Reality derangement

The media loves stupid scandal stories with hooks to prominent political celebrities. The media will print these stories even when they're just gossip, as in the case of Bristol Palin's future, cough, mother-in-law. (Hey, maybe this is good cover to call off the politically motivated shotgun wedding!)

Since I don't myself live in Wasilla, I wouldn't mention this sordid tale except that some wingnut lunatics are holding it up as proof of a liberal media out to get them! Seriously, these people will believe anything.

The first link, to "Liberty Just in Case" (huh?), actually has to push two lies in less than a hundred words:

• Its title drastically exaggerates the distance of Sherry Johnston from Sarah Palin.
• Its body pretends in the face of a couple of items on this story that two similarly weak and stupid gossip stories about Obama didn't get any press.
  

Funny, I recall front-page treatment of one of the Obama stories and several days on the other, not to mention every wet dream some frothing wingnut dreamed up about him and thrust into the big media. I also remember the heavy coverage of Michael Skakel's also sordid murder trial, which occurred because he was a Kennedy cousin. Yes, it cuts both ways. Jeb Bush's wife and daughter made the news briefly for their own legal problems a few years ago.

We'd be better off without gossip, but it's the bullshit that's really bad for us.

Update: I left a comment on Liberty JiC:

Smirk, snort, giggle, tee-hee, titter, bwahahaha.

But they have comment moderation turned on, so it'll probably never see the light of day there.