Because, what is the purpose of this incident (not so courteously via Page Six of the New York Post), if not to spread terror?
September 27, 2006 — MSNBC loudmouth Keith Olbermann flipped out when he opened his home mail yesterday. The acerbic host of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” was terrified when he opened a suspicious-looking letter with a California postmark and a batch of white powder poured out. A note inside warned Olbermann, who’s a frequent critic of President Bush’s policies, that it was payback for some of his on-air shtick. The caustic commentator panicked and frantically called 911 at about 12:30 a.m., sources told The Post’s Philip Messing. An NYPD HazMat unit rushed to Olbermann’s pad on Central Park South, but preliminary tests indicated the substance was harmless soap powder. However, that wasn’t enough to satisfy Olbermann, who insisted on a checkup. He asked to be taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, where doctors looked him over and sent him home. Whether they gave him a lollipop on the way out isn’t known. Olbermann had no comment.
Just another harmless conservative joke? Despite the Post’s sarcastic mockery of Keith Olbermann’s panic upon receipt of this powdered letter, his distress was all too justified. People have received anthrax letters in the mail, and it isn’t beyond belief that someone could have sent something poisonous or deadly to him in that envelope. I would have had myself checked out. It was the smart thing to do under the circumstances.
Stunts like this aren’t funny. What they are is terrorism, American right wing terrorism. For that is what the person who sent this letter intended: to terrorize a critic of President Bush. I hope New York law enforcement officials are taking this seriously, and that they track down this criminal and arrest him or her. Because the next time Keith or some other critic of Republican misrule receives such a letter, it might not prove to be so harmless.
Stinking, filthy bastards. If it had been O’Reilly, his panic and frantic phone calls would have been courageous and what, I don’t know, patriotic, and a further sign of the apocalypse.
KO has gone out on a very, very high limb, and his fear is healthy and rational. I’m sure lots of people would like to shut him up.
Clinton is “combative” while Bush “takes the offensive”.
Dems are indecisive while repubs are go-getters and leaders. I wish I had a nickle for every adjective that the MSM uses that distorts truth. We all watched Clinton and yes he was pissed, but I hardly call it a meltdown when a body can be as articulate as that. A meltdown would have me yelling and screaming, but I wouldn’t be coherent.
Bush is never “coherent” nor is Tony Snow. Why does the MSM just gloss over the contradictions and ineptitudal comments? Why does Bush get a pass? Why does Snow get a pass? Why does Cheney get a pass? Why does Rice get a pass? They would body check anybody from the other side!
My sympathies go out to Mr. Olbermann. That was a very stressful situation and it’s a shame that someone thought it would be funny, or whatever they thought. I hope they were dumb enough to leave some fingerprints or DNA.
Booman,
Didn’t Ann Coulter recently admit that she sent a phony anthrax letter to the New York times?
I thought this was very much against the law?
I hope the Feds find who did this and give the miscreant[s] a “tune up!”
Speaking of that, How come Mr. Bush has seemingly done nothing about the Anthrax attacks that killed so many back in 2001?
Very ugly, what’s going on.
I have to wonder how the Post got all this intimate detail on Olbermann’s alleged reaction. You’d think they were waiting there because they knew what was coming in the mail. I think the NYPD and HSA need to get some warrants on the Post.
Dave, I have to agree with you on that premise. The way this article was written was obvious as to the ramifications on their intent. I so agree with you here. Maybe someone ought to suggest to the police that they investigate the news agency. It is all to obvious!
is totally guilty of that — news organizations have been known to routinely monitor police and fire channels (easily done with commonly available scanners) to find out where “breaking news” may be taking place; they may have overheard a report of units going to a certain address, and someone said, “Hey, isn’t that Olbermann’s pad?” and they went off to the races.
What if someone had sent a “white powder” to Katie Couric after the Condi Rice lovefest? Or what if someone sends the Post a “white powder”, even if it’s just baby powder for their infantile antics?
I cannot say I am surprised in the least. What a crazy country this has turned into. I have told several people that Keith needs to watch his back. I agree, some punk ass(Rove?) thinks this is funny but is probably too stupid to wear gloves. One can hope!
Ha ha – what a knee-slapper that was. Bastards.
The NeoCons ARE terrorists.
Have one standing outside your car in a store parking lot… pointing at your bumperstickers with a look of such rage. You approach and some mullet-wearing Wannabee hollers, “IS THIS YOUR CAR?!?!
DON”T YOU LOVE YOUR COUNTRY!?!?”
As you drive away, you wonder if your tires are okay.
My bumperstickers???
CodePink Women for Peace
Veterans for Peace
but the ass end of my car sure does piss off the Bush “patriots”.
Afraid? Me? Fuck yeah I am. But not of “terrorists” I’m afraid of American Lemmings.
Proper term isn’t lemmings, its brownshirts imo.
Yup!
Hi :o)
One night after watching my daughter in a school concert, I noticed a car in the parking lot with the rear bumper plastered with anti-war, anti-Bush stickers. Just covered. Not so subtle ;o) It’s pretty unusual to see that here, where the majority of people are republicans. I loved it, and told the guy who got out of it so. He looked kinda embarrassed for a second and told me it was his wife’s car. You would think that he might be happy or relieved to hear that for a change, but no. He was embarrassed. I just kinda cocked my head at him with a quizzical look and walked away disappointed.
Hi back at cha 🙂
Yeah… there’s a very bad vibe going on in the streets nowadays. People are asking if Bush is giving people hte right to attack peace activists with his whole “either you’re with us or against” crap and his trying to change the laws around torture and enemy combatants.
I truly fear Americans won’t have the sack to stand up till it’s too late. America is dying.
I hear you DJ. A couple months ago I was at a concert, sitting on a blanket on the lawn amidst many other concertgoers doing the same. Just having fun, having a couple of beers and waiting for the show to start.
As the national anthem started playing from the PA system, what I can only describe as a stereotypical Wal-Mart-shopping flag-waving Bush-loving dittohead guy and his wife or girlfriend, complete with bald eagle t-shirts, start yelling at people for not standing up. “Don’t you love your country?” they start asking in a very accusatory tone.
He wasn’t addressing me or my friends, otherwise I’d have torn him a new one. As it was, the people he was accusing just told him to f*ck off, and that was about the end of it.
I get the occasional middle finger or other adverse reaction from my bumper stickers (probably mostly from the IMPEACH BUSH one). I’ve learned that if you REALLY want to set them off, just give them a salute or a thumbs up, big smile, and mouth ‘Have a nice day!’ 🙂
ahhhh the anthem at events. I no longer even look up at the flag or sing. I just cry.
I saw a show on the History channel, I think, about how the Nazis pioneered much of the Olympics crap to ignite nationalism.
I didn’t watch the Saints game… I didn’t want to see the propadrama over football… Most schools haven’t been rebuilt… but they at least have monday night fucking football.
I’m with you… flash those fuckers a peace sign and you can see them swallow their tongue in rage.
From the NY Post?!
No way! Why just yesterday it was the Post that carried Conmanleeza Vice’s reply to Clinton’s accusation of Bush’s indifference to warnings of terrorism. They only use fair and balanced media tools.
What’s disgustingly ironic is that whoever sent this probably believes that we’re fighting terrorists in Iraq so we don’t have to fight them here. They put the lie to it themselves and don’t even realize it.
Exactly!!!!!
You know, to JOKE about bombs or hijacking in an airport or on a plane is a CRIME. Nobody thinks it’s funny.
This isn’t funny either. If such a package had been sent to, say, a Republican Senator or one of the FOX “journalists” — there would be all kinds of hell raised about it.
I was able to sit down and watch some of Olbermann’s reports last night over on Crooks and Liars. I’d read the transcripts, but that’s nothing compared to his on-air delivery. We need more voices like his… he’s one of the few voices for Truth out there in mainstream media.
That WAS terrorism… that it was a hoax doesn’t matter. It’s still illegal to pull a fire alarm when there isn’t a fire….
Poor Keith. I’ll e-mail my support to him. Sickening.
Let’s go one better. Let’s put together a collective email that we can send to KO and basically say “BooMan Tribune, a tiny little corner of the liberal blogosphere, has your back on this.”
Good idea. Perhaps a diary where ideas can be collected?
Do you want to do it or shall I?
If you could I would appreciate it. Unfortunately, I’ll be in and out this afternoon.
OK, I just posted another diary on a different subject but I’ll put up something after I get the recycling out (the truck is already late).
Trying to make someone act in a particular way through violence or threat of violence — like, say, trying to shut up a vocal critic of the current misadministration with fake anthrax powder — is terrorism. Pure and simple.
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again. If we are going to fight global terrorism, we need to start with our own indigenous terrorists, where we have the advantage that we don’t have to ship anyone overseas or worry about learning a foreign language. But the Cheney crime cabal doesn’t because these terrorists are their allies.
OK, I posted a diary for comments and suggestions on what we should say to KO: Let’s let Olbermann know we have his back.
the action or the Post’s flippant take on the incident.
The actions of this unknown asshole is clearly designed to stifle debate over Bush’s policies…but the Post’s take makes light of a serious issue. And aren’t we “at war” against terrorism?
I agree with the above posters that if such a packet had been sent to Bill O’Reilly or Ann Coulter, surely it would have been Page One fodder rather than grist for the gossip mill known as “Page Six”. Then again, Keith has been very critical of the writers of the “Page Six” gossip, so they probably figured they’d take this opportunity for a bit of payback…
Yes this is definitely a form of terrorism on the individual level and a serious crime that should be treated accordingly both by the police and the courts.