Killing Barack: Do wingnuts crave another Oswald?

Has anyone been privy to the source of figures indicating that the Secret Service and the FBI has registered more "serious" death threats against the President since January than W. had in 8 years? Somebody likely even has a Jack Ruby all picked out, too, for all we know.
This doesn't include drama while Barack Obama was just a candidate--which encompasses that wonderful time when the FBI blames Sarah Palin's incitement at campaign rallies for a spike in palpable assassination threats. Too bad we can't give Ted Nugent, who's also directly threatened both Barack and Hillary Clinton, a taste of his own medicine (under all those succulent, unfettered national security "tools" the Bush Adminstration bogarted post 9/11). I mean, under the nat. security standards of the last 7 years, shouldn't Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) be carted away? See what Jack and Jill Politics says.

Things are getting that out of control. Unlike with Senator Joseph McCarthy, we have no Joseph Welch, lawyer for the U.S. Army who said "Have you no shame, Senator? Have you no sense of decency?" or a REAL journalist with the balls and stature of Edward R. Murrow putting a stake in McCarthy's heart over a long forgotten US Air Force nobody named Milo Radlovich. Hey, does anyone recall the name of the black security guard to caught the Watergate burglars? No. Well that's akin to Milo. Look, Keith Olberman is no Edward R. Murrow, come on! Rachel Maddow may think she's got a male pair like Murrow...snicker...but again, no way she measures up.

If anyone has a handle on the actual figures and nature of these threats, holla. Don't hack the USDOJ site, for Godssake. Just ask Bachmann or Glenn Beck or any number of these crazies and enablers for the inside scoop...

Media Round-up, Part I

If you haven't already read this blurb about layoffs at National Public Radio, then check it out here. Nice to read in conjuction with news of other layoffs in book publishing and newspapers.

I had a whole mess of analysis and supported opinion on the cancellation of News & Notes. Objective and hopefully thoughtful comments on it's evolution from Tavis Smiley's spot to Farai Chideya's, ratings, cost centers, promo, NPR's endowment & contributions. But ya know, sometimes you gotta shout and stomp to clear the air. Here it comes...

...can we be frank about the disease, and not go 'round about symptoms? We're plain dummer, so why listen to NPR? We're a nation of Ricky Bobbies, Lil'Jons & Flo Ridas , Gossip Girls, Video Vixens, Sarah Palins, Real Housewives, Plaxico Burresses & Mike Vicks, Rush Limbaugh Dittoheads, texting teenagers, et al. So what's Farai's target demo amount to now--5 intelligent people? When folk get their news, "analysis" and investigative reporting from the likes of John Stewart/Stephen Colbert, Sean Hannity and Tom Joyner, is there any reason to have an NPR? For too long we've pandered and lowered the river. Perhaps the infrastructure we need to revive is between our ears!

Whew. I apologize for the rant. But it's time for us to wake the hell up and stop holding our tongues when we do see ignorance simmering. The outlets which keep us smart and care about the truth are dying and all we care about is not sounding "elitist." Lawd...