How lovely. A cute little bit about "icebreakers" followed by a guy from the feds telling us that we misunderstand the government's role in "keeping us safe" through surveillance and data gathering... followed by a rejoinder... wrapped up nicely with a lovely image of a pecan tree that unites us all together...
Here's my letter...
Dear Bari Weiss,
Stop trying to gaslight me into believing that there is some "nostalgia" to be found in glimpses of the Democratic Party that you believed in. It was never thus. It never will be... Stop trying to rehabilitate the worst organization in American history.
Use your considerable intellectual and investigative powers to investigate Joe Biden and the depths of his awfulness as both a human being and an American statesman.
There's nothing quite like waking up to the simple beauty of Elizabeth Boswell Lackey's essay only to find it mocked and belittled by someone giving orders to Bari Weiss. My favorite thing about The FP is its refusal to fit inside a prefab, claustrophobic ideology. Weiss' ideas are wonderfully nuanced, and I'm so thankful that her mission, as far as I can tell, is not to investigate the "awfulness" of one individual human being.
Thanks, agreed. I appreciated hearing both sides of the FISA matter. I’m sure the FP are grateful for their subscribers regardless but I sometimes wonder why people are paying customers if they are so upset by the coverage. I guess it reflects how barren the media landscape is that even if you think the FP is ideologically compromised, it’s still more interesting than what you can get elsewhere.
“… but I sometimes wonder why people are paying customers if they are so upset by the coverage...”
The continuing conundrum of the TFP comments. 24/7/365 they are filled with the usual suspects (Obamawasafool is one of them) complaining ad nauseum about Bari, Oliver, Peter, the guest columnists, the content, etc etc. Then they say they pay to be able to participate in the comments because they all like each other, and the ability to reinforce each other by agreeing on everybody else’s complaints.
My theory, supported in part by things they have said, is that when Bari so publicly quit the NYT, these people thought she was also quitting the NYT point of view in general. They refer to TFP as the “Democrat Rehabilitation Project”, ie, they expect(ed) Bari and Nellie to “reform” themselves from Democrats into Republicans, from liberals into conservatives. And guess what? It hasn’t happened. And the usual suspects are totally baffled and can’t cope. You see, as one of them told me the other day, they believe in voting the party over the person. They follow the Republican (that is, the Trump version of Republican) party agenda, and they don’t deviate from it. They can’t comprehend moderation or nuance, they don’t understand that someone can be left on one issue and right on another issue. That just doesn’t compute in their brains.
So after almost 3 years they are left paying for a news outlet they don’t really like, published by people they don’t understand, for the ability to mouth off in the comments unmoderated (at least two of them, Unsaint Finbar is one, have said they’ve been banned from every other comment section they’ve ever been a member of except TFP). They need a place to rant and this is it.
Okay, this was funny. Her "nuance" amounts to wordsmithing everything just to enough to make it look like The Free Press is "different" while taking any pot-shots she can at Trump. Nothing will be different after her efforts. Nothing at all. She may not be "woke", I'll grant you that. But neither is she "nuanced" or even very interesting.
The Free Press will have no meaningful legacy until and unless it actually starts taking some scalps. Weiss and crew simply don't have that moxy.
Objective journalism would demand not taking a scalp if that is where the evidence led. It would appear you’ve subscribed to the wrong Substack if sturm und drang is your idea of incisive current affairs coverage.
Nonsense. Taking scalps is the primary purpose of objective journalism. You misunderstand what journalism is for if you think that objectivity equals "refrain from critique". It doesn't. Good journalists can expose abuse in government, big business, etc. They can do so objectively but The Free Press doesn't even try this much. They simply avoid anything that could truly damage the Democratic Party.
Really, you welcome audience participation? You’re sure? (You do read the comments right?) Okay then…. Prepare to receive letters from me about four times a year in varying states of hypomania.
My husband was commenting yesterday that what never makes the news is things like, “Trey tells me his mother led a ‘quiet, normal, American life’. “ Of course, we hadn’t read that yet, but it sure did my heart good to have Elizabeth Boswell Lackey “make the news” this morning. May her tribe and kind increase, and, as my Orthodox Christian friends say, “May her memory be eternal.”
Perhaps Mr. Klein would like to answer why the FBI lied repeatedly to the FISC without any repercussion or punishment? Or, put another, way, why we aren't supposed to view the alleged "protections" in FISA as anything but a joke.
On another matter, Bari, I've noted repeated that almost all your correspondents and contributors are of the left. As are you,. While a good part of your audience and loyal readers from Common Sense days lean a bit right. How about signing up a few commenters as an antidote to your annoying pal Wiseman? I've suggested our very own Unsaint Finbar. Sign and unmask him. Please.
The pecan tree! What a gift to be reminded of how little time we have on this earth. May Elizabeth’s memory be a blessing.
How lovely. A cute little bit about "icebreakers" followed by a guy from the feds telling us that we misunderstand the government's role in "keeping us safe" through surveillance and data gathering... followed by a rejoinder... wrapped up nicely with a lovely image of a pecan tree that unites us all together...
Here's my letter...
Dear Bari Weiss,
Stop trying to gaslight me into believing that there is some "nostalgia" to be found in glimpses of the Democratic Party that you believed in. It was never thus. It never will be... Stop trying to rehabilitate the worst organization in American history.
Use your considerable intellectual and investigative powers to investigate Joe Biden and the depths of his awfulness as both a human being and an American statesman.
There's nothing quite like waking up to the simple beauty of Elizabeth Boswell Lackey's essay only to find it mocked and belittled by someone giving orders to Bari Weiss. My favorite thing about The FP is its refusal to fit inside a prefab, claustrophobic ideology. Weiss' ideas are wonderfully nuanced, and I'm so thankful that her mission, as far as I can tell, is not to investigate the "awfulness" of one individual human being.
If I could put my sentiments into words, they would be what you said, Erika Scott. Thank you.
Thanks, agreed. I appreciated hearing both sides of the FISA matter. I’m sure the FP are grateful for their subscribers regardless but I sometimes wonder why people are paying customers if they are so upset by the coverage. I guess it reflects how barren the media landscape is that even if you think the FP is ideologically compromised, it’s still more interesting than what you can get elsewhere.
“… but I sometimes wonder why people are paying customers if they are so upset by the coverage...”
The continuing conundrum of the TFP comments. 24/7/365 they are filled with the usual suspects (Obamawasafool is one of them) complaining ad nauseum about Bari, Oliver, Peter, the guest columnists, the content, etc etc. Then they say they pay to be able to participate in the comments because they all like each other, and the ability to reinforce each other by agreeing on everybody else’s complaints.
My theory, supported in part by things they have said, is that when Bari so publicly quit the NYT, these people thought she was also quitting the NYT point of view in general. They refer to TFP as the “Democrat Rehabilitation Project”, ie, they expect(ed) Bari and Nellie to “reform” themselves from Democrats into Republicans, from liberals into conservatives. And guess what? It hasn’t happened. And the usual suspects are totally baffled and can’t cope. You see, as one of them told me the other day, they believe in voting the party over the person. They follow the Republican (that is, the Trump version of Republican) party agenda, and they don’t deviate from it. They can’t comprehend moderation or nuance, they don’t understand that someone can be left on one issue and right on another issue. That just doesn’t compute in their brains.
So after almost 3 years they are left paying for a news outlet they don’t really like, published by people they don’t understand, for the ability to mouth off in the comments unmoderated (at least two of them, Unsaint Finbar is one, have said they’ve been banned from every other comment section they’ve ever been a member of except TFP). They need a place to rant and this is it.
That’s my explanation and I’m sticking with it.
"Weiss' ideas are wonderfully nuanced,"
Okay, this was funny. Her "nuance" amounts to wordsmithing everything just to enough to make it look like The Free Press is "different" while taking any pot-shots she can at Trump. Nothing will be different after her efforts. Nothing at all. She may not be "woke", I'll grant you that. But neither is she "nuanced" or even very interesting.
The Free Press will have no meaningful legacy until and unless it actually starts taking some scalps. Weiss and crew simply don't have that moxy.
Objective journalism would demand not taking a scalp if that is where the evidence led. It would appear you’ve subscribed to the wrong Substack if sturm und drang is your idea of incisive current affairs coverage.
Nonsense. Taking scalps is the primary purpose of objective journalism. You misunderstand what journalism is for if you think that objectivity equals "refrain from critique". It doesn't. Good journalists can expose abuse in government, big business, etc. They can do so objectively but The Free Press doesn't even try this much. They simply avoid anything that could truly damage the Democratic Party.
You are wrong.
This is true about the Democratic Party and most in Washington DC….thanks for your courage to put it in print!
🥳
What an absolute treasure to have Ms. Boswell’s beautiful letter. Thank you for publishing it! May her memory be a blessing.
Thank you and her son for sharing Elizabeth Boswell Lackey’s writing. What a legacy of creating and giving!
Really, you welcome audience participation? You’re sure? (You do read the comments right?) Okay then…. Prepare to receive letters from me about four times a year in varying states of hypomania.
My husband was commenting yesterday that what never makes the news is things like, “Trey tells me his mother led a ‘quiet, normal, American life’. “ Of course, we hadn’t read that yet, but it sure did my heart good to have Elizabeth Boswell Lackey “make the news” this morning. May her tribe and kind increase, and, as my Orthodox Christian friends say, “May her memory be eternal.”
i'm not even going to lie about how i just burst into tears. Literally, my face just cracked in absolute half.
Thank you so much for this, Elizabeth 💜 this is all I want too.
Perhaps Mr. Klein would like to answer why the FBI lied repeatedly to the FISC without any repercussion or punishment? Or, put another, way, why we aren't supposed to view the alleged "protections" in FISA as anything but a joke.
On another matter, Bari, I've noted repeated that almost all your correspondents and contributors are of the left. As are you,. While a good part of your audience and loyal readers from Common Sense days lean a bit right. How about signing up a few commenters as an antidote to your annoying pal Wiseman? I've suggested our very own Unsaint Finbar. Sign and unmask him. Please.
Don't know which is more beautiful: the venerable pecan tree, or Mrs. Boswell's tribute to it.