Wake up, Dan,
If you’re such a civil-libertarian, how can you treat the raid in Little Havana like an isolated case of excessive force? I suggest you get wise to the widespread erosion of the Fourth Amendment in this country and find something to say about it. Meanwhile I’ll be reading up on the Boy Scouts.
These are good times, media-wise, to have a son–although 9 is a little old for the casting call. This afternoon, MSNBC rounded up three pairs of fathers and Elián-age sons to see how the dads felt about the raid. Naturally, Jonathan Alter opined that the feds could have done it in a “less traumatic way,” another father complained that the Miami Relatives had used Elián as a “prop.” Far be it from MSNBC to use kids as props. But here’s a scoop: Alter’s kid looks just like Alter, expression, posture, and everything. Except he doesn’t say anything. (Note to young Alter: Elián would not be caught dead in a blue blazer!)
I confess, I’m obsessed with Elián. That’s why I was so interested in that Wall Street Journal editorial I mentioned earlier, and the suggestion the feds might have fed the kid some Xanax to get him primed for a little Communist brainwashing. Of course, my pal Marisleysis didn’t have any evidence to back up the drug charge. But as long as we’re speculating, I have a feeling the nation’s Xanax has been cornered by dot-commies these days, to help them get through the “market correction.”
Case in point: Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos did lunch with Kara Swisher last week, resulting in a profile in today’s Journal. (Headline: “Why Is Jeff Bezos Still Smiling?”) Even though the “plunge” took billions off his company’s market cap, Bezos was bounding off the walls at a recent press conference, “gesturing wildly, debating forcefully and letting loose frequently with his well-known hoo-ha laugh.” Given the state of Amazon stock (“now in the low 50s, from highs of $113”), Swisher is right to note a certain—disconnect, shall we say?–between Bezos’ prospects and the Clown Boy act he’s adopting in public. Or could it be the Prozac talking?
Speaking of solace, I love all the euphemisms the business press has coined to avoid uncomfortable words such as “crash.” In the New York Times yesterday, the crash was referred to variously as the shakeout, the slide, the rout, the chill, the dip, the plunge, and the fall. And say what you will about Jim Cramer, I found his piece to be sharper than most. He says “crash” is “too sweet a word” for Black Friday, and predicts the aftereffects will be even worse than last time around. (Anyone old enough to remember 1987?) Cramer sees at least one silver lining: cheaper beach front in the Hamptons–maybe old media can afford a summer share this time around. But to all those baby Internet companies still looking to get new financing, Cramer has two words: Forget it!
And that puts one other piece of spin in perspective: Today, the Daily News sounds the death knell for Inside.com, the media site that Kurt Andersen and Michael Hirschorn are supposed to be launching next month. The arguments are familiar: Parent company Powerful Media needs a second round of financing; its Street.com-style business model is risky. (BTW, Cramer is a Powerful Media investor. Connect the dots.) But what bothered me about this dour piece is that it’s driven by quotes from Salon’s David Talbot. If the News is going to let Talbot piss on Inside.com, shouldn’t it mention that Salon’s stock has, um, slid, since last summer’s IPO, or that Salon is launching a business site to compete with the Insiders? Talbot must have been speaking from experience when he told the News, “It’s a daunting, anxiety-inducing time.” It’s OK, David. Take another Xanax.
Simply caffeinated,
Cynthia
