Category Archives: mainstream media

The media gets lost in the fog of war again


Swamp Rabbit and I were re-reading a New York Times story posted shortly after the October 17 Gaza hospital explosion that killed scores, or perhaps hundreds, of civilians. The question of who’s responsible for the explosion is still up in … Continue reading

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‘Bibi’ remains bad news for Mideast peace seekers


From an op-ed in Washington Post, a few days after Hamas fighters massacred more than 1,300 people in a surprise attack on Israel by land, sea and air: For many years, Israel has been governed by a populist strongman, Benjamin Netanyahu, … Continue reading

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A new first in social media ‘influencing’


My neighbor Swamp Rabbit has a plan. “If I gotta go back to work, I want to be one of them social media influencers,” he said. “That’s where the money is these days.” “Not really,” I replied. ” But it’s … Continue reading

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A bigoted Earthling with interplanetary dreams


My neighbor Swamp Rabbit and I saw a news report about Elon Musk, who wants to direct the course of wars and launch billionaires to Mars. He owns a big chunk of social media and is in the electric car … Continue reading

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Jann Wenner’s R&R ‘masters’ are all rich white guys


Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s book of interviews he conducted with famous rock ‘n’ roll artists will be published next week. It’s called The Masters, and its subjects are Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend, Bono … Continue reading

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No existential catastrophe (author lays 6-to-1 odds)


The heat goes on, breaking records. Time has become a slow-motion blur that flattens everything I say and do. Incidents that should matter are like river flotsam, here one minute, gone the next. But the river, visible from the dirt … Continue reading

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Global warming or global boiling? What about floods?


We were discussing the weather, a popular topic these days. My neighbor Swamp Rabbit told me what the UN secretary-general had said: “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.” “Great quote, but what … Continue reading

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Robbie Robertson (1943-2023) and the rock of ages


Swamp Rabbit and I were talking about the death at age 80 of Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and main songwriter in the Band, one of the most artful and influential acts in rock ‘n’ roll history. I’m tempted to use … Continue reading

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DeSantis: Let’s look on the bright side of slavery


I showed Swamp Rabbit recent articles about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who backs the state requirement that middle-schoolers in Texas be taught that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” The requirement, part … Continue reading

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A tub of Cheez Whiz shall lead them


Jennifer Rubin was bemoaning the GOP’s undying loyalty to the worst president in U.S. history. She may have offended some of her editors at Washington Post with this observation: And, frankly, the mainstream media has made it that much easier … Continue reading

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