E-mails

Since the edition went up online, we've had a few e-mails. As C.I. noted, Blogger/Blogspot was the problem. The print edition has to go out at a certain time. Ava and C.I. dashed off a few "thoughts" on TV (that we may put in next week's online edition). What they'd written, what everyone had, was trapped online and we couldn't get in.

Beau suggested that we post over at the mirror site for The Common Ills and we tossed that idea around as well. But to do so, we'd have to be able to access the original. In the past, when we've had problems, we've still been able to view (in Blogger/Blogspot) the original pieces. Had that happened this morning, we would have done as Beau suggested. But we do have a print edition and we we focused on that.

Another e-mailer wondered why C.I. was able to post. The entry on the Times was e-mailed (six times, says C.I.) as was Isaiah's latest comic. Our problem was "page not found" no matter how many different computers (and hook ups) we used. We couldn't e-mail posts we couldn't read. But we were also facing a cut off announced by Blogger/Blogspot during which Blogger/Blogspot would be "down" to retool. If the problems hadn't surfaced, the edition would have posted on time. We knew of the cut off, we worked nonstop to have everything ready. (When we started posting highlights, we had completed the edition.)

Lauren e-mailed to tell us that she got the"stupid survey" when she attempted to listen live to Air America Radio. She copy and pasted it:

Please take a few moments to tell us a little about yourself.
Have an account with us already? -- Click Here to Log In
Zip Code:
Birthdate:
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Media Player:
Check to receive the AAR Newsletter:

Why are you asking me this?


Air America is committed to the privacy of its users. AAR will never sell or share your personal information with a third party without your express permission.
We use the personal data collected on this form as follows:
Email address: To contact you with opt-in newsletters, and to notify you of changes in the site or your account.
Age & Gender: This information is used by Air America to better understand the composition of our audience.
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She notes at the bottom, right-hand corner, "in ligher and smaller print than anything else on the page is" this statement: "No Thanks, just take me to the stream."

If you get the message/survey and don't want to fill it out, don't. Consider it to be the online equivalent of a telephone survey and feel free to hang up. (We would if someone opened with, "Your age?") If, as the statement says, it's not being sold to third-party vendors, then it's strictly to help with advertising ("We have X number of listeners who are __ years old, X number who are female, X number who are male . . .").

We wouldn't give out any personal information to a stranger. We'd honestly encourage you to do the same. There's enough information available (online and off) as it is. Use the corner option if repeated attempts to reload or enter the site another way prove futile.

Lana writes that she knows which program we were referring to when we spoke of withdrawing our endorsement. She is of the opinion that the post should be deleted. Two of the six of us (Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.) feel the same. As noted in the feature, those two say it's not over yet. They may be able to convince the rest of us. Currently, we're leaving it up.

Why not name it? A number participating in the edition last night (the six of us plus others) feel that the host was not intending to provide happy talk. That may be true.

Regardless, we don't endorse lies being broadcast without questioning. We don't endorse a "conversation" about Iraq that includes only participants who want to preach the stay-the-course crap.

Lana brings up the issue of the callers and we will address that. There were four. Three rally around the Bully Boy's and a fourth man. The man was highly offended by the nonsense being broadcast. The host deserves credit for taking the call. The host deserves credit for allowing the person to speak.

The host deserves no credit for joining Bully Boy supporters (and the American guest) in laughing at the caller.

The caller's voice was shaking from the beginning. He was obviously very upset. When he was interrupted (only once was it excuseable when the host was asking that the sound be turned up -- though listeners could hear the caller just fine) repeatedly, he grew angry and signed off with something to the effect of if the Iraqi had any guts he'd be holding some sort of gun and using it in Iraq.

This shocked the other three callers. It shocked the host, it shocked the guest.

It could have been worded better. The man was obviously upset.

But the fact of the matter is that people are holding guns in Iraq. (Foreign fighters, such as American forces, resistance fighters, terrorists and others.) If the host, the guests and the later callers are shocked that anyone suggests someone hold a gun in Iraq -- they need to open their eyes because many already are. The statement shouldn't have been shocking. (Whether it was approved of or not.)

The treatment of the caller (after he was no longer on air) is a big reason we withdrew our endorsement. If you're a host and you take calls, when someone calls in very upset, you owe a little more than let them say their bit. But you certainly don't have a right to turn them into a running gag after they're off the air unless your going for a Rush Limbaugh crowd.

There was no attempt to understand why the caller was so upset. That may be the most disappointing thing of all. We don't intend to highlight the show again. If the two can persuade the other four of us, the feature will be deleted. It was a mistake to write in and we regret it.

To repeat, we do not endorse any program that pushes the war, tries to sell audiences on the myth that democracy's a-blooming. We do not support male guests pushing those lies and no one bringing up the very real reality of the destruction of freedoms for women in Iraq.

Male or female, there's not one of the six of us (or anyone participating in these editions) who doesn't self-identify as a feminist. That wasn't true of all when we started this site. But we've all learned the importance of the term, the need to use it and the continued need for and power of the feminist movement. We all freely use the term now and encourage others to as well.