…deny, deny, deny, with a big shout!

Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.
   -Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)

Before you start making accusations of “political grandstanding” because of the declaration of war by Senator Harry Reid, you should remember two words:

Terry Schiavo

I have a post in the works on the entire “Pajamas Media” story, but at the moment, this email I received today encapsulates the hypocrisy:

Subject: NY Launch Invite For New “Citizen Journalism” News Service - Pajamas Media

Hi Jack,

On November 16th, 2005 Pajamas Media will launch a new publishing medium that brings together some of the top online influencers and personalities, under one banner, to help evolve and expand journalism. In essence, this new media company will create a network hub for bloggers around the world in what will be one of the world’s first online forums for citizen journalism and commentary. Additionally, Judith Miller, will keynote the event and discuss the Shield Law debate that’s before Congress, broader issues facing bloggers and mainstream journalists, and what the future holds for both.

Please find below the official invitation. If you would like to attend, simply click on the RSVP link and we’ll add you to the list. Hope to see you there.

Thanks,

Ryan Lack

Excuse me, the appropriately named Ryan Lack, but the complete lack of communication for months before informing me there was a change in the business model and I was not one of the weblogs that “made the cut” does not exactly warm my heart towards your launch of the “New ‘Citizen Journalism’ News Service” given that you essentially shit on most of the citizen journalists (at least 230, given I received a congratulatory email for being weblog #300 to sign up and you only accepted 70…).

So, explain to me exactly how this new elite is different from the old elite?

As The Who so eloquently pointed out decades ago:

There’s nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Don’t get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

Pretty damn sad when you replicate song lyrics of decades ago without even a remote recognition of the irony.

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, Calvinball, Calvinball Play of the Week, Pajamas Media, patterns in the white noise, weblogs

This post, describing a Calvinball play from the right-wing, has been moved to Radio Saigon where it better fits in with the overall tone of the weblog.

Originally, I was going to award the Newsmaker Calvinball Play of the Week to those on the left-wing who are now ridiculing President Bush for making a few statements regarding conservation of gasoline, especially since one of the loudest complaints voiced against the administration-supported energy bill was that it had little in it to promote conservation. A fine example of Calvinball that is.

However, Representative Tom DeLay has gone over the top, and I stand in awe of his skill at Calvinball.

First, he accuses Travis County prosecutor Ronnie Earle of being partisan and vindictive. The Calvinball aspect of this move is obvious, as noted by Earle himself:

Being called partisan and vindictive by Tom DeLay is like being called ugly by a frog.
   -Ronnie Earle, Travis County district attorney

Next, there’s this little tidbit. DeLay claims “Never asking me to testify, never doing anything for two years.” However, his own lawyer points out DeLay’s Calvinball play:

Dick DeGuerin, the attorney representing DeLay, said Thursday that DeLay actually was invited to appear before the grand jury, where he would have been under oath.

Hmmm…

Like every politician, how can you tell when Representative DeLay is lying?

His lips are moving.

I can see how he would refuse to get under oath in front of a grand jury, because his head might explode from the pressure to be truthful.

Out-and-out lying about supposedly not being given an opportunity to go before the grand jury, though, and then being called on the lie by his own lawyer, well, that takes things to an entirely new level.

This is the epitome of Calvinball… where the rules you lay on your opponents don’t apply to yourself.

After this spectacular attempt at smearing someone as being “partisan and vindictive,” coming from a man whose photo should be in the dictionary next to these adjectives as an exemplar of these characteristics, along getting caught out in a lie by his own lawyer, how could anyone else be in contention for the Newsmaker Calvinball Play of the Week?

No one is allowed to question the masks.

Technorati Tags: Calvinball, Calvinball Play of the Week, DeLay, politics, quotes, Senator DeLay, Senator Tom DeLay, Tom DeLay

…can be found in the inaugural Weblog Calvinball Play of the Week award at my “immoderate” weblog Radio Saigon.

Technorati Tags: Calvinball Play of the Week, opinion, right-wing, right wing, weblogs, right-wing weblogs, right wing weblogs

There is so much rule-rewriting out there I’ve decided that the Calvinball Play of the Week needs two awards, one for politicians and other people in the news, and one for bloggers.

The Newsmaker Calvinball Play of the Week will be posted here at Random Fate, and The Weblog Calvinball Play of the Week will be posted at my “immoderate” weblog, Radio Saigon.

Nominations for both continue to be soliticed, email them to:

coptw - at - randomfateDOTnet

(the address has already gotten spam email, by the way… argh!!!).

I have often thought of creating my own “awards” for various things I find amusing or ironic. For example, a “Wile E. Coyote Engineering Award” for the most ridiculous, over-engineered product of the year.

Well, I have discovered in blogworld behavior that certainly deserves recognition with some type of award. I recently had an epiphany regarding blogworld:

I have been expecting too much of both politicians, and of blogworld.

I did not understand it is one big game of Calvinball, where you not only make up your own rules, but you never use the same rule twice.

And you never, ever, ever apply a rule that is to the disadvantage to your own side, only to the opposition.

Surely, outstanding examples of this behavior deserves recognition!

How can we recognize players who excel in expressing such fungibility?

Why, by awarding

The Calvinball Play of the Week

Each week I will be awarding the most egregious best example in blogworld of hypocrisy creating new rules as the situation demands.

Nominations of individual posts are solicited and should be sent to:

cpotw-at-randomfate-dot-net

On Monday each week I will announce the recipient of the award, which will go to the post from the previous week (from 12:01AM the previous Monday to midnight the following Sunday) that truly deserves recognition as The Calvinball Play of the Week.

The first award will be given in a separate post, without nominations because it is so deserving of recognition. Look for it soon.

Spread the word.

No one is allowed to question the masks.

Technorati Tags: weblog awards, weblogs