Blurbs on Book Jackets: Are they helpful?

Observation after book browsing:

• To Authors and Publishers: It is guaranteed that I will not buy your book if there is a blurb on the cover from a Fox "news" anchor.

• To Fellow Readers: My time and money were not wasted on a book that was endorsed by a Fox "news" anchor thanks to a book jacket blurb!
  

Everything Old is New Again: Today's Right Wing Supports Book Burning

The last post here discussed banned books, which ties in neatly with what's happening today on the politically conservative side of politics in the U.S.

As you may know, Fox News, lobbyists, out-of-power Republican members of Congress with time on their hands, and the right-wingers in our population - including neo-Nazis and secessionists - are getting ready to whoop it up at so-called "tea party protests" on April 15.

These folks do not like President Obama. Use your own experience and knowledge of these people to reach a conclusion as to why this is so.

With respect to taxes and the programs they support, it's not clear what government programs these protesters won't support: national defense, our men and women in uniform? health care for senior citizens? education? Oh, yes. It's likely education, don't you think? And according to Huffington Post, at a recent event one protester even shouted out that old chestnut, "burn the books."

How 13th century.

Push back, friends. Support publication and reading of controversial writing. Meet speech with speech: don't let what these people say go unchallenged. Instead, write letters to newspapers, call or email radio programs, and talk to your neighbors. Flex your First Amendment muscles.

That Gal Greta Van Susteren

It's Friday afternoon and time for a catty moment: Did you see Greta Van Susteren try to bash President Obama while she interviewed former-President Bill Clinton (this post will not examine the wisdom of, or motivation for, Mr. Clinton's appearance on a Fox News program)? Think Progress has the whole story.

Van Susteren inaccurately complained that President Obama was visiting only states he won in the general election. “He’s hit…Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Colorado,” she said. "It looks like a reward." She didn't mention Arizona, Senator McCain's home state - which McCain won - and Mr. Clinton corrected her on that.

Think Progress looked at the election numbers for the specific areas the President recently visited:

Elkhart County, IN: Obama lost 44 to 56 percent
Lee County, FL: Obama lost 45 to 55 percent
Fairfax County, VA: Obama won 60 to 39 percent
Denver County, CO: Obama won 75 to 23 percent
Maricopa County, AZ: Obama lost 44 to 55 percent

I don't see any big "reward" here, Ms. Greta.

Anyway, her complaint is beyond silly; Greta, please - if you are going to be a political assassin ya gotta be sharp, not silly. Voters in states that went for President Obama were signaling that they wanted new policies. The President is reporting back that he is implementing the change that was requested. It's called communication. That's how the system works for elected officials who aren't George Bush.

Greta is from Appleton, Wisconsin, a politically conservative part of my state. As a result, she's probably comfortable being on Fox News. Appleton was also the home of United States Senator Joseph McCarthy who was famous in the 1950s for accusing people, including his colleagues, of being Communists. McCarthy was not able to back-up all those charges. Perhaps Greta should keep in mind, too, the need for real, solid, truthful speech in the media.

And enough with the cosmetic surgery! Greta, you are 54: Seek to have some grace and elegance to match your age.

Meow, meow, meow.