Sources say ...

Ok, let me understand this.  Anonymous sources who may or may not confirm Jennifer Case's allegations about Billy Long are not acceptable.  Anonymous sources who say John Q. Hammons isn't being allowed to see people or use the telephone ARE acceptable.

WTF News-Leader?

I've mentioned in this space before that without anonymous sources, often times journalism can't be accomplished.  But Jimminy Christmas David Stoeffler!  You can't have it both ways!  Either you DO or you DON'T use anonymous sources.

Oh I hear it now, the JQH sources are credible.  Why should I believe that?  Why should ANY of us believe that when you've completely white-washed Billy Long.  The love fest between you and the ol' auctioneer is sickening.

Going back to the JQH story, exactly how many times did you attempt to contact Jacquie Dowd?  Once, twice?  I think your readership is getting a bit of whiplash given the back and forth around your policies.

Love him or hate him, JQH is an enormous part of Springpatch.  I'm not saying this story shouldn't be covered to the hilt.  But good night Stoeffler, be consistent!

Apparently You CAN Buy an Election

The Springfield News-Leader has endorsed Billy Long for the Seventh District Congressional Race.  Long, it should be made clear, spends thousands of dollars advertising with the News-Leader.  Further, the N-L claims to still be "investigating" claims Long engaged in questionable behavior to include racist and homophobic remarks.  I'm guessing their "investigation" will conclude the second Tuesday of next week ... i.e. never.

Why bite the hand that feeds you, eh News-Leader?

I shouldn't be surprised, given the nearly incoherent headline written to endorse Mr. Long:

Billy Long best prepared to stand up for Ozarkers to stand up for Ozarkers

These two mental giants clearly belong together.

How tragic for the Ozarks.

I Can't Hear Myself Think

We've reached that delightful time of year, just a week before the November election, where the gears of the political machinery are grinding so fast they're deafening.  No commercial break on local television is without mudslinging.  Few yards are without signs.

Nearly all of us are dizzy from the whole mess.

I've consciously stopped watching local news.  In the break room at work, I get up and mute the television while eating.  I get enough punditry in cyberspace.  I don't want it droning on as I eat my salad and sandwich.  Besides, the commercials are the hardest to stomach.  They've ceased to have any meaning beyond, "ANGRY!  My opponent is STUPID, CORRUPT AND HATES PUPPIES.  VOTE FOR MEEEEEEEE!"

Each time the election cycle comes around, we all bemoan the attack ads.  Yet, like an embarrassing one night stand, they keep appearing when we least want to see them.  We're left squeezing our eyes shut and gritting our teeth at the polls, punching in votes as if our choice will at last bring us sweet silence.

Sadly it doesn't.  Campaign promises are forgotten.  Promises of bi-partisanship fly out the window.  Within weeks, both sides are gnashing their teeth at one another again.

Yet, as desperate as it all is, it's too important not to grit your teeth and push down that lever.  Without that simple act, we cease to exist as a free people.  

The Long Sad Story

Investigative journalism involves shoe leather, uncomfortable confrontations and tenacity. Essentially, the practice is almost non-existant at our local paper of record, the News-Leader. Cory DeVera and Wes Johnson played at it in their Sunday article about the Billy Long kerfluffle. They fell short of the mark.

Randy Turner called  DeVera and Johnson out on their lack of actual reporting. On Turner's blog, DeVera whined in the comments something to the effect of "we did TOO look into that stuff you meanie!"

Really?

DeVera asserts they have a bunch of "pending" requests for documents. Yet the story still ran with no mention that there was outstanding information to come. A rookie move in my humble opinion.

The alleged Billy Long scandal, to be sure, is the kind of thing that makes and editors and news directors salivate. It's a glaring example of what an incestuous ball of dysfunction politics in Springpatch has become. It's a no brainer the News-Leader would want in on the salacious titillation.

Sadly, that's all the News-Leader had to offer. There was a dearth of actual facts in the article, merely things spoon fed to the reporters by the Eckersley and Long campaigns respectively. I'm sure a few phone calls were made but very little follow up investigation was involved.

Is Billy Long a biggot who likes to gamble and look at strippers? Frankly, I'd be shocked if he wasn't. I'm more interested in the fact that the Republican party is holding fundraisers at a restaurant that may or may not engaged in illegal activity. They may or may not even be involved in alleged illegal activity.

Rather than spending a lot of time and energy torpedoing Jennifer Case's story, maybe the News-Leader should have talked to a few more folks. They chose to talk to current employees and both campaigns. If you talk to current employees, of course they're going to say what the boss wants them too. Both campaigns are going to lie through their teeth in which ever way makes the opponent look bad. No former employees came forward? I call hogwash, I'm pretty sure if you went to some of the folks Jennifer Case talked about and offered to write their story without printing their names you would have learned quite a bit more.

In fact, DeVera hints at as much in her comments to Turner.

We have a rich history of anonymous sources in the news business. There's no shame in it. It's just part of the job.

Further still, is the matter of the amount of advertising Long does with the News-Leader. Times are tough, I'm sure the bean counters at the paper are quite reluctant to bite the hands that feed them ... except the problem is, it's kind of your job as a journalist. I once had an editor tell me if I wasn't pissing numerous people off each week, I simply wasn't doing my job.

While we're on the subject of money, Turner also points out how none of the traditional outlets have made mention of the campaign contributions Long has received from Halliburton and Exxon Mobil. It would seem Mr. "Fed Up" has already learned how to use the time old methods of getting elected to office. So he's been bought out by two major corporations so far. Isn't that part of the problem in Washington he's been complaining about to his support base? Curious, isn't it?

The simple fact of the matter is campaign promises are like Kleenex, flimsy and disposable. Politicians will say anything to get elected. Long is only different from the pols in Washington by virtue of the fact he's nearly incoherent when he speaks.

I'm sure there are those who are concerned about Long's character. If Jennifer Case's allegations are true, Long is certainly not the person he represented himself to be to his political base. And yes, of course, it's a story.

But there is so much more there. Jennifer Case may or may not be completely factual with her story. But in my experience, where there's smoke there's fire. Something probably did go down at Metropolitan Grill that wasn't exactly on the up and up.

The News-Leader's job is to ferret out that sort of information, develop these types of stories. Apparently, that's too much work. As long as the News-Leader is satisfied to only report what it is told, we'll never know the truth.

Where in tarnation have you been?!

Yes, yes. La Marmot knows. She's been a very non-existent Marmot. I suppose I have some 'splainin to do.


Just before Snarlingmarmot.com disappeared, I was going through a lot of personal stuff. At that point, I wasn't ready to share with the Interwebs the swirling vortex of craptacular crap going on in my life. I also wasn't sure I was ready to handle the new me publicly.


Now that I'm almost 40, La Marmot just doesn't give a damn. ;-)


So, here's the long and the short of it. I killed Snarlingmarmot.com because I had just gone through a divorce and was in the process of coming out of the closet. Let me make that a little bit more clear, La Marmot is gay.


I am still friends with the ex-husband. We both came to terms and are at peace with who I am. It's so adult I could puke.


Over the last five years there have been a lot of changes. I've gone through a career change along with all of my personal changes. I'm also in a relationship. I've been with my partner, aka The Tall One, for close to three years now.


All that said, in addition to all the hijinx you're used to, I will discuss gay issues. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you find another blog to read. While I recognize your right to see me as an abomination in God's eyes who is going to hell, I reserve the right to see you ... well, the same. You aren't going to cure me of the "gay." I've come to terms with who I am and I'm comfortable in my own skin. No one is going to ever take that from me again. Move along.


Ahem.


Now we have that piece of business off the table, you'll find new and old stuff here. I don't want to start completely from scratch. Not to mention, if I manage to draw back two or three of my twelve readers from the old days, I'm sure they wouldn't mind a walk down memory lane.


And now, I pinky swear, let's get on with it ...