Assault Weapons and CBS

Somewhere, when I wasn't looking, the second Amendment became more important than the first. The Assault Weapon Ban - a perfect thing to need renewing during a presidential election - real smart guys - is history. Not that it mattered much anyway, I mean, considering that we can't go on a plane with nail clippers, America is that much safer. And 9/11 would clearly have been prevented if we all had AK-47s.

Anyway, as an avid reader of political cartoons (both through my subscription services and through Slate), I have slowly become outraged at the cowardice of the Press. I've been a critic of the pusillanimous Press for years now and I'm so glad that I didn't enter the field because I'd have to retire from the shame of my colleagues.

And I'm not only talking about the shoddy journalism of CBS and Rather. Rather sucked the moment he sat in Cronkite's chair (and I'm not just saying that because Roger Mudd was my professor at Princeton). I'm talking about the total timidity of the press in the face of the type of government they were empowered to battle.

If you check the list of editorial cartoons about CBS and Rather you'll see that many 'toonists are claiming that CBS works for Kerry. One 'toon said that Rather's replacement will be Michael Moore.

Ahem.

In this age where Fox is de-facto owned by the RNC -- DENY IT, COME ON, DENY IT! -- and where the Press has let Bush, Cheney and Rove run amok with the truth, the concept that anyone critical of the President is loyal to Kerry is just disgusting. The Press is supposed to criticize the government, that's why the constitution protects it.

The Press played along in a shamefully slack-jawed, lazy, frightened manner with the 'Swift Boats for Rove' crapola. So if they go after a legitimate story - based on those black things on white things called "words" and "paper" - about the gaps in Bush's military record... gaps which can explain why he can't handle responsibility - why that is considered acting on Kerry's behalf?! I understand why Fox would assert that, but there are a half-dozen toons and counting. I can't wait till I see one which says Osama is behind it.

Look, Iran just successfully tested long-range missiles. North Korea is rattling nuclear sabres. Our army is being chewed up like yellow pencils in Iraq and we're roaming the sinkhole of Afghanistan looking for an Osama in a haystack. We've lost more soldiers per day in Iraq after the 'transfer of power' than before. Why would saying these things be considered partisan. IT'S THE TRUTH DUMMIES!

Oh, forget it. I can see we're going to get four more years of this pencil-neck and his beady-eyed thuggery. The GOP in Ohio has rejected the new registrations of voters (mostly Democrats) because they registered on the wrong weight of card-stock. How many elections can they steal and still call this America?

Sorry to say, this is no longer the Styx; we're entering Hell.

{2009 Pic Update: First from here, second from here.}