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My friend Polimom alerted me to the latest little brouhaha on the Internet and I was moved to write to Michelle Malkin about it. Joe Gandelman at Moderate Voice can also fill you in on the background. Here is the text of my epistle:
Dear Michelle:
I'm writing to lend you my support over some recent criticism you have suffered as a result of a little contretemps you had with Students Against War. I was going to call you because I find email to be so much less personal than the telephone. Unfortunately, I could not find your telephone number anywhere on your site. It could be that I was just not looking hard enough or it's in one of those fonts designed to foil spammers (which, I must say, can be so annoying and probably doesn't foil anyone except me). I would appreciate if you could send me your number so that the next time I want to chat, I can just call you up. I would also like to post your telephone number on my site because I know my readers would also be eager to speak with you (don't worry, I will advise some of my more rambunctious visitors that I "don't condone death threats"). I would send you my telephone number, but I'm afraid that there are some debt collectors with whom I've had a slight misunderstanding, and, well, I'm sure you understand.
The reason I wanted to speak with you is to tell you I am heartsick about some of the attacks you have had to endure over your coverage of the Students Against War protest at UC Santa Cruz. I wholeheartedly agree with you that opposing the war is "sedition," especially when protesters block access to military recruiters attempting to help economically disadvantaged young people by giving them a well-paying job in our gay-free armed forces. And I don't understand all the criticism that has been leveled at you for posting the email addresses and home phone numbers of the organizers of the protest on your website to make it easier for people to contact them and have a friendly little chat with them about the political issues of our day. You certainly cannot be held responsible for few bad apples who have abused this information by calling them and making death threats (which you don't even condone! as you reiterated when you posted their numbers a second time). If they didn't want to broadcast their private numbers to the whole world, they shouldn't have sent letters addressed to members of the press, which as anyone knows, will print just about anything except the names of the people who leaked Valerie Plame's identity.
Some people have accused you of using overheated rhetoric to make your points and claim that you are responsible for inflaming (or should that be flaming?--I always get inflammable, flammable and unflammable mixed up) your readers. I have always thought the way you refer to people who disagree with you as moonnuts or wingbats, or whatever that word is, to be quite endearing. And "unhinged" always makes me think of a nice, old door that could use a touch of carpentry. I know these are just pet names you have for people with whom you have a friendly disagreement. And I'm sure when you're writing quickly, pouring your thoughts onto the screen, it saves a little time to use some simple shorthand. I bet you even have one of those custom macros to type those words with one keystroke since you use them so often.
One of the worst things about this whole incident is how people have demonized you. Keith Olbermann even named you as the "Worst Person in the World," an honor that is usually reserved for Bill O'Reilly. This is especially unfair because I know you always take great pains not to dehumanize immigrants, Muslims and other minorities but always strive to show a balanced portrait, warts and all. Some people think that the only way to get any attention nowadays is to attack people viciously and continually ratchet up the rhetoric and I'm afraid that you have become a victim of that mentality. But don't let it get you down that there are a few people out there just trying to make a name for themselves by coming up with the ugliest and most over-the-top insults they can think of instead of contributing to rational discourse as you do. Maybe if people got to know you better, they would see what a nice person you really are. So send me your number and I'll give you a call. I bet we have lots to talk about.
Your Friend,
Jon Swift
Jon Swift, Students Against the War, Santa Cruz, Illegal Immigration, Michelle Malkin, Iraq, Islam, Keith Olbermann, Bill O'Reilly, Gay, War on Terror, Weblog, Blogoshpere, Internet, Conservative, Liberal, Politics, Echo9er All Things in Balance Open Trackback, Comedian Jenée: People are Idiots OTA #5, Carnival of Trackbacks LX
Caturday
14 minutes ago
19 comments:
So have you had a nice phone chat with Michelle yet, Jon?
Love your post. People like her make me ill, no, I literally am angry that people like her, a nobody with no mentionable talents except playing the piano, get so much undue attention.
What experience does this republican barbie doll have to speak publicly about our military, our wars, our politicians? Does she have more intellect and knowledge than our Generals who have come out due to their own ethics and pride? I think not.
She is a disgrace to America, MY COUNTRY!
People like her need to take off the makeup and put on a uniform and go fight in Iraq.
She's a disgrace. period.
Wow, you don't quite get it that SAW sent out a PRESS RELEASE.
You know...
For RELEASE.
To the PRESS.
That word there... 'release'... means that they are willingly giving out their information.
Should I type slower for you?
Twin Daddy,
Go Fuck Yourself.
After reading this -
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005029.htm
...she needs to go back to high school or maybe she thinks she is still there? What a childish nutbag.
Goodapple, There's no point in trying to confuse them with facts - their stupidity is limitless. It doesn't matter that SAW denied other students the right to learn about our military. Freedom of speech only exists for themselves, and they will defend that stance through violence. It doesn't matter that SAW itself published their contact information in a PRESS RELEASE, they are too dumb to even know what a press release is, and too close-minded to accept criticism. Objectivity doesn't exist in their world. They are a bunch of whining crybabies with no other recourse than to threaten, insult, and censure.
Wow, you don't quite get it that SAW sent out a PRESS RELEASE.
You know...
For RELEASE.
To the PRESS.
Yeah, it's a good thing that they didn't send it in the form of a public release, you know...
for RELEASE.
To the PUBLIC.
Because then Ms. Malkin would have sent the information to the Press.
Jon,
This is rich!
Perhaps you could instruct PRWire and PRWeb on how to publish these Press Releases as well. Oddly, they seem to think nothing of including the contact name, phone number and email on their site. Don't they realize this could result in death threats?
Xian, a PRESS RELEASE is a PUBLIC RELEASE.
FYI, a Press Release is defined as "a public relations announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications for the purpose of letting the public know of company developments." (http://www.1stworldlibrary.org)
If these "college" students were too stupid to figure that out, they got exactly what they deserved. And now they, and idiots who support them, are going to whine and cry like little babies.
djm:
Why of course. Your logic is impeccable. Anyone "too stupid" to have released personal information via a press release "deserves" death threats.
I'm stunned that Mr. Swift (and others) could somehow not see that.
I must point out, however, that the next stop in this logic train is the rather uncomfortable conclusion that all dissent is deserving of death threats -- regardless of the issue or position.
Heh heh- I got a kick out your letter. Sadly, I don't think Malkin would get the sarcasm in it. She doesn't deserve the hate-filled threats she received for republishing public information. She does, however, deserve those sentiments for declaring the students' anti-war actions equates to "hating our troops." A nice libel lawsuit against this irresponsible hack would make this situation truly entertaining for me.
No, they didn't deserve death threats, but they should have known their actions - to suppress free speech and deny pro-military students the option to learn from military recruiters - would have consequences. By publishing their own contact information, they should have accepted the good with the bad and stop blaming Malkin. Malkin added nothing to the press release, only re-printing what the students themselves had posted.
I don't see anyone here condemning the person(s) who posted Michelle Malkin's private information, which, btw, was never made public.
Just another shining example of the left's hypocrisy.
The First Amendment applies to the people, not the government. The government does not have the right to free speech.
"Pro-military" students should have no trouble learning all about the military on their own. It's difficult not to be aware of it, I should think. I also missed where "the right to learn about our military" is protected in the Constitution.
The people going on and on about how "it was in a PRESS RELEASE" obviously have had limited experience with them. It's not uncommon for them to include cell phones, home lines and other numbers for the reporter's convenience that are not supposed to be shared with the public. Malkin posting those numbers was an act of pure malice. She lost any claim to be a journalist, if she ever had any, with that litle stunt.
Michelle MAGLALANG is a DISGRACE to the Filipino race!!!!!!! Bitch's parents were immigrants too so how can she be opposed to legalizing foreigners here in America?! Fucking HYPOCRITE!!!
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