Rather presumptuous

Dan Rather, apparently operating under the delusion that he's still relevant, has popped up from under whatever rock he currently resides beneath to voice his opinion on the decline of Big Media (the BM for short).

Apparently he thinks someone might actually give a rat's hindquarters what he thinks about anything. He'd be wrong.

But what he said DOES have some comedic value, so I thought I'd pass it on, just for grins.

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute.

“I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,” the legendary newsman said.

Such a commission on media reform, Rather said, ought to make recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models to keep news organizations alive.

At stake, he argued, is the very survival of American democracy.

“A truly free and independent press is the red beating heart of democracy and freedom,” Rather said in an interview yesterday afternoon. “This is not something just for journalists to be concerned about, and the loss of jobs and the loss of newspapers, and the diminution of the American press’ traditional role of being the watchdog on power. This is something every citizen should be concerned about.”

Boo. Frickin'. Hoo.

First off, an "independent" press hasn't existed in this country for a very long time. The media is a fully-owned subsidiary of large corporations like General Electric and Disney. Second, why should anyone outside of the BM care one whit whether the current fossilized "old media" dinosaurs -- newspapers and network news -- survive? We have other options, options that don't talk down to us like we ride the short bus, options that don't whiz on our boots and and tell us it's raining.

This is typical of the Liberal mindset. If you can't make it in the competitive market on merit, government needs to step in and give you what you want anyway.

Mr. Rather, there's a reason why you're on HDNet now and not at CBS - it's because you're a lying, deceitful slug. You got what you deserved. And the BM is, ever so slowly, getting what IT deserves as well.

And I wallow in the schadenfruede...ah, sweet, sweet schedenfruede!