Letter to the AP: Tempest in a Hot, Dry, Little, Texas Teapot

[Ready2Snap]

8/22/05

To the editors at The Associated Press:

I empathize with Ms. Angela Brown becoming the story, instead of reporting it.
I endured a similar incident years ago while the op-ed editor of a college newspaper.
And just as it was with that episode, the world is better off because of her faux pas.
It was unfortunate, however, her editor did not catch
what I believe was the unintentional slight and breach of journalistic equanimity.
And certainly the indignation of Ms. Sheehan’s supporters is genuine and heartfelt,
but that’s not her problem it’s theirs.

The liberals are just now warming to the idea that
they aren’t the anti-Americans they’ve allowed themselves to be labeled,
but regard themselves as the true defenders of the nation’s principles and conscience,
and therefore equally qualified to claim “the stars and stripes” as their standard.

Ms. Brown finds herself the object of righteous anger from left-leaning citizens
for referring to the counter-protester’s hastily pitched response to Sheehan’s Camp Casey as patriotic,
whereas that modifier has not been applied to Sheehan’s bivouac.
Oh, the insult and humiliation!

Oh, gimme a break! The liberal/progressive movement allowed the right to claim the flag as their own, as if it were a trademark.
But, the right’s exclusive claim to the national banner, begun during the culture wars of the ‘60s and ‘70s
and grounded in the Viet Nam war, simply no longer applies in these times.

A Google search of “Angela K. Brown” reveals she’s been covering the Crawford phenomenon from the beginning,
and her stories appear in a variety of websites and newspapers, the majority of which any liberal would consider friendly.
Her articles have been exemplary of the journalistic standard so woefully missing in much of today’s subjective news reporting,
and altogether absent from a large part of the internet, especially the blogosphere.
Her faithful representations of what has been taking place in Crawford have, expectedly so, raised conservative's hackles.
But, as with the liberals, that’s not her problem it’s theirs.

I hope an apology is not forthcoming, nor Ms. Brown’s reputation sullied for using a single word.
As I said, the world is a better place for her having used it.
On such words the history of our country turns.

[Dave Reynolds]

1. Yours?

You disagree with our letters to the AP?

Just askin', you do not make it clear.

[Ready2Snap]

2. Mine

I only read about a third of the letters but there all prety much the same.

Do you have any idea how many stories a day the AP publishes?

Brown's article had to go thru several editors to be approved for publication,
and none of them caught it either? How the fuck did that happen?
Not only that, but Brown didn't write the headline, it was an editor.
The mind boggles.

I guarantee that most of these e-mails won't be read,
in fact, given today's concerns with internet sabotage,
any letter that's title is a threat is most likely deleted without being opened.

Would you bother with someone who impuned your dignity,
fabricated and attributed your intellect out of whole cloth
or just plain bad-mouthed you?
Well, neither will they.

Most writers treated them as if they wrote for their high school paper, or worse blogs.

Think about this:
Why would a journalist of this stature use Patriotic as the first choice
(possibly subconsciously) modifier for right-wing activity?
(See my letter)

Did you see the post over the weekend about starting to wear American flag pins? Please do. And re-read my letter.

We have for so many years pushed away anything that had the flag attached to it that
the decision of a world-class journalist was to ascribe the reverse quality to the wingnuts.

We've brought this on ourselves. So before you go blaming the AP, throw a little dirt on your own mindset.

And remember, they're only human and shit happens.

Besides, if this pisses enough people off and they start wearin' flag pins,
and then their friends, and their friends . . .next thing you know the Repugs will
either take theirs off or go apeshit. Not a bad deal either way.

[Dave Reynolds]

3. Okay, thank you.

I really wasn't trying to sound pissy, I was just trying for clarification. You make good points.

I am not one of the lock-steppers, so a difference of opinion does not irritate me or raise my hackles.

:hi:

[Ready2Snap]

4. And I hope you don't think I'm lecturing.

I'm blown away at this wonderful new medium we have to reach others of like mind.

Thanks for at least reading what I've written. I wish more of the DUAC would as well.

Most people don't do a very good job of informing themselves about what's really going on in the world;
never read any of the amazing people that contribute to The Atlantic, Harper's or The New Yorker.
And if you do, reading what these uniformed blather about can be depressing.
But I have read some great things as well.

Did you see the posting by the guy in Tennessee who's suing the county election board
on the grounds that paperless voting machines violates the state constitution!! What a crack up!!

And the DUAC is a good idea for influencing politicians and other governmental officials
(unless they take their marching orders from ol' JC.)

And the flag pin idea is inspired. I hope it catches on.
I know I've got a couple squirreled away that I'm going to fish out tomorrow.
What fun it'll be to infiltrate Freeperland and fuck with 'em.

Talk with you again.

G'night.