Democrats spent December celebrating as Sen. Trent Lott immolated himself like a Buddhist monk. And could they ever celebrate, too. They know that what applies to Republicans just doesn't apply to them. Sen. Patty Murray - never known as one of the sharpest tools in the drawer - was having a casual chat with honor students at a Vancouver, Washington high school on December 18 when this Democrat unleashed a series of real whoppers about Osama bin Laden. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries?" she asked. "He has been in many countries that are riddled with... continue reading
If parents find the new "reality TV" lows of American television too intense for their young children, they might be oddly comforted knowing that popular culture in other countries is sinking even lower. England's Channel 4 is reaching for eyeballs the newfangled way - pure, socially unredeeming shock value. On November 20, the British people were blessed with a treat. They could turn on the telly to watch an autopsy. "Maverick doctor" Gunther von Hagens performed the honors on the corpse of a 72-year-old German man who, viewers were told, loved a lot of whiskey and cigarettes. Programming officials no... continue reading
Whether we want to believe it or not, the scientific nightmare of human cloning is approaching reality. At a Florida news conference the day after Christmas, the Clonaid company claimed it has created the world's first cloned baby, a girl they're calling "Eve." Scientists were skeptical of the success, since no evidence was presented by the Clonaid company, part of a kooky sect called the Raelians, who believe aliens created humans by cloning 25,000 years ago and that "Jesus was resurrected through an advanced cloning technique." This circus underlines a failure by the federal government and the press corps to... continue reading
2002 was a year of laser-beam focus on war, terrorism, and homeland security, which might explain the liberal media's political exasperation all year long. Try as they might they just couldn't create a crisis. They suggested the Enron scandal would be "Bush's Whitewater." They scolded Congress for failing to rob the young and poor to lard on prescription-drug subsidies for the old and established. They blamed tiny tax cuts for resurfacing massive deficits. But our dangerous world drew out their worst tendencies, as a panel of 50 judges found in selecting the Media Research Center's "Best Notable Quotables of 2002."... continue reading
It's the holiday season again, which for most Americans means church services, presents, turkey dinners, and for many, a few strolls to the movies. Hollywood studios tend to release about three types of movies at this time of year: family films for the kids, expensive action epics, and the annual pile of poses for the Academy Awards. Somewhere in the mix is something for everyone. Some films will cross genres in a vile fashion, which is, sadly, predictable. Take Adam Sandler's "Eight Crazy Nights." The entertainment media have warmed to Sandler's attempts over the years to bring some attention and... continue reading
In the ongoing wild goose chase for the "conservative" major media, leftists are complaining that anti-war voices are being shut out. Liberal media outlets, always more sensitive to complaints from the left than from the right, have snapped out of their post 9-11 patriotic stupor and are back to giving the "peace" movement the spotlight. Liberals complain about everything but I dare them to fault The Washington Post, which is getting more and more aggressive in promoting the "peace" movement now that the Democrats don't have to worry as much about the dangers of pacifism at the polls. It all... continue reading
'Tis the season of comfort and joy, family warmth and religious rebirth. What better way to celebrate than buying your precious young son a video game that lets him imagine himself as a murderous, whoring cocaine dealer? The game is "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," and it's a sales smash: Four million people had already ordered it before it was even released. For boffo box office, just consider that "Jackass: The Movie" grossed a newsworthy $22.8 million in its opening weekend. "Vice City" rang up 160 million in sales before it even hit stores. The cost? $49.99. The lack of... continue reading
Politicians aren't the only public figures who feel so strongly about an issue they ultimately become the story. Peek at the imploding so-called newsroom of Howell Raines, executive editor of the New York Times. Since last July the paper's obsessive liberal crusade against all-male membership at the Augusta National Golf Club, site of the annual Masters tournament, has added up to more than 40 stories and editorials. But when sports columnists Dave Anderson and Harvey Araton dissented a bit from the Raines line, their columns were spiked, a journalistic breach that inflamed reporters inside and outside the Times. Some freedom... continue reading
In our index of leading cultural indicators, one measure of the state of the youth culture is to check out the awards shows on MTV. This year's Video Music Awards hinted at a trend that's become more obvious. Yesterday's singing queens of the teen scene have become today's avatars of hooker chic. Gossip columnist Liz Smith spoke for many when she characterized the outfits of pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera as "hooker get-ups." For her part, Aguilera told Rolling Stone that the critique was unfair, since she was only playing a hooker on TV: "If I was in... continue reading
Al Gore has promised if he runs again for the presidency, he's not going to hold back his opinions. He's going to "let 'er rip." If what he's been saying recently is any indication of the reinvented Gore, the campaign should be loads of fun to watch. Exhibit A: In an interview with the New York Observer, the man who would be leader of the free world declared the political press includes "major institutional voices that are, truthfully speaking, part and parcel of the Republican Party." He cited Fox News, The Washington Times, and Rush Limbaugh, sneering that some of... continue reading