Citizen Jeff

Palin Defamation Charge Misreported by Huffington Post Blogger

After she slammed Sarah Palin and her attorney, Thomas Van Flein, on The Huffington Post for threatening fellow blogger Shannyn Moore with a defamation lawsuit, Jeanne Devon (aka AKMuckraker) has so far generated almost 4000 reader comments, many of which amplify Devon’s mockery of Palin/Van Flein. But Devon’s criticism is based on a false premise, that [...]

The Hypocrisy of Bill Maher

During the “New Rules” segment on his HBO show last Friday night, Bill Maher blasted the Democratic Party for kowtowing to its corporate paymasters, and bemoaned the lack of real liberals on ballots and television. “And if occasionally you do get to hear Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky or Dennis Kucinich,” Maher complained, “they’re treated like [...]

Iranian Revolution Disguised as Election Protest

Whether it’s attributable to routine incompetence or more nefarious motives, most U.S. media organizations have been treating allegations of election fraud in Iran as statements of fact. In particular, talk radio and cable news interviewees who claim the recent presidential election was fixed, are not being asked to support their assertions even though articles published by The Washington Post, Truthdig and Politico offer compelling evidence that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the likely victor.

Matthews v. Burris: The Tale of the Tape

In his interview with Roland Burris Wednesday, Chris Matthews conducted himself not as a fair-minded journalist but a prosecutor who believes it’s okay to conceal exculpatory evidence to win a case. Like everyone else who has been sucked in by a lynch mob mentality at Burris’s expense, Matthews simply ignored that it was completely routine for Robert Blagojevich, brother of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, to have sought a campaign contribution from Burris in a telephone conversation.

Transcript Vindicates Burris

The media continues to exaggerate evidence of malfeasance on the part of Roland Burris. As if it would have been criminal for him to do what he didn’t do anyway, Monica Davey and Ann Cullotta claim in The New York Times that “Mr. Burris had promised to send a personal check” to Gov. Rod Blagojevich [...]

Hitler’s First Springsteen Concert

Hitler’s excitement builds as he prepares to travel to New Jersey to see his first Springsteen show. Until everything goes wrong that is….

Advice to Gays: Know Thy Enemy

Although today’s decision by the California Supreme Court is understandably disappointing to proponents of same sex marriage, it should not be interpreted as any sort of disrespect to gays and their rights. Indeed, this is the very same court which last year ruled that gays do enjoy the right to marry under the California Constitution.

Some Excellent Police Work

Johnny 99 - East Rutherford, NJ (5.23.09)

“Johnny 99” is from “Nebraska,” Springsteen’s underrated solo album released in 1982. The Boss’s take on desperation resonates anew in today’s bleak economic climate. Bruce held the hometown crowd hostage tonight: “The turnpike is closed – nobody goes home!”

Newsom Targets Innocent Smokers

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants smokers in his city to pay an extra 33 cents for each pack of cigarettes purchased, to cover the cost of picking up discarded butts and help reduce a daunting budget deficit.  That would be on top of the $1.88 per pack in state and federal taxes consumers already [...]