We all have our pet peeves. For some of you, it's dog shit on the sidewalk. That never bothers me. It tastes pretty good. But one thing nearly always sets me off. It's when the damn MSM suggests or hints in any way that we're apathetic.Every election season, my sitemeter tells me people are very hungry, especially for the local races. So earlier this week, when I saw a Bill White column complaining that voters are no longer willing to lynch elected representatives on sight, I set him straight by quoting the titles of some of his recent blogs, like "Arf Arf."
That really pissed Bill off, so he flamed me on his blog. I got all holy and indignant and Bill backtracked a bit and then Micek jumped in and said he has a mancrush on Mike Royko and Molovinsky asked, "Where's the beef?" and Bill Villa demanded justice and another blogger sucked up to the dead tree writers while Bill White and Micek broke out the love oils and heaped praise on each other and some dude named Jonah got swallowed by a whale.
It was all pretty cool, actually.
Interactivity. It's what's for dinner. Better than dog shit.
10 comments:
I tried to stay in the discussion but my 3rd comment was blocked and never appeared. And as you'll see if you read the exchanges, my first 2 comments weren't off-topic; they were merely asking where was Bill White's 'indignation' on a troubling issue regarding a local elected official ... and Bill's topic was lack of public indignation regarding elected officials. But I'm sure Bill White had absolutely nothing to do with my comment(s) being blocked; he would never do that; in fact, he's on record as saying he wouldn't know how to block a comment; so it was probably just a random glitch of some kind and the timing of its kicking in (and kicking me out) was purely coincidental ... like in my last dozen blocks at Morning Call blogs ...
As Bill White routinely ignores Allentown many of us here ignore him in return.
Scott Armstrong
Bill,
I have no idea why your third comment was blocked. Retired ASD teacher tells me it has happened to him, too. Then again, Bill White notes he has been censored at times when he tries to comment from home.
The paper, in its readers' forum, allows all kinds of anti-Semitic rants to stand for hours. Same thing for comments referring to Allentown's Latino population as "mongrels." But because you complain about the paper or the DA, you are blocked in advance?? Both Bill White and Micek have previously, and strenuously, denied being involved in any attempt to censor you.
My suspicion is that if this is intentional, it is coming from people like Dave Erdman, who really seems to have a hot nut for you.
I'd try again, from a different computer, and see what happens.
"My suspicion is that if this is intentional, it is coming from people like Dave Erdman, who really seems to have a hot nut for you." -Bernie
... which is ironic, since Mr. Erdman has yet to meet with me in person. In fact, it was my dropping by the "newspaper" one day and asking politely at the front desk if Mr. Erdman could spare me 15 minutes that triggered a later that same day e-mail from Tribune NYC attorney Kay Murray informing me that I would be escorted off the Morning Call property in the future if I tried to enter their building without an appointment. The appointment neither managing editor Dave Erdman nor The Morning Call Editorial Board will grant me.
You see, I've been trying to get a discussion going at The Morning Call regarding the "Perpetrator Protection Mill" for select/connected homicidal drunk drivers that DA Jim Martin is running out of the Lehigh County District Attorney's office.
Morning Call Investigations Editor Tim Darragh told me (over the course of 3 lengthy phone conversations) that I was raising "excellent questions that deserve to be answered" regarding DA Jim Martin and his "Perpetrator Protection Mill."
But then all of a sudden nobody at the "newspaper" wants to hear me out on my "excellent questions" (not to mention try to get them answered) and when I try to write about them on Morning Call blogs I get blocked, deleted, muzzled, and banned from entering their building.
Bernie, rather than trying from a different computer, I think I'll try weaving some anti-Semitism, racism, and homophobia in there with my "excellent questions" about DA Jim Martin's "Perpetrator Protection Mill," because as Bill White has explained, these type of comments are evidence of reader interest and drive advertising revenue and will probably not get blocked or deleted. Stay tuned ...
In fairness, Bill White has made clear he supports one-time registration so that those who post hate speech can be banned. I agree with that. I do not defend Erdman, who is obviously behind the decision to deny you access and who refuses to make changes to improve the hateful readers' forum.
Bill Villa, it's painfully obvious that the MC will not respond to you. That sucks beyond belief, but it's also reality.
Bernie, I know this is OT, but if you'll indulge me - I'd like to throw it out to everyone to come up with different approaches that Bill can use. There are alot of people who read this blog, I have to think there are good ideas out there.
People?
Joe Owens at The Express-Times has the phone number of a dad who's son was killed by a drunk driver in June 2006 (I gave Joe the number). In late September 2007, the night before the scheduled trial, like magic, blood evidence that would have sent the drunk driver to the penitentiary for the state's mandatory minimum sentence of 3 to 6 years became suddenly 'inadmissible.' The story the dad got, the night before trial, was that Lehigh Valley Hospital screwed up the paperwork. This turned out to not be the case, the dad found out. But with the judge's hands effectively tied by this major charge being "withdrawn" (that's right, DA Jim Martin told the judge another story altogether), the criminal defendant eventually got only 18 months in county jail instead of 3 to 6 years in a state penitentiary. Nice break-- for a criminal defendant who had scored a 2nd DUI after having committed Vehicular Homicide While DUI.
Turns out the criminal defendant's grandfather and DA Jim Martin are longtime pals. Yep. And in January '08, 4 months after the night before trial case fix, DA Jim Martin even had the balls to invite this man to attend his invitation-only swearing-in ceremony.
That's how protected DA Jim Martin feels running his "Perpetrator Protection Mill" for select/connected homicidal drunk drivers out of the Lehigh County Courthouse. Martin knows The Morning Call will not dare confront him on this ... or on anything.
The dad knows that DA Jim Martin fixed the case for Martin's longtime pal, the defendant's grandfather, the night before trial, and directly against the wishes of the victim's family.
Joe Owens and The Express-Times knows this too.
They've known it for months.
They also know The Morning Call refuses to meet with me to either hear me out or prove me wrong on this matter.
So, to anon 11:18's suggestion, my idea would be for all of us to WAKE UP JOE OWENS AND THE EXPRESS-TIMES and get them to CALL & INTERVIEW this dad who will corroborate everything I'm saying here, and more.
This can be done sitting down.
It will be a great story that will sell a lot of papers. I know, I know, The Express-Times doesn't cover Lehigh County. But did they cover North Carolina when DA Mike Nifong was railroading LaCrosse players? I believe they did. Ditto The Morning Call.
Retired ASD teacher here.
I was thinking of responding to Bill White's blog, but because it is affiliated to the Morning Call, I decided, why bother?
There is no doubt in my mind, nor the scores of people I continue to react with, the current Morning Call has become:
the newspaper we all love to hate.
The question the Call needs to answer is, why?
For me, that answer is this, the Call has come to believe it's duty goes beyond just reporting the news. It thinks it's best service to its community is to shape the news into a depiction of what it believes best for us. To report some news, ignore other news. Unfortunately, its effort to shape is not transparent enough.
Today, people are smarter, they have access, and quicker access, to the information they seek about what has happened around them.
I believe the early days of newspaper publication had a certain "checks and balance" component that kept decision makers (ALL decision makers) on notice that what they do will be reported fully and truthfully. That the readership can then be expected to judge based upon the unbiased accounting their local press is duty-bound to provide.
Bill White is not the problem. Truth be told, Bill is probably just counting the days until he can leave behind what his employer has become. Much like I counted the days until I could leave my own employer.
Maybe I'm naive about the business of reporting the news.
I would be ashamed to work for a paper that sensationalizes and diminishes the seriousness of crimes like rape, and at the same time shows a lack of respect for young victims and families. That's stooping to an all time low to attract more readers. I'm talking about the penis headline story. Heads getting "too big?" guys?
At least some of the reporters read the local blogs for ideas on local stories. That's the extent of any investigative journalism.
Anon 11:18, thank you for stepping up in my defense and for the good idea of asking commenters to propose different approaches I could try.
Don't be discouraged that no one responded ;) I'm used to this. It's not that people don't care, it's just that people don't know what to suggest to someone who is going up against two seemingly immovable forces like The Morning Call (who everyone is disgusted with) and DA Jim Martin (who everyone is scared shitless of).
In lieu of not being able to motivate our local media into investigating and reporting on the "Perpetrator Protection Mill" for select/connected homicidal drunk drivers that DA Jim Martin operates at his whim, I will be taking the advice of another Pennsylvania District Attorney who was kind enough to phone me a few weeks ago and filing a complaint against Mr. Martin with a state sponsored attorney review and disciplinary action board that I am assured will (unlike The Morning Call) investigate my "excellent questions that deserve to be answered" thoroughly. Hopefully, this board will instantly grasp the significance of Mr. Martin's night before trial case fix in September 2007-- the glaring obviousness of which is still curiously eluding the collective brain trust that is The Morning Call Editorial Board.
Again, thank you for standing up for me, I appreciated that.
And for the record, I will never give up until Jim Martin is removed from office either by recall or by losing his next bid for reelection.
A DA is not supposed to side against the victims of crime and with the criminal defendants. But this is exactly what DA Jim Martin is doing with his "Perpetrator Protection Mill" for select/connected homicidal drunk drivers.
He should be removed from office and disbarred.
I'm on it.
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