I resent being called a McCarthyite because my concerns are different from his. Greenwald resorts to cheap insults that don't even mean what he thinks they mean. He has contempt for anyone who doesn't think as he does. He is ... ephiphany! ... just like Obama, which is why he's so in the tank for Obama.

Joe McCarthy was, after all, a belicose alcoholic who died of hepatitis after managing to thoroughly humiliate his party through blind ranting and public paranoia.

You exhibit (as yet) none of McCarthy's public paranoia, although your blind ranting does humiliate yourself and leaves one to wonder about your drinking habits.

which includes reporting on itself properly. The fact that it is almost wholly owned by huge megacorporations that engage in activities that would be directly and adversely hurt if the media companies that they own did their jobs properly is one such structural factor. Another is the success and power of the people at the top of these media outlets, who would clearly endanger their positions, socially, professionally and financially, if they did their jobs properly. And yet another is that doing their job properly would be vastly harder than it currently is, which they have no incentive to do so long as their ratings stay high and less ethical and substantive means of maintaining those ratings work just as well (or are seen as working just as well).

In short, for various structural and systemic reasons, operating on all sorts of levels, today's establishment media is simply not able to, nor will it, do its job properly. The best that we can reasonably hope for is that it do a reasonably good job of pretending to do its job properly, and that solid reporting and opining shine through occasionally (which they thankfully still do). But beyond that, I believe that it is hopeless to expect anything better, unless things are shaken up drastically, and they are forced to change their ways for the better.

To wit:

A legally mandated breakup of the establishment media, akin to the AT&T breakup of 25 years ago, on the basis of current anti-trust law and the clear conflict of interest between these media companies and the corporations that own them. (Actual lawyers more familiar with such laws are welcome to weigh in with a more sophisticated explanation of why this is necessary and lawful.)

The development of a viable alternative media, largely internet-based (e.g. YouTube, podcasts, streaming internet radio and tv, text and image-based outlets, etc.), with high production values and trained and experienced (and ethical) media professionals, to compete with, and either replace, or so scare the crap out of that it's forced to reform itself, the establishment media, much the way that Microsoft changed the computer industry (but hopefully without its record of aggressive Fox-like mediocrity and nastiness--perhaps Apple is a better example, but I think the point is obvious that this has happened, and can happen again, done right).

Continued and intensified pressure applied to, and calling out and humiliating, the more egregious establishment media offenders, such as Williams, Noonan and Klein, whenever they try to pull their crap. These people, believe it or not, have egos, which are often as fragile as their punditry is flawed, and will--as they already have--modify their behavior in response to such attacks. They are human, not robots, and sufficient and intense enough criticism of their dishonesty and idiocy will, I am convinced, have an effect, even if it's not noticeable on a day to day basis. This is, after all, how the RWNM managed to get most of the establishment media to go out of its way to prove that it didn't have a liberal bias. That took decades. Perhaps we can shorten the amount of time it takes to get them back to some semblence of professionalism and fairness, but it's not going to be days or months.

Talking to friends, relatives, colleagues and others, who are not aware of how egregiously dishonest and idiotic the establishment media is, and waking them up to this reality. Most will of course initially react that we're all conspiracy theorists, but done gingerely and persistently, it can, and will, I believe, have some effect, on non-wingnuts. Overton, basically.

Our pointing out and condemning the many legal, ethical and moral crimes being perpetuated on the American people and world by the political, corporate and media establishment these days, however important and necessary as it is, is ultimately insufficient. We have to also come up with, advocate, and help implement, effective ways of putting an end to it.

We were only able to save a couple of the goldfish, along with three truckloads of plants - 6 precious tree peonies. The ponds, along with the rest of the garden, were bolldozed this past weekend.

I have been very blue thinking about it.

Thank you for thinking of me....and somehow knowing about it all.

You want a specific? I'm one of those people who sees Obama's refusal to wear a flag pin as speaking something about the man.

I'm sorry, but in my entirely personal opinion, that's asinine. My immediate reaction to anyone sporting such patriotic jewelry is:

"this guy sure wants me to believe he's patriotic."

It tells me he's embarrassed of his country and thinks he's above ordinary sentiment. If he had just remained silent about it, no one would care.

It doesn't "tell" you that, you read that into it.

If the worthless pundits had remained silent about his LACK of a pin, it would never be an issue either, but you don't blame them. You blame Obama.

But no, he had to explain to us why he is better than the rest of us, why he feels no need to explain himself. Yet he wants us to trust him!?

Look, man: he never said he was better than you. If you take it that way, that's YOUR issue.

It's CLEARLY not anything like what he said.

I can't even be bothered to go on about the rest of your post, considering it amounts to "Obama's an elitist" as if that word could possibly distinguish him from Bush or any of these other old-money, old-family Ivy League GOPers.

Buddy, read the transcripts of Wright and Obama's comments. If you manage to find something genuinely offensive, please post it here.