It becomes apparent WHY Katie Couric is leaving CBS News.
Today, bin Laden’s home movies were released, minus soundtrack. And how did CBS News online respond?
Er, like this.
“Vain” and “vane” are no more the same words than are “two,” “too,” and “to.” As Mark Twain noted: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”
Seriously, while the media kerfluffs the “changes in the narrative” over the first 72 hours of the story, they conveniently forget that Abbottabad was either 30, 60, or 90 miles from Islamabad, was a city of 100,000, or 190,000 or one million — all of which can be found in initial reports from “reputable” media. Bin Laden’s hideout was either half an hour’s drive, an hour’s drive or a two hour drive from Islamabad, which suggests that you ought to be VERY CAREFUL which cab drivers you pick for the trip.
And ALL of those facts were easily verifiable.
A vane is one of those things that sit atop the barn to tell you which way the wind’s blowing. “Vain” is what you are when you think you know the difference between the two same-sounding words, and you don’t, AND you edit a major on-line news site.
So, what about this dumb grammatical mistake? Well, OK.
But them what lives in glass pixel-tubes ought to be a little more careful about throwing stones. I told you on Monday that the story would change in the first 48 hours:
This is the moment that one must beware of in Pentagonal psy-ops: the initial euphoria is over the idealized version of the facts, and only later, when the emotional catharsis is over, do they release the ACTUAL facts, which suppressed certain uncomfortable actual facts. Anyone remember the Mayaguez Incident? Thought not.
But, alas, I am not worth reading. You know, like a SPELLING dictionary.
You’re so vane
I bet you think this barn is about you
You’re so vane (SO VANE!)
I bet you think this barn is about you, don’t you don’t you don’t you?
(With apologies to Carly Simon.)
Courage.
