{{{{{{{{JANE}}}}}}}}

FITZ!!!!!

If Jeff Gannon could get a press pass for the White House you’d think Sirota would have no problem.

This just shows how deep the propaganda machine runs and how desperate they are to keep the truth from being reported for fear of a nationwide revolt against NeoCon and Republican ideals.

Since JimmyJeff was mentioned in the last thread, how is it that he managed to get into the White House , what was it, 200 times, as a journalist?

Gilly,
Welcome to the Lake. Glad to have you visit at any time.

Hi Steve!

You’ve got to understand, they can’t let dirty hippies into the Capitol. Next thing you know, they’ll be making giant drip-wax candles and chanting for peace, and stuff.

I think y’all solved it. David should list male prostitution in his amended application, and that should grease the…erm…skids.

steve, great to see you swimming in the lake of firedogs

It’s so sad that ordinary people can’t get in and out of the Capitol anymore. I remember an easier era (the 80s!). I don’t know why he wants to sit in that stuffy little press gallery anyway. He’d be better off asking his Congressman to give him a broom closet for a finite period of time.

ifthethunderdontgetya @ 5

Hi Steve!

You’ve got to understand, they can’t let dirty hippies into the Capitol. Next thing you know, they’ll be making giant drip-wax candles and chanting for peace, and stuff.

LMAO!

RevDeb @
3

Since JimmyJeff was mentioned in the last thread, how is it that he managed to get into the White House , what was it, 200 times, as a journalist?

The WH has lower standards than the Capitol for its journalists.

Really Big “Impeach” Sign in SF:

http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com

Be the media.

Perhaps David should write Mr. Wolcott and see if Vanity Fair needs a sometime DC political correspondent. ???

Peterr @ 10

The WH has lower standards than the Capitol for its journalists.

They have even lower standards than Congress on almost everything….

Want some great music? Open a second browser and go to http://www.kcur.org and click on Listen Live on the left column for 3.5 more hours of terrific roots and blues music on this public radio Friday Night Fish Fry, and very little talking, while we enjoy the companionship here at FDL.

OT - from My DD - Nancy Pelosi is a very skillful person… big victory selecting her committee for the global warming.

Behold the swirling mass of intrigue, molded by deep-seated loyalties and driven by complex motivations. Of course, I’m talking ’bout the U.S. House of Reps. Pelosi’s push this week to create a new Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was a fascinating peek into the inner-workings of the House and the relationships between the Speaker, Democratic leadership, and the rest of her caucus.

smart, smart, smart.

(CHS says: Why, yes, this is a press pass from the Nine Inch Nails 2005 Tour. Why do you ask?)

all right, dish it: what scandalous things did Trent Reznor do?

HEY! YOU! DON’T TOUCH THE CURTAIN!!!

We are having this same issue in CA where the legislature has given sole control of Capitol press passes to some sketchy committee of a few publications who get to decide if they want to extend their monopoly to others. Guess what….

From a long conversation I had on Wednesday, it sounds like this has been going on all over the country. Sirota is a no, but Jeff Gannon is a yes. Why does this make sense?

Why does Business Week get to decide?

Maybe he should contact Nancy, or Harry?

Twisted Martini @ 20

Maybe he should contact Nancy, or Harry?

peremptory invites…I like

E.S.AR @ 19:

I believe it is a rotating position.

Both Harry and Nancy realize that one of the keys to their success is to let the maximum amount of sunlight in. Allowing people outside the Kewl Kidz Klub to report on the goings on is a big step in that direction.

Why not send along a polite, carefully worded e-mail making an appeal for David’s access to the Hill? They live in fear of the right. The right are not the only people with voices.

*evil grin* Ohhh, am I ever in the mood for this…

–MarkusQ

In addition to montags suggestion of Wolcott, this is right up Amy Goodmans alley. She might be able to help. Watching Democracy Now has been a thrill this week. She and Olbermann are the best of the other tube, imo.

Oddly enough, the Executive Board of the Periodical Press Gallery of the House of Representatives (gasp!) is in the midst of their elections, and guess who’s running again? From her campaign statement:

The Capitol press galleries are among those uniquely Washington institutions that serve a critical need, yet function in obscurity. Over the years, I’ve found that many in the press corps are unaware that the space we use in the Capitol is run by an elected panel of volunteers. We have the final word on who gets credentialed and how gallery funds are spent.

We also fight your battles. In my four years as chairman of the Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents, I and others have butted heads with Hill leadership over access to lawmakers, fought off a Senate land grab of our work space, negotiated with the RNC and DNC for room at the nominating conventions, and squared off against our TV and radio colleagues, whose efforts to change the rules of access threatened our regular Tuesday lunch backgrounders with senators.

This is our first contested election in more than a decade. Please think of the big picture when you vote. Yes, we are working to ease your day-to-day headaches, including the dearth of wireless access in the galleries. But we also are here to defend the front lines of the fourth estate. I hope I can have your vote.

go scarlet p.

and all freeway bloggers!

OT -

RE: Libby trial. Sorry if this has been posted. Request for Andrea Mitchell’s notes has been withdrawn by the defense.
link

From the Tao of Dana Perino Deputy Press Whatever in today’s press briefing. In 2 Parts:

On escalation:

“one thing you can say about President Bush is that he’s not moving forward with this new plan because he thinks it is popular”

That’s one heck of an understatement, Dana. As is this:

“As the President said, it could get worse before it gets better”

It’s the story of his life or at least his effect on others.

Q You talked about seeking consensus with Congress. Speaker Pelosi said today that on Iraq, the President has dug a hole so deep that he can’t even see the light. She says it’s a historic blunder. Do you have any reaction to that? And given that statement, how do you reach a consensus?
MS. PERINO: Well, I think one of the things that’s happening up on Capitol Hill is there is a sound bite war going on. For Pelosi to say, “The President knows that because the troops are in harm’s way that we won’t cut off the resources, that’s why he’s moving so quickly to put them in harm’s way” is poisonous, and it’s certainly not in keeping with the bipartisan spirit and civility that the Democrats pledged and that we looked forward to.

Remember that “bipartisan” for the White House means the Republicans plus Joe Lieberman. “Civility” means agreeing with them even if they are in the minority. It is also worth noting, in passing, that Perino doesn’t ever get around to denying the substance of Pelosi’s statement.

And then there is this:

His thought process was quite extensive. And what he wants to do, he wants to win.

When I saw this, I thought Bush, thought process, extensive. Which of these does not belong? But then I saw the result of all this expenditure of cerebral calories: “he wants to win,” and I was reassured that not too many calories had been sacrificed in arriving at this monumental, and totally unexpected, conclusion.

Part 2:
Moving along:

Q Is it unfair for Democrats to refer to is as the President’s war, if many lawmakers no longer support the war?
MS. PERINO: I think the point I’m trying to make is that we are a nation at war. The Attorney General said something interesting yesterday, that at the Justice Department, every day is September 12th. And I think that is true across the federal government. And that is not a partisan issue. We are all facing an enemy that is determined to hurt us anywhere that they possibly can, whether it be in Iraq or here in the United States or at our embassies and such around the world. And so it is something that we are all facing together.

The war in question is the Iraq war (aka Bush’s War) but Perino immediately invokes 911 and international terrorism (I’ve pretty much decided I am no longer going to play the Administration game of calling it a “war”). As support for Bush’s Iraq war continues to wane, the Administration has taken more and more obviously to conflating it with international terrorism. Rejecting the misleading label of “war on terror” only underlines how lame this tactic is.

Q Could you respond to Majority Leader Reid’s assertion that the President does not have the authority to launch military action in Iran without first seeking congressional authorization?
MS. PERINO: I’m puzzled about that press conference, because there seems to be fanning of flames where there’s no fire.

I think I can unpuzzle Perino here. What Harry Reid is saying is that he doesn’t trust the President. Shocking, I know given his track record.

Q There’s also a second carrier group in the Persian Gulf now, in a move that Secretary Gates says was specifically made to show Iran that we’re not tied down in Iraq.
MS. PERINO: And the other thing that he said is that it is our commitment to show our allies in the region that we are committed to peace in the Middle East.

I don’t know about you but nothing says Peace to me like a second carrier battle group. It’s way better than a picture of doves framed in the peace symbol.

Finally, from the Department of the Kid who Killed his Parents with an Ax and then Threw Himself on the Mercy of the Court because He Was An Orphan:

MS. PERINO: I think that he’s always disappointed in the partisan tone in Washington.

Yeah, Bush, me too.

prostratedragon @ 26

Oddly enough, the Executive Board of the Periodical Press Gallery of the House of Representatives (gasp!) is in the midst of their elections, and guess who’s running again? From her campaign statement:

The Capitol press galleries are among those uniquely Washington institutions that serve a critical need, yet function in obscurity. Over the years, I’ve found that many in the press corps are unaware that the space we use in the Capitol is run by an elected panel of volunteers. We have the final word on who gets credentialed and how gallery funds are spent.

We also fight your battles. In my four years as chairman of the Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents, I and others have butted heads with Hill leadership over access to lawmakers, fought off a Senate land grab of our work space, negotiated with the RNC and DNC for room at the nominating conventions, and squared off against our TV and radio colleagues, whose efforts to change the rules of access threatened our regular Tuesday lunch backgrounders with senators.

This is our first contested election in more than a decade. Please think of the big picture when you vote. Yes, we are working to ease your day-to-day headaches, including the dearth of wireless access in the galleries. But we also are here to defend the front lines of the fourth estate. I hope I can have your vote.

So who gets to vote? Can the Dems vote the Business Week babe back out onto the streets? Now that would be nice! Also there are a couple of others up there for re-election who would be nice to see going elsewhere as well.

Hugh: brilliant, comme toujours.

I don’t know about you but nothing says Peace to me like a second carrier battle group. It’s way better than a picture of doves framed in the peace symbol.

but, but, but…it’s the USS Olive Branch!

Now if we’re talking about…

“he wants to win,”

here’s another way to look at it…

From BBC:

[Lawmaking body somewhere on an American continent]…has given initial approval to a bill granting the president the power to bypass congress and rule by decree for 18 months.

Sound like something that could have happened here?

Critics of the president accuse him of trying to build an authoritarian regime with all institutional powers consolidated into his own hands.

Fun with words…

He has said he wants to nationalise key sectors of the economy and scrap limits on the terms a president can serve.

How much does boosh want to imitate emulate FDR?

Hugh- I won’t risk a zig by quoting your comments, but above were great, as all others. Let me know Whenever I need to do a comment that includes your hilarious and telling series of comments on “Defense of English”. I think some newbies may need to read these.

Like this:

Lorraine Woellert
Financial Services & Legal Affairs
Business Week
1200 G. St. NW Suite 1100
Washington, D.C., 20005

You have granted Fred Barnes and Kate O’Bierne, among others, Capitol press passes. Why not David Sirota? Why have you not applied the same standards, specifically regarding “any lobbying, promotion, advertising, or publicity activity intended to influence legislation or any other action of the Congress”?

punaise @ 32

Hugh: brilliant, comme toujours.

I don’t know about you but nothing says Peace to me like a second carrier battle group. It’s way better than a picture of doves framed in the peace symbol.

but, but, but…it’s the USS Olive Branch!

Thanks, it’s nice to be appreciated. Reagan called an ICBM the Peacekeeper so that would fit.

Hey from Russia—Is Jane still in the ICU?

Valley Girl @ 34

Glad you liked it. Feel free and enjoy.

Hugh @ 36

Thanks, it’s nice to be appreciated. Reagan called an ICBM the Peacekeeper so that would fit.

And, since most of the MX “Peacekeepers” have been retired, I guess that means there’s no more peace to keep….

VG—what about one a night during Late Night? I’ll help if you need a hand.

http://www.salon.com/news/feat.....e_crosses/

Peace movement at a crossroads

Three years ago, it was called “un-American.” But now this moving antiwar protest in small-town America has been embraced by the community.

If Mr. Sirota doesn’t qualify for a press pass, why should he receive one?

Okay, never mind. I’ll do it anyway.

In defense of English I and II by Hugh
III
IV
V
VI
VII

egregious @ 37

Hey from Russia—Is Jane still in the ICU?

egregious: this, from Digby at 11:23 PST this morning:

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know that I spoke to Jane this AM and she is already chomping at the bit to get out. They feel she will probably be released from the hospital early, as a matter of fact, because she’s recovering from the surgery so quickly.

Last night we were talking to her surgeon — a truly amazing man, part sage, part artist, part scientist — who said it was his experience that when someone had this many people sending powerful messages of love and support they healed better and faster. So, on Jane’s behalf, thanks for all that positive energy yesterday. It made a difference.

RBG @ 40

VG—what about one a night during Late Night? I’ll help if you need a hand.

RBG- I assume it was the Anguish language posts/ comments by Hugh that you were alluding to? As it happens, I have them all bookmarked, bec. I thought that they were so great. If not that, what? xo (edit- seem my #43 above)

stibbert @ 42

If Mr. Sirota doesn’t qualify for a press pass, why should he receive one?

Because Fred Barnes doesn’t qualify and he got one.

stibbert @ 42

If Mr. Sirota doesn’t qualify for a press pass, why should he receive one?

Um, Fair and Balanced treatment? Read the post through again, and if you have further questions . . .

Valley Girl @
45

RBG @ 40

VG—what about one a night during Late Night? I’ll help if you need a hand.

RBG- I assume it was the Anguish language posts by Huge that you were alluding to? As it happens, I have them all bookmarked, bec. I thought that they were so great. If not that, what? xo (edit- seem my #43 above)

Nice work for a gal who until recently couldn’t do that linky thingy.

egregious — did your equipment survive mostly intact? Your post sounded like there was serious damage done on your entry into the country.

RBG- thanks! I have been around here so long, way back, that I am set in my ways, and didn’t even notice until recently the “link” option in comments. Back when, it would have taken a lot more work! I had been kinda wondering why it was that all the other FDLers knew HTML code!

From their “About” page (sorry, I’m in the middle of the kind of protein run that people descended from hunters get)

The Periodical Press Gallery assists bona fide correspondents working for a magazine, newsletter, non-daily newspaper or on-line publication and serves Members of Congress and Congressional staff with any periodical press related questions or issues.

The Periodical Press Gallery operates and is authorized under Rule 6, Clause 2 of the House of Representatives. The Gallery is supervised by Executive Committee of Correspondents, who are elected from the reporters who are members of the Gallery.

Eureka Springs if you’re still around you have mail.

Mildly OT: But i just got back from the Michigan Kossack/blogger meetup in my neighborhood. I met our offical blogger/netroots liason with Governor Granholm and found something i can do on my own.

The meeting was fun, and educational for me just to learn the political landscape. For now? it’s a gathering of talent and finding out what each of us can do. Gods that was FUN.

Now i need to think of something ot post elsewhere so regarding the personal project i took on.

Regarding David? Unfortunately that’s the landscape of today. If you don’t have connections, you don’t get into press access areas. People are taking steps to question that old boy network. Which is probably the best thing that can possibly be done! Questioning and pushing for equal access. Elitism is a good half of why our current media is so off.

Valley Girl @
50

RBG- thanks! I have been around here so long, way back, that I am set in my ways, and didn’t even notice until recently the “link” option in comments. Back when, it would have taken a lot more work! I had been kinda wondering why it was that all the other FDLers knew HTML code!

Did you catch twolf’s link last night?

prostratedragon @ 51

From their “About” page (sorry, I’m in the middle of the kind of protein run that people descended from hunters get)

The Periodical Press Gallery assists bona fide correspondents working for a magazine, newsletter, non-daily newspaper or on-line publication and serves Members of Congress and Congressional staff with any periodical press related questions or issues.

The Periodical Press Gallery operates and is authorized under Rule 6, Clause 2 of the House of Representatives. The Gallery is supervised by Executive Committee of Correspondents, who are elected from the reporters who are members of the Gallery.

Sounds like he could make the grade as a blogger (writer for an online publication)!

oregondave @ 49

egregious — did your equipment survive mostly intact? Your post sounded like there was serious damage done on your entry into the country.

Thanks for the Jane update! Please send her my love from this hemisphere.

Some of the stuff I brought can still be used. I feel a little like Oklahoma Kiddo at any mention of Senator Clinton…can’t go into it much because I’m still so angry. We lost about $1,000 worth of stuff.

But we were able to salvage the rest. I will just bring more next time, and of course there will be a next time.

When I get fed up and decide to quit, really quit, then I think about the kids and who is going to step into my shoes if I leave them?

Sigh.

Arianna visited Jane in the ICU today. she has a nice piece up at Huffington Post on it. Sweet!

hi hackworth,

It’s soitenly possible that current holders shouldn’t have their passes, & that their status should be reviewed as Ms. Woellert said.

Meybe the Business Week team is trying to apply the rules more rigorously than others did when they had the responsibility.

RBG @ 54

Valley Girl @
50

RBG- thanks! I have been around here so long, way back, that I am set in my ways, and didn’t even notice until recently the “link” option in comments. Back when, it would have taken a lot more work! I had been kinda wondering why it was that all the other FDLers knew HTML code!

Did you catch twolf’s link last night?

Did not, but just checked it out. So sweet, that itty bitty kitty!

Richmond @ 57

Arianna visited Jane in the ICU today. she has a nice piece up at Huffington Post on it. Sweet!

Here.

Thanks Dave on the linky. I’ll get the hang one of these days.

egregious- maybe when you get back you can do a post on your blog about the types of equipment you need. I was really shocked when I went to observe eye surgery in the UK (!) and found that they only had one pair of iridectomy scissors, of the kind that I had 3 of, to cut up locust nervous systems! There is a lot of “old” scientific equipment listed on ebay, and I know several scientists who have bought this stuff. Sellers really didn’t know much about what they were selling, and it went for low $$. Let me know if I can help in this regard.

Richmond @ 61

Thanks Dave on the linky. I’ll get the hang one of these days.

No prob. A quick tutorial: Copy the URL => Highlight the text in your post you want the link to launch from => Click the LINK button => Paste into the small window that comes up => Follow the button instructions from there . . . Voila!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....39107.html

Here is my first try - dedicated to Jane!

Richmond—great job. I got the link all the way over here :)

You can post it and then go back in and edit if you like, within the 5 minutes. It’s also possible to try out your link in Preview. I make a copy of what I have written before going from Preview to the link, maybe that’s not necessary.

Ta Dah it worked, but I wasn’t able to do it neatly -as in the “here” in yours. That lesson probably comes only in the second semester!

stibbert @ 58

hi hackworth,

It’s soitenly possible that current holders shouldn’t have their passes, & that their status should be reviewed as Ms. Woellert said.

Meybe the Business Week team is trying to apply the rules more rigorously than others did when they had the responsibility.

Maybe they’ll give Fred Barnes the hook.

stibbert @ 58

hi hackworth,

It’s soitenly possible that current holders shouldn’t have their passes, & that their status should be reviewed as Ms. Woellert said.

Meybe the Business Week team is trying to apply the rules more rigorously than others did when they had the responsibility.

More from the Gallery site:

All gallery members are prohibited from lobbying the government, being employed by the government, or providing clients with consulting or public relations services. No part of your publishing family or parent organization may be involved in providing representation services, feasibility or marketing studies, nor be engaged in research or analysis not available to all subscribers. Gallery members must be principally engaged in the gathering and reporting of news.

So presumably the delicate semantics of this phrase are all against Sirota, and all for the scores of other current members. (Publications here [In These Times not currently a member]; individuals here.)

Great Egregious! I pushed the keys down extra hard so it would make it over the Atlantic!

ArthurKC @ 14

Want some great music? Open a second browser and go to http://www.kcur.org and click on Listen Live on the left column for 3.5 more hours of terrific roots and blues music on this public radio Friday Night Fish Fry, and very little talking, while we enjoy the companionship here at FDL.

I used to live in KC, and I miss the Fish Fry.

*sniff*

But I’ll be fine. Really.

Richmond @ 69

Great Egregious! I pushed the keys down extra hard so it would make it over the Atlantic!

:)

Richmond @ 65

Ta Dah it worked, but I wasn’t able to do it neatly -as in the “here” in yours. That lesson probably comes only in the second semester!

Queueing up “Pomp and Circumstance” on the old Victrola now. Congrats!

LOL Dave.
@68: It is an interesting - and pretty broad list of journals allowed in! That would be an interesting story in its own right.

Valley Girl @ 34

Hugh- I won’t risk a zig by quoting your comments, but above were great, as all others. Let me know Whenever I need to do a comment that includes your hilarious and telling series of comments on “Defense of English”. I think some newbies may need to read these.

Encore! Encore!

Valley Girl—

Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. We almost always bring new equipment, either purchased or donated new, because maintenance and obsolescence are a huge issue here. If you can’t get spare parts, you can’t use the equipment anymore.

My issues are somewhat unusual, in that relatively speaking the organization has sufficient funds. The big problem is making sure the president doesn’t get totally burned out. [me] That’s why I periodically reach out for emotional support and spend so much time working for mental stability.

If I can get those working, productivity => zooom.

As to writing a post specifically about purchasing and transporting equipment across international lines, there are aspects of this which are better left for my book. Twenty years from now.

Richmond @ 73

LOL Dave.
@68: It is an interesting - and pretty broad list of journals allowed in! That would be an interesting story in its own right.

The sign says long-haired freaky people need not apply.

prostratedragon @ 68

No part of your publishing family or parent organization may be involved in providing representation services, feasibility or marketing studies, nor be engaged in research or analysis not available to all subscribers. Gallery members must be principally engaged in the gathering and reporting of news.

That would seem to exclude just about all of ‘em.

Richmond- so this is an added tutorial, and it took me so long to even notice this was possible. You are fine with copy and paste, okay? So you have a link that you have copied and want to add to your comment at FDL. Click on the “link” tab that shows up in comments, and paste your link to replace the “http” thingy that shows up in black. Okay, that’s done. But that sends you to a next option, and THERE, you type in the words you wish to use to replace the long link. As in, “news Jane”- that is what you could have typed in. Ask again, if I need to give you further info.

oregondave @ 77

prostratedragon @ 68

No part of your publishing family or parent organization may be involved in providing representation services, feasibility or marketing studies, nor be engaged in research or analysis not available to all subscribers. Gallery members must be principally engaged in the gathering and reporting of news.

That would seem to exclude just about all of ‘em.

Sychophantic bootlickers are welcome, however.

egregious- Roger Bravo. I made my comment because there are certain types of “scientific equipment” that don’t go out of date, like dissecting tools and microscope parts.

pd @ 68,

Thanks for the add’l info. Would be great if all the press-passes were reviewed for strict conformance w/ the published standards, and that the more obvious wrong’uns (at least) were weeded out.

Valley Girl @ 78

Richmond- so this is an added tutorial, and it took me so long to even notice this was possible. You are fine with copy and paste, okay? So you have a link that you have copied and want to add to your comment at FDL. Click on the “link” tab that shows up in comments, and paste your link to replace the “http” thingy that shows up in black. Okay, that’s done. But that sends you to a next option, and THERE, you type in the words you wish to use to replace the long link. As in, “news Jane”- that is what you could have typed in. Ask again, if I need to give you further info.

I tried it twice, but it printed both as in the below where I wanted to put in emptywheel’s piece at Kos
Empty Wheel article

This situation makes me wish that Ramparts hadn’t gone out of business. There are so few periodicals today doing what that publication did. I’m just now rereading a Ramparts article from almost forty years ago on the intertwining of Michigan State and the CIA in Vietnam.

I’m guessing many of the regulars are madly refreshing their browsers now, angling for the pole position on the Late Nite post . . . ;>)

OH wait - it did work! But for your eyes - not mine at first. Dah!!! Thanks so much. By the way, emptywheel’s piece on the Libby trial is terrific.

oregondave @
77

prostratedragon @ 68

No part of your publishing family or parent organization may be involved in providing representation services, feasibility or marketing studies, nor be engaged in research or analysis not available to all subscribers. Gallery members must be principally engaged in the gathering and reporting of news.

That would seem to exclude just about all of ‘em.

My point, really. (Now that I’ve eaten something, I can formulate such thoughts, orat least agree with yours, instead of shrieking for mass disarticulations … [she pats daintily with a napkin] … )

Richmond @ 85

OH wait - it did work! But for your eyes - not mine at first. Dah!!! Thanks so much. By the way, emptywheel’s piece on the Libby trial is terrific.

Yes!!! It did work!!!! TADA!!!!

stibbert @ 81

Would be great if all the press-passes were reviewed for strict conformance w/ the published standards, and that the more obvious wrong’uns (at least) were weeded out.

My personal philosophy in general, and preference is for more inclusion, less exclusion. If we could send people to the moon, we should be able to build more Gallery space . . .

newspaperbrat @ 52

Eureka Springs if you’re still around you have mail.

You are a peach. Just sent a reply.

LAT:

President Bush is right: Americans deserve gratitude for cutting Iraqis’ energy consumption and tackling their overpopulation problem.

Imagine the irony when the same outcome (lower energy use, etc.) takes place in the US due to economic pessimism aka recession. Watch the tech sector take back all its recent gains over the next few months.

“conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy”

Will the market “discount” Dick?

Late Nite post’s up top.

What is Lorraine W’s email? It’s not easy to find!

MS @ 92

What is Lorraine W’s email? It’s not easy to find!

Lorraine_Woellert@businessweek.com

I’m going to post this here and on Late Nite:
From the list of the Periodical Press Gallery of the House of Representatives, these are the “news” organizations that have the most accredited members. The numbers are approximate because the site has a very odd way of listing members’ names. I tried to include all organizations with more than 20 credentialed members. I added Business Week because this is Lorraine Woellert’s publication.

Army Times Publishing Co. 50
Aviation Week 26
BNA News 166
*Business Week 18
Chronicle of Higher Education 43
Education Week 29
FDC Reports 42
Inside Washington Publishers 58
Kiplinger Washington Editors 29
McGraw-Hill Company 54
National Journal 48
Newsweek 22
Roll Call 28
Tax Notes 45
The Hill 26
Thompson Publishing Group 38
Time Magazine 25
U. S. News & World Report 27
UCG 22

http://periodical.house.gov/index.shtml

These are brief descriptions drawn from their websites:

BNA reports on information and analysis products for professionals in law, tax, business, and government.

FDC Reports for pharmaceutical and healthcare executives, policymakers, and analysts reporting on developments affecting regulation and marketing of healthcare products and services.

Inside Washington Publishers behind-the-scenes coverage of the federal policy process for professionals in Washington, across the United States, and around the world, etc.

Thompson Publishing Group reports on compliance information for professionals in business and government

UCG: unknown

As prostratedragon notes from the Press Gallery site:

All gallery members are prohibited from lobbying the government, being employed by the government, or providing clients with consulting or public relations services. No part of your publishing family or parent organization may be involved in providing representation services, feasibility or marketing studies, nor be engaged in research or analysis not available to all subscribers. Gallery members must be principally engaged in the gathering and reporting of news.

However if you use Time and Newsweek as benchmarks, it quickly becomes obvious that some fairly obscure publications have a very major presence in the Gallery with consequent influence over it. Probably just a coincidence how many of them deal with taxes and regulation.

Bottomline: There is something pretty odd about the makeup of the Press Gallery and if it isn’t made up of lobbyists, it sure isn’t doing much not to look like it is.

stibbert @
42

If Mr. Sirota doesn’t qualify for a press pass, why should he receive one?

Mr. Sirota engages in bona fide acts of journalism. Fred Barnes and other examples identified above, abandoned any pretext of committing journalism years ago.

I do not advocate revoking press credentials for those who do not bother using their congressional passes for journalistic pursuits.

However, it is a democratic and 1st Amendment obscenity that people such as Mr. Sirota who are deserving of a congressional press pass due to their legitimate journalistic pursuits, are arbitrarily denied press access. This is especially true in light of the fact that the press gallery has for years credentialed disassembling propagandist who despise journalism and actively choose to never in engage in journalism. People (once again Fred Barnes and others noted above) are paid NOT to report, but to distort. They are on the payroll of the behind-the-scenes entities whose agenda is to do everything possible to insure that the typical American news consumer is unable to understand - or completely misled - about what congress is actually doing.

It is really snowing today — FINALLY!
kfl

Here’s an email message I sent her.

Ms. Woellert:

Frankly, it sounds to me as if you are penalizing David Sirota for being more honest than his counterparts on the right. For instance, no rational human being could pretend that Sirota works more to achieve progressive goals than, say, O’Beirne does to achieve … well, regressive goals. And no rational human being could pretend that a majority of the journalists who write about politics haven’t tried to influence Congress. That’s “wink-wink, nod-nod” disingenuousness.

I’m not sure I understand why it matters whether Sirota is working freelance rather than on commission. And I don’t understand the distinction between working on a book and working on an article. How many books comprise collections of more or less edited articles? That distinction seems equally disingenuous.

I would urge that you be guided by common sense and fairness. Of course Sirota is an activist as well as a journalist. So was Edward R. Murrow; so was/is William Buckley; so was/is Bill Moyers—and so are a lot of the persons to whom you have given passes for this event.

Sincerely,