Dear Michelle Malkin...

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

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