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• Monday, May 12, 2008 07:57 PM

  I have no idea Salon was under seige by 'libertarian' right wingers

  I suspect that Glenn Greenwald is just the most exposed element in a long term seige on what is considered by these 'libertarian' right wingers to be a sort of hip culturally Left hangout. Is this exceptional for US, and in particular New York, interactive media? I don't have the time, energy or inclination to delve into all the talkback threads on comparable online magazines, nor the expertise to easily identify them. The only remotely comparable one that comes to mind is the New York Observer, which has certainly been through something of a gleichschaltung, but that is much more explicitly and parochially Jewish than Salon is, so it is insulated from direct attack by the 'libertarian' right wing as such. In many other cases, I suppose, the politicking is entirely behind the scenes, there is no talkback system to give it away.

  I certainly have reached the conclusion that the stress should be placed on the fact that the 'libertarians' are essentially right wingers, playing good cops to the neocon bad cops, hence my decision from now on to always label them with these quote marks, stressing their right wing nature while questioning the 'libertarian' aspect. This sort of labelling tactic works better, and is certainly easier to use, than endless disputations with them would be. It pre-empts discussion, by imposing an interpretation at the outset.

  —Rowan Berkeley Read Rowan Berkeley's other letters
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