A Note to Our Readers

Hey --
Another Sunday and we are behind. We're actually earlier than some Sundays but we apparently "went off the grid" about two hours ago (and lost the editorial when everything went black). Had the power not been lost, we'd all have been in bed long, long ago. There's a theme to this edition but first, let's note the highlights:

Blog Spotlight: Rebecca asking who will step up to the plate for Abeer
Blog Spotlight: Elaine reporting on a friend's speech
NYT Criticism (via C.I.) It takes . . . a paper of Hazels
Blog Spotlight: Cedric Explains It All (on the importance of Ehren Watada)
Blog Spotlight: Mike with a few questions for NYT
Humor Spotlight: Wally explains troops can't leave but Bully Boy can run
Humor Spotlight: "Thomas Friedman
Blog Spotlight: Betty filling in for Rebecca
Cooking Spotlight: Squash Soup in the Kitchen
Blog Spotlight: Kat on "Look What Israel's Done Now" and more media criticism
Blog Spotlight: Mike addressing when a crisis is treated like a car chase
2600 US troops have died in Bully Boy's illegal war

Participating on this edition produced on the West Coast are the following:


The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and, me, Jim;
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man;
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review;
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ils);
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix;
Mike of Mikey Likes It!;
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz;
Wally of The Daily Jot
and Ruth of Ruth's Report

We thank all the above for their hard work and we thank Dallas for his hard work with links and input.

Theme of the edition? The war. We've tried to note the war on Iraq in each feature. You can judge for yourself whether we pulled it off (and, if so, to what degree). With the silence on Iraq, we felt it was important to note the war here.

"Abeer" Rebecca's argued that Abeer's story is the story of the occupation in one person. If you don't know the name, be sure to read this. You should know Abeer's name. Had media and media watchdogs been doing their jobs, you would know her name.

"Bully Boy breaks pledges easily, Sheehan doesn't without doctor's orders" Cindy Sheehan is order by a doctor to end her fast. Meanwhile Bully Boy makes big pronouncements on giving up sweets at the start of the illegal invasion only to quickly drop his own promise.

"C.I.'s Wanted In The Green Zone" -- based on phone calls from friends in Iraq as well as two e-mails from fluffers in the Green Zone this week. Fluffers think they deserve only positive praise for their fluffing. They can't really defend the crap they churn out but by golly they risk their lives! If they don't want to be over there, no one's forcing them. It is their job, after all. And if they're going to play the life risk card, we're sure we can find them many Iraqis and many US troops who would argue that they're the ones whose lives are at risk. But keeping playing that "I'm risking my life!" card fluffers. Your writing's meaningless. We were actually surprised by the assumptions one made about C.I. (Reminded of a Georgetown party awhile back which, at the end, C.I. leaned in and whispered to a friend who had sent an angry e-mail, "By the way, online, I'm C.I. of The Common Ills. Thanks for the e-mail.) Both e-mails were read this week at get togethers and whether the guests were non-journalists or journalists, a good laugh was had by all. Keep those fiesty e-mails a'coming. Who knew Green Zone reporters had so much time to surf online and write lengthy e-mails? (Well, C.I. says, that would explain so much of the superficial reporting.)

"DVD Must See: Sir! No! Sir!" -- You need to see this documentary if you haven't already. If you have already, it's out on DVD. It's worth seeing again and worth sharing with your friends.

"Damien Cave Plays the Fool so Perfectly" -- How dumb do you have to be to assume a woman who should be frightened by Iraqi soldiers and an American soldier rummaging through her home wouldn't say anything to get you out? Pretty dumb.

"4 Songs worth checking out" -- some people are commenting on the events around them. It's not all Justy churning out asexual promises to be your slave if you spank his heinie.

"Herbert Reed: Blood in his urine and stool, tumor removed, migraines, joint ache . . . D.U. exposure" -- "Short features!" always the cry of Dona. We've got two. This is one.

"Struggling for money, how did Iraq scrap together $35 million to pledge elsewhere?" -- and this is the other. James Glanz made a good point in The New York Times, one we've paired with a question Arianna Huffington posed a few weeks back.

"Editorial: Forgetting Iraq when it can't afford to be forgotten" -- the point of the edition. The moments lost when the coverage is lost. The troops won't come home with start-stop-start-stop coverage of Iraq. The war won't end as a result of the media dropping the topic for weeks on end.

"Truest Statement of the Week A" -- Molly Ivins noting reality regarding the press.

"Truest Statement of the Week B" -- the prosecution refuting the tired-hungry-fatigued led us to (allegedly) rape and kill.

All of the above were joint efforts worked on by all participating in this edition. Which leaves?

"TV: Psyche?" -- At the last minute we decided on the theme of the edition and our apologies to Ava and C.I. who had written their TV review on Thursday. This isn't it. They say they won't let it run next week (it is in the print edition) but will instead review something else. Needing something to fit with this edition, they asked for ideas and Ty mentioned Marshall had requested they review the show Psyche. They hadn't seen it. Weren't sure they knew anyone connected to the show. Working the phones on Saturday morning, they found someone they knew who was happy to give them the overview (which they decided might work with this edition's theme) and to provide copies of the show. They warned him that there was a good chance they'd trash it. His response was to laugh and assure all of us that a funny pan could be worth more than a "It's an okay show." Did they pan it? Did they feel it was an okay show? (No and no.) Read the review.


See you next week --

Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.