News - Thugs and fascists

Looking back at last week’s Loaf, I found Cliff Bostock’s column to be especially sophomoric in its critique of Bush’s State of the Union address (Headcase, Feb. 10). What’s more, Scott Henry’s piece on faith-based initiatives and school vouchers contained a blaring contradiction.

Cliff Boy, taking potshots from the left’s firing range, relied on such thoughtful and incisive phrases as “Bush’s thugs” when dissecting the speech. Especially egregious was his description of Bush’s “crypto-fascist agenda.” Fascist? Haven’t seen that word in a while. I guess it’s back on the left’s List of What to Say When All Else Fails, along with favorites like “bigot,” “homophobe” and “racist.”

Reading Scott Henry’s “Manna from Sonny” (News & Views, Feb. 10) raised a serious question: How can Creative Loafing’s coverage be so adamantly pro-choice on abortion, but anti-choice on school vouchers? After all, if given the choice to have a child, shouldn’t parents have the option to send that child to a school reflecting the family’s beliefs? Staff writer Henry seems so excessively afraid of faith-based initiatives that he can’t see the actual value in them. If a “come to Jesus” program can provide shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, counseling for the addicted, and a job for the unemployed, what’s the problem? Taxpayer dollars are spent on far worse enterprises.

Loathing Follow-Up I: In the Jan. 20 issue, I reacted loathingly to “One flock, many shepherds,” Steve Fennessy’s puff piece on the then-likelihood that Howard “Scream Machine” Dean would be the next chairman of the Democratic National Convention. Well, it looks like Steve was on to something. He rightfully reported in “Democrats to Dean: You The Man” (News & Views, Feb. 10) that Dean was the DNC shoe-in.

The same candidate who excoriated the Democratic Party in last year’s Democratic presidential primaries now intends to lead it, joining the very Washington establishment he railed against. Fennessy made that point. What he failed to address is that the Democratic Party really hasn’t had a dynamic new idea since the New Deal in 1933. These days, all the party seems to do is oppose, whine and lose elections. With Dean at the helm, that isn’t likely to change. So let the Deaniacs celebrate - but what, exactly, is there to cheer about?

Loathing Follow-Up II: Loathing John Sugg’s “Remembering King by erasing him” (Fishwrapper, Jan. 13), I wrote in the Jan. 20 issue that “arrogance and greed” had erased the legacy of MLK Jr. Doubt it?

Well, the local media has since reported that the King Center is facing some $11.6 million in repairs. However, King’s “loser sons” (my words), Martin III and Dexter, were paid annual salaries of $150,000 and $179,933, respectively, last year. How’s that for arrogance? The center, it also was reported, still declines to release its budget.

If I was a King legacy kind of guy la John Sugg, I’d be a little puzzled and mightily pissed off.

P.S. - Tom, of Atlanta, in a letter to the editor (Going Postal, Feb. 10), laments that Creative Loafing has added me as yet “another right-wing viewpoint” to the already crowded “hysterical right” outlets like Fox News, Limbaugh, Boortz, etc. Hey Tom: thanks for putting me in the “right” company.

Reeves.Jackson@creativeloafing.comReeves Jackson is CL’s ombudsmen, of sorts - however, unlike the critiques traditional ombudsmen offer of respectable daily papers, Reeves positively loathes us. His column appears every other week in this space.??