From Joan Walsh

<<And that's my issue with Bob Somerby -- if I'm worth a long angry column, that's really too bad. And also: Now that I know he's been inaccurate about and unfair to me, I'll have a hard time believing what he says about other media people>>

He did not devote a long angry column to you. If you really think that, you should re-read it. He did point out in rather biting text that you help be part of the problem. Maybe you should consider that seriously. Are you helping keep alive the idiotic meme of Gore running a bad campaign (and other RNC/MSM wishing-points) by saying what you did? You just made an opinion that seems pretty unsupported, and objectively isn't true since Gore actually won without outside interference and lies.

Yes, he can be rather strident, but at this point sweet talking isn't going to cut it. I've read a lot of what you have to say at Salon, and generally like what I read. But really, some more in-depth self-reflection couldn't hurt, rather than reflexively rationalizing what you said. I know how hard it is to do just that, but you're in a wonderful position to do that and make it count.

I've also enjoyed reading Frank Rich's columns in the NYT. However, I didn't start reading his column (or the NYT at all) until after the 2000 election, and had no idea some of the crap he'd spouted along with Maureen Dowd until I'd read about it later at the Daily Howler. It might be moderately excusable if Rich didn't continue doing it to this day, or at least issue a mea culpa and apologize. But that nasty article he wrote a few months ago after "An Inconvenient Truth" came out just deeply underscored Sommerby's problem with Frank Rich, and I have to say, it soured me on him as well, because it's hard to respect him after that.

I don't think a case has been objectively made that Gore ran a bad campaign. A case can be made that he didn't have a perfect one, but it was by no means a worse campaign than what Bush ran. No rational person can say that Bush was treated to anything like the level of nastiness by the MSM that Gore received. And that, my friends, makes the clearest case of malfeasance on the part of the MSM, and their major effect on the votes. I think they were the deciding factor in making this election close enough to steal. They were uncritical in Bush's numbers, statements and policies, and were hypercritical and extremely superficial about everything having to do with Gore.

If you still have doubts about the MSM's greater culpability, think about this. How would this election have gone if they'd done their job and analyzed all candidate's views honestly? The election wouldn't have been close, and I believe Gore would have handily won.

--Ron Robertson

I don't have the time to efficiently check this out, but wasn't ABC News just as big a cheerleader for the Iraq "war" as all the rest of the corporate media?

I'd perhaps place some faith in McClatchy (previously Knight-Ridder), since they did some seriously sceptical reporting prior to this so-called war, but I do not recall anything similar from ABC.

Am I wrong in that?

If I'm not wrong, then that entirely undercuts their "trust me" meme. They simply have to do better than that. There's probably little I'd agree with Reagan on, but the "Trust, but Verify" quote certainly would apply here. And with no way to verify, and with past history of unwarranted cheerleading for this administration, they should understand that only a fool would trust them on such an important matter as their story laying groundwork for yet another war.

--Ron Robertson

If jobs can be nightmares, working retail REALLY lets one see the ugly side of humanity. I've thought for quite some time there needs to be a website, possibly called ''nightmarecustomer.com" to allow those of us who deal with the public a chance to rant about stupid, dishonest and rude customers. The vast majority of our customers are great, but there are those that can ruin a day or a week with their idiocy or just plain hatefulness. I think the reason a lot of small businesses don't stick it out longer is that the owners decide that customers just aren't worth it.

Examples of idiot things people do? We're a small nursery, and you wouldn't believe the dumb things people do, wanting to "exchange" a plant they've already planted, or they buy plants at Home Depot, then waste our time calling us asking us how to care for them. But worst of all is the incredible rudeness some people exhibit. A nursery for plants is usually a calmer place for customers, I can only imagine what it's like in department stores or other places with higher foot traffic.