Goodfellas

It was a strange week, with the "Justice Department" scandal approaching the surreal, the "British" sailors detention in "Iran" crisis approaching the surreal, and Bush making a cameo appearance at Walter Reed hospital. The man has no shame, but we already knew that.

Most surreal, though, were the performances by Bush and Karl Rove at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner. In an attempt to "humanize" themselves, a surreal notion in itself, Bush engaged in some self-deprecating "humor," and Rove did a bit of creepy Hip-hop, taking on the moniker "M.C. Rove." I'm glad I wasn't there.

Beyond the surreal, though was the active participation and homage paid by the journalism industry. If you wonder what reason there could be that the Bush crime family is still in power, it is the news media. They enable the crimes with their obeisance, and with their incestuous relationships with those in power.

A perfect example of this hands-in-each-others'-pants matrix of relationships was given on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday program, when Capitol Hill Correspondent Brian Naylor did a commentary on the dinner. He is a member the executive committee of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association, and sat at the speakers table. He justified the partying of journalists with the politicians they cover by saying "Once in a while mingling isn't such a bad thing."

I couldn't resist writing a response:

To: http://www.npr.org/contact/
Date: March 31, 2007
Subject: Party down, dude

I listened to Brian Naylor's rationalization for partying down with members of the Bush regime, and found it to be what one would expect from a D.C. insider. Once you have taken the plunge, so to speak, the reasoning is easy.

Partying with the likes of Bush and Rove is consorting with criminals. If you need laughs that badly, why not party with O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, and, hmm, how about Robert Hanssen? I'm sure Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham could use a few laughs. How about them? Too bad Hitler isn't around anymore. I hear he was a great partier. Stalin too. Pol Pot was a laugh a minute. And Saddam. He knew how to throw a bash.

For the dense, a quick reminder. George W. Bush is a drug and alcohol addict, military deserter, corporate criminal, election thief, enabler of the worst attacks on American soil in its entire history, deceitful invader and occupier of another country, enabler of the destruction of one of the world's greatest cities, kidnapper, torturer, mass murderer, corrupter of our justice system, and a threat to all life on this planet. He is a sociopathic career criminal. To party down with such a person is, in addition to tastelessness, to give credibility to his crimes, and to detract from your own credibility and honor. For those on the inside of such a tradeoff, it is a fair trade. The only surprise is that anyone would brag about it. It's mindful of the blues title "Been down so long it looks like up to me."
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I forgot to mention that Bush is also a traitor, directing and/or participating in the exposure of an "American" intelligence agent.

I remember from decades ago that association with gangsters was used as evidence in criminal trials. It was considered proof of criminal tendencies, when in combination with other activities. When you combine the enabling that journalists give to the Bush crime family with their all-too-gleeful partying together, a picture emerges. They live in a different reality from the country at large. They are the criminal elite, joined in a mutual reinforcement of their own status and insulation from the rest of us.

When the time comes for the Bush criminal regime to be brought to justice, we should not ignore the role of the news media in giving them succor, propaganda, and legitimacy. In the meantime, we can stop buying their newspapers, or paying to watch or listen to any of their broadcasts. And, most importantly, we can avoid patronizing their sponsors, and let them know it.