GOP's planned giveaway to the mega-rich

Washington Post

16 tweets about the suspension of Keith Olbermann

Yours truly posted the following about Keith Olbermann's suspension on Twitter tonight, under @PRTandWiseline. I was moved to write it after a certain radio show producer jumped on me as though I were some sort of teabagger. I needed to make clear that when I disagreed with him about Olbermann (radio boy is pro-suspension) I was not doing so to harsh his morning drive-time happy talk. I was also not trying to "silence" him as he claimed -- because criticism is not censorship or prior restraint. I thought all liberals knew that.

I did it because I wanted him to influence his boss to have some solidarity with Olbermann, in order to start a boycott of MSNBC that would do something -- anything, even a little thing -- to hit back at media consolidation.

Anywho, here are the tweets (they were tagged #p2 #olbermann #boycott #msnbc).

1) I know a lot of tweeple want to be idealistic about politics, media, rules, & uniform application thereof.

2) But many folks seem to forget - or not realize - that we are in the middle of a very real ideological struggle...

3) ...over consolidation & access to mass media by points of view not approved by corporate ownership.

4) Did @keitholbermann break a Rule? Maybe. There's some question about whether the Rule applied to MSNBC.

5) But even if it applies, the truth is that the Rule serves no useful purpose. Because the Other Side that wants to...

6) ...stomp out liberals has thrown away the rules. They follow no rules. They do what they want in media...

7) ...they blur politics & media. @keitholbermann did not blur the line. His donations were personal...

8) ... & had no effect on how he did his job. If we sit on the sideline, letting @keitholbermann get punished...

9) ...is equivalent to the attack on Lauren Valle, & the next day Rand Paul says he opposes violence on both sides.

     9a) The violence was on ONE side. In today's case, the Rule(s) are only on 1 side.

10) @keitholbermann gave 3 donations. SO WHAT. He did it publicly, he knew they'd be reported to the FEC.

11) MSNBC's Phill Griffin suspending @keitholbermann for 'ethics' is nothing but a convenient pretext...

     11a) (the corporatists think liberals will see 'Rule violation' & shut up, since we believe in rule of law)

12) ...to please the network's new GOP-loving masters, Comcast. Silencing an endangered political viewpoint...

13) ...is precisely the reason this struggle about media consolidation is so important.

14) We are in an ideological war for media access. If the Other Side wins, the 1st Amendment won't matter...

15) ...because speech, without access to media, is not heard. So do we play by rules the other side ignores?

16) And do we let them take one of our generals off the board? Or do we boycott MSNBC?

'Arpaio Macht Frei'

Arizona's Sheriff Joe calls his Tent City a "concentration camp":

Helen Thomas retires over Palestine comments

I've watched The Video several times, and I don't hear any anti-Semitism in Helen Thomas' comments. She was offering her opinion that Jewish people should "get the hell out of Palestine," and return to, among other places, the United States -- and "everywhere."

Stopping an endless cycle of bloodshed and reprisal by suggesting one of the combatants think about relocating (to perfectly nice, developed economies) is not racism. Racism is something like driving by an Asian American and yelling Go Back To CHIna!

Rather, Thomas made the mistake of thinking that a culture's attachment to the land can be defined-out of a complex and highly charged struggle.

In that sense, Helen Thomas is just as naive as libertarians who seem to think prejudice and racism can be assumed out of existence, so civil rights laws (and Affirmative Action) are unnecessary. Interesting theory, but: No.

Microsoft rides to Palin's rescue

Soon we may not be able to laugh at Sarah Palin's cribnotes system:

+

And she could sue Microsoft for theft of intellectual pro- ehhh maybe not.

Changes

Profiteers

How much is your insurance premium going up? Is your insurer on this list?

• WellPoint 2008 cash/cash equivalent assets: $ 2.18 billion
• Premera Blue Cross 2008 reserve: $840.1 million
• Regence Blue Shield 2008 surplus: $1.779 billion
• Aetna 2008 operating earnings: $3.93 billion
• United Health Group revenues: $81.186 billion

Ahhh, Lynnwood