a piece of her heart and the questions of war, peace and why are killing her everyday. To be frank to you the first thing I thought of was like "why should I listen or care to answer when there are thousands of other women in America, Iraq and Afghanistan who lost a son or a husband or a brother…”
But today I was looking at your picture and I saw in your eyes a persistence, a great pain and a torturing question; why?

Later he says "Freedom is not an American thing and it's not an Iraqi thing, it's what unites us as human beings".

I am sorry for Cindy's loss, but I am more saddened that Cindy Sheehan has decided to dishonour Casey's sacrifice in this classless manner.

It would also appear that she is disingenious.

I have seen pics of her with Pres Bush and she was BEAMING and I have read her comments made after meeting the President.

Excerpted from an article published in The Reporter.com

"But in the end, the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act. In addition, Pat noted that Bush wasn't stumping for votes or trying to gain a political edge for the upcoming election. "
"We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us," Pat said.That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said.

How quick Mrs Sheehan forgets!

It would seem Cindy has now chosen celebrity over sincerity and in doing so allowed herself to be manipulated by Michael MooreON and the left wing anti Bush media and activists.

In that respect she dishonors her son, and while I sympathize with a grieving mother, her insincere theatrics stink of a selfishness that stands in contrast to Casey 's SELFLESSNESS.

Perhaps it would benefit not just Cindy, but AmNUTSty International, Michael MooreON, the left wing media, the Hollywood fuckwits and left wing anti-Bush Dumocrats, not to mention Iraqi's and all citizens of free nations to read what Mohammed wrote in order to better understand Freedom, which is the cornerstone of any democracy, the ongoing struggle in Iraq, and the sacrifices Freedom demands of all of us!

Casey did not die for some misguided ideology that governs terrorists; rather he died for a noble cause: to help ensure that the God given inalienable right to freedom and to self determination are available to Iraqi's, and in turn, to all Arabs in the Middle East.

Eli Weizel, a man who has lost so much,who suffered terrible grief, who saw family and friends perish at the hands of evil, reminds us that "Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another.It is our gift to each other.Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings."

Casey sacrifice was about giving other human beings hope.

Casey now rests in peace, and I can only hope that Cindy can find her own inner peace.

(originally posted Aug 12 6:45 am)

UPDATED

I've just seen your ad- and it's both disingenuous and reprehensible, as are your online conversations with bloggers. Your 180 about-face stinks...and the more you keep this up - the worse you looks. I used to feel sorry for you Cindy...I used to have sympathy for you - a grieving mother who lost her son - but after watching the honorable, graceful,dignified, supportive, manner in which the parents of those Marines who died in the Battle of Fallujah have dealt with their loss..with such resolve and strength and dignity - well, Cindy, all I can say is that you come across as a selfish woman seeking publicity rather than a grieving mother seeking peace.

Each family member of those Marines killed in Fallujah has remained courageous as they have come to terms with the ultimate sacrifice made by their loved ones. Each mother and wife has displayed a quiet dignity, a strength, a resolve in dealing with their loss, and yet they still stand firm in the understanding that their loved one deaths were not in vain!

Their sons and husbands, just like Casey, died battling evil and the enemies of freedom! Enemies that would kill you rather than let you voice your anger through public display.

Casey died for our freedom and so that Iraqi's may also know freedom, and I am moved by his valor and sacrifice. However, I am sickened by your desire for celebrity..and your disingenuous undignified about-face.

How quick you forget your own words in 2004 upon meeting the President. Perhaps you should review them, they have been captured in print and in pictures on The Reporter.com and linked above. What happened to that brave mother? Where has she gone? You now appear far more consumed with celebrity than with grief!

"I wish no war would ever happen," injured Marine Klay South’s mother Janet has said. (Her son was wounded in the Battle of Fallujah) "That’s not how things are. There are evil people out there and evil regimes." All these mothers and wives believe in this mission, and support our President in his resolve to face down evil "EVIL cannot be run away from- we cannot hide from evil".

"There’s not one minute in any day that I don’t think about him," Ed Blecksmith told Fox News, about his son J.P.Blecksmith, the brave young platoon leader who was also killed in the battle of Falluhjah.

But, Blecksmith believed his son was doing the right thing, fighting the terrorists, freeing the people of Iraq from tyranny, paving the way for democracy there.

April Killian widowed at twenty three, also has a hard time making sense of the war - she thinks we rushed in there, but she hasn't chosen to seek the spotlight in the hideoous way you have..."my husband did not die in vain...he thought what he was doing was right and I backed him one hundred percent...you cannot put blame on anyone....but I wished it went the other way"

'You cannot put blame on anyone". At 23 yrs of age, Cindy, this grieving wife and mother has a maturity beyond her years. THIS IS HOW A BRAVE COURAGIOUS WOMAN DEALS WITH THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE MADE BY HER HUSBAND.

Like your son, Casey, and like these grieving fathers, wives, and mothers, you could have chosen to act heroically,Cindy,by demonstrating strength,dignity and resolve, but instead you have chosen celebrity over courage.

"Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Bias....What Bias?

I like Bernie Goldberg, and I love all three of his books, "Bias", "Arrogance" and his latest tome, "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America".

He's dead on when it comes to Bias and Arrogance in the Media. And I have to admit his latest book isn't too far off the mark! Where he and I will disagree is that I believe art, including films and tv shows, have traditionally been left of center, and I have no problem with shows like Will and Grace. In art, even modern day art forms, such as tv, films, book, and theatre, there is room for all kinds of perspectives and if it challenges us, makes us question our assumptions, bias and prejudices, and especially if in doing so, it enlightens us, then it has served its purpose.

Where we definately agree is that much of what Hollywood creates does NOT represent mainstream American thought, sensibilities or politics. When Hollywood elites begin to preach their mostly liberal values as the gospel, claiming them to be representative of mainstream american values, then it is they who are close minded, frightening, and disconnected from the truth.

I just finished reading an article by Ken Auletta, in the New Yorker, called The Dawn Patrol:The curious rise of morning television and the future of network news.

While none of what he shared comes as a surprise to me, especially regarding the egos of producers and on air talent, one particular revelation DID hit me hard.

In sharing Katie Couric's background, he mentioned her mother, Elinor, was a homemaker, and a Planned Parenthood Volunteer. PLANNED PARENTHOOD! Now this seemingly interesting and insignificant revelation may not appear to be of great importance, EXCEPT that it serves as further proof that Bernie Goldberg is right when he insists that liberal bias prevails in the MSM.

Let me elaborate:

In his book "Arrogance", in a chapter called, "Don't Confuse Journalist with Activist" Bernie quotes Abe Rosenthal, who once served as ringmaster to that bastion of liberal thought, The New York Times. Abe upheld the golden rule of journalism and described it this way
" I don't care if my reporters are fucking the elephants, but if they do, they aren't covering the circus". Translation: If a reporter takes a side on an issue, he cannot be allowed to cover news regarding that issue.

Bernie informs us of this "A CBS News employee who takes who takes a public position on a controverial issue OUTSIDE of work runs the risk of compromising his or her reputation for impartiality and fairness, and in so doing may damage the overall credibility of CBS News". from CBS Standards and Practices. I have no doubt that the same applies to ABC, CNN, and NBC.

Bernie then shares an exchange between Katie Couric and Whoopie Goldberg taken down verbatim by the Media Research Center. I won't quote it directly (buy his book) but in essence Katie asks Whoopie to talk about a very personal chapter in her book called CHOICE. During the exchange,Whoopie accidentally lets it slip that she AND Katie have marched together in a pro choice rally.

Again this may seem insignificant, and you may wonder how its related to media bias, but indulge me for a few more minutes, and I think this will become quite clear.

On January 6, 2005, Katie interviewed Michael Moore-ON and I blogged about it in a post called "Denial Is A River In Egypt".

In a conversation with Katie, the self deluded Moore-ON, who considers himself the barometer for the majority of Americans, insisted that the majority of American women are still pro choice. When Katie asked how he knew this, he claimed that all kinds of polls, from CNN, and USA Today, support this "fact". In reality, this isn't a fact, its merely a liberal assumption.

My question is two fold...

1)Where can I find any of these alleged polls that the liberal MSM took supportting this"fact"?

2)Why didn't Katie Couric challenge his statement and those sources?
Surely she must be aware of a Princeton Survey Research Study on Contemporary Feminism
entitled "Progress and Perils: A New Agenda For Women". After all Katie is a feminist and her mom volunteers for Planned Parenthood and this 140 page report on womens views which covered a range of issues INCLUDING Abortion, was commissioned by Fay Wattleton, Planned Parenthood's former president!

Am I to believe that Katie who earns a salary in the MILLIONS of dollars DIDNT know about this survey?? Her research team didnt know about it? No one at NBC knew about it??

But hey, I should be fair now, after all, how could Katie have known about it, the New York Times didn't cover it OR if they did it must have been buried waaaayyy in the back....and the other MSM outlets didn't seem to give it any coverage either, or if they did...it must have been slipped in during the commerical breaks!!

I wonder if the 'non biased' MSM never gave this story much coverage, because the central finding of this report, conducted in June 2004 for Fay Wattleton's organization The Center for the Advancement of Women, clearly proves that FAR from wanting abortion as readily available as botox, most women oppose the procedure.

As Wattleton wrote in the introduction, "There is significant and growing support for severe restrictions on abortion rights." 51 percent wanted to ban abortion altogether or to limit it to cases of rape, incest, and where the mother's life is endangered. Another 17 percent said the procedure should be available under stricter limits than now apply. And were theses women christian conservatives, or red state moms, NO, they were comprised of a cross section of American women!( details and breakdown were mentioned in "Denial is A River in Egypt")

51 percent constitutes a majority! So tell me again Michael and Katie, which way do the MAJORITY of women lean when it comes to abortion: Pro Choice or Pro Life???

Why did Katie never bother to dispute or question Michael's claims and the reliability of these alleged polls conducted by the LIBERAL PRO CHOICE main stream media? Why didn't she challenge him by mentioning Fay Wattleton's survey?

Could it have ANYTHING to do with the fact that Katie IS Pro choice, has marched along side Whoopie in Pro Choice rallies, and has a mom who volunteers for Planned Parenthood, a PRO CHOICE LIBERAL organization? Could the reason she never mentioned this study- conducted by the former President of Planned Parenthood no less -have anything to do with the fact that the results directly conflict with her PERSONAL viewpoint and HER activist agenda?

Noooo!!!! Come on now!!! How can that be possible??? After all the MSM elites keep insisting that there is NO BIAS in the media, and that Bernie Goldberg is wrong, misguided, disgruntled, a liar, and a hardline right wing Bush loving war mongering redneck conservative!
(I think the ONLY reason they have left out "Jesus loving Bible thumping Christian" is because he's jewish!!)

Katie Couric blantantly and unabashedly displayed BIAS in that interview with Michael Moore and in another interview laughed off Whoopie's revelation of her participation in Pro Choice rallies, with a girlish giggle, and said "Noooo..I'm not allowed to do that", thereby admitting she violated the network's book on Standards!

What possible explanation, other than liberal bias, can be offered up as to why the NBC newsroom, and by fiat, the NBC Network, which shares and supports her liberal pro choice left leaning agenda, laughed along with her during the interview, ignoring their OWN book of Standards. Why didn't they care that she was fucking the elephant and still covering the circus!

Bias.........what Bias??

To expound on the question Bernie Goldberg poses: Suppose some journalist worked for a network/ magazine / newspaper which harboured a right leaning agenda, and he/she marched in a pro life rally, had a mom who volunteered for The Pro Life Action League, and then had the gall to do interviews on the subject; do you think the liberal elites, including Katie Couric would be so nonchallant?

With Dignity, Grace and Respect

I'm sure this has begun to make its way through the blogsphere, and I want to help ensure this message is shared, that these voices are heard, and that Casey be remembered as the hero he is, and that he be honored with dignity, grace and respect.

I understand that his mom is grieving, and I feel for her, but I have to agree, that her actions appear to be politically motivated and do nothing to honor her son's memory, and his sacrifice.


The email (below) is from Cherie Quarterolo, who is speaking for the family and is Casey Sheehan's godmother. The email, with the statement contained, follows:


Hello again Melanie,

Our family has been so distressed by the recent activities of Cindy we are breaking our silence and we have collectively written a statement for release. Feel free to distribute it as you wish. Thanks – Cherie

In response to questions regarding the Cindy Sheehan/Crawford Texas issue:
Sheehan Family Statement:

The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.

Sincerely,

Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.

Desperate Lies!!

Just how naive do some people think I am.

Let this be a heads up to some people in the media:

Stop emailing me pretending to be a friend of George or "one" of "the boys"---I can smell a liar and a journalist a mile a way. Especially when you draw salacious conclusions, and put them forth to me. *shakes head*

Stop Instant Messaging me under names like "IeatRhino4dinner/lunch/breakfastwhatever, etc, pretending to be "an insider" a "friend to one of the boys" " and that you'd get into trouble if "he" knew you were talking to me, *rollseyes* or a friend of the late George Smith, who you miss dearly *shakes head*

You're all bad actors/actresses and you give yourself away: it's all in the questions you ask and the salacious theories you put forth, connecting two separate events, to create all kinds of scenarios for no reason other than to satisfy your warped imaginations, and it's the way in which you twist the facts around to point fingers at people you have randomly decided "must" be responsible for Georges disappearance, and it's your attempt at trying to solicit personal and private details about the boys.

Have you NO shame...NO scruples....NO sense of decency?

And stop placing comments in my blog pretending to be anything but who you really are--I can tell when a journalist is writing an entry--especially detailed ones and I can see your IP address!
Idiots!!

Haven't you noticed how I just ignore you, I don't reply or respond to your comments or emails. and the over 2 dozen Instant Messages ...well except for one who I knew was a reporter since he used his real name and identified himself as such(kudos to him) and the other on Friday nite who I knew from the get-go was lying, , but who I chose to "play" with for a few minutes while watching a sitcom. My response to most of the questions and salacious theories, consisted of one word *shrugs* Translation: I know you're a reporter fishing around and I am not biting!!

*shakes head* Sad....sad....sad.

Related:
Cruising The Med: Murder Mystery Mayhem
Cruising The Med: Setting The Record Straight
Cruising The Med: The Final Word
Yet Again
Cruising The Med: Honeymoon Murder Mystery

We're Just Friends!

Dealing with the media lately reminded me of a funny media related story that happened during my tenure in Hollywood.

I was attending the premiere of the much anticipated long awaited 3rd installment of an action adventure franchise. The premiere was held in two theatres to accomodate the huge number of attendees. The male lead, Brad White, rose to fame starring in a tv series, opposite a former model cum film star cum actress, Caryn Sherrard. Their on screen chemistry sizzled, but off screen they were as cold as two icebergs in the Arctic Circle. Let's say professional rivalery was an understatement. He had come from nowhere, and was starring in A list films, she barely had a career.

One's importance on the pecking order in Hollywood determined which of the theatres you'd be seated in. Theatre A was allocated to the films actors, the director, Producers, their friends, handlers, the press, and the latest A list celebs as well various others at the higher echelons of the pecking order. The second theatre, aptly called "the overflow theatre" seated ALL those on the lower rungs of power in tinseltowns hierarchy, including B -list actors, their handlers, and assorted "Hollywood Asses"(my term for anyone who worked as an assistant to whomever)

I was seated in Theatre A, and attended with John Dorrman, a publicist whose dad had been considered a " player" at one time. After seeing me "in action" in the theatre before the lights went down,he made a note of telling my boss that he had NEVER met anyone who could schmooze and work a room like I did. Truthfully, he wasn't kidding or being nice....even today, there aren't that many people who can network like I do.

After the movie ended, we were hanging outside, in front of the theatre, chatting to people we knew as they would walk by: this director, that actress, this writer, that producer. We opted not to attend the usual celeb filled "after party" (I swear my job description was Go To Movies, Go To Parties, Hang On Sets, Eat at great restaurants, Read 1000 scripts a yr, and go to major film festivals. Sleep was NEVER an option!) since neither of us was in the mood and I had an early breakfast meeting at The Four Seasons, the power spot for breakfast,and was then expected to attend the Casting Association Awards Lunch ( I swear this is the MOST selfcongratulatory business.....I attended a freaking award lunch, or dinner, every other week)

As we were chatting outside, along came another publicist, a close friend of John's, Steve Prescott, who had attended with his client, Manning Parker. Manning,whose successful series, would later turn him and his co stars into millionaires, hailed from the same hometown as me, a point that John made sure to mention when he introduced us. The crowd was loud, most people were still milling outside the theatre, and Manning, in an effort to facilitate conversation without need to shout at me, moved closer, as we engaged in conversation about our hometowns, people we knew in common, yada yada yada. At one point, I leaned back on my 4 inch stilletos and lost my balance. In a chivalarous manner, Manning reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist to prevent me for landing on my ass! As I laughed and thanked him, , I leaned closer into him to hear what snide yet charmingly funny remark he was making.

Unbeknown to either of us....it was at THAT very moment that a photographer snapped our pic.
Me leaning into Manning, smiling girlishly, as he mouthed his appropriately funny comment into my ear.

Later on , I would find out that the photographer had asked Manning's PR guy, Steve, who I was, and Steve, not thinking anything about a rather innocent question, offered up my name and occupation.

The next morning, I rushed out to my power breakfast, then dropped off a script at a clients home, , and then headed out to the CSA luncheon. The luncheon, like most events in Tinseltown, starts off with a" booze and schmooze":Wine, small appetisers, and much schmoozing before sitting down to a five course meal, offered up while accolades are being handed out for Excellence in Casting.

At the booze and schmooze, Manning came over to say Hi, we gave each the "Hollywood Hello" a hug and a small kiss on the cheeck. Withness by many, it was truly nothing out of the ordinary... or so I thought! Little did I know that this would add fuel to a fire I hadn't even known had been started!

Because I had raved the previous nite about how much I loved his show, he took this chance encounter as an opportunity to invite me to come for a set visit the next nite, meet the cast and watch the show being shot.

I accepted especially since the studio was about five minutes walking distance from me.We set a time I'd arrive, and he pulled out his cell, and called in a "walk on" pass for me, right then!(To get onto any studio lot, whether youre driving or walking on, you need to have your name left at a gate...and you need to specify which gate it will be at!)

Manning was at this event to present one of the casting directors with her award, so he headed to the back door that would give him access to the dias, and I went to find my table, where my coworkers were already seated.

At this point I had yet to open any of "the Trades"- magazines that are filled with insider info - or any of the weeklies that I would read as part of my job.
As my I sat down, my associates kept smirking at me....and when Manning walked onto the dias...the smirking got stranger. They stared at me, at him, back at me, back at him, with those cheshire cat grins.! Finally I said" WTF is wrong with you all?"

"Oh come on, Hunt", says one of my co workers, with a bit of 'tude I might add, ...."when were you going to tell us. Did we HAVE to find out this way?"

I looked at him like he was insane! "WTF, are you talking about, find out about what?"

Slowly, and with the one eyebrow lifted upwards, he , hands me a magazine...open to the page with a pic of me leaning into Manning, smiling girlishly, as he mouthed his appropriately funny comment into my ear. And the caption said "Manning Parker and his new girlfriend, Hunt, Hollywood Insider"

Now you have to understand, rumours had been spreading that Manning's latest girlfriend wasn't an actress, but was in the biz, but no one seemed to know WHO she was. UNTIL THAT MOMENT!. EXCEPT SHE WASN'T ME...OR I WASN'T HER...OR.... WELL...YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!! It was me with Manning, but I wasn't his girlfriend. At least I didnt think I was. But then again..if its in the news....it MUST be true!

The look on my face as my jaw hit the ground, and I almost passed out! WHAT THE FUCK?
I was stunned. I got up, walked into the foyer, called Mannings PR guy from my cell, and left an urgent message. Several minutes later, he returned my call, from the set of another clients film.
He assured me that Manning's latest girlfriend would be okay....that he'd call her, let her know that this was a press fuck up, and sufficiently calmed me down, to the point where I stopped hyperventilling! A few hours later, once back in my office, Manning called me, and asked" Hey now that I found out Im your boyfriend, I need to know....have I been good to you...have I treated you nicely???" "Im still waiting for the silver charm bracelet from Tiffany's you promised after we had that horrible fight", I whimpered into the phone. To which he responded " And Im still waiting for make up sex!"

ROFLMAO!!!!

Manning milked this for all it was worth, the next day while on the set, he introduced me to everyone as his girlfriend, and presented me with a silver bracelet he had the art designers made from thin wire they spray painted silver and saudered together.

*btw - all the names have been changed*