When Atlanta Constitution-Journal reporters take the buyout, they have to agree not to "disparage" the newspaper after they go. I wonder if the Herald, Post, or Sentinel have such a clause. Here's the story from Creative Loafing in Atlanta.
While I'm on the layoffs, need to mention an upcoming Society of Professional Journalists event: "Paper Cuts: Surviving and Preparing for the Layoff/Buyout." Yes, it's come to this. A panel consisting of lawyer Bill Amlong, journalismo Michael Koretzky, financial planner Laura Walsh, and former newspaper reporters Roberto Santiago and Bill Hirshman will counsel "address the crippling affects of layoffs to our industry."
Can't hurt, I guess. And it gives me the chance to do something I've been meaning to do: pimp Koretzky's job website. Click here to take a look. The event is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 7th at ArtServe, 1350 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale. Hey, there's "refreshments" but I'm pretty sure you have to bring your own booze for some serious sorrow-drowning activity.
Back to the Robert Wexler thing for a moment. It really shouldn't surprise us that he doesn't have a residence in his district. The guy's spent more time in Middle East than Lake Worth. Wonder if he has a house in Israel. Or perhaps a little place in Turkey. Remember how he played diplomat to the Turks back in 2002 and guaranteed that he could get that country to ally with America in Iraq? Yeah, Turkey eventually told both him and America to screw off.
I reamed him (and the now banished Peter Deutsch) before the war started for supporting it. Point: Wexler fancies himself a global statesman, not just some schmuck from Boca. There's something to be said for that mentality, I suppose, but it can get a guy in trouble.
Anyway, Bill O'Reilly was raging against Wexler tonight on The Factor again. O'Reilly, an oozing sore on the butt crack of America, was all atitter over the fact that Wexler had signed a petition by MoveOn.org telling Fox News to stop "injecting prejudice, racism, and fear into our political dialogue." O'Reilly bellyached about Wexler -- and showed more footage of the Fox news producer browbeating him in his front yard (it went from hard-hitting about the residence thing to just plain obnoxious) -- before the gracious host said he didn't think it was a "stretch" to say that "MoveOn is the new Klan." Say what you will about Bill (that he's an oozing sore on America's butt crack, for instance), but he can be racously funny. MoveOn must love the free pub.
