Commentary by H.G. Listiak

Monday 09/15/2003

Welcome to my world, where I have a couple of random thoughts today.. You know I wouldn't be surprised to see a FAHTWA from Saudi Arabia's religious police, with the FAHTWA-EE a rather famous American girl. The anatomically enhanced child's toy, the Barbie doll, is already banned in the kingdom, and now they claim, they call it the "Jewish" toy, is offensive to Islam. The committee for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice contends that Jewish Barbie, with her revealing clothes, shameful postures, accessories and tools, is a symbol of decadence and the perverted West. They say beware of her dangers. I think the Barbie folks are missing a whole new market here. How about a chest reduced Barbie in a burka, or maybe a martyr Ken doll, complete with robe, turban, and explosive suicide vest???

And for those who say crime doesn't pay, here's Jayson Blair, the C.E.O. poster boy, reporter, who took the New York Time's credibility and hierarchy to the wood shed with his plagiarism, and made up stories, about to be paid handsomely, reaping the rewards for his infamy, and scandal. A scandal that rocked the journalistic community. This guy is now getting a mid-six figure advance for his memoirs. New Millennium will publish a book called "Burning Down my Master's House, My Life at the New York Time's". The advance is only the tip of the iceberg. He'll end up with a lot more. The problem is that our media is becoming more and more condensed and compressed, more liberal, politcally correct, and self serving. In this atmosphere, it becomes tempting, and easier for rookie reporters in a hurry, to write stories solely for their shock value, instead of to inform their readers, and to hell with accuracy. In an untouchable climate like the New York Time's, this is how they get famous, unless of course they push it too far, and as we have seen, then get even more famous. Jayson Blair is the first to cash in, but he won't be the last as I see it, I'm H.G. Listiak.