Keith Olbermann blog: Delusions of grandeur at "Focus on the Family"

[MelissaB]

• January 29, 2005 | 5:26 p.m. ET

Delusions of grandeur at "Focus on the Family"

NEW YORK - Mother used to insist that there were two things you should never talk about in public: politics and religion.
Now, of course, that’s all we talk about. But the moral guidance still rings loudly all these years later, and it always makes me a reluctant conversant, even if I apologize to Mom in advance.

However, the Three-Card Monte Players at Dr. James Dobson’s “Focus On The Family” have reopened the can of worms that is SpongeBobGate, and have focused not on the family but on me, and in so doing embarrassed themselves and undermined the validity of their own concerns.

Dobson, you will recall, joined the singularly inoffensive animated character “SpongeBob SquarePants” to his conspiracy theories of a “pro-homosexual” agenda, in order to get headlines. When he got those headlines, he promptly complained about getting them. Dobson, like many other exploiters of Amoral Values, ran immediately to the easiest way out of a stupid fix of his own creation: he blamed the big old ugly media.

>>>snip

Hey, guys, worry about yourselves. You’re spewing hate, while assuming that for some reason, God has chosen you and you alone in all of history to understand the mysteries of existence, when mankind’s existence is filled with ample evidence that nobody yet has been smart enough to discern an answer.

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240 /


edited to add last paragraph

[Mojambo]

1. LOL

"If you’re setting up a spam campaign and providing people with everything up to and including cut-and-pastes to stick inside the message generator, and you can’t do better than 1,200 a day, you should give up and open a 7-11 somewhere."

Kick those self-righteous fuckers right in the ass Keith!

[MelissaB]

2. and don't forget this one

"Hey, guys, worry about yourselves. You’re spewing hate, while assuming that for some reason, God has chosen you and you alone in all of history to understand the mysteries of existence, when mankind’s existence is filled with ample evidence that nobody yet has been smart enough to discern an answer."

[kster]

6. Tell Keith

we will out e-mail Dobson back for him, for a 1 hr show dedicated to the fraud in Ohio, especially about the illegal homeland security lockdown, which no one has been arrested for.

[McCamy Taylor]

21. Keith will be back on Monday!

[rodeodance]

3. SpongeBobGate,--love it!!

[troubleinwinter]

4. Excellent! I sent him a "hand crafted" email of support and thanks.

[noamnety]

14. I sent bad doggerel via the Dobson spammerator

That name, Schneeberger, it was begging for some Dr. Suess.

[crispini]

5. Oh. My. God.

Best. Smackdown. Evah!!!!!!!!!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Wow. That last line? My mouth is quite literally hanging open.

(I won't put it here, don't wanna spoil it for those of you who haven't read it.)

Damn, Keef, YOU DA MAN!

Mr. Olbermann: Marry me. Any day of the week.

[MelissaB]

9. I was waiting

for those

I've missed them!

[crispini]

10. Yes, we're all coming home

to fling hearts and flowers all over the place.

La - la - la love is all you need!

See ya'll tomorrow night for special edition KO!

[Miami Liberal]

12. LOL

you said it girl!

[papau]

7. Super writings - I wish I could 1/10 as well as he does - great blog! :-)

[Miami Liberal]

8. Brilliant!

His blogs only get better and better like the man himself.

Forgot to add the ever important

[seito]

13. I will second that

[merwin]

11. I love keith :-)

[bleever]

15. Keef's not afraid of bullies, pious or otherwise. Way to go, KO. n/t

[Sydnie]

16. I loved him before but I can get to the

worship stage now.

Keith,

You speak for so many of us everyday. You do it with understanding and sometimes with a spark of snark. You have mastered the comics' wet dream of teaching while making your audience laugh. You have mastered the teachers' wet dream of getting information to stick for the long haul. You have mastered the news reporters wet dream by not only having people tune in every night, but also hang on your web site for the words you don't share on air.

You might have liked it, but you were so wasted on the world of sports (mostly male dominated) and have come to your real calling finally as the object of love and affection of the EDV of the KOEB.

And you do it all with a smile on your face. What more could we ask for?

Keep on keeping on dude, and we will keep on watching, reading, and learning.



Best Blog Yet!

[WhirlyGirl]

32. I'm so glad that Keith has

so many friends. I expect I'll have more to add later but for right now, I have a lump in my throat just reading all your tributes to this GOOD MAN!
(Maybe should re-introduce myself -- I showed up late for the Birthday Party the other night and talked to Sparky a bit. You all put so much time and care into creating that event that I hope KO will still go and see it, if he hasn't seen it yet. You're a wonderful, bubbly, deleriously affectionate group and I hope you never change!
-- WG

[merh]

17. What a fantastic blog.

How I love KO!

[Shopaholic]

18. That blog was deeply powerful and personal

Go get 'em Keith. Have I said today how much I love this man? What a brilliant piece of writing.

[ginnyinWI]

27. hi merh!

Keith really does have a way with words!

[merh]

33. Hi ya ginnyinWI

How have you been?

I think KO is the most couragest member of the MSM today!
He is afraid to call the snots on their distortions and hype. Got to love him!

[bear425]

19. Awesome blog! You tell 'em Keith...

On my way to "handcraft" an email to Keef.

[noamnety]

20. Don't use the spammerator

I hand crafted mine, but used their site to send it (partly because my regular computer is in a windows-update induced coma, so my regular email is a pain to use). KO's apparently got his email set to kick back an auto-reply with his new blog in it if you use that.

[bear425]

22. I sent it through his blog. Wanna see it? Here it is. Please

tell me it's not too dorky.

Dear Keith,

I have always sensed that you have a genuine sense of what's right and just. You have continually proved that with your reporting and it shows in your writing, as well. You have a good heart.



You and I both know that these people who behave in such a hateful way, will have to answer one day for their actions. I just hope that they will learn, while they still can, that love and kindness is the only answer.



Hope you had a very happy birthday!


Kind regards,
(me)

[noamnety]

23. That's great

Simple, straight forward, and classy. He'll like it.

Mine was the height of dorkiness. It's all I know.

Now, the Star-Bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.

Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”

With their snoots in the air, Sneetchbergers would snort
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”

And so in a climate of intolerance and hate
Sneetchbergers would point and become quite irate

At sponges, at muppets, and reporters who posit
That Plain-Belly Sneetches be allowed out of the closet.

[bear425]

24. Oh, you're just too funny!

I love it. I hope he reads it 'cause it says it all. You are really quite clever!

[Shopaholic]

26. That was a great e-mail Bear.

I'm still trying to come up with something to send to him on this subject because it's one I have a lot to say about. I grew up as a Southern Baptist (but thankfully, with politically progressive parents) and he's right-the morals instilled in me by my parents are still the ones I hang on to now. But I'm a Democrat because I believe that it's the party that does what Christ told us to do--feed and protect the poor and defenseless among us. Love one another. Do your best for your fellow man. I hate to see Christianity being used as a weapon or even worse, as an excuse for hate and prejuidice. And I hate being told that I can't be a Christian and vote Democratic. I hate that the GOP has corrupted God to promote their own hate-filled agenda and that people have been so deceived and mislead by people like Dobson. BTW-I fired off one angry e-mail to Mr. Dobson yesterday. This is the same asshat who posted Michael Moore's private home address and encouraged his readers (cult-members) to take action againt MM. I was appalled and let him know that. What did I get back? A snarky e-mail from someone at Focus on the Family told me that they had violated no laws because Michael Moore's home address was on public record. The mind reels at the implication of that statement--it was legal so it was okay to encourage people to stalk Michael Moore--or worse? Do these people actually read the Bibles they tote around or do they just use them to thump the rest of us upside the head with???

Okay--so I'm ranting and raving here. I just wish that I had 1/100th of Mr. Olbermann's eloquence on this subject so I could write to him and tell him how deeply today's blog moved me. Maybe I'll think of something beyond a simple thank-you sooner or later.

[bear425]

28. Hey thanks Shopaholic, I think what you just wrote is exactly what you

should say to Keith in your email to him. Maybe, minus the part about MM.

I think telling him how deeply his writing moved you will mean a lot. I like what you say about loving one another and doing the best for your fellow man. These are the real Christian values, right?

You are eloquent, too - you know!

[Shopaholic]

30. Thanks Bear!

I think anytime you speak from your heart, eloquence follows! I just wonder if some of these masquering as Christians have hearts. But by attacking them I feel like a bit of a hypocrite but it just makes me so angry to see things done in Christ's name that I'm pretty sure he'd want no part of!!!!

[bear425]

31. Exactly!

[Alizaryn]

25. He always makes me laugh.

" But because I responded to nearly all of those missives with something other than “I’m sorry, please don’t send me to hell,” Dobson has determined I need more exposure."

[bush_is_wacko]

29. I read this! It is one of the few times I agree TOTALLY with KO's

entire blog. This group is the biggest ugliest stain on my state!

BTW, I'm not dissing KO entirely. I just see things from a little different perspective at times than he does. Some of the information he gives out just sort teeters on the edge of reality, even though it is technically a "truth" it is still teetering.

[ebayfool]

34. KO

My ineloquent, but keenly felt, email to KO:
---------
KO, I wait for the time when "... the world around them gets increasingly tolerant and less reactionary." Unfortunately, it would appear that I'm in for a long wait. In the meantime, I try to tend my own bisquits (my mama's moral guidance!) & as you said - keep it simple. Help, not hurt! Thank you for yet another perfect response to those who would try to 'tend YOUR bisquits'!
xxxxx
---------
I rarely email public figure (other than politicians & editors, but once in a while it's just a requirement. Just to show them that when they stand up to bullies & thugs, other viewers have their back.

Dobson sucks!

edited to add: Dobson sucks, & not very well!
and prerequisite floaty hearts, LOL

[WhirlyGirl]

35. dj: KO brings out the...

...protective mama tiger in me.
He takes big risks and pushes the envelope, not just for its own sake but to make TV news better. So, as you said, we should back him up.
As for those biscuits: Are you familiar with a certain SportsCenter catchphrase of his? If the link works, you'll be able to hear him say it -- ftp://members.aol.com/BMC583/biscuit.wav -- or go to this location and click on the phrase there: http://members.aol.com/BMC583/scsounds.html

[ebayfool]

37. From my mama to his mama - bisquits!

No, I hadn't heard that one before - TY! That's funny, I thought my family were the only people to know that phrase. Mama's version of 'mind your own bidness take care of your own back yard remove the log from your own eye before other people's splinter' kind of down home wisdom! It's been one her better bits of advice to me. Tending my own bisquits & letting others take care of their own ovens has probably kept me out of more trouble than she ever knew. About the only bisquits I stick my nose in are people beating on their kids, dogs, wives, other countries & Olbermanns! There are few enough newspeople willing to stick their necks out for honest reporting & the public trust, we have to nurture (that mama thing, again!) & back up the ones that do. Even if they are only w/down home pearls of wisdom, at least it adds to the plus column & hopefully, detracts one from the negative pile!

[WhirlyGirl]

38. KO's received lots of awards...

... but there's nothing like the kick you get from knowing that what you say is reaching listeners every day and making a difference in their lives! That's why KO's refusal to ignore what happened in the last election was as praiseworthy as it was atypical of others in his profession (more's the pity).

-----
There are few enough newspeople willing to stick their necks out for honest reporting & the public trust, we have to nurture (that mama thing, again!) & back up the ones that do. >> dj

[sepia_steel]

36. HOly guacamole!

Keef certainly has cajones! Can't wait to read the rest!