Day: October 15, 2005

Learning to Accept the Quagmire

Jon Ponder

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance: The psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross came up with her famous five stages of grief to describe how patients react to the discovery that they are terminally ill, but these phases apply to other traumas too. With regard to the debacle playing out in Iraq, for example, the White House and its die-hard supporters are still in denial, while most of their Democratic critics are stuck at anger. Policy wonks have moved on to the bargaining phase, debating how much of the original mission to sacrifice in return for a way out. Depression is likely to set in as the full extent of the calamity becomes clear; acceptance is a long way off.

– Gideon Rose, reviewing “Welcome to the Occupation: A rueful liberal hawk explores the road to war in Iraq and its chaotic aftermath,” by George Packer.

NYT Staff Anxiously Awaits Judith Miller’s Story

Jon Ponder

Fit to print: Now that she is free of legal entanglements in the CIA Leak scandal, New York Times reporter Judith Miller is free to write her account of her involvement in the scandal. The story will probably appear in tomorrow’s Times, and could be available online later this afternoon.

The Times has taken a lot heat in journalism circles over its pallid coverage of the Miller affair. Just as the White House is braced for indictments of Karl Rove and others, many in the executive suites at the Times know that their jobs – along with the reputation of America’s purported “newspaper of record” – are on the line.

Jay Rosen at PressThink has been following this story. On Wednesday, he speculated about what Miller may say in the Times today:

Warning: This is just armchair speculation, okay? Could be quite wrong.

The New York Times is in a suspended state, editorially speaking. In fact, the entire organization—with the exception of a few lawyers, a few top executives, a few top editors, plus Jon Landman and his crew—is in the dark about Miller, uncertain of what a full investigation will find, unwilling to speak in the absence of knowledge now being gathered, fearful that the emerging story could be devastating to:

  • the reputation of the New York Times for independence and honesty
  • the stand on high principle that took Judy Miller to jail
  • the positions of the people in charge (the editors, the publisher) who supported that stand as selfless and heroic
  • whole portions of the Times news coverage, as happened with its faulty reporting on Saddam’s weapons
  • an intelligent reader’s confidence in the Times as reputable news source
  • their own illusions about the New York Times as pillar of a free press

Which of these will be toppled by the end of the month? Which will be standing? No one knows. Any or all could be in ruins when the facts come out. Or none. This creates anxiety

We’ll be waiting…

10 Reasons Gay Marriage Is Wrong

Jon Ponder

Pink Panthers:

1. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can’t marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Brittany Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed [or any of Rush Limbaugh’s four marriages that ended in divorce].

6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn’t be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren’t full yet, and the world needs more children.

7. Gay parents who DO raise children obviously will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.

9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven’t adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.