(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
A number of major liberal bloggers are under assault for aligning with the billionaire Omidyar at First Look, and I suppose there are billions and billions of reasons to be skeptical of those who join ranks with interested billionaires. However, the past histories of the journalists in question are exemplary concerning basic intelligence and Modern Liberalism, whatever you think of that idea. I’m presently & personally an idiot liberal, whether that flows from reality or not.
Driftglass has incessantly condemned Greenwald based on his totally unfounded belief that Greenwald’s stories are “always about Saint Greenwald” (i.e., only self-interested), and not about the manifest Surveillance State that Greenwald actually writes about) I told DG long ago that I thought he was fucking the pooch on that hypothesis, and I’ll stand by that statement until proven wrong.
Nevertheless, other perennial favorites of mine, Arthur Silber and Chris Floyd, both of whom have my tremendous respect, have both also jumped into the debate, and now my challenge stands like a large, public tumescence: If Greenwald, Scahill, & Wheeler prove to be neo-liberal operatives, I will be sucking dicks I did not want to suck. Even La Diggs, has said at one time or another, “Whatever you think of Greenwald…,” which is frankly fucking bullshit until Greenwald produces actual bullshit.
I personally take Silber and Floyd quite seriously, and yet I have no interest in blowing them.
Arthur & Chris, I think my owing you a public rimjob is less than 40%, but let’s wait and see. Point being, warnings are fine, but condemnation is totally premature. Give these journalists, of whom there are fewer than fuck in our world, a friggin’ chance to get rolling before premature condemnation ensues.
K?thnx.bai.
The alternative is to begin killing all billionaires (using machetes!), which is also something to think about, but radical, in many senses of the word.
Arthur, Chris: be human, hold fast. It’s a rollicking ride.
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but it seems I am against two of my favorites, at this level of debate. I personally cannot claim omnipotence on the issue. One would think, “they shoudn’t, either.”
I suspect that much of the criticism stems from a falling out between Ames and Taibbi over “demise” of The Exile, a Moscow-based, English-language biweekly, that was founded by Ames. Ames and Taibbi also worked together at the online rag, The Beast at one time.
The article by Mark Ames in Pando (which I had never heard of) appears to be a inaccurate, hyperbolic smear.
It was posted without giving First Look a chance to even respond.
There has been a lot of negative criticism of the Pando article in the media.
People don’t like Greenwald because he is a libertarian and a critic of Obama for his embrace and extension of the Bush administrations policies.
Sibel Edmonds had jumped on the bash Greenwald/Omidyar band wagon at her blog, Boiling Frogs, sounding very much like the bride left at the altar.
David Sirott is at Pando Daily, also a start-up.
Maybe, there’s been some sort of internal rifts that we’re unaware of.
At First Look, Pierre Omidyar, makes his position and reasoning very clear for establishing First Look, billionaire or not. Ignoring that aspect, if you will, the roster of investigative journalists are the best there is. And, David Sirott is also very good. I think the best thing to do is look to the content of each site, rather than the dissing that appears to be taking place.