Oh, that liberal media

Herein I present several diverse but related missives, which may prove of interest to media watchers, pundits, journalists, editors, and to those who, whether by good fortune or ruinous happenstance, may work with them in various capacities.

Poll: Few See Crisis in Social Security

Body of article, 12 paragraphs in: "[In the poll...] 25 percent say Social Security is in crisis... Another 49 percent, though, do say the system has "major problems," adding up to a net negative diagnosis from 74 percent of the public.

ABC News: Few See Crisis in Social Security

Election Season Opens for the Palestinians

His full beard signaled his affiliation with a radical Islamic movement that rejects the existence of Israel, but Ayyad also sounded like a garden-variety grass-roots policy wonk who said he wanted to "bridge the gap between the citizens and the local authorities."

Washington Post: Terrorist, Wonk... whatever

Time Selects Bush as Person of the Year

...Bush has changed dramatically since he was named Person of the Year in 2000 after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency... (Ed: refresh my memory, how many recounts did Al Gore win?)

AP: Time Selects Bush As Person of the Year

The Naivete Award Winner

On Sept. 11, 2001, the World Trade Center towers collapsed and angry clouds of dust chased U.S. citizens through the streets of New York City... (Ed: They just "collapsed"? The clouds were angry, and hunted down US citizens? I can just imagine your description of Pearl Harbor: "A boat sank and angry water drowned sailors.")... So, why did they do it? Because "they hate freedom?" Come on -- that's ridiculous... (Ed: Oh wait, did you mean you think they don't hate freedom? Hmm. You might want to try to tell Osama you're bringing a Bible to Mecca some time. You might try to tell Al Qaeda that the women of Saudi Arabia should be allowed to drive or remove their abaya cloaks)... The United States' overwhelming global dominance is unprecedented in human history. Many Muslims fear the Americanization of their culture... (Ed: Guess they might try not seeing our movies, buying our CD's, etc., then, eh? While they're at it, stop using our medical research, foreign aid, technological advances)... In addition, the United States declares natural resources (such as oil) in Muslim countries "vital to its national security." ... (Ed: Are you suggesting they don't want to sell the oil? OPEC begs to differ. What would the Middle East do for its economy without it?)... It's clear that maintaining our dominance by force is costly in civil liberties, our moral standing in the world, tax dollars and human lives. (Ed: By all means, let's take a back seat. Cultivating weakness will surely preserve our civil liberties, tax money, and our lives. It's always worked before in history, right?)... So my Burning Question is: Could we more effectively fight terrorism by understanding what motivates it and then taking away the source of the anger? Wouldn't it be cheaper and wiser to just face our enemy, ask "Why?" and respond constructively? (Ed: hands-down winner, 2004 Naivete Grand Slam!)

Seattle PI: Can we fight terrorism constructively?

Oh, That Liberal Media