Marina Hyde, Guardian: "It was meant to be fun..."

[CJCRANE]

"These are dark times for Lost in Showbiz. I am distressed to the point of requiring constant medication by a week that began last Saturday on these pages, in a column addressing the actor Charlie Sheen's espousal of a 9/11 conspiracy theory, and has ended mired in hundreds of furious emails - including a trenchant exchange with David Shayler - and, perhaps most upsettingly, a verified document headed "Charlie Sheen Statement to the London Guardian".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1744446,00.html

[reorg]

1. why do you think

the ramblings of this slightly deranged "Showbiz" gossip deserve to be mentioned here? Michael Jackson and "the Jews", WTF. Seems to be the common script in Europe whenever 9/11 skepticism comes up: dismiss it and make some oblique reference to anti-Semitism in the same breath. Which stinks.

[CJCRANE]

2. ...because

I strongly disagree with her and want her to get lots more emails.

[Taxloss]

4. Of the "bitch" and "whore" variety, presumably?

How enormously progressive.

[CJCRANE]

6. Not in the least..

she was the only person in the British MSM to touch the Sheen story and she did a hatchet job on him.
As far as I'm concerned she should be made aware of people's views on this in a polite manner.

[Taxloss]

8. Well, she strongly disagreed with him.

I think "people's views" have already been expressed to her.

[reorg]

11. ok

but I think you overestimate the value of gossip columnist trash talk.

This gal was obviously thrilled to receive the responses she got and proudly cited the epithets fitting best to her slanderous intent.

From the little I read of her columns, I am reminded of one American pendant which is beautifully characterised here: Story about the infamous Ms Coulter ...

It seems highly unlikely that she will ever pick up again on the Sheen quote which she buries with ruminations about coke, expensive dentistry and underwear: "It seems to me like 19 amateurs with box cutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75% of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory."

[CJCRANE]

12. True..

I was just grasping at straws to be honest.

It's just that it's remarkable to see 9/11 conspiracies in the MSM in any form, so I guess the 9/11 "truthseekers" just kinda pounced on it.

[Taxloss]

3. Michael Jackson berated "the Jews" at length in phone calls

taped by a disgruntled former employee. He appears to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

If the ramblings and suppositions of a somewhat zany actor and former cokehead can be taken as cast in stone on DU, it is only fitting that showbiz columns start to appear in E&OA. Unless the definition of the word "Other" has changed. I think this particular column is extremely illuminating - especially the "bitch", "whore" parts.

[CJCRANE]

5. A) Except she's unlikely

to mention the more reasonable emails she received
B) People are angry because valid questions about that day are completely ignored by the MSM.

[Taxloss]

7. A) I daresay the "stupid bitch" variety were more eyecatching.

B) She's a very intelligent woman who is perfectly capable of forming her own opinion, and she has rejected MIHOP. That always seems to make some "truthseekers" angry.

On edit: mke -> make

[CJCRANE]

9. Sheen was just asking questions...

as for her Marina Hyde the column was simply a personal attack on him.

[CJCRANE]

10. It's not illuminating at all

in the way you imply.

If you look at any unmoderated forum where discussion takes place about American politics you will find plenty of swearing on both sides. That's just the political atmosphere nowadays (and I think you know full well which side is most responsible for this state of affairs).