It looks like Mr. Bruce Barry might have started something with his Pith in the Wind post complaining about Phil Valentine’s Tennessean column (“What Does an Op-Ed Columnist Have to Do to Get Fired Around Here?”). The Wilson County Post, serving Lebanon, Watertown, and Mt. Juliet, has decided to “discontinue publishing” Phil Valentine’s column in their Gallatin and Hendersonville newspapers. CEO Sam Hatcher writes:
We have made a decision to discontinue publishing in our Gallatin and Hendersonville newspapers the column provided to us weekly by radio talk show host Phil Valentine.
His most recent column published Sunday in The Tennessean was so-to-speak the straw that broke the camel’s back.
His insensitive remarks about what “his†country or “his†federal government is doing for him is self promoting, egotistical and in our opinion not fit for print in today’s world of war and economic turmoil.
Specifically Mr. Valentine questions “what am I getting for my federal income tax?â€
Perhaps he would want to ask the mother of a National Guardsman or regular army recruit killed on a battlefield in a far away land that question.
Or maybe he would want to review the actions of the U.S. Supreme Court, which his tax dollars fund, that ensure he can speak his antagonistic words freely.
His federal tax dollars, my federal tax dollars and your federal tax dollars provide for all Americans a quality of life unlike any other in the world today.
We are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Christians, Jews and Hindu. We are black and white and red and other colors. Some of us gather in the evening without bread on our table while others of us eat bountifully. But we are all Americans.
Oh, there’s more. And it’s good.
Email Mr. Hatcher with words of support or better yet, subscribe to his fine newspaper.
Hat tip to Veronica Rexford, who writes the column “Veer Left” for the paper. (Link forthcoming…)
Phil Valentine failed in your own system, which, by doing things YOUR way, unregulated, has led to the largest economic failures in 75 years.
If you support him, either you are too stupid to understand your own failure, or you’re too scared to admit that you are a failure. Which is it?
Frankly, the rest of the country has rejected you, and in time, so will Tennessee, as we’re always behind the curve.
You can either wake up to reality, or you can eat a bag of dicks. In Valentine’s case, it looks like the latter may already have begun.
It’s great to get both sides on the editorial page but Phil Valentine’s weekly column is generally riddled with factual errors and tired talking points. Many of his statements (like the one in December that claimed the economic meltdown was just a media creation designed to make Obama look better) are downright laughable and quickly proven wrong. He also contorts cherry picked “facts” in order to fit his theses. Surely the Tennessean/Gannett can find a local voice to present opinions from the right and not someone who just regurgitates angry white male rants from talk radio
Wow, I don’t see how my little bitty column makes either paper a left wing rag…but here goes:
http://www.hendersonvillestandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=175&Itemid=17
http://www.thegallatinnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=512&Itemid=13
“Valentine has done nothing for this city and region but spread fear and hate”
Looking in my handy liberal dictionary:
spreading fear and hate – Because liberals can’t argue their Marxist beliefs using facts, they must instead use logical fallacies that would have them laughed off a middle school debate team, such as “divisive”, “hate monger”, “spreading hate”, “he’s a hatey mchaterton”
“which, by doing things YOUR way, unregulated, has led to the largest economic failures in 75 years.”
Stop spreading your Marxist lies.
Thanks in advance.
Mary wrote, “Thank for proving my point about obfuscation. You left out the part of my comment where I wrote, “If we can get all this under our current system than I’m fine with it.â€
In other words, I’m still not sure why you’re going on and on about my “embracing social democracy.—
No Mary, it was what you wrote that proves you embrace social democracy. Your words. If we cannot “get all this” under our current system you would embrace another system. If you meant something different then clarify your position. What you wrote was crystal clear.
Why can’t you progressives just admit what you are?
For the uninformed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy
Give me liberals any day. Progressives are the problem. Admit what you believe. Stand up for it. Don’t be coy.
BTW Mary, China now wants the progressive spending of Obama to stop. They are worried about the 760 billion dollars of T-Bills they own. I don’t blame them. You and your pals brought us this. Stand up for what you have done. This is your revolution. You own it. If you care at all about the future of the world talk to your President. Between him and Pelosi the entire world stares into the breach of the greatest depression. Talk to your President. He doesn’t listen to the rest of America. Only you can reason with this progressive President. Take China’s advice, this is madness. Stop the orgy of spending.
What the trolls here can’t stand and refuse to own up to is the irrefutable fact that their guys were in charge – total charge – of the United States of America for 8 years and the result is the mess we’re in today. Republicans had their shot and failed miserably. I understand how you want to spin and throw around accusations of socialism and Marxism because basically empty rhetoric is all you’ve got left.
Phil Valentine is a hack and has no business polluting our airwaves or our local newspapers with his “opinions.” Let Valentine write letters to the editor like everyone else. Let’s find thoughtful conservative voices like Nathan Moore or Truman Bean – not snake oil salesmen like Valentine.
Phil Valentine is a hack and has no business polluting our airwaves or our local newspapers with his “opinions.â€
Who should be on the airwaves? Mary? Would she have business on the airwaves?
Because you are the decider?
I’ve never heard Valentine. Have no idea who he is other than he sounds to be very conservative. I thought liberals believed in personal freedoms? That is not what is seen in this thread.
“I thought liberals believed in personal freedoms?”
You mean as in the personal freedom to allow a business person to decide who and who doesn’t write for their newspaper?
It seems that you conservatives are the ones infringing on Mr. Hatcher’s personal freedoms.
You mean as in the personal freedom to allow a business person to decide who and who doesn’t write for their newspaper?
I believe it was you who wrote, “Email Mr. Hatcher with words of support or better yet, subscribe to his fine newspaper.”
Personal freedom or jihad against someone you don’t like?
So if a person writes something that the progressives deem unsavory, then the jihad is justified? What happened to letting people voice their opinions? After all it was an opinion piece.
You are in the opinion business Mary. You don’t see either the irony or the hypocrisy? I know secular people have no use for this phrase but it does seem appropriate, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Another phrase also comes to mind, “What goes around comes around”. I believe that is called Karma.
Whaaahh!!! I’m oppressed! My Constitutional right to a paid gig as a regular columnist in my local newspaper has been denied!! Whaaah!!!11!!!1!!
I’m going to say that my favorite argument here is that Mary Mancini wouldn’t let others publish ideas contrary to hers. Which they are posting ON HER BLOG!
My second favorite argument: Mary has posted too many articles to have a life. The kids have a word for that one: fail.
Number9 may I suggest that Mr. Valentine needs to take responsibility for his comments, and that if people don’t like them they have a right to say so?
Number9 may I suggest that Mr. Valentine needs to take responsibility for his comments, and that if people don’t like them they have a right to say so?
People absolutely have a right to boycott a paper because they don’t approve of the content. They also have a right to recruit others to boycott that paper. In Knoxville people are boycotting the Knoxville News Sentinel because of political actions from its editor.
In Knoxville Don Williams of the Knoxville News Sentinel was fired because of complaints from readers. He is a progressive. It was wrong of the Knoxville News Sentinel to fire Williams. But they did. But no rights were violated. Williams now writes at KnoxViews.com. He is very popular with progressives.
Any paper has a right to determine who is printed in the paper. No problems with any of that. The problem is the hypocrisy. And not all people see or care about that hypocrisy. Was this about what Valentine wrote or was it about Valentine the person? It looked like a Daily Kos hit job. The double standard is apparent. Had this happened to Mary what would you say? Would people still talk about rights?
And people also have a right to call out Mary for her hypocrisy. Quite a few have.
This is quite different than the situation in Knoxville. Valentine wrote an opinion piece. The editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel interferes with the political process using strategic lawsuits, omission to protect the elite, and advocacy journalism. Again, none of this is a violation of the law. But it is different from the expectations of the people. I would think most people would want to defend opinion. Clearly not. Only some opinion. It was poor form for Mary to use this blog as a platform to try to harm a radio competitor. But it was only poor form. No laws or rights were violated. But the expectations of the readers were not met.
This country is polarized. Split almost fifty fifty. The expectation of fairness and balance is more important than ever. So witch hunts like this are detrimental to everyone. It just increases the polarization. But it is probably the future. I don’t see this country becoming more united for some time. President Obama had a chance to unite the country. So far he hasn’t done very well. And wasn’t that part of what Valentine wrote? So no one can criticize the President now?
So in two Tennessee cities we see the same problem. One on the right and one on the left. Every time this happens voices are lost. Poor form in both cities. I say put both Williams and Valentine back in print.
Thanks for eliminating Phil Valentine’s column from your newspaper. He is closeminded, boring, negative & depressing. Your paper will be much better without his input!
I just thank my lucky stars that Michael DelGiorno doesn’t have a column. It’s the little things in life….
“Was this about what Valentine wrote or was it about Valentine the person?”
Not sure how many more times this can be said and in how many more ways – it’s about the lies. If Valentine wants to espouse conservative ideas than more power to him. But he lies in his columns – untruths, half-truths, hyperbole – to prove his points. That’s not dialogue, that’s cheating.
67 comments and you still haven’t addressed this point, 9.
Not sure how many more times this can be said and in how many more ways – it’s about the lies.
I see.
A difference of opinion is a lie. A snark is a lie. Rhetoric is a lie. Smarmy is a lie. Metaphor is a lie. 10-4, should have known that.
Whole lot of “lying” going on. I don’t guess you have ever confronted Valentine on the air about this have you?
I know of Valentine only what I read in your post. Never read him never heard him.
But what I do see and hear looks a lot like the short course from the Daily Kos.
BTW, here is a post from Don Williams on KnoxViews, he was fired from the Knoxville News Sentinel. You may like his column.
http://knoxviews.com/node/10763
Firing people for opinion is a bad idea. And Mary, you are not the decider. Fortunately.
“I know of Valentine only what I read in your post. Never read him never heard him.”
Then you have a homework assignment, don’t you?
Phil Valentine is a clueless assbag, and only fellow Nashville talk show host Steve Gill farts out more ignorance on the airwaves.
Where were all of you “fiscal conservatives” when Bush, et al were in office, spending money like juiced-up yabbos at a Mexican donkey show? The man took a budget surplus and handed it over to defense contractors, financial institutions and drug companies, resulting in the largest budget deficit in the history of the U.S. Yet you all bitch and moan like little sissy-boys when the Big ‘O’ spends a little cash to try and jumpstart an economy that your beloved corporate CEOs ran into the toilet!
As for “social democracy,” in a government for and by the people, the government is what WE say it is…and the majority of U.S. citizens last November voted for something other than tired old conservative cliches and worthless ideas.
As for “social democracy,†in a government for and by the people, the government is what WE say it is…and the majority of U.S. citizens last November voted for something other than tired old conservative cliches and worthless ideas.
A product of the public schools I see. ACT score around a 12?
A product of the public schools I see. ACT score around a 12?
Landed in the 98 percentile, actually, with a year of college credits under my belt by the time of my high school graduation, and full scholarship to a top Christian college…thanks for asking!
This is the text of an e-mail I sent to Mr. Hatcher:
Dear Mr. Hatcher,
I know this is two weeks late but I have to tell you that I am disappointed in your decision to pull Phil Valentine’s weekly column. There may be times that he says thinks you think are insensitive but surely you realize there are both conservative and liberal columnists out there who say insensitive things, too. However, I don’t feel that what Mr. Valentine said was insensitive.
His main question was: who is going to hold the federal government responsible for their spending? I think your reference to killed soldiers was itself out of line. The federal government’s main obligation is defense of our country. It is not in using tax payer’s money (that they have to borrow no less) to bail out private businesses.
I know you probably have taken a lot of heat for running Valentine’s column but, in the interest of open and honest debate, I feel that you are letting down your customers by squelching a conservative voice. One question I have for you is: are you going to replace him with another conservative columnist?
Thank you for your time.
[...] Phil Valentine’s Column Watch: Two Down… It looks like Mr. Bruce Barry might have started something with his Pith in the Wind post complaining about Phil Valentine’s Tennessean column (“What Does an Op-Ed Columnist Have to Do to Get Fired Around Here?â€). The Wilson County Post, serving Lebanon, Watertown, and Mt. Juliet, has decided to “discontinue publishing†Phil Valentine’s column in […] Read more… [...]