David Rossie Pouts About Those Nasty Right-Wingers
By Jim Willis on Dec 3, 2007 in Government & Politics, Society & Culture | Printable Version
Sunday’s Press & Sun-Bulletin contained a column by perennial leftist David Rossie titled “Welcome, fair readers, to the Misinformation Age” in which Mr. Rossie takes aim (yet again) at Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. You see, if you’re stupid enough to think that Rush and other right-wing “Munchausens” dispense anything other than tall tales, you have the thinking-equivalent of terminal brain cancer, according to Mr. Rossie.
Must be people posting dissenting viewpoints on the P&SB website, along with bloggers like yours truly, are giving Mr. Rossie indigestion. I’ve always marveled at two things about David Rossie’s writing: 1) How good it is (and I sincerely mean that). He possesses tremendous writing skills and a command of the English language unparalleled by most. I read Rossie’s columns because I enjoy reading someone who is a true wordsmith. 2) How intolerant it is. For years, I have in turn been angry, sad, happy, and angry again with his editorial columns. In particular with his zeal in criticizing Evangelical Christians. I think it not unwarranted to call his views religious bigotry.
I always hasten to provide my disclaimer: He has an American right to free speech same as we all do. From his latest column (which I urge you to read), it seems that pesky First Amendment has come back to bite him and he’s turned into something of a crybaby.
Here was the response I left on the P&SB website about Mr. Rossie’s column:
As one poster suggests, let’s address the real purpose of Mr. Rossie’s eloquent rant this day. I believe it is revealed in this statement: “And it gets worse. The exaggerations and flat-out lies dispensed by these windbags can be and are being metastasized by true believers with home computers and a firm belief that those Munchausens are fonts of revealed truth.”
It seems to me Mr. Rossie is upset that the little folk have now found a voice and are questioning his reasoning and conclusions. We now have many sources of news, analysis and information, and we are the better for it. No longer can the news and editorial writers (an increasingly blurred line) pick and choose the information we receive. There is a rowdy, raucous, uncontrolled (by the select few) discussion taking place. That discussion demands more of its participants, to be sure. It demands we question and research and not accept what we hear at face value. It also means we (the little folk) get to choose which sources are the most trustworthy. Mr. Rossie says if your trusted sources are not on his list, you have contracted the reasoning-equivalent of brain cancer.
I do believe Mr. Rossie is afraid of these new-fangled “wild-eyed” bloggers and commenters who dare challenge the leftist editorial hegemony.
Homework: For a great read on this general topic from a national A-List blogger–Michelle Malkin–read her excellent recent post titled “CNN apologists accuse critics of “stalking”.
Technorati Tags: Binghamton, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, David Rossie, Press & Sun-Bulletin, First Amendment
Roger Thornhill | Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
Rossie’s whinings are music to my ears, as are Tom Grace’s and Cary Brunswick’s (The Oneonta Slur –err–Star).
The fact that he’s whining means he’s losing!
A real man would never whine or admit the other side is winning.
My advice to Rossie: Learn to type fast on the computer, straighten your beret, and fill out those retirement papers.
Like the Luddites that trashed Gutenberg’s press, the Rosssie’s of the dinosaur newspapers are thankfully a whining, vanishing breed.
Roger Thornhill
http://www.commentator.vze.com
William | Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
“questioning reasoning and conclusions” – is what the press should be all about in a free society. It is one of the last checks and balances we have.
Authoritarians tend to criticize the press when they are critical of our leadership. They want to hear just good news about the leaders they voted for, to support their ideology. Kind of like N. Korea, China, etc…
Jim Willis | Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
My conclusion too Roger. The louder the whining, the more I’m convinced!
Yes William, the press is a vanguard that helps protect our freedoms. Blogging actually has a rich history when you think about it. In the early days of our country the phampleteers of the Revolutionary War era were prodigious in communicating their viewpoints. Blogging, which I include in a “free press,” has the same feel today. It runs the gamut from low-brow to high-brow. It is uncontrolled and loud and passionate. And just plain fun! It seems to me Mr. Rossie has disdain for those with a different opinion, attempting to “prove” they’re lying with flimsy evidence. It’s his prerogative to do so.
Roger has hit the nail right on the head with his comment on Gutenberg. The printing press is arguably the single most important invention of the past 500 years. It was the printing press that collected and distributed man’s growing knowledge throughout the world and made subsequent inventions possible. We are now going through a very similar watershed period in history–we are now unfettered from the physical form of written communication. Each person has their own virtual printing press. But you have to get an audience in order to disseminate your ideas. It is the free market come to the free press!
Mr. Rossie longs for “the way it was” when an elite could control the flow of information. That dam has (thankfully) broken and there’s no putting the water back now. Blogging and the “new media” is rapidly joining traditional media as a viable alternative, and I believe we are all the richer for it.
Brent | Dec 4, 2007 | Reply
I agree wholeheartedly with your post Jim, and you continue to churn out quality stuff. Rossie has actually been responsible in the past for my cancelling our subscription. I do have a concern however about the “new media” where everyone has a voice. I worry greatly that it is an “open source” movement which in the end will be a celebration of mediocrity. I think I’ll write a post about it.
Jim Willis | Dec 4, 2007 | Reply
Thanks Brent! You know I’m a huge fan of your writing (always have been)…so I consider your compliment very high praise indeed.
I guess I don’t worry quite as much about the new media turning into a morass of mediocrity because I believe the free market (or Darwinism, take your pick) will lead to the quality stuff “rising to the top.”
I look forward to reading your post!
Roger Thornhill | Dec 4, 2007 | Reply
Blogs have the gratification of instant feedback and being able to be tailored to your subject audience as well as the bonds formed between the blogger/bloggee (sic) such as the common ground found between us here.
Blogging is the ‘new’ media. And fortunately, the younger, more radical crowd although they are computer savvy, seem to enjoy more the WII and Xbox and TV than the written word.
Indymedia (the foe) is largely run by not the rank-and-file, but professional leftwingers being paid by the likes of Soros, Hillary, et. al. although they’d like you to think they’re the voice of the independent common man, they’re just propagandists and few read them.
Jim is absolutely correct about the power of the electronic press and it’s impact.
As a former military man, (5th generation) I’ve been reading history of conflicts since I was a mere tadpole, and have determined (through the writings of Manchester, Shirer, and others) that Hitler’s rise to power came with the aid of a Milwaukee-made printing press and a.32 calibre Browning pistol.
Roger Thornhill
William | Dec 5, 2007 | Reply
Roger,
What I think is more important to consider about Hitler’s rise to power was the Reichstag fire. An event portrayed as an attack on the homeland resulting in new laws that suspended civil liberties in Germany. Where all people who did not support Hitler were deemed unpatriotic and ‘against the fatherland’. Sound familiar?
Another important point was that fact that our president’s grandfather aided Hitler’s rise to power. War profiteering for the Bush family has been a family tradition.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1312540,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj03IGzkaI4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnAUQeHykXY
http://www.countercurrents.org/pringle200407.htm
Roger Thornhill | Dec 5, 2007 | Reply
Never forget: The formal name of the Nazi party was the NSDP, The National Socialist Democratic Party.
Sound familiar?
William: Kindly address if you will the illegal foreign campaign contributions to Hillary, Bill, Kerry and Gore from the likes of Hsu, Charlie Tri, the ChiCom Government and then talk to me about evil war profiteering, of which there is no proof or even a whiff of truth.
Or are you believing Dan Rather again?
Roger “I never click foreign-you-tube or communist-guardian links” Thornhill
http://www.commentator.vze.com
William | Dec 5, 2007 | Reply
Roger,
I guess you didn’t visit the links. You are in denial if you don’t understand the fact that Prescott Bush, GW Bush’s grandfather helped Hitler’s rise to power. It is documented in the national archives:
http://www.nhgazette.com/the-bushnazi-stories/bushnazi-link-confirmed/
http://www.georgewalkerbush.net bushnazidealingscontinueduntil1951.htm
Here is documentation of how GW Bush’s brother Neil Bush, Uncle William H.T. (”Bucky”) Bush, and brother Marvin P. Bush have profitted hugely from the Iraq war. The extent of Iraq contracts going to corporations which involve members of President George W. Bush’s family is widespread and extensive involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Often these firms receive no bid contracts where the corporations have no expertise and certainly the Bush family members have no expertise or experience in these areas. An investigation into Bucky Bush’s company Engineered Support Systems Inc. is expected to yield multiple criminal indictments.
http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1619032320070216
Cheney is also taking in war profits, contrary to what he told Tim Russert on “Meet the Press” in 2003, when he denied making any money off his former employer. “I have no financial interest in Halliburton,” Cheney told Tim, “of any kind and haven’t had, now, for over three years.”
Those statements were proven false when financial disclosure forms showed that Cheney had received a deferred salary from Halliburton of $205,298 in 2001, $262,392 in 2002, $278,437 in 2003, and $294,852 in 2004.
In 2005, an analysis released by Senator Frank Lautenberg, reported that Cheney continued to hold over 300,000 Halliburton stock options and said their value had risen 3,281% over the previous year, from $241,498 to more than $8 million.
Investigations into Halliburton’s corruption and fraud have been slowed as they have moved their head quarters to the United Arab Emirates.
I could write a book in this comment box, but these few documented examples will suffice.
William | Dec 5, 2007 | Reply
You cited Malkin.
Malkin blames the “liberal media”–for reporting the facts. Case in point: The Boston Globe reports that Romney is using illegal immigrants to take care of his lawn. Is Michelle Malkin disappointed in him for his hypocrisy of tough anti-immigration rhetoric on the campaign trail and actually supporting at home? Hell no – she is angry at the “liberal MSM” for reporting it.
GOP mantra: admit nothing, deny everything, blame someone else.
You’ve heard the latest controversy about the Iran NIE. Former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough said it best:
“We are left with only two options here. Either the President of the United States is lying to the American people about what happened during that meeting, or the President of the United States is stupid.”
Jim Willis | Dec 5, 2007 | Reply
Hi William,
Your most recent comment is a bit off topic, but that’s OK. I do plan to start posting on the upcoming Presidential primary. My quote of Malkin, whom I enjoy reading a great deal, had to do with the MSM (as she and others call it) being up in arms over those pesky bloggers that have the gaul to fact-check them on everything. That is, they no longer get away with the shenanigans they could once pull. Case in point: The recent You Tube “debate” hosted by Anderson Cooper and CNN. It was a stacked deck from the beginning, with CNN pretending not to know that half it’s questions, and even the good retired Army officer they flew in, have either pledged support for or work for Democrat candidates! They’re certainly free to pick and chose as they want, but it’s sneaky and underhanded to pretend they were “common citizens”. CNN took a big black eye on that one, and Michelle helped expose them for what they are: frauds.
William | Dec 5, 2007 | Reply
The CNN debate was unprofessional but if GOP candidates can’t answer to Democrats, how can we expect them to stand up to al Qaeda?
Conservatives have attacked the General Kerr based on the fact he is gay, forget about his 42 yr service record and his awards – the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, etc…
Right-wing lunatic/radio host Michael Savage attacked General Kerr personally, calling him a “gay, phony general.”
“I don’t care about this old queen, frankly. He disgusts me to make — my flesh crawls from the old queen. That was a general? Now you wonder why we’re still in Iraq five years later. General — with General Keith Kerr, you know why we’re still in Iraq five years later.”
What do you suppose Savage meant when he said we now know “why we’re still in Iraq five years later”?
The implication wasn’t subtle — Savage doesn’t respect the troops serving in Iraq, and blames them for the duration of the war. It’s not because of Bush, Rumsfeld, the Iraqis, Iran, or al Qaeda — for Savage, it’s because of those who wear the uniform.
Roger Thornhill | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
William:
I never click links posted by shills as many times they contain embedded virus or blatent propaganda disguised as blogs.
The blind hatred you have for Bush is showing, and that makes you incredible.
Come on over and post on my blog sometime.
I need to know where you’re coming from.
As far as the military goes, what was your MOS William? My guess is you don’t have one.
Roger Thornhill
http://www.commentator.vze.com
William | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
Ah Roger,
You don’t even listen to your own advise. You ask “Who would you want running the military in time of war?” You should be asking about the MOS of Bush & Cheney, not me, you know, the ones who incompetently led us into war, that would be the logical thing to do.
As we all know, Cheney never served, Bush elected not to serve in combat at the height of the Vietnam war and went AWOL and refused to show up a mandatory pilot physical, the first pilot physical that included mandatory drug testing. We knew he was an alcoholic at the time, probably a drug user as well and received the lowest passable rating for a pilot. Some soldier, aye?
You display an amazing abject denial. You call documents in the National Archive “blatent propaganda”? No wonder you’re so ignorant! You put stories on your website about Hillary having a muslim lesbian lover, and then you have the balls to call my links ‘propaganda’? I hand you the evidence and you won’t even look. Your authoritarian fear mongering, denialist ignorance is exactly the type of mentality that gave rise to fascist regimes that attack the press, willfully give up civil rights and fall in lock step behind a corrupt leader who has a blatent history of incompetence and dishonesty. Why do you think your GOP party is going down? We are looking in ‘08 at a Democratic president, and an increasing majority in both houses. I guarantee it.
I searched the Faux News website, you will NOT find this story there:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush was told in August that Iran’s nuclear weapons program “may be suspended,” the White House said Wednesday, which seemingly contradicts the account of the meeting given by Bush Tuesday.
The new account from Perino seems to contradict the president’s version of his August conversation with McConnell and raised new questions about why Bush continued to warn the American public about a threat from Iran two months after being told a new assessment was in the works.
Let me simplify it for you –
This information reveals Bush lied (again).
On Tuesday, President Bush said he was never forewarned by the intelligence community that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003:
“In August, I think it was John — Mike McConnell came in and said, We have some new information. He didn’t tell me what the information was.”
That was a lie because Bush knew Iran “may have suspended” its nuclear weapons program and that the intelligence community was in the process of “changing its assessment.” And yet, he continued to warn of “World War III” and a “nuclear holocaust.”
This method of operation is exactly the same as the Iraq WMD line of BS.
I looked at your blog, nice GI Joe picture with the gun. People… have a look at this coot! I think you might be a good candidate for consrvative authoritarian of the week on my blog.
Roger Thornhill | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
Having fun at BU William? Thanks for the compliment. I’m the old coot in the picture.
And your feeble attempt at insult proves you’ve run out of coherent arguments.
In debate,once you start hurling insults, you lose.
Thanks for the concession.
Roger “Keep your powder dry” Thornhhill
Cootmaster First Class
William | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
Roger, Yes, those with education are always suspect, like the Republican War on Science has shown. We wouldn’t want the public to be smart enough to realize what is going on.
FYI – of the states ranking lowest in educated adults, Bush won the BOTTOM 14 (states ranking 37-50) Of the states ranking highest in educated adults, Kerry won 12 of the TOP 14 (states ranking 1-14). What does that tell you?
It tells me that Bush’s base of support consisted of the least educated Americans. It’s clear why you are threatened by education, and also truth.
You said, “Who would you want running the military in time of war?” … yet you apparently bought the Swiftboat propaganda and voted against your fellow decorated combat vet in 2004 for a recovered alcoholic who willfully chose not to serve in combat. Now that’s living up to your principles.
I would suggest substituting a little education, rational though, critical thinking, awareness and knowledge for your love of guns and hate of ‘libs’ and you might have some hope.
mike | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
roger,
Actually you exposed my on your blog. I am not William and lean right if I lean at all. Which is why I like rss and looked at your site. I was the one that posted on your site about global warming, and I really do just look at the the epa site right now. I thought this might be a nice way to talk openly and like adults about issues. I guess I get what I asked for. I am certainly not a shill. Well thats it for your time and I’ll stay off your site as well as this one. Good luck guys.
-mike
Jim Willis | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
Hi Mike,
A shame to lose you as a reader and commenter–you’ve had some good contributions. I’m not sure what happened? I believe Roger and William were having a spirited debate here that has tilted off-topic…but I don’t believe either was addressing you personally nor referring to you. Have I missed something?
mike | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
I never realized that politics heated to this point. To think I thought this might be fun……………..
Jim good luck with your blog.
Jim Willis | Dec 6, 2007 | Reply
One more thing Mike…can you send me your email address at jim@rssbinghamton.com? I’d like to send something to you. Thx – Jim