I was impressed by the sophisicated use of ellipsis, unless you editted the e-mail down for clarity.

been sandbagged I guess you have made the major leagues. Where the mantra is 'dont confuse me with the facts I have my mind made up'.

I was impressed by the sophisicated use of ellipsis, unless you editted the e-mail down for clarity.

I didn't. Those are the full, unedited emails in all their glory.

Glenn:

Please explain the significance of the "0:01," "average visit length" shown on Kos' "hits" on your post this morning. Surely it doesn't mean one second. One minute?

The first two letter writers are semi-literate trolls.

But the third writer is using the same technique that so many conservatives are using now to great effect. Despite the fact that they are the ones using bully boy tactics both in the media and in the streets, they paint themselves as being the ones oppressed and subject to virtual extermination by the 'liberal Nazis.'

I'll leave the obvious corollary to the similar tactics of the real Nazis of 1932-33 for others.

This technique is now being honed into an art form on the right and, I fear, resonates with a great number of Americans whose critical thinking skills have not embraced the concepts of persuasion, rhetoric, debate and reason.

But they have also inoculated themselves against accusations that they are easily led but the corollary tactic mastered by Rush Limbaugh many years ago. Limbaugh told these people repeatedly they have the natural wisdom of the masses that rises above any Ivy League book learning or law degree. In this they turn Capra on his head and elevate what they see as their home spun wisdom of immutable truth (much based in the Bible) as being above science, reason and facts.

The more I read letters like these that are so prevalent on the Internet, the more I fear our civilization.

Usually when I read the letters from Fox type people they are quite angry and very hateful. It apprears that you are doing a great job stating the facts against the wind of a media more intent on creating stories than searching for the truth of the matter.

Despite the fact that they are the ones using bully boy tactics both in the media and in the streets, they paint themselves as being the ones oppressed and subject to virtual extermination by the 'liberal Nazis.'

They're echoing the theories of the Right's leading intellectual historian and renowned scholar, Jonah Goldberg, who launched his career as the Right's leading public intellectual by valiantly defending his mom and her tawdry role in the Lewinsky scandal and then, just a few short years later, unveiled his paradigm-shifting finding that the conceptual forefathers of the American Liberals are the Nazis, a discovery which has forever transformed how human beings -- or at least the Fox News viewership -- conceive of political philosophy.

... Terri Gross interviewed law professor Lawrence Lessig (who's already suspicious, being a lawyer!) who stated that the First Amendment "was created for the blogs." He went on to explain that the "pamphlet press" was deemed essential to the important discourse the founders observed and attempted to protect. Terri Gross, like a good NPR employee, expressed her fear that blogs were usurping newspapers, finally stating, "I like newspapers."

I would have liked to ask Terri if she liked the role they played in the lead up to the Iraq invasion or the use of black sites. I agree that newspapers play an essential role that blogs likely cannot duplicate, but to pretend that this modern "pamphlet press" hasn't assumed an equally valuable one is likely, whether she realizes it or not, borne out of a fear of loss of turf rather than truth.

(link at sig)

it seems that the spoken word is losing its ability to hold facts and truth. people say anything, contradict themselves (insert timeframe here) later and shrug that you even care. damage done.

there has to be a better way.

in a hotel, but it seemed almost as if the FOX level of outrageous narrative spinning is being matched -- and then overtopped -- by the other cable "news" outfits, at least if the Jedreport compilation on the Blagojevich Thing is any guide.

And did I misperceive, or did FOX actually allow you to make your point, on the air, and did they or did they not repeat the Blogger Charge against Brennan pretty much accurately, "for condoning harsh interrogation methods as well rendition, the practice of capturing terrorists...and taking them to the US or other foreign countries for interrogation and imprisonment..."?

This is not to defend FOX "news"; it is routinely seen for what it is, a purely propagandistic organ of misinformation to advance the Republican and corporate agendas. But occasionally, they might slip up and let a little truth through their filters.

The continuing invention of and universal media commitment to narratives such as the one about Brennan being torpedoed by bloggers over his involvement in (as opposed to his statements in support of) harsh interrogation and rendition is the result of long practice and what is now an institutional belief that there can be no real "news" without narrative. Unless they can "make sense" of this, that, or the other thing (by narrative), it's not really "news."

This is the universal institutional belief, and that's how the narrative, once formulated, spreads throughout the mediaplex system and is adopted universally. Everywhere the same.

In the Brennan case, it seems to have started with Brennan's own lies in his letter whining and "withdrawing" because of all you Mean Bloggers. It was then reinforced by his People -- whoever they are -- who were eager to speak to the Media about Blogger perfidy and to denounce them for their anti-Americanism.

Apparently you were denounced by name.

As I've suggested previously, it's wise to take this situation seriously. Others have noted that the CIA has long had its operatives influencing and overtly manipulating the "news" in this country, and there is no sign that's going to be changing any time soon. But they are not able, yet, to control (and shall we say, "synchronize") the content of blogs the way they have been able to do with the Big Media. This Brennan kerfluffle seems to be an attempt by The Agency to accuse, to threaten, and to cajole the Blogosphere into accepting an increasing amount of Agency influence and eventual control. They have demonstrated that they can create and induce the universal acceptance of a particular narrative of events. In the FOX episode you appeared in, they let you say your piece and they accurately characterized Blogger Objections to Brennan, but that was not allowed to change the narrative in any way.

It is still a matter of Bloggers -- and of course Obama, in thrall to Blogostan -- being unable to accept anyone who has been at a high level at the Agency any time during the so-called War On Terror. Which of course is a Threat to National Security. Which most definitely cannot be allowed to stand.

You get the picture.