I'm a reporter and I am as mad as heck and won't take it anymore, darn it!

Per their request for comments, I sent the following to the little journalism club
which I joined. I thought it would be more like the Mousketeers, or at least involve
booze, but their stuff is usually for the people who work in Chicago as it starts
at 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Anyway, they are all in a tither about what Robert Novak hath wrought (though his name rarely comes up). Here goes:

I know its hard these days to come up with a novel way to voice and opinion and/or to get that opinion noticed. But somehow the SPJ's call in an e-mail to "Do SOMETHING Dart It!" and for a moment of silence for our potentially imprisoned (and better paid) comrades at the big boy papers all seems so soft.

Granted the rock stars were all busy with Live 8 and pretty much all the wrist band colors are taken. But couldn't the group come up with something with a little more punch to it, darn it?! I mean you can even use the word suck in the high and mighty Tribune these days.

And this all sucks like a Dirt Devil.

Speaking of Satan and deals made with, how come Robert Novak seems to be getting off rather lightly in this matter? How come journalist groups aren't publicly expressing more dismay about what he did and how it led to what it did?

Ethically speaking, why did Novak feel beholden to out a spy during wartime? I don't write everything everybody tells me. Now my excuse might be just plain laziness -- and I don't know anybody in the White House to tempt me -- but I think I use judgment sometimes, too.

You know if a lefty did what Novak and his source did, right wing radio and TV and pundits would be calling for their heads, darn it. No moments of silence there, just lots of shouting about treason.

Maybe, just maybe, this affair will snap the Washington press corpse (pun intended) out of its somnabulance.

Sure Saddam was an awful despot and something needed to be done. Letting an administration get away with a baloney excuse to start the ball rolling -- that's just rolling over to have your belly patted.

And who is surprised Karl Rove is involved with the Plame affair? Didn't cranky old lefty windbag Al Franken rant and rave about this? Where were other reporters trying to beat Pat Fitzgerald to the story?

Sure, I'm not too happy about a reporter going to jail for refusing to reveal her source. But there are plenty of things to be unhappy about in this fine mess.

Yours truly,

a guy in the suburbs who happens to be a reporter, darn it