Bruce Feirstein in the New York Observer says New Yorkers, Unite! Stand Up for Our Boldface Bloviators:
Dear Concerned Citizen:
As I write this, we face a grave and growing crisis in America. Not just war. Or terrorism. Or the ever-increasing proliferation of those twin weapons of mass destruction: nuclear bombs and S.U.V.’s. No. We face a danger far more threatening: The comedian Janeane Garofalo is not being taken seriously with regard to her pronouncements on American foreign policy.
Yes, that’s right: According to her interview with Howard Kurtz in The Washington Post, Ms. Garofalo has become the subject of ridicule and scorn as she fights to have her viewpoints considered with the proper gravitas.
"I’m being treated like a child," she complained, adding, "Now that I’m sober I watch a lot of news."
Tragic? You bet. Especially since Ms. Garafolo knows for an absolute fact that Saddam Hussein isn’t hiding any weapons of mass destruction.
...
As with all great causes, it’s important to understand the roots of this terrible tragedy.
There are some?fascist, imperialist, big-oil, warmongering, anti-abortion, environment-plundering, fat-cat corporate Republicans?who would blame this backlash on Bill Clinton and his fixation on Hollywood.
But as Mr. Clinton would say: "That would be wrong."
As Sean Penn so sagely points out, celebrities "intuit" things. They feel. Therefore, they know. And it’s not their fault that?until now?no one has ever questioned this received wisdom.
One day they’re being asked, "What’s it like to work with Woody?", and the next it’s "So what do you think of the Maastricht agreement?"
...
Remember: Janeane Garofalo could have been a White House Scholar. She could have had a Nobel Peace Prize. She could have dedicated her life to helping the poor. Instead, she gave it all up for you and a Cable ACE Award.
