MSNBC News Crew Busted For Not Wearing Masks During Live Report

An MSNBC news crew invaded the resort town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on Monday, May 25. The reporter, Cal Perry, was reporting live mid-afternoon along the lakefront and noted that "nobody" was wearing masks.

What Perry did not note was that his support team were also maskless, but a bold passerby bombed the live report by calling them out on camera.

At about 15 seconds into the video (below), you see a man in a Packers jersey pass behind Perry. He's holding a phone and recording the situation. Perry doesn't know he's about to get ambushed as the man doubles back around, only to be "interviewed" by Perry (at 33 seconds):

Man derides @CalNBC as maskless crew films segment criticizing people not wearing masks. https://t.co/diTsv4KXEy

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 27, 2020

Perry, on live television, knew he was exposed as a hypocrite. He threw his hands up and was suddenly lost for words. Back in the studio, all MSNBC anchorwoman Katy Tur could say was, "Striking images." That's a bit weird, considering that the sight of normal people walking around without masks on is not – even during the Coronavirus pandemic – is not necessarily "striking."

But here's the best part: Remember the man in the Packer's jersey? He shared his own video of the event, and it verifies what he said: None of the video crew was wearing a mask.

Thanks for sharing my husband’s video!! So proud of him for exposing these phonies!! Here is the video from his perspective if you are interested! pic.twitter.com/w213fWMpXR

— Deana921 (@Deana921) May 26, 2020

Ten bucks says Cal Perry took his own mask off as soon as the camera was turned off. And the Mainstream Media wonder why we don't trust them.

Lake Geneva is a beautiful resort town in Walworth County, southern Wisconsin. It is known for world-class hotels, spas, and dining as well as boating and fishing. It has many great things to do for most budgets and is very family-friendly. Nature lovers will enjoy hiking and biking trails. It's no surprise that Tripadvisor named Lake Geneva as one of North America's best lake towns "for relaxation or adventure."

The Atlantic Wrongly Calls California Largest State

March 21, 2015 - The Atlantic's editorial staff seems to be geographically challenged. The headline of a March 21 article is "The Economics of California's Drought," and has the unfortunate subhead of "What happens when the country's largest state runs low on water?" And there's the problem.

The article's author, Matt Schiavenza, might have meant to call California "the country's most populous state," but that's not what was written. Perhaps he meant to say, "the state with the country's largest population," but he didn't write that either.

Misleading subtitle in The Atlantic Wire

To be fair, headlines are often not written by the author but by an editor. Regardless of who writes them, headlines should not be vague, ambiguous or confusing.

In any case, the subtitle calls California "the country's largest state." Without qualifying that, by specifying population, it is misleading and unclear at best.

California has a lot more people than Texas and Alaska combined. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Demographic Profile:

California had a population of 37,253,956 (ranked 1st).

Texas had a population of 25,145,561 (ranked 2nd).

Alaska had a population of 710,231 (ranked 47th).

But although California may have the biggest population of the 50 states, but in terms of geographic size it ranks third, behind Alaska and Texas. The U.S. Census Bureau says that the three largest states in 2008, by total area, were as follows:

Alaska had a total area of 664,988 sq. miles (ranked 1st)
Texas had a total area of 268,597 sq. miles (ranked 2nd)
California;had a total area of 163,694 sq. miles (ranked 3rd)

Alaska is waaaaay bigger than California

California was clearly a distant third in terms of size as recently as 2008. I strongly suspect that the total land areas of have not changed enough to have altered these states' size rankings. And to repeat myself, "largest state" and "largest population" are two very different things.

Of course, Schiavenza was writing about the water crisis in California, not about the size of the state. But he referred to another article with some probably-unintentional irony. "Earlier this month," he wrote, "the title of a Los Angeles Times op-ed published by Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a professor at UC Irvine, got right to the point: California would run out of water in a year. This headline—as Famiglietti himself pointed out—isn't exactly accurate."

Irony: Schiavenza's headline "isn't exactly accurate." And Schiavenza should know that LA Times op-ed was not "published by Jay Famiglietti." He wrote it. The LA Times published it.

Also See:
States Ranked by Size and Population ipl.org

UPDATED: Russia Today Host Denounces Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Refuses Trip To Crimea

Martin: Honest but still employed
.

March 4, 2014 - News service Russia Today (RT) is funded by the Russian government. Some call RT the Kremlin's overseas propaganda channel. So it must have been somewhat uncomfortable for them when Abby Martin, popular host of "Breaking The Set," wrapped up her show Monday night with a monolog criticizing Russia's invasion of Crimea in the Ukraine. Martin is an American who works at RT's studios in New York City.

How did RT react to Martin's brave honesty? In typical Russian fashion, they said they would send Martin off to Crimea to get a "better understanding" of situation on the ground. 

Liz Wahl: Honestly Quit

UPDATE:  One of Abby Martin's colleagues, Liz Wahl, was paying close attention to Tuesday's Martin-RT spat. Wahl, a news anchor and producer in RT's Washington, D.C. bureau, quickly expressed her moral support for Martin on Twitter:

My girl @AbbyMartin: Russia Today Host Abby Martin Goes Spectacularly Off-Message In #Ukraine Broadcast http://t.co/n8A2LPIFX4

Wahl was thinking carefully about her own next move.

On Wednesday, she shocked viewers by quitting live on air, saying that she could no longer work for a network "that whitewashes the actions of Putin. I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why, after this newscast, I am resigning." More, with video of Wahl's resignation.

Watch the full March 4 episode of Breaking The Set

At the end of her Tuesday show, Martin said, "What Russia did is wrong. "I admittedly don't know as much as I should about Ukraine's history or the cultural dynamics of the region but what I do know is that military intervention is never the answer and I will not sit here and apologize or defend military aggression."

She finished with this: "All we can do now is hope for a peaceful outcome for a terrible situation and prevent another full blown cold war between multiple super powers. Until then I'll keep telling the truth as I see it. Have a good night everyone, I'll see you back here to break the set tomorrow."

What Martin said about her lack of knowledge about Ukraine came back to bite her. Russia Today's official statement, released on Tuesday afternoon, said "RT doesn’t beat its journalists into submission, and they are free to express their own opinions, not just in private but on the air. This is the case with Abby’s commentary on the Ukraine. We respect her views, and the views of all our journalists, presenters and program hosts, and there will be absolutely no reprimands made against Ms. Martin."

Martin's public defiance: Facebook, Tuesday afternoon

The punchline: "In her comment Ms. Martin also noted that she does not possess a deep knowledge of reality of the situation in Crimea," said RT. "As such we’ll be sending her to Crimea to give her an opportunity to make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story."

No reprimands, RT said -- other than ripping her out of the comfort of New York and whisking her off to a war zone. Would RT put Abby Martin up in decent hotel in Crimea? It would be awful to think of her, a sophisticated New York gal, bunking in Russian barracks with a bunch of drunken, smelly Cossack cabbage eaters.  But she's not going to Crimea.

Abby Martin has made her refusal public on both Facebook and Twitter.  Abby Martin has the best furrowed-brow look of righteous indignation in all of news broadcasting. She is courageous and outspoken, and not afraid to use these qualities for resisting RT editors or their Kremlin overlords. Today she seems more powerful than Pussy Riot in concert.

Hi @Josiensor, thanks for your article. But I am not going to Crimea despite the statement RT has made. Please update accordingly.
— Abby Martin (@AbbyMartin) March 4, 2014

"The footage has since gone viral," reports The Independent (UK), "with some surmising that Martin's moment of defiance could be met with some severe punishment by her employers. However, sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that she was reading from the auto-cue and, therefore, presumably had permission from producers of the show to express her beliefs." Really?

Reading from the auto-cue? Josie Ensor at The Telegraph (UK) disagrees, calling Martin's remarks "unscripted." Whatever, who cares? Scripted or not, they were her words. Martin said that "the coverage I have seen of Ukraine has been truly disappointing from all sides of the media spectrum and rife with disinformation." It is, therefore, ironic that Ensor called Martin's calm and rational commentary a "tirade," which is defined as "a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation." Martin's calm commentary lasted a mere 75 seconds. Ensor's exaggerated characterization of Martin's comment, then, is actually disinformation and at least a little bit disappointing. 

@AbbyMartin @Josiensor Good call on not going to Crimea. I'd hate to see the next headline on RT, "Abby Martin killed by Ukranian fascists".
— Johan (@JohanIsHere) March 4, 2014

Also See:
Russian TV Host Who Slammed Moscow Says She Won't Go To Crimea NPR
Outspoken Russia Today Anchor Declines to Be Sent to Crimea ABC
Liz Wahl, unemployed, says quitting RT not 'a self-promotional stunt' Politico
Russian news website hacked, word "Russian" replaced with "Nazi" ITProPortal
Abby Martin Blasts Rachel Maddow for 9/11 Comments - YouTube

Perspective: Coverage of Ukraine Revolution Versus Nigeria's Boko Haram

Boko Haram's Top Maniac:
Abubakar Shekau (video still)

February 26, 2014 - Mediaite's Noah Rothman seems to think that only he has access to news out of Africa. Rothman complains that the latest atrocity by Boko Haram, a mass murder of dozens of students at the Federal Government College in Yobe, Nigeria on February 24 has received less attention than it deserves and that few people are even aware of it. Specifically, Rothman complains that it got less coverage than it should have because, he seems to imply, of some disproportionate attention given to the months-long violent protests in Ukraine.

Contrary to Rothman's assertion, millions of us have heard of the most recent attack by Boko Haram on a boys' boarding school. The recent Boko Haram slaughter did receive -- and is still getting -- big coverage. (Don't take my word for it; do your own Google search for "boko haram attack.")

The headline for Rothman's post was "The Horrific Massacre of School Children by Islamic Radicals You’ve Heard Nothing About." Rothman is obviously oblivious to the fact that the story is getting big coverage worldwide and is a hot topic on Twitter today. 

The irony here is that unless Rothman broke the story himself (he didn't), he undoubtedly became aware of the story after millions of other people did, and that he did so by reading about it in some of the very media that he says have not covered it well enough. The media have breathlessly updated their reports as the official body count, initially reported as 29, has risen to at least 59 and seems likely to go still higher.

UPDATE (28 Feb 2014):

• Ukraine crisis: 'Russians occupy' Crimea airports - BBC News
• The New Great Game: Why Ukraine Matters to So Many Other Nations - Bloomberg

While it's true that the ongoing demonstration in Ukraine got major coverage, it's also true that Ukraine's anti-Russia, pro-EU demonstrations began months before Boko Haram's mayhem on Monday of this week. Here's where the sense of perspective by Mediaite's Rothman comes into play. The Nigeria story is getting worldwide press coverage. But compared to the events in Ukraine, which ended days ago as a full-blown coup that toppled a government, sent its former leader running from his own charges of mass murder, embarrassed Vladimir Putin and now gives inspiration to anti-government demonstrators in Venezuela, the Boko Haram story seems puny.

Boko Haram history of violence is several years old, with a string of previous bloody atrocities along the way. Those incidents have received worldwide press coverage. The most recent Boko Haram outrage was a single event that began and ended quickly, whereas the Ukraine demonstrations went on for months, building up steam and producing more drama daily. There is no mystery as to why the Ukraine story got more coverage.

I don't want to downplay the significance of Boko Haram's terror. Boko Haram is a serious problem and each of the murders they commit is horrible. The fact is, however, that they are a regional problem (for now) with no significant repercussions of great scale anywhere else in the world (at present). This fact didn't stop Rothman from posting an article late in the afternoon of February 25th in which he essentially said that the most recent act of mass murder by Boko Haram, which began on February 24th, was under-reported because of some bias on the part of the media.

As far as I can tell, the only bias was one in favor of the story of Ukraine, which is far more important globally and historically than the story of Boko Haram. At least, it is at present. Rothman's error is that he downplays -- or misunderstands -- the significance of Ukraine's government changing people's revolution and the impact it has on the Great Game between Russia and the alliance of the U.S. and E.U. Rothman asks,

"Perhaps there is a geographical bias?" Of course there is: Ukraine is on the cusp of Russia and the European Union. Russia's history with Ukraine and the strategically important Crimean Penninsula, and Ukraine's proximity and desire to join the E.U., are critical factors. If Rothman looked at a map of the region and had any understanding of the history of Ukraine and the Crimea, he would not have asked about "geographical bias." And now, post-revolution, the tensions in Ukraine remain. There are new worries of separatism, and violent clashes continue.

Boko Haram may be regionally disruptive, but it does not have the potential for causing a war between Russia and the U.S. No, that's not hyperbole: A headline today in The Telegraph (UK): "Ukraine revolution: 150,000 Russian troops on alert as US warns Putin." This is frightening stuff. "The US warned Moscow to be 'very careful' in its judgements after Vladimir Putin put armed forces in western Russia on alert, as tensions mounted in the pro-Russian Crimea over the overthrow of Moscow ally Viktor Yanukovych by pro-European protesters," reports The Telegraph. "Amid fears the country could fragment in the struggle between its pro-Russian and pro-European regions, Mr Putin flexed his military muscle by ordering war games involving 150,000 troops along the Ukrainian border."

Rothman wrote his piece prior to The Telegraph article, but anyone with a basic understanding of 20th Century history could have seen this coming. "John Kerry, the US secretary of state, urged the Kremlin to "keep its word" over the unity of Ukraine, insisting the US and Russia did not need to get into an 'old cold war confrontation' over the country. NATO also turned up the pressure on Russia, saying it would continue to support 'Ukrainian sovereignty and independence, territorial integrity, democratic development and the principle of the inviolability of frontiers'."

Nigeria? Boko Haram? Russia flexing its muscle in the Crimean tinderbox? Some perspective is in order, Mr. Rothman, please.

The Ukraine "demonstrations" turned into a full-blown coup, dramatically changing the world stage, further complicating US-Russia-EU relations, and so on. The Boko Haram attack, while horrific, will not change the scenery of international politics. Given that, the larger coverage of a coup in Ukraine was not inappropriate. The significance of the Ukraine revolution dwarfs the significance of a tragic -- albeit local -- mass murders. There is, of course, a bigger picture.

The long-term global threat from Boko Haram must be taken seriously. "As the world globalizes, jihadist factions such as Boko Haram align in-kind and gain both the intelligence and the capacity to strike in increasingly urban centers and beyond national borders," notes the Wall Street Journal. "We must make no mistake: This destabilizing network is a global problem, larger in scope and indeed in mission than the international community may presume. It is not just going to go away."

There is another irony in all of this. Rothman says Boko Haram deserves more press coverage. There is an argument to be made for that. But that's his own Western bias coming into play. Those who have to live with - or die with - the Boko Haram threat don't all agree with Rothman. In fact, many in Nigeria feel that Boko Haram should get less press coverage. Some feel that heavy news coverage of Boko Haram does more harm than good.

Beslan school siege, September 2004
Photograph: S Dal/Reuters

Rothman's article starts off his article by reminding us of the September 1, 2004 attack on school children by Chechen militants in Beslan, southern Russia. "Hundreds died [more than 330] in the standoff, including 186 children, at the hands of Islamic radicals and Russian paramilitary forces," wrote Rothman.

"The global coverage of the Beslan siege and its bloody aftermath was perfectly appropriate," Rothman wrote, saying that the Beslan massacre "deserved every ounce of ink that was devoted to informing the public about it." Fine so far, then he loses his grip: "But the coverage of that atrocity makes the lack of coverage of a similarly horrific event which occurred in Western Africa on Monday night that much more vexing."

"Lack of coverage?" What's he talking about? Is Rothman really unaware of the huge coverage being given to Monday's Boko Haram attack? It's huge. "Similary horrific?" About five times as many died in Beslan than on Monday at the Nigerian boys school. About 1,000 people were held hostage for days in Beslan, whereas the Boko Haram attack was a quick hit-and-run. The Beslan school massacre, by the way, happened roughly five years before Boko Haram began its campaign of terror in 2009-2010.

Rothman compares the 2004 Chechen terror attack on Russians, in which hundreds died, to this Monday's attack on Nigerian school boys by Boko Haram, which killed less than 100, and wonders why the more deadly attack got more coverage. Rothman seems to not have considered these possible reasons: Beslan was a far more deadly attack. Such attacks are extremely rare in Russia, and are sadly not uncommon in Nigeria (or much of Africa). Russia had engaged in major military operations in Chechnya, whereas Nigeria has not mounted a major military effort against Boko Haram. Remember, too, that Boko Haram has committed so many terror strikes since 2009 - which was not their worst to date - that another like Monday's attack on the boys' school becomes "just another one" by the group. Think of it this way: Gang shootings are so common in some American cities that they don't all get reported, and most of those that do don't get on the front page.

Rothman wrote that "Boko Haram" "literally" means "Western education is sinful" or "forbidden," but that's not quite accurate. "This name is often rendered in English [as] 'Western education is forbidden.' That translation sacrifices some potential nuance and depth," wrote Alex Thurston at Sahel Blog. "There is no definitive way to translate either the unofficial Hausa name or the official Arabic name." Rothman swallowed and regurgitated what a lot of mainstream media have said "Boko Harem" means. Boko Haram is not even the group's official name: It is "Ahl al Sunna li al Da’wa wa al Jihad."

Monday's boarding school slaughter was "not the first time that Islamic militants in Eastern Nigeria carried out an atrocity against children," wrote Rothman. "In September [2013], Islamic insurgents killed 40 students attending the College of Agriculture in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state."

"Aside from scant reports in a handful of press outlets, these and other horrific attacks have inspired little in the way of breathless media coverage in the West," Rothman said. "The lack of coverage of this event, as opposed to a similar event in Southern Russia [Beslan], has inspired some to ask a familiar question: why do some horrific acts of violence merit coverage in the West and others do not?" As I noted earlier, the Beslan school attack was far more deadly than Monday's Boko Haram school attack, therefore more sensational, and of a type that is rare in Russia. In terms of scope alone, it deserved more coverage: It was a bigger crime.

Another factor: Armed troops battled the Chechen attackers in Beslan. There was no fight when Boko Haram struck the Nigerian boarding school, committed their murders, and fled. Rothman wrote that "Media critics were moved last week to ask why violent demonstrations in Ukraine were getting so much attention while similarly violent anti-government protests in comparatively nearby Venezuela were not. There may not be a good reason." There are several good reasons, as I have noted above.

"Perhaps there is a geographical bias?" wonders Rothman. "Perhaps American audiences are more interested in news from Eastern Europe and Southern Russia than South America and Africa because more Americans can relate to European ethnic heritage." Rothman parroted a popular myth, and ignores the current heavy coverage by U.S. media of the violent demonstrations in Venezuela and of the ongoing drug war in Mexico. He also seems to have forgotten the heavy coverage given by U.S. media to the attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya last September by Islamist terror group al-Shabab.

"Perhaps news outlets simply do not have the resources to cover events in regions of the world that do not command the geopolitical influence that Russia does," Rothman wondered. That ignores logistics, which apply to journalism just as they do to any other industry. You put your resources where they are most needed and most cost effective. Think about it: Would it make sense for CBS, ABC, FOX, and all the other major news outlets to have full news gathering centers in every backwater county, town and village in the U.S.? Of course not, and the same logic applies globally. Why should American media, then, place the resources equally in some small village in Africa as they do in Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, Johannesburg, London or other places of "geopolitical influence?"

"There may not be a good answer," Rothman lamented, "but the question deserves to be asked." Sure, ask away. But it's a naïve question for a journalist to ask, and there are plenty of good answers.

Also See:

• Scores of students feared dead as Boko Haram attacks girls college in Yobe Vanguard 
• Boko Haram Gradually Wiping Out People Of Yobe, Borno States... Information Nigeria
• Nigeria Boko Haram leader urges global jihad in video Reuters
• Boko Haram attacks Borno and threatens the Niger Delta Threat Matrix 
• Timeline of Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria [30 Dec 2010 - 16 Feb 2014] Wikipedia
• Timeline: the Beslan school siege The Guardian (UK)

Taliban Beheads Two Boys In Kandahar, But Media Has Food Fight Over Motive

June 10, 2013 - The bodies of two boys named Khan and Hameedullah, 10 and 16, were discovered with their heads cut off. And the media can't get the motivation straight.

Map of ISAF regional commands in Afghanistan Provinces
Source: undispatch.com

"News of the 10-year-old's death was all over Twitter yesterday, but "later on Monday the Kandahar provincial government office confirmed that a second boy had also been beheaded," says BBC News today. Many reports are saying that the Taliban killed the boys, but they deny responsibility for the murders. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi "insisted to the BBC the group had not beheaded any children in the area."

Kandahar's governor, Dr. Toryalay Wessa, condemned the killings as inhumane and un-Islamic and insists the Taliban is guilty of killing the boy. A manhunt for the killers has been ordered.

"The boys were on their way back ... when they were stopped by Taliban insurgents who beheaded them," the chief of Zhari district, Jamal Agha, told Reuters. "Both of them were innocent children and had nothing to do with government or foreigners."

Were They Looking for Food? 

There is media confusion over the motivation behind the killing of the two boys. Many reports say the boys were killed while seeking food, but at least one report says that the boys may have actually been selling food.  

The Kandahar provincial government office issued a statement last night that said the boys were probably suspected by the Taliban of giving information to police in exchange for food, says The Telegraph. "In separate incident, it was claimed, the boys were questioned about spying and their heads were then cut off."  A Reuters report at Gulf News says that Khan and Hameedullah "had traveled to Afghan army and police checkpoints near their home in the southern province of Kandahar, scrounging for leftover food to bring to their families, the officials said."

Which is it? Were the boys scrounging for food or given food in exchange for information?

Or Were They Selling Yogurt?
However, a very different report from Voice of Journalists (VOJ) says that the boys may have been killed "because they sold yogurt to Afghan Police and Army personnel. The boys were warned that they should not have any business dealings with any Afghan official. However, today when the boys were coming back after selling their 'Lassi', a yogurt-based drink, they were captured and then ruthlessly beheaded."

Video: In 2012, Taliban Islamist insurgents beheaded 17 party-goers.

A spokesperson of Kandaha governor said that the boys had a flock of sheep and goats, reports VOJ.  "They would create lassi out of yogurt and then swap this drink with Afghan Police and Army to get some food in return. For this reason, they were warned by the Taliban. They were asked not to conduct any business with Afghan Police or help them in any matter."

The Telegraph also notes that "Afghans officials believe the Taliban carried out the executions as a 'warning' to other youngsters not to co-operate with the Coalition forces at a time when they are launching fresh attacks in Afghan cities on Western and Afghan forces as part of their Spring offensive which has so far seen a series of high profile attacks."

Panic Storm: Media Post Bogus Reports, Fools Retweet It

May 31, 2013 - 8:30 PM CDT - The tornado outbreak in the nation's midsection today caused a lot of panic, and news rooms were not immune. A bogus report of "mass casualties" at a Holiday Inn in Earth City,  Missouri by a Fox News affiliate today worried a lot of people unnecessarily.

There was also the bogus report of people trapped under rubble at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, which also must have frightened a lot of people. Fox is not the only media outlet today to pass along outlandishly bad information. AccuWeather and KMOV St. Louis were also guilty of horrifically irresponsible journalism. It's as though these "journalists" were more concerned with beating their competition to publish online than they were with actually confirming what it was they were reporting. The end result was not journalism, but nothing more than bad gossip.

It was a frustrating day on Twitter

Sharing the blame, however, are all of the gullible idiots on Twitter who mindlessly re-tweeted the bad reports. They are the kind of morons who lack any critical thinking abilities and are too lazy to take a moment to confirm something they see online.

Okay, but WHICH "local news sources?

They're the kind of fools who just love bad gossip and eagerly pass it along. Dozens of people were tweeting the Holiday Inn rumor, with no link to any source. It got so bad that Chicago News Bench tweeted this: "KMOV TV has NOTHING about a "mass casualty" event at a Holiday Inn. PEOPLE, CITE YOUR SOURCES OR SHUT THE F--- UP" (@chinewsbench).

A great post at Ryot.org details the making of the false Holiday Inn mass casualty story:

Obama's 'Staggering, Inapt Activities' During Benghazi Attack? What? No, Really: What?!?

May 21, 2013 - There are gaps in the timeline. Where was Barack Obama on the long night of the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya on last September 11? Incredibly, we don't know. The White House staff won't say. Obama won't say. His representatives won't say.

"I got nothin' here. Hmmm. I'll give it a sexy
headline and send it to press. COPY!"

Maybe someone is about to tell us. Or maybe not. Or maybe somebody will say that somebody might tell us, sorta, but won't. Yes, that's confusing. Sorry....

Redflag News has a crappy post with a jolting headline on their website today:

"SHOCK: Obama Was 'Incapacitated' Due To 'Staggering, Inapt Activities' Between The Hours Of 1800 And 2300 On The Night Of Benghazi..." The post, by J. R. Elliott, is sensational to be sure. But the post is like candy, with empty calories. If you'll pardon the expression, the post raises some red flags.

Must-Read: More Benghazi Whistleblowers Come Forth With "Devastating Info"

Roger L. Simon, PJ Media

May 21, 2013 - In an "exclusive" report today, PJ Media is reporting that former diplomats indicate that Obama's Benghazi nightmare is about to get worse.

We've already heard from whistleblowers Gregory Hicks, Mark Thompson and Eric Nordstrom. They testified on May 8 at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing.

The investigation of the missteps leading up to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya -- and the failure to even attempt a rescue during the 8-hour long seige -- is far from over.

"More whistleblowers will emerge shortly in the escalating Benghazi scandal, according to two former U.S. diplomats who spoke with PJ Media Monday afternoon," writes PJM's Roger Simon. "These whistleblowers, colleagues of the former diplomats, are currently securing legal counsel because they work in areas not fully protected by the Whistleblower law."

The news revelations, says Simon, "will be at least as explosive as what we have already learned about the scandal," and that we will learn from them "what really transpired in Benghazi that are potentially devastating to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton."
Full story at PJ Media.

Former ambassador Thomas Pickering will testify on May 23.

EXCLUSIVE: Breitbart Website's Dishonest Use of Two Photos In Stories About Sidwell Friends School

Does anyone at Brietbart know that L.A. is not in D.C.?
Click image to enlarge.

Sorry Breitbart: This is NOT Sidwell Friends School.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) (Damian Dovarganes)
Click image to enlarge (see original story).

Dec. 29, 2012 - BUSTED: Breitbart's "Big Government" website is using two photos that they present falsely as being taken at the exclusive Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., attended by the Obama daughters. In my opinion, they did this deliberately. Sadly, both photos are being reproduced by bloggers who don't know how, or are too lazy, to do a little basic research to confirm facts.

One of the photos in question was most certainly not taken at Sidwell. The other is highly suspicious. Let me explain, and keep in mind that I am a conservative blogger who doesn't like fellow conservative bloggers presenting lies, whether on purpose or through stupidity. We all make mistakes. I sure do, but I correct them when I become aware of them. I would never do what the Breitbart kiddies did here.

BAD PHOTO #1: On Dec. 23, Breitbart's "Big Government" website published a photo as part of a story about security guards at Sidwell Friends School, the private institution in Washington, D.C. that the Obama daughters attend. The article, written by someone who calls himself A.W.R. Hawkins, is titled "D.C. School Posts Job Opening For Police Officer." A photo at the top of that article shows four burly, armed guards. The photo has no caption, and no source is given.

Trouble is, the photo was actually taken in February, 2011 on the other side of the continent, in Los Angeles. The armed men are Los Angeles Unified School District police, and they were guarding Miramonte Elementary school during a protest in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. Sadly, hundreds of conservative bloggers are mindlessly republishing the same photos as they follow Breitbart like zombies, telling their readers that the photo is of Sidwell Friends School.

Greta Van Susteren Blows Story About Chicago Cops With Obama at DNC in Charlotte NC, Tinfoil Hatters Go Crazy

Greta Van Susteren - Photo: Facebook

September 3, 2012 - A lot of Americans are in a panic after learning that Chicago Police Officers are protecting Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte (DNC), North Carolina this week.  

Rumors of conspiracy and whatever else the Tinfoil Hat Crowd is panicking about are flying. Greta Van Susteren at Fox News seems to be the primary culprit in all of this idiocy, but careless bloggers are spreading the crap around like cheap fertilizer. It's a typical case of truth being blown all out of proportion, facts being twisted, and facts being omitted.

What is actually happening in Charlotte, North Carolina? Simple, really. The DNC is a big event with big security concerns. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is good, but it does not have enough officers to handle the security for such an event - which includes POTUS, after all - and so officers from outside agencies will be there to supplement their own manpower. (During the recent NATO Summit in Chicago, hundreds of officers from other cities, including Homeland Security personnel, assisted Chicago Police. With that in mind, cops from other cities being in Charlotte NC is not unusual.)

"Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the country arrived Saturday at the Charlotte Police Training Academy," reported Your News Now yesterday. "CMPD is not releasing the exact number of officers being brought in for the Democratic National Convention, but they did say there are hundreds and they are all ready for any challenge."

CMPD make an arrest at DNC2012. Book 'em!

Despite that report, people are freaking out. I became aware of this panic when I happened across a post on The Ulsterman Report, a blog I respect a little bit less today after reading a post titled "Why is Obama Using Chicago Police At South Carolina DNC Convention?" The headline even got the state wrong. The DNC is in the other Carolina (North), as Ulsterman even wrote when quoting Fox: "A Fox News reporter just shared information regarding a considerable contingent of Chicago police inside the DNC convention center in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Yet another Obama related act that makes one go hmmmmm…"

One thing that made me go "hmmmm" was the fact that Ulsterman obviously did not bother to actually Google this for himself. Instead, this idiotic comment was added: "As has so often been said regarding the Obama regime – all roads always seem to lead “Back to Chicago." I'm not sure what the hell that mean, but it sure sounds – oh hell, it just sounds stupid. I will explain why below.

Greta Van Susteren, though, should really be ashamed of herself. She can be a good reporter, but sometimes she just sucks at it. When she's bad, she's really, really damned bad. She is not some underpaid blogger desperate for a few more website visitors: Greta is a trained journalist, and yet she published this tripe today, without bothering to research it or in collusion with Pergram:

CHICAGO POLICE AT THE NORTH CAROLINA CONVENTION
by Greta Van Susteren
Sep 3 2012 - 12:06 PM ET

Below is a note I was just emailed by FNC’s Chad Pergram

And just an interesting note. There are lots of police here from other organizations. But at the convention center, Chicago Police are here….not just folks from across the state or South Carolina.Of course, remember the confrontations Democrats had with Chicago Police at the ’68 Convention….

Chad Pergram
FOX News
Senior Producer for Capitol Hill

Since I know that she knows better, I must assume that Greta's only motivation for publishing such a load of crap is this: Sensationalism. In my opinion, Greta Van Susteren is an overpaid blogger who deliberately sensationalizes just to get more website visitors. There's a word for that kind of person: It starts with "w" and ends with "hore."

The same, I contend, can be said of Chad Pergram. I would say that he is either a moron who doesn't deserve to work in the mail room of any news organization, or he deliberately added that part about the Democrats and the Chicago Police in 1968 - which has NOTHING to do with the reality of what's happening currently in Charlotte.

As for Chicago Police being at the convention center, well, so what? Notice that Pergram did not say that only Chicago cops are at the convention center. Pergram's note is written either as a moron would write such a note, or as a very clever manipulator would. I suspect that Pergram is not a moron.

To be fair, Greta's blog post did say that there are many police officers from other cities, not just Chicago, in Charlotte.  Which part of that did Ulsterman - and others - miss or not understand? 

To recap, Chad sent a stupid note to Greta, who then reproduced it on her Fox site without a shred of added value or any research. Idiot readers won't bother looking beyond Greta's steaming pile, and so the panic and rumors are flying today across blogs run by non-journalists, across Facebook timelines by people who are stupid and/or intellectually lazy, and on Twitter by all of the above.

Bloody Reuters Bin Laden Photos Are Still Up

May 4, 2011 - This afternoon, Reuters posted some very graphic photos of corpses, killed in Sunday's raid in the bin Laden compound in Pakistan. You can see them here, in the Reuters story titled "Photos from the Bin Laden Compound." Some hasty bloggers have snagged the Reuters photos and have are claiming - in error - that Reuters took the photos down. In fact, they are still up (as of 7:30 p.m. EDT). Bungalow Bill's blogspot ran some of the amazing Reuters photos in a post titled "The Reuters Images of the Attack Against Osama Bin Laden That Were Removed From Reuters Web Site." Ah, sorry, your headline is misleading. American Power blogspot has some pointless commentary and over there, where they at least acknowledge that Reuters re-posted the photos in "an update." (Actually, American Power hat tipped blogger Iconic Surrealism for the update info.) Even one of my all-time fave websites, iOwnTheWorld, fell for the Reuters-pulled-the-photos hysteria. In a wonderfully titled post, "Warning: These photos might be too graphic if you’re a progressive pussy," my good friend Big Fur Hat wrote, "These photos were pulled by Reuters about one hour after they were published. But the genie cannot be re-corked on the internet." Well, no, the photos are still up at Reuters.com. I still love iOwnTheWorld, though. See, my fellow bloggers, now and then news sites post updates and move stuff around - kinda like we do - and so all of the hysteria about Reuters "pulling" the photos is nonsense. It was housekeeping, dudes. Reuters simply moved the furniture around, so to speak. They didn't hide it.

Did Hillbuzz Have a Premature Ejaculation?

Did Hillbuzz screw up? Is Hillbuzz so eager to print sensationalistic rumor and innuendo from "Roxy Vanilla" that he couldn't see that the email address on a message he got is not from RV? Perhaps, but maybe not. Maybe Roxy Vanilla is just getting sloppy. Perhaps not. On Monday, July 26 at 1:44 p.m., I posted here that Chicago News Bench received a mysterious email. I wrote this in the post "Roxy Vanilla, Time To Step Forward": Today, another anonymous coward sent us an email. Their email was "theswordandtherose" and used the same anonymizing email service that Roxy Vanilla uses. The voice in which it was written is very similar to that of Roxy Vanilla. The sender signed the email as "Concerned CYRs." We call on this cowardly cyberinformant to step forward, too. In other words, the sender did not claim to be Roxy Vanilla. That didn't prevent Hillbuzz from reporting that the email was "Latest email from “Roxy Vanilla”... Huh. I double checked and sho' nuff, the text that Hillbuzz presents as a Roxy Vanilla email is exactly, word for word, the same as the one I got by "Concerned CYRs," sent from "theswordandtherose@xxxxx.xxx." Roxy Vanilla uses the same anonymous email service, but of course, any coward afraid to put his/her name to an accusation can do that. The only difference between what Hillbuzz claims to have received and what I got is the way the email was addressed. Hillbuzz presented his version as being addressed this way: FROM: Roxy Vanilla TO: The Prophet CC: Chicago Media DATE: 7/25/10 The one I received was addressed as follows: From: theswordandtherose@xxxxxx.xxx To: [Jeremy Rose's email] I was obviously blind copied (bcc'd). If anybody else received the email as a bcc, I have no way of knowing. Since Roxy Vanilla has sent email to me directly, and therefore knows my email address, it seems unlikely that they (RV is a group) would send something to me under a different pseudonym and from a different email address. Additionally, why would someone calling themselves "Concerned CYRs" send out exactly the same email that, according to Hillbuzz, was sent by Roxy Vanilla? Doesn't make much sense. If Hillbuzz would forward the email he claims to be from Roxy Vanilla to me, I'll be satisfied. I don't know if Hillbuzz even reads this blog, but if he reads this post he'll probably laugh this off and shout "F--- you, Mannis, you bug!" at his computer screen. Of course, he won't be able to hear you or me shouting "Prove it, Hillbuzz!" at our keyboards.

Mick Dumke Leaving The Chicago Reader

July 20, 2010 - I called Mick Dumke this morning just to say hello, and he shocked me. "Today is my last day at the Reader," he said. I just about fell over. I didn't know. It's a bittersweet day for Chicago journalism: Mick is moving over to the Chicago News Cooperative. The Reader's great loss will, undoubtedly, be CNC's great gain. Mick has earned a reputation as a hard-hitting journalist on the Chicago news scene. Over his five-year run at the Reader, three of them full time, Mick has built up an impressive body of work. He's gone after the likes of Mayor Richard M. Daley with cool enthusiasm, capturing, dissecting and then displaying the facts for all to read. Some Chicagoans first became aware of Mick recently, when Mayor Daley threatened him (jokingly?) with physical violence at a mayoral press conference on May 20. Mick asked Daley about the effectiveness of the old handgun ban (more recently ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court). He recalled the exchange this way: “Oh!” Daley said. “It’s been very effective!” He grabbed a rifle, held it up, and looked right at me. He was chuckling but there was no smile. “If I put this up your—ha!—your butt—ha ha!—you’ll find out how effective this is!” Mick Dumke's own writing stands strongly on its own, but he often collaborated with fellow Reader ace reporter Ben Joravsky. The two of them wrote well separately and as a team, on elections and other subjects, most notably Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) - a subject that most "journalists" are afraid of because they don't understand it - in a way that made it easy for the layman to understand. Mick has been, and will remain, a good all-around reporter, well versed in the good, bad and ugly of Chicago. As fellow Reader reporter Mike Miner wrote on July 15, "This was a wrenching decision for Dumke, and it's a jolt to this newspaper. He's an awfully good reporter."

Shame On You, Pamela Geller (Atlas Farts)

Last night's odd encounter between Obama's Secret Service detail and Nation of Islam bodyguards will also be distorted by some irresponsible bloggers. Pamela Geller, for example. What a disappointment. I used to be a fan of Pamela Geller. No more. Geller writes a very popular conservative blog called "Atlas Shrugs," and she posted this amazingly inaccurate headline on her blog today: "Atlas Exclusive: President Obama Skips Arlington to Spend Memorial Day with Louis Farrakhan amidst Nation of Islam Thugs." The only thing "exclusive" about that post, which draws on a pooled press report, is the way that Geller twisted the facts to conform to her hatred for Obama. Hey, I'm no fan of Obama, and I love to jab him on my blog. But I don't intentionally lie about him, as Geller did in her post. Note to Geller: You do yourself no favors in the Credibility Department when you badly and intentionally distort facts. Obama did NOT "spend Memorial Day with Louis Farrakhan," as you wrote. As we see from the Jackie Calme pool report that you yourself quoted from, Obama was at a friend's home that happens to be near the Farrakhan house. Shame on you, Pamela Geller. In writing such hysterical distortions you do a disservice to all other conservative bloggers.

Secret Service, Meet Farrakhan's Surly Fruit of Islam Goons

May 30, 2010 - There are bizarre reports coming out about weird encounters yesterday between Secret Service agents and Nation of Islam goons in the Chicago neighborhood where Comrade Barack Obama maintains his dacha. Da Prez is in Chicago for the Memorial Day Weekend, and of course the Secret Service and the press are keeping close to Him. Virtually nose-to-nose, the goons and the Secret Service agents have been engaged in a kind of standoff. The Kenwood/Hyde Park neighborhood a strange neighborhood, to be sure, filled with community organizers, radical professors and other suspicious characters. One of those characters is Louis Farrakhan, Lord God King Boofoo of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan - remember him? - lives in the Obamahood, and that's how the "Fruit of Islam" becomes part of the Obama homecoming story. Byron York reports today in the Washington Examiner on the attempts by Farrkhan's minions to intimidate the Secret Service:

"The encounter was written up — for distribution to the press, not necessarily for publication — by the New York Times’ Jackie Calmes. It began a little after 4:00 p.m. when Obama and his family walked to the nearby home of longtime friend Marty Nesbitt for a backyard cookout. It just so happens that Nesbitt lives across the street from Farrakhan."

The press and the Secret Service agents parked themselves across from the Nesbitt house - and right in front of Farrakhan's house. Back to York's dispatch: A few hours after Obama went to Nesbitt’s home, the press pool, including Calmes, was waiting in a bus parked near 49th Street and Woodlawn Avenue, next to Farrakhan’s mansion. The reporters’ Secret Service minder allowed them off the bus to stretch their legs. As they stood on the sidewalk, some of the journalists inadvertently touched the grass next to the sidewalk, and that is when the encounter began. From Calmes’ report:

Immediately a polite man in jeans and T-shirt emerged to ask us to stay off the grass. Though this grass was the curbside city property, we obliged.

But it turned out that simply staying off the grass was not enough to satisfy the man in the T-shirt. Calmes continues:

Soon, however, he was pacing and talking on a cell phone. He went inside the mansion’s black wrought iron fence, crossed the well-landscaped yard, lifted a water bucket behind rose bushes and, voila!, a walkie-talkie. He was heard to refer to “the CIA” once he began speaking into it. Soon he approached our [Secret Service] agent, asking him to move the van and its occupants, though your pooler could not hear much else he said. But the agent said, “How is this a security breach?” And he asked if the house was a government property. The man said something else and at that point the agent stuck out his and to shake hands and introduced himself as a Secret Service agent. He added, “Sir, I can assure you that we will do nothing to interfere with whatever is going on in there.”

It might be assumed that an assurance from the Secret Service would be enough to satisfy any security-minded guardian of Louis Farrakhan. But not in this case. The "showdown" finally ended after some benign intervention from Detroit. Abdon M. Pallasch of gives some details at the Chicago Sun-Times:

Rev. Gary Hunter, a Baptist minister in Detroit who writes and blogs for the Detroit Times, told reporter Jackie Calmes of the New York Times that he called Farrakhan and his son and asked them to have the Fruit stand down: "I told him you were good people . . . He said he didn't know you all were just waiting for the president.'' The Blackhawks won the first game of the series around 10 p.m. -- and Obama and his family were driven home at 10:43 p.m., the press bus in tow, ending the "stand-off.''

It may seem easy to laugh at this encounter. To be sure, there is comedy here. But Byron York points out that there is a not-so-funny side to all of this:

Some observers will make light of the whole thing — just a little misunderstanding with those weird Nation of Islam guys — but the fact that Farrakhan’s security force is close to the president’s home is likely a matter of continuing concern to the Secret Service. And on Saturday night, the two forces ran into each other.

Also See: Shame On You, Pamela Geller (Atlas Farts)

Local Media Finally Catch Up to Us on Cohen's Run For Guv Story

April 24, 2010 - The big boys just can't keep up with us, I guess. Six days ago, on April 18, Chicago News Bench reported that Scott Lee Cohen will run for governor as an independent. Not "might," will. While some other blogs and some newspapers were speculating that he might, we reported that he absolutely planned to run. We cited William J. Kelly as our source.

Today, CBS 2 Chicago, ABC 7 Chicago, The Chicago Sun-Times, WJBD Radio, WLS Radio and The Chicago Tribune are reporting it as "news."  Only the Huffington Post had the professional courtesy to acknowledge our scoop on this major story.  On April 18, we reported this:

Chicago News Bench has learned that Scott Lee Cohen (photo, left) WILL run for governor - as an independent. (Note, 4/19/2010: We stand by everything in this post.) Rumors about this have been circulating for several days now, but a man in the know told us late this afternoon that Cohen told him two weeks that he will run. That man: William J. Kelly...

Eat my dust, Mainstream Media.

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WGN's Unethical Video of Stolen Car Crash

April 3, 2010 - Shame on WGN TV Chicago. Their report of last Wednesday's bizaare incident of a stolen car crashing into police vehicles misrepresents the amateur videos that they made use of. WGN took audio from one of those and laid it over the other, giving a false impression of both camerapersons.

WGN's headline, "Eye-Witness Video: Hit-and-run driver crashes into police crime scene," is followed by a misleading subhead, "Accident took place in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood." The driver of the stolen vehicle rammed it into other vechicles intentionally, so there was literally no "accident" that took place.

Chicago News Bench, as reported here earlier, obtained a copy of an amateur eyewitness video at the same time WGN did. That amateur videographer gave me a CD with his video. We added some of our own material to the front and back, but did not alter the original in any way except to lay titles over it and improve the lighting quality somewhat.

The "Oh My God" Video...

The video that we incorporated into our presentation was clearly shot from an upper story window. In that video (see it here), the cameraman is heard saying "Oh my God" several times. He - and his camera - were looking down at the scene on the street below. At the same time, another person standing at street level shot video of the same scene (see it here).  Then watch WGN's video report.

WGN took an "Oh my God" audio snippet from the first video and laid it over the other. That's unethical and gives the false impression that the cameraperson on street level said "Oh my God." The one in which the cameraman actually does say that has gotten over 6,000 views at my YouTube channel. Anybody seeing the actual "Oh my God" video might get the two different videos confused. In short, WGN faked their own report. There is swearing in both videos, both from the cameraman in the actual "Oh my God" video and from some police officers in each. However, in the street-level video the cameraperson does not swear.

WGN only showed a few seconds of each video. We show both in their entirety and, as noted, accurately.

Shame on WGN for this, for unethically mashing together the two videos, for misrepresenting one of the videographers, and for not showing the full video of the crash scene as we do.

RELATED:
FULL VIDEO, Crazy Driver Slams Into Cop Cars at Crime Scene

Chicago Media Screwing Up on Dead Cop Story

Update, 2/24/2010: Funeral Details for Sgt. Alan Haymaker  

Update, 2/25/201: Man Charged in Burglary That "Killed" Sgt. Alan Haymaker

What kind of morons do the local media hire? Every one of the mainstream media - including Fox Chicago News - keep saying that Sgt. Alan Haymaker was killed when his car "slid off an exit ramp." That's wrong. 

Not only is that completely incorrect, the imbecile reporters actually show photos that contradict their own words. Fox Chicago News, for example.  

Sgt. Haymaker's car never got to the exit ramp

In what seems to be an otherwise good report on Tuesday night, the Fox anchor speaks over a picture of the crash scene, which clearly shows that the car went directly from Lake Shore Drive onto a grassy area where it crashed. 

Even as that is shown on screen, the anchor says that "his squad car slid off an exit ramp," but in the background you can see the ramp, which was obviously missed by the car. It wasn't even close to entering the ramp as my own report showed on Monday night.  

My own photos were posted Monday night and show that Sgt. Haymaker's car was never on the exit ramp (see more photos here). Why is it so difficult for the mainstream media to report such a basic fact of this story correctly?

Cowardly Ray Hanania Disappoints (Kind of)

Come on Ray Hanania, you can do better than to write a nasty, false posting about Chicago News Bench only to quickly delete it in cowardly fashion. Previously, I've only said nice things about you, Ray, and your scribblings about Orland Park. Like here, for example, and here. Perhaps the Jim Dodge campaign for Illinois State Comptroller has you in their corner, perhaps not. But honestly, Ray, although I am amused by it, I cannot think of what prompted your unprovoked attack on lil ol' CNB. You wrote this piece of garbage on November 21: Beware of Chicago News Bench" Blog ... tagged to with annoying ads and misleading claims Anyone can be a blogger but not everyone can get their facts right. While I don't apologize for challenging the village of Orland Park's tax history over the years and my disappointment with some of the policies, for someone to take those remarks out of context and then use them to attack Jim Dodge, the first candidate to announce for Illinois Comptroller, is misleading and deceitful. But there… Whoops! That's all there is, because you deleted it, Ray. You wimped out, you lost your nerve. Perhaps, like a girl scorned just before her 8th grad prom, you wrote a wrathful note. Perhaps, like some little girls, you re-read it and decided that maybe you shouldn't send it. Too late, Ray, when you hit "publish" it's out there, baby. Caching is a bitch, and you're cached all over the place. Look, Ray, I understand why the 8th grade girl would be upset and write a poison pen letter to a boy who stood her up on the night of the dance. What I don't understand is why you wrote such a letter, especially considering that you seemed so, well, reliable and trustworthy and rational. I guess I misjudged you, Ray. Your rationality is in question, your judgment now seems clouded. The only logical reason I can imagine is that you've been bought off by the Jim Dodge - Jack Roeser Axis of Evil. No, perhaps not, elsewise you wouldn't have deleted it. Unless, of course, you had a sudden crisis of conscience. If what you want is a fight, Ray, then bring it on. I personally don't want one, but you threw the first punch. We're now even, Ray, with the difference being that I won't delete this post for at least a year. It's defense against your offense, Ray, but I'm hitting above the belt. You, on the other hand, aimed for my groin. You missed, in part because your punch was wild, in part because you pulled your punch. Go ahead and swing again, Ray. I dare you. Ray, let's examine the crap that you wrote. Let's look at it again, starting with that baffling headline, "Beware of Chicago News Bench" Blog ... tagged to with annoying ads and misleading claims." I mean, WTF, Ray, what does that mean? You say that ads are annoying? YOU have ads on YOUR web sites, Ray, but unlike me, you stick them between posts (see images here; click to enlarge). You don't like a blog that is "tagged with annoying ads?" I challenge you, then, to remove all of the advertising from all of your web sites. I wonder if your sponsors know that you consider ads to be "annoying." By the way, what the heck does the phrase "tagged to with ... ads" mean, anyway? "Misleading claims," Ray? Name one. No, wait - let's get back to your misleading claims. You went on to write that "Anyone can be a blogger but not everyone can get their facts right." That's true, Ray, and you proved it nicely with your bogus headline. You then wrote, "While I don't apologize for challenging the village of Orland Park's tax history over the years and my disappointment with some of the policies,..." Ahem, let's pause here. Nobody's asked you to apologize, Ray. As I noted above, I praised you at least once for your reporting of the mismanagement of Orland Park. You continued: "... for someone to take those remarks out of context and then use them to attack Jim Dodge, the first candidate to announce for Illinois Comptroller, is misleading and deceitful. But there…" See, here's where you really hang yourself, Ray. First, you refer to your own reporting as "remarks," and I gotta tell ya Ray, you do yourself a disservice in that. That said, when I quoted you on November 19 in my post "Jim Dodge's Political Donations Show He's a Fake Republican," I took a full paragraph from you. That's hardly "out of context," Ray. That paragraph, which you wrote in February, 2009, is reproduced here (emphasis added): Orland Park has raised its property taxes and even gerrymandered the "fiscal year" from 12 to 15 months because they couldn't meet their expenses. They said they were changing the fiscal year in order to re-align it with the annual calendar. But many suspect the real reason is they just don't have the funds to pay all the bills in the 12 month budget and use a cute trick to turn the budget period to 15 months to cover 12 months of expenses. It's typical bad management to delay troubles until after the election April 7, 2009. Please enlighten us, Ray: Which part of that paragraph is not self-representative or misleading? Which part of it is an out-of-context bit that was twisted? It's a straightforward quote of your own writing, Ray. Just because Jim Dodge has long been one of the incompetent tricksters on the Orland Park village board is something that I had no part in arranging. To chastise me for accurately quoting your accurate report is, for lack of a better term, bizarre. Ray, Ray, Ray.... were you drinking when you wrote that? Were you exhausted? Cranky? Distracted? Did I use your report to "attack Jim Dodge?" Mea culpa, Ray. You should have been flattered that someone, even I, felt that your report was good enough to quote as supporting evidence. But, Ray, are you now willing to admit that you are in Dodge's camp, that you've thrown away all pretense of objectivity? You say you are objective, Ray? Then explain your gushing endorsement of Jim Dodge: http://orlandparker.blogspot.com/2009/08/scoop-jim-dodge-will-announce-for.html from August 10, 2009. As for me, Ray, I'm bulletproof. See, the big red banner at the top left of Chicago News Bench says, very plainly, that my blog is about "Conservative Commentary." I am what I am, Ray, and I don't pretend to anything else. What's your story, Ray? And why should your readers continue their mistaken belief that you're all about objective truth telling? You've shown yourself to be a spiteful, arrogant, biased and bitter little man who can't even write a bitter and unprovoked attack on another blogger with enough conviction to not delete it in a frightened haste. Perhaps this is not so disappointing. Perhaps I should be happy that someone as sloppy as you is on RINO Jim Dodge's side. How glad I am that you exposed yourself, albeit for one cowardly moment. It was a moment to remember. Leave a Comment Conservative T-Shirts Follow CNB on Twitter RSS Feed