Dayhoff Soundtrack

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Wargotz: I believe competition and flexibility will reduce healthcare costs

"I believe competition and flexibility will reduce healthcare costs, increase participation and improve quality, not penalties enforced by the IRS."

New Wargotz for U.S. Senate Website

I would like to invite you to visit my new website and support my campaign to replace Barbara Mikulski and become Maryland's newest U.S. Senator. It is clear that more and more citizens of Maryland want their Senate seat back. A majority of Marylanders are now realizing that, after more than 30 years in Congress, Barbara Mikulski does not represent the best interests of Maryland.

Like you, I want the private sector to create jobs, not the government; I want health care reform, not a government takeover; I want a cleaner Chesapeake Bay, not 30 years of lip service; I want strong national security, not taxpayer funded defense attorneys for captured terrorists. Together we can bring about real change in Washington.

On my new website you can get news updates, information about upcoming events, view our latest campaign videos and photos, learn about the most important issues in this campaign, leave me a comment, and support my campaign though a contribution or by volunteering. You can also follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedInfor the most up to date information and news.

Eric Wargotz

Eric Wargotz, M.D.

U.S. Senatorial Candidate Eric Wargotz is the elected President and a member of the Queen Anne's County Board of County Commissioners in Eastern Maryland and an experienced leader, activist, a physician-businessman, conservative, and conservationist. As a physician, his expertise in health care policy issues has prepared him for public service in the development of strong, healthy communities. Currently a Clinical Professor of Pathology at the George Washington University Medical Center, Eric Wargotz also manages several medical businesses and served as a Laboratory Medical Director for 17 years responsible for administering and managing a busy hospital department.

Media inquiries please contact

Jay Collins
Libertas Global Partners
jay@libertasglobal.com
703-896-0131

*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

It doesn’t matter what this sign says, you’ll call it racism anyway.

After hearing about signs such as this at Tea Party gatherings, I finally gathered this picture from the Internet on April 14, 2010. It is a sad commentary on the current state of free speech in our country.

[20100414 It doesnt matter what this sign says.jpg]

20100414 sdosm It doesnt matter what this sign says

*****

Friday, April 23, 2010

New York Times Economix: Layoff Anxiety Persists

New York Times Economix: Layoff Anxiety Persists and Why Women Find Their Parents Unpleasant

April 23, 2010, 6:02 pm

Layoff Anxiety Persists

By CATHERINE RAMPELL

Even though the job market appears to be turning around, more than one in five American workers still thinks the axe may be coming for them in the next year.

According to a recent Gallup poll,... http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/layoff-anxiety-persists/

Featured Economix Posts

Why Women Find Their Parents Unpleasant
Contrary to gender stereotypes of feminine domestic bliss, women are much more likely to report being in an “unpleasant state” when spending time with their parents and children.
Breaking Up the Banks
An economist argues that a new bill that would limit the size of banks may be the most promising way to overhaul the financial system.
But Aren’t Home Prices Still Falling?
Bloggers argue against buying in Las Vegas or Phoenix today.
Don’t Fear the Invisible Tax
Despite the criticism of the value-added taxes, government spending is no lower in countries with more visible taxes.
A Tale of Many Cities
An economist looks at why an unlikely mathematical formula seems to predict population patterns — and affirms the value of proximity.
Value-Added Taxes: A Primer
In recent weeks there has been lots of buzz about value-added taxes. This post offers a short primer to explain this policy tool.
Want a Higher G.P.A.? Go to a Private College
A 50-year rise in grade-point averages is being fueled by private institutions, a recent study finds.
Debating the ‘Tax Burden’
An exchange over taxes with a former White House spokesman.
Auditing the I.R.S.
If you struggled with some of the complicated new changes in your tax return this year, you’re not alone. The Internal Revenue Service had its problems, too, a new Treasury Department report finds.
The Next Global Problem: Portugal
Like Greece, Portugal has spent far beyond its means, lacks exchange-rate flexibility as a remedy, and seems likely to be a new burden on Europe, two economists write.

*****

mediabistro.com's DAILY TVNEWSER FEED: Rush Limbaugh Fires Back

mediabistro.com's
DAILY TVNEWSER FEED
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ -- Visit TVNewser throughout the day for breaking news and inside info.
------------------------------

Friday, Apr 23

RUSH LIMBAUGH FIRES BACK
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Rush Limbaugh goes after Presidents Clinton and Obama and, though not by name, TIME's Joe Klein who labeled Limbaugh -- and other conservative talkers -- seditious. Let me just say it. The Obama/Clinton/media left are comfortable with the unrest in our society today. It allows them to blame and demonize their opponents (doctors, insurance companies, Wall Street, talk radio, Fox News) in order to portray their regime as the...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/generalities/rush_limbaugh_fires_back_159458.asp

MARA LIASSON'S MENTOR... AND MORE
NPR's Mara Liasson sits for the FishbowlDC interview. Liasson, who is also a FNC contributor and appears on the "FOX News Sunday" roundtable, is asked what TV show she has to watch. Her response, here....
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/mara_liassons_mentor_and_more_159449.asp

SHOULD THIS BE CNN'S SLOGAN?: "THE NEWS: WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT"
TIME's James Poniewozik jumps in with his own prescription for what ailes (sorry, ails) CNN. The TV critic at CNN's corporate cousin says CNN should stay away from the "vanilla midpoint between Fox and MSNBC" and from slogan's that don't fit. The problem is priorities. "No bias. No bull" is a slogan that doesn't make sense: if you're truly dedicated to "no bull," then "no bias" is implicit — though you will end up taking...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/should_this_be_cnns_slogan_the_news_whether_you_like_it_or_not_159434.asp

==== mediabistro.com event ====

MEDIABISTRO CIRCUSMay 20, 2010 | 92YTribeca, New York CityJoin visionary female leaders including Debbie Stier, director of digital marketing for HarperCollins, for a special one-day forum for exchanging ideas and sharing inspiring stories of successful growth, innovation, and change. Also joining Circus 2010: Conde Nast Digital, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Bravo, and Yahoo!.
Register by April 28 and save! Click here to learn more.
http://www.mediabistro.com/circus/?c=mcennf
===============================

Friday, Apr 23

ZURAWIK: KEITH OLBERMANN IS MORE MCCARTHY THAN MURROW
The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik let this week's Deutsch dump sink in for a day or two before writing about it. So here goes: ...here I come to write once again about what a reckless TV figure Keith Olbermann is -- and how irresponsible MSNBC and NBC News management are for giving him a national platform and the network's credibility to spread his innuendo, invective and smears. Olbermann tries to talk like he's Edward R....
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/zurawik_keith_olbermann_is_more_mccarthy_than_murrow_159431.asp

CHANGES AT ABC NEWS ASSIGNMENT DESK
ABC News president David Westin has announced a restructuring of the newsgathering apparatus of the divison. "The Desk will become a more active partner with the programs and platforms in choosing the right stories to cover," Westin writes to the staff, in an email obtained by TVNewser. "The Desk in its current form has served us well for many years. But from now on, we will be asking more of it." To that end, "World...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/abc/changes_at_abc_news_assignment_desk_159420.asp

SECOND HONOR FOR DIANE SAWYER APPALACHIA DOCUMENTARY
She's going to be presented a Peabody award next month for the documentary "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains," now Diane Sawyer has also won a 2010 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for the program. From the RFK Center: "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains" returns viewers to Appalachia more than 40 years after Robert F. Kennedy's visit there. In this new century, ABC found images and problems strikingly similar to those prevalent...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/awards_accolades/second_honor_for_diane_sawyer_appalachia_documentary_159406.asp

==== mediabistro.com event ====

MEDIABISTRO CIRCUSMay 20, 2010 | 92YTribeca, New York CityJoin visionary female leaders including Debbie Stier, director of digital marketing for HarperCollins, for a special one-day forum for exchanging ideas and sharing inspiring stories of successful growth, innovation, and change. Also joining Circus 2010: Conde Nast Digital, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Bravo, and Yahoo!.
Register by April 28 and save! Click here to learn more.
http://www.mediabistro.com/circus/?c=mcennf
===============================

Friday, Apr 23

JENNIFER GRIFFIN, JILL DOUGHTERY, COKIE ROBERTS BAND TOGETHER
Fox News Channel's Jennifer Griffin, CNN's Jill Dougherty, and ABC's Cokie Roberts -- cancer survivors all -- are getting together to challenge their colleagues. FishbowlNY has the letter the three wrote to their fellow TV newsers ... This story appeared in the mediabistro.com Morning Media Newsfeed. Click here to receive the Newsfeed every morning....
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/generalities/jennifer_griffin_jill_doughtery_cokie_roberts_band_together_159395.asp

Thursday, Apr 22

'NIGHTLINE' TAKES SECOND FOR THE WEEK
For the fourth week in a row, ABC's "Nightline" was the #2 show in late night in both Total Viewers. The show also came in second in two key younger demos. "Nightline" finished behind "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" -- which has regained a hold on the #1 spot -- and ahead of "Late Show with David Letterman" which was in re-runs last week. "Nightline" also continues to cut the viewing gap with Leno,...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/abc/nightline_takes_second_for_the_week_159339.asp

LAUREN SIVAN IS HAVING A SHITTY EARTH DAY
From the former Fox News anchor's Twitter account:...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/generalities/lauren_sivan_is_having_a_shitty_earth_day_159354.asp

==== mediabistro.com event ====

MEDIABISTRO CIRCUSMay 20, 2010 | 92YTribeca, New York CityJoin visionary female leaders including Debbie Stier, director of digital marketing for HarperCollins, for a special one-day forum for exchanging ideas and sharing inspiring stories of successful growth, innovation, and change. Also joining Circus 2010: Conde Nast Digital, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Bravo, and Yahoo!.
Register by April 28 and save! Click here to learn more.
http://www.mediabistro.com/circus/?c=mcennf
===============================

Thursday, Apr 22

THE SCOREBOARD: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
25-54 demographic: (L +SD) Total day: FNC: 382 | CNN: 149 | MSNBC: 126 | HLN: 152Prime: FNC: 638 | CNN: 174 | MSNBC: 221 | HLN: 194   5p: 6p: 7p: 8p: 9p: 10p: 11p: FNC Beck: Baier: Shep: O'Reilly: Hannity: Greta: O'Reilly:   597 466 426 802 599 509 493 CNN Blitzer: Blitzer: KingUSA: Brown: King: Cooper: Cooper:   130 145 132 106 179 239 123 MSNBC Matthews: EdShow: Matthews: Olbermann: Maddow: Olbermann:...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/the_scoreboard_wednesday_april_21_159328.asp

HUGH HEWITT ON DONNY DEUTSCH, KEITH OLBERMANN AND MSNBC
Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, who was at the center of this week's dumping of Donny Deutsch storyline, is having his say. When the segment was over, so was Donny's career on MSNBC though the ax didn't drop until the next day. Rule #1 in MSNBC-land: Never say anything bad about Keith or Ed or allow a guest to voice an unflattering opinion about them no matter how widely shared across the country. And...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/hugh_hewitt_on_donny_deutsch_keith_olbermann_and_msnbc_159324.asp

MORNING SHOW RATINGS: WEEK OF APRIL 12
The three broadcast morning shows finished in their usual #1, #2, #3 positions, with NBC's "Today" show and ABC's "Good Morning America" growing week-to-week. "Today" has been number one 749 weeks in a row -- that's nearly 14 1/2 years. And while "Today" had a 870,000 Total Viewer lead over "GMA", the new anchor team on the ABC breakfast show closed the Total Viewer gap by 21% compared to the same week last year. "GMA"...
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/morning_show_ratings/morning_show_ratings_week_of_april_12_159306.asp
**

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*****

Washington Post: News Alert: Goldman Sachs readies forceful response

News Alert: Goldman Sachs readies forceful response
09:35 PM EDT Friday, April 23, 2010
--------------------

Goldman Sachs is preparing its most detailed defense yet to allegations that it misled clients in its mortgage securities business, arguing that it was unsure whether housing prices would rise or fall and did not take any action at odds with the interests of its clients.

An internal Goldman document, prepared for senior executives and obtained by The Washington Post, addresses the criticism that the bank invested its own money betting against the housing market while simultaneously urging clients to invest in securities that would increase in value only if the housing market did.

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com:
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/U38ITL/CZ4TR/HQ1E1P/F3Y3P1/7D7C6/XL/t

*****

Washingotn Post Technology Daily Report Friday, April 23, 2010: Technology: Facebook's play to take over the entire internet

Washingotn Post Technology Daily Report Friday, April 23, 2010

Live Q&A on the latest gadgets, tech news

» Fast Forward | Rob Pegoraro answers your questions on recent gadget reviews, technology news and provides personal tech buying and fixing advice.

In the News

Newsweek: Facebook's play to take over the entire Internet (By Barrett Sheridan )

Ahead of the Bell: Microsoft sees spending rebound

UK politicos go online, seeking elusive youth vote (By JILL LAWLESS)

Lenovo emerges as leading candidate for Palm (By Kelvin Soh)

Microsoft profit jumps 35 pct but investors shrug (By JESSICA MINTZ)

The cold coffee report

The cold coffee report - totally random Whatever, just cleaning off the computer

Gubernatorial candidates head west for annual Lincoln Day Dinner
Cumberland Times-News
Maryland has the country's most talented work force and the best schools but businesses “keep leaving. Why? We don't respect them.” Murphy, who filed to run ...
See all stories on this topic

westminster md | Tumblr
By Bryan P. Sears The population of employees of the Bob Ehrlich for Governor ... By Bryan P. Sears The county's top GOP said Tuesday that he won't seek ...
www.tumblr.com/tagged/westminster+md

Red Maryland: Media Watch III on the Race for Maryland's ...
By Vatz
... of the Department of Public Policy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County), a consistently liberal source who almost invariably subtly praises Governor Martin O'Malley and disparages former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich. ...
Red Maryland - http://redmaryland.blogspot.com/

New Bedford Herald by Kevin Dayhoff - Caroline Glick: Hamas ...
New Bedford Herald by Kevin Dayhoff. Caroline Glick: Hamas embraces Haaretz's star reporter ... Tags: journalist glick caroline, world middle east israel ...
kbetrue.livejournal.com/320478.html

Sykesville man arrested after burglary
Carroll County Times
By Ryan Marshall, Times Staff Writer | 0 comments Maryland State Police have charged a Sykesville man after allegedly catching him breaking into a house in ...

Explore Carroll Sykesville man arrested for burglary
Maryland State Police announced they arrested a Sykesville man for breaking into an abandoned home today on the 6600block of Church Street in Sykesville ...
www.explorecarroll.com/news/4246/sykesville-burglary/

A new press release is now posted on the Maryland State Police website. STATE POLICE HELICOPTER BASE MOVE FROM CENTREVILLE TO EASTON ACCOMPLISHED

Gregory Kane: Democrats know all about 'incivility' | Washington ...
By Gregory Kane
Did Hoyer forget that he's from Maryland, for heaven's sake? This is the state where, for at least the past 12 years, Democrats have all but cornered the market on incivility. Let's review the time line. 1998: Republican Ellen Sauerbrey challenged ... 2002: Observers at a debate between gubernatorial candidates Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and then-Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend claimed the latter's supporters insulted Michael Steele by tossing Oreo cookies in his direction. ...
Columns and OpEds - http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rss/?section=%2Fopinion%2Fcolumns

Carroll County Times topic
Gov Robert L Ehrlich Jr recently honored the MakeAWish Foundation of the MidAtlantic for 20 years of helping Maryland children The organization fulfills ...
carrollcountytimes.com/topic/?q...t...

PARTY ON — Former Gov. Ehrlich headlines Tax Day Tea Party in ...
As Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s Republican Party opponent for governor named a running mate for his long shot bid for the GOP's Maryland gubernatorial nomina- ...
www.investigativevoice.com/index.php?...id...

Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack: Former Governor Ehrlich headlines ...
By Kevin Dayhoff
The chair of We the People, Joe Kirby, began warming-up the crowd just after Former-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. arrived and spoke at some length about the purpose and intent of the rally and the Tea Party movement. Michelle Jefferson, a Carroll County ... As Ehrlich transitioned from exhorting the virtues of the Tea Parties, into campaigning for the Maryland governor's office, he advised the crowd that “an Ehrlich bumper sticker increases the value of your car…” ...
Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack - http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Wendi Peters for mayor
As chairman of the Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Commission, I have a bit of a different perspective on mayoral candidate Wendi Peters. ...
www.gazette.net/stories/04152010/fredlet153122_32555.php

Daily Kos: Was PBS carrying water for the teabaggers and Republicans?
Too bad Gwen Ifill didn't do her job and ask this question. Oh, btw, she got all her info on the HIR bill from talk radio. This woman says it is fact that ...
www.dailykos.com/.../-Was-PBS-carrying-water-for-the-teaba...

YouTube - Gwen Ifill - Spring 2010 Eisenhower Institute Speaker Series
queueWeAreChangeBoston Questions Gwen Ifill about Ob...878 views ... queueGwen Ifill: Palin versus Obama3645 viewschabelos6 · McCain on Gwen Ifill 2:19 ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEQhE6i25DQ

Examiner.com

National journalist travels to Baltimore to speak on the ...
Examiner.com
I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending the Goucher College Presidential series with special guest speaker, Gwen Ifill. The host of "Washington ...

*****

TimesWatch: 'South Park,' Muhammad, and NYT Double Standards

'South Park,' Muhammad, and NYT Double Standards

Documenting and Exposing the Liberal Political Agenda of the New York Times
Friday April 23, 2010 @ 03:53 PM EDT

Classy: NYT Executive Editor Uses Book Review to Call Murdoch 'Corrosive'
Bill Keller, the New York Times executive editor, uses a book review to make a crack at his right-leaning newspaper rival Rupert Murdoch: "The last of his breed of media tycoon is a 79-year-old Australian billionaire whose impact has been more corrosive than cohesive."

'South Park,' Muhammad, and Double Standards
The creators of the Comedy Central cartoon “South Park” creators had their lives threatened by a Muslim group for insulting the prophet Muhammad, but two Times headlines said they were merely being “warned." It's not the first time the paper has expressed a double standard regarding insults of Islam versus Christianity.

John Harwood to Obama: Is Wall Street As 'Harmful' to Us as Big Tobacco?
NYT writer and CNBC personality John Harwood pressed Barack Obama about the need to regulate Wall Street as he questioned the president if Americans needed to view financial companies in the same way they view Big Tobacco as "companies whose core activities are harmful to the country?"

Classy: NYT Executive Editor Uses Book Review to Call Murdoch 'Corrosive'

New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller has a review of legendary magazine tycoon Henry Luce, founder of Time and Life, in this Sunday's book review section. The Times posted it online Friday under the heading “The Editor in Chief.”

Keller took advantage of the book review acreage to take an arbitary shot at present-day media mogul (and soon to be a direct-competitor as the Wall Street Journal expands its Manhattan coverage) Rupert Murdoch, at the end of his review of historian Alan Brinkley's biography of Luce.

Keller found Brinkley's book helpful in fleshing out the oft-caricatured Luce, “restoring missing dimensions to figures who have been flattened into caricature.” He also approved of revelations showing Luce was not as conservative as his reputation would imply:

Nor was Luce all that conservative. He supported the growth of government power, including the welfare state. He championed civil rights for minorities and was less chauvinistic than his peers on the subject of women’s freedom. He favored trade unions. Though zealously anti-Communist, he was scornful of Joseph McCarthy’s excesses.

....

By the time of his death, in 1967, that consensus had been torn asunder, and today there is no vehicle, no voice with the coherent power of Luce’s magazines in their heyday. The last of his breed of media tycoon is a 79-year-old Australian billionaire whose impact has been more corrosive than cohesive.

That would be Rupert Murdoch, publisher of the New York Post and creator of Fox News and other conservative media outlets.

Keller has made a habit out of taking arbitrary cracks at Fox figures. In a “Talk to the Newsroom” Q&A in January 2009 hosted on nytimes.com, Keller cracked:

Lunch at the Four Seasons is always a high point. Today it's my weekly tête-à-tête with Bill O'Reilly. He's really not the Neanderthal blowhard he plays on TV. He's totally in on the joke.

You can follow Times Watch on Twitter.

'South Park,' Muhammad, and Double Standards

A recent episode of Comedy Central's animated comedy show “South Park” caused an Islamic group to send a veiled death threat to show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, accusing them of insulting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Comedy Central reacted by censoring a later episode that also had scenes involving the cartoon version of the Islamic prophet.

Two Times stories on this free speech issue by Arts reporter Dave Itzkoff were buried on the inside pages of the paper's Arts section, under whitewashed headlines alleging that the “South Park” creators were being “warned” by Muslims, not having their lives threatened.

The issue first came up in Thursday's “Arts, Briefly” column under the lame headline “Muslim Group Warns 'South Park.'” (A more accurate headline would have been “Muslim Group Sends Veiled Death Threat to 'South Park.'”)

Itzkoff summarized the controversy:

An Islamic group based in New York said that a recent episode of “South Park,” the satirical animated series, insulted the Prophet Muhammad, and compared the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to Theo van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic militant, CNN reported.

When Comedy Central then bowed to pressure and censored the show's next episode with audio bleeps, Itzkoff ran a longer story Friday, though it too was relegated to page three of the Arts section under an incomplete headline: “'South Park' Episode Altered After Muslim Group's Warning.”

The accompanying text box put the blame on the show's creators, not the group that issued the death threat: “At Comedy Central, reining in a show that pushes buttons.”

Itzkoff explained:

“South Park,” the Comedy Central series, is an animated show that tries its best to push buttons and the boundaries of free speech by mocking every high-profile target in sight, from Hollywood celebrities to religious figures. But its creators may have gotten more than they bargained for with two recent episodes that satirized the Prophet Muhammad -- one that elicited an ominous message from an Islamic group based in New York, and one that was censored by the cable network that shows it.

On April 14 Comedy Central broadcast the 200th episode of “South Park,” a cartoon that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have produced for that channel since 1997. In honor of the occasion, Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone populated the episode with nearly all the famous people their show has lampooned in its history, including celebrities like Tom Cruise and Barbra Streisand, as well as major religious figures, like Moses, Jesus and Buddha.

(Actually, South Park's latest episode featured Jesus Christ as a porn freak, according to Lachlan Markay at Newsbusters: “...in last night's episode Parker and Stone showed Buddha snorting cocaine, and vulgarly bickering with Jesus Christ, who, it is suggested, is a compulsive consumer of pornography. So while Comedy Central gave into demands the word Muhammed not even be mentioned, other prophets were portrayed in tremendously offensive ways.”)

Itzkoff continued:

Cognizant that Islam forbids the depiction of its holiest prophet, Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker showed their “South Park” characters agonizing over how to bring Muhammad to their fictional Colorado town. At first the character said to be Muhammad is confined to a U-Haul trailer, and is heard speaking but is not shown. Later in the episode the character is let out of the trailer, dressed in a bear costume.

The next day the “South Park” episode was criticized by the group Revolution Muslim in a post at its Web site, revolutionmuslim.com. The post, written by a member named Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, said the episode “outright insulted” the prophet, adding: “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”

Mr. van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker and a critic of religions including Islam, was killed by an Islamic militant in Amsterdam in 2004 after he made a film that discussed the abuse of Muslim women in some Islamic societies.

....

...in 2006, when “South Park” wanted to weigh in on a controversy that erupted after Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper, published cartoons satirizing Muhammad, it was not given the same latitude: a character said to be Muhammad was concealed behind a large black box labeled “CENSORED.” The measure was taken by the “South Park” producers partly at the insistence of Comedy Central, and partly as a commentary on the network’s policy of not allowing them to show the character, which the episode equated with giving in to the demands of extremists.

Yet while the Times respected the Muslim ban on images of Muhammad, it has no fear of dishonoring other religions.

In February 2006, after a Danish newspaper published cartoons mocking Muhammad, death threats were issued to the cartoonists and radical Muslims instigated rioting.

The Times not only failed to stick up for free speech by running the cartoons itself, it actually attacked news organizations that bravely did so, while pretending it was an issue of religious respect in an editorial:

That seems a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols, especially since the cartoons are so easy to describe in words.”

But that excuse was revealed as bogus the very next day, when the paper ran a photo of painter Chris Ofili's controversial painting of a dung-clotted Virgin Mary.

You can follow Times Watch on Twitter.

John Harwood to Obama: Is Wall Street As 'Harmful' To Us as Big Tobacco?

New York Times writer and CNBC contributor John Harwood, in an interview aired on Thursday's Today show, pressed Barack Obama about the need to regulate Wall Street as he questioned the President if Americans needed to view them in the same way they view Big Tobacco as "companies whose core activities are harmful to the country?" Obama declined to make the comparison to the tobacco companies, but went on to insist Wall Street needed new rules to protect against "excess."

JOHN HARWOOD: Should average Americans think about big Wall Street institutions the way that some have come to think about tobacco companies, that is, companies whose core activities are harmful to the country?

BARACK OBAMA: No. We have to have a thriving financial sector. But, we also have to have basic rules of the road in place to make sure that investors, consumers, shareholders, the economy as a whole, are protected against excess. We have gotten into one of those places where we need to update those rules of the road, and if we do so, not only is that good for the economy, not only does it protect consumers and investors, it's also good for the financial sector.

Harwood did manage to ask Obama about contributions he received from Goldman Sachs and the fact that his former White House counsel is representing them as he pried: "In the 2008 campaign you got a lot of money, about $1 million, from employees of Goldman Sachs. Your former White House counsel Greg Craig is apparently going to represent Goldman Sachs. In light of this case, do either of those things embarrass you?"

However at the end of the segment Today co-anchor Meredith Vieira claimed Republicans were "warming up" to a financial reform bill and did the White House have "a sense" of "victory over this?" To which Harwood responded "Average Americans dislike Wall Street...so this is a case where public opinion's on the President's side. He was hitting Republicans over the head with that and they're finally coming to the table..." And just before signing off Harwood ominously warned higher middle class taxes could be on the way:

MEREDITH VIEIRA: You know Republicans are warming up to this reform bill where they were adamantly opposed to it before some revisions were introduced. Was there a sense at the White House of, of victory over this?

HARWOOD: I think so. Look this is an issue, unlike health care, where public opinion was divided. Average Americans dislike Wall Street, in many cases as much as they dislike Washington. So this is a case where public opinion's on the President's side. He was hitting Republicans over the head with that and they're finally coming to the table and looks like they're gonna make a deal pretty soon.

VIEIRA: And on a very different note, during your interview the President did not rule out the possibility of raising taxes on the middle class, something he has always opposed in the past. Was he sending up a trial balloon?

HARWOOD: Watch this story, Meredith. This is likely to be the biggest -- next big debate in American politics in 2011 because as the economy recovers, many on the President's team believe we need a serious assault on the deficit, and the amount of revenue that's needed can't all be gotten from the rich.

-- Geoffrey Dickens is the senior news analyst at the Media Research Center.

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