THIS MODERN WORLD

Greenwald:

But Time isn’t allowed to critique right-wing claims even when they’re totally false. Doing that would make Rush Limbaugh and Fox News angry. So rather than pointing out what actually happened — that right-wing claims about march attendance were false and debunked by news organizations — they have to pretend that this is, as always, nothing more than an irreconcilable dispute about reality between the Right and the Left, and it’s not up to Time to tell their readers what the truth is, because that’s not their role, since they’re objective and unbiased.

also: I’ve been making snarky, 140-character remarks on the topic on my twitter feed this morning ….

Not this one — the Pearl Jam site. I particularly like the image mashup at the very bottom (scroll down, and set your browser as wide as it’ll go).

By the way — my advice to PJ fans would be to avoid leaked photos of the inside album art. There are some small surprises which will be much cooler for you to discover for yourself, which is why 10C and I have both been holding back on releasing any of it.

Update: a mostly PJ-related interview with me, here.

The Park Service quote rightbloggers are using to boost their claim that the 9-12 event was “the largest event ever held” in DC is real — it’s just a quote made in reference to the inauguration of Barack Obama.

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Presidential Prayer Team. After all, they were the ones who gave us my favorite bit of post-9/11 kitsch :

On a lark, I decided to check in on the organization whose self-described mission was to “pray for our national leaders in accordance with biblical principles, regardless of political persuasion“, but it seems like the election of Barack Obama has dampened the enthusiasm quite a bit. Here’s what the PPT site looked like back in 2006 :



And here’s what the Presidential Prayer Team site looks like today :



Funny how a “non-partisan organization” would go out of its way to avoid using the current President’s name or photo. It’s almost as if members of the Presidential Prayer Team are less likely to pray for President Obama than President Bush. I wonder why that is?

Bonus detail : Notice the site no longer references a Bible quote in the masthead. Is 1 Timothy 2:1-2 not as popular now as it was when Republicans ran the country?

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Sam Seder’s Amazon review of The Very Silly Mayor:

My Kid Loves it- I love the message

My 4 year old was home sick today- completely unexpectedly The Very Silly Mayor arrived- I had forgotten I had pre-ordered. I am a fan of Tom Tomorrow’s work (full disclosure: I’ve interviewed him on the radio), but wasn’t sure how it would translate into a kid’s book. My daughter loves books but can be pretty particular- she saw the cover as I opened up the package and demanded I read it to her.

She was quiet and engaged as I read. I wasn’t sure as to whether she liked it, but I was very happy with the message. Not political in any type of ideological or partisan sense, the book has a strong message of believing in your own perspective, in not being cowed by peer pressure or common wisdom and in questioning authority. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to read a book to my child that isn’t a marketing ploy, doesn’t involve shopping or the notion that she should be looking for a prince to marry.

The true and really only relevant test came on the last page- she demanded I read it to her again. We ended up reading it four times in a row- each time she became more engaged in the characters and asked more questions. I have no idea if she is absorbing the message of this book but in the end I’m only interested in books that she likes and I can feel good about reading to her. This book scores a ten on both accords.

If you have small children, or know anyone who does, please consider picking it up. You’ll be supporting independent publishing and (increasingly) independent cartooning with a single purchase — and helping to encourage independent thought in the small person of your choice. Not bad for about the same price as a couple of fried eggs and some coffee.