I posted a link the other day to an article by writer Dennis Roddy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He had delved deeply into the disturbing background of cop-killer/Obama hater Richard Poplawski:"Suspect in officers' shooting was into conspiracy theories." The Post-Gazette is our "liberal" option to the other Pgh paper, the Richard Scaiffe owned Pittsburgh Tribune Review. I don't read or even try to look at that paper, so I don't have a fair and balanced comparison, but I really believe the Post-Gazette should receive some kudos for their coverage.
In his article, Roddy published much of the information published in a dkos diary by fcvaguy, "Poplawski Linked to Stormfront and Glenn Beck." I sent an email to Mr. Roddy thanking him for his story; his response was "Would have been nice of this guy to acknowledge that the PG was the first to nail down Poplawski's Stormfront/Alex Jones connections. This is one of the reasons MSM usually won't touch this stuff -- we just get worked over by the extremists and ignored by folks like Kos." I feel his criticism was a bit over the top, since not everyone lives in Pittsburgh and happened to be reading the paper online at the same time fcvaguy was posting. Regardless, I think it's helpful to acknowledge the media when they do their job, and right now the Post-Gazette is helping broadcast a message disparaging the fear-mongering, paranoid right, both media and critical wingers fueling conspiracy theories and ill-advised revolt. And Mr. Roddy wrote a rather in-depth overview of the situation, something he deserves credit for. He is a member of the MSM, and investigated and published information the public needs to see.
The newspaper, obviously in the middle of a catastrophic event — the unwarranted murder of three police officers — has been on top of what really happened: a right wing loon reacting to his hatred spurred on by the likes of Stormfront and right wing media media hacks.
Todays paper, worth a read exposing Mr. Poplawski's lack of remorse for his actions, has an op-ed piece by another PG writer, Reg Henry. Mr. Henry had written pieces leading up to the election of Barack Obama as president, admitting his Republican affiliations. Todays piece is simply a response to his belief of where we stand today with our newly elected president, and the unnecessary revolt occurring to undermine his presidency.
Since Mr. Obama was elected, a cottage industry of resentment has sprung up to cater to sore losers. From talk shows hosts who hope the president fails, to others who hint at insurrection, to Web sites that play on crazy fantasies (Barack Obama's a Muslim! He was born in Kenya! He's a Marxist!), the chorus is the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater.
The city is in mourning. There will be a cross-city procession of the fallen officers, and I imagine there will be a strong turnout. With the help of the Post-Gazette, many more people will truly learn of what is happening in our country, a potential misguided revolt perpetuated by a minority that affects us all.