Tuesday, September 16, 2003

The NewsMax Republic?

Over at the new New Republic blog, Kausfiles Jr., Gregg Easterbrook continues to make dubious arguments seemingly designed to support predetermined conclusions.

The latest example is an entry about a settlement between Chief Charles Moose, former police employee of Montgomery County, Maryland, and the Marriott Corporation. Easterbrook claims to get his facts about the matter from an August Washington Post article, but the allegations he reports come a lot closer to a report from wingnut website WorldNetDaily.com than the story in the Post.

Easterbrook writes:

In an August story[*] that received surprisingly little attention, The Washington Post revealed last December, just after Moose became a celebrity, he essentially blackmailed Marriott, which has a division headquarters in Montgomery County, into giving him around $200,000. (The Post story built on an initial report on the mainly conservative web site WorldNetDaily.com.)

In fact, the August 2003 Post story I found doesn't state that Marriott gave Moose $200,000. The Post said that Moose wrote a letter to Marriott in which he demanded $200,000, and that the matter was settled, but does not state any settlement amount. (Of course, the article also does not mention "blackmail.")

On WorldNetDaily, however, Paul Sperry wrote on June 18 that "[t]wo sources say Moose settled out of court for $200,000, but a third source said the figure is 'exaggerated.'"

Continuing with Easterbrook:

After the sniper attacks ended, Moose and his wife took a well-earned vacation at Marriott's Ihilani resort in Hawaii. While Moose was wandering the grounds, a security guard asked to see his room key as proof he was a registered guest. Moose claims this was racism, that he was suspected because he is African American. But the Ihilani's claim to fame is a spectacular private beach, pictured here. Security personnel at this hotel routinely ask to see room keys, to keep the un-registered out of the facility. If security wasn't keeping the riffraff off the private beach, the resort would not have been worth what Moose was paying to stay there.

Here's the Post:

At some point during the Mooses' stay, sources familiar with the allegations said, the chief wandered into what the hotel managers call "the back of the house," an unfinished area reserved for employees . Moose was confronted by a hotel employee. When the chief was asked to produce proof he was a guest at the hotel, in the form of a room key, an argument ensued, the sources said.

Nowhere does the Post state that security rountinely asks to see room keys (or that Marriott claims to have such a practice). However, that contention is made by two unnamed sources in the WND article, a "police source" and "[a]n industry securities analyst who follows Marriott."

Continuing, Easterbrook writes:

Shortly after returning from Hawaii, the Post asserted, Moose wrote a letter to Marriott threatening to generate bad publicity for the company unless it gave him $200,000. This was done while Moose was still police chief of the county; Moose was threatening to harm a company he had the power to harass in many ways. That's blackmail. If Moose really was the victim of racism, he should use his First Amendment rights to say so. But justice wasn't on his mind, money was.

But that's not what the Post article says. It says:

In a letter to a top-level Marriott executive, the source said, the Mooses threatened to sue over what they considered discriminatory behavior at the Hawaii resort. In the letter, Moose asked for $100,000 for himself and $100,000 for his wife, to compensate them for "suffering" and "distress," the source said.

According to the Post, Moose threatened a lawsuit, not bad publicity. And, again, the Post never mentions blackmail, or any express or implied threat by Moose to use his position to "harm" Marriott.

Easterbrook continues:

To prevent bad press, Marriott settled for an amount believed to be slightly less than $200,000, and the company signed a confidentiality agreement, forbidding it from talking about the incident or accusing Moose of being an extortionist. Moose, in turn, is currently trying to block Montgomery County from revealing the payment on his final county-required financial disclosure form.

Here, the Post does cite unnamed Marriott executives who said they wanted to settle to avoid a "public relations debacle," and that there was a confidentiality agreement in the settlement documents. But the article doesn't say that Marriott believed Moose to be "an extortionist" or accused him (or wanted to accuse him) of being such. The article doesn't state whether the hotel chain wanted the confidentiality clause either. And, again, the Post doesn't mention "an amount believed to be slightly less than $200,000."

Easterbrook then writes:

It turns out that when Moose was police chief of Portland, Oregon, his wife Sandy Herman Moose, who worked for the police department, accused another department employee of sexual harassment. Maybe this really happened, though it seems hard to believe anyone in a police department would be so incredibly stupid as to mess with the chief's wife. The Mooses received an undisclosed amount of money, in return for not making public accusations against Portland.

Easterbrook gets it wrong yet again. The article quotes a former Portland employee as saying Sandy Moose's settlement with the city was for $10,000. (Easterbrook attributes a $200 K settlement figure to the article which is not in the article, yet ignores the $10 K settlement figure which is in the article. I wonder why.) Also note: (1) the article does not state that the settlement was "in return for not making public accusations" and (2) the article says the $10 K went to Mrs. Moose, not "the Mooses," as EB claims.

After some more general bashing of Moose, Easterbrook asks:

And why, with Charles Moose enough of a story for the cable news universe to broadcast hundreds of hours of his face, has his sideline as an extortionist not been widely reported?

Easterbrook repeatedly calls Moose a "blackmailer" and an "extortionist" for reaching a perfectly legal settlement with Marriott. The Post article doesn't suggest that Moose did anything illegal or improper in either case, and it doesn't discuss the merits of the Marriott case, beyond stating that Moose was asked to show his key and "an argument ensued." Yet Easterbrook is so confident that Moose's claim was unmeritorious that he accuses Moose of committing crimes and abusing his office, without any substantiation.

So what do we have here?

First, Easterbrook attributes statements of fact to the Post which are not in the only Post article I could find on the subject.

Second, some of the allegations not in the Post article appear to come from WorldNutDaily, which Easterbrook mentions but does not identify as a source.

Third, Easterbrook jumps to conclusions -- including calling Moose a blackmailer and extortionist -- which are not supported by Post story I found.

To sum up, Easterbrook misreads or misrepresents the Post story numerous times to come up with his favored conclusions, namely, that Moose is a racial shakedown artist and the liberal media is refusing to report that fact.

Is this the best the New Republic can do?

_________

* Because Easterbrook does not link to the Post story or identify it by its exact date (or authors or headline), it is not possible to determine whether the Post article I found is the same one to which he refers. His post suggests there was only one such story ("the Post buried its own story in the Metro section"), and this was the only August Post story I could find on the subject.

240 comments:

1 – 200 of 240   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

valium online no prescription valium pill effects - valium diazepam 5mg side effects

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol vicodin high - order tramadol online no prescription overnight

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online overnight tramadol pills - tramadol 100 mg get you high

Anonymous said...

ativan no prescription lorazepam 1 mg half life - ativan 063

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online reviews buy tramadol mastercard - clonazepam tramadol high

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol 50mg capsules - buy tramadol from usa

Anonymous said...

buy ativan online ativan withdrawal signs and symptoms - ativan overdose many pills

Anonymous said...

cheap ambien online ambien out pocket cost - buy discount ambien

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online without prescription tramadol for dogs with pancreatitis - 4 50 mg tramadol

Anonymous said...

klonopin pill klonopin to overdose - klonopin for anxiety dose

Anonymous said...

legal buy tramadol online tramadol hcl ca 50 mg - tramadol 100 mg high dose

Anonymous said...

discount ativan ativan normal dose - ativan side effects weight gain

Anonymous said...

klonopin buy buy klonopin wafers - klonopin side effects .5mg

Anonymous said...

ambien online no prescription ambien rem sleep - cost for generic ambien

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol questions - buy tramadol 200mg

Anonymous said...

buy cheap soma buy soma online with mastercard - makes generic soma

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online side effects of ambien cr 12.5 mg - ambien side effects hot flashes

Anonymous said...

buy cheap tramadol tramadol high duration - buy tramadol cash delivery

Anonymous said...

soma online soma luna - generic soma cheap

Anonymous said...

klonopin sale klonopin side effects withdrawal symptoms - klonopin high last

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online buy tramadol online reviews - buy tramadol cod saturday delivery

Anonymous said...

ativan medication cheap ativan sale - ativan side effects for the elderly

Anonymous said...

buy somas online what is soma muscle relaxer - soma pills ingredients

Anonymous said...

ambien no rx ambien withdrawal duration - discount ambien no prescription

Anonymous said...

tramadol online buy tramadol online bluelight - cheap tramadol overnight shipping

Anonymous said...

order klonopin no prescription what is klonopin 0.5mg used for - klonopin recreational use dose

Anonymous said...

tramadol online inurl forum buy cheap tramadol - tramadol 50 mg abuse

Anonymous said...

online soma illegal buy soma online - buy somatropin 100 iu

Anonymous said...

generic ambien ambien cheapest - buy ambien online overnight delivery no prescription

Anonymous said...

best buy tramadol tramadol japan - tramadol addiction treatment centers

Anonymous said...

2mg klonopin klonopin roche - klonopin 2mg vs xanax 2mg

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol for dogs maximum dose - cheap tramadol line

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol online ultram online no prescription - good place buy tramadol online

Anonymous said...

online soma soma hair products - buy watson brand soma online

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online ambien dosage for insomnia - ambien generic price

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cialis online viagra for women price in delhi - buy viagra ebay

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online no prescription ambien withdrawal blog - ambien mayo clinic

Anonymous said...

order viagra online usa viagra diaries - buy generic viagra online forum

Anonymous said...

buy viagra super active best way buy viagra online - legal to buy viagra online

Anonymous said...

generic ambien ambien identification of pill - buy ambien zolpidem

Anonymous said...

purchase tramadol tramadol online canada - best place to buy tramadol online reviews

Anonymous said...

tramadol cheap tramadol dosage 15 lb dog - tramadol 50 mg dosage

Anonymous said...

ambien online lowest dosage ambien cr - buy generic ambien online no prescription

Anonymous said...

buy viagra online viagra 50mg effects - buy pink viagra uk

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cheap cheap generic viagra online pharmacy - viagra dosage strengths

Anonymous said...

can you buy tramadol online can you buy tramadol mexico - buy tramadol from mexico

Anonymous said...

ambien pharmacy ambien high long - ambien 10mg recreational

Anonymous said...

buy viagra pills order brand viagra online - viagra online american express

Anonymous said...

generic ambien ambien cheap no prescription - ambien side effects muscle aches

Anonymous said...

cheap generic viagra viagra online without - viagra nitric oxide

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tablets buy tramadol online no prescription uk - buy tramadol forum

Anonymous said...

klonopin price high tolerance klonopin - klonopin job interview

Anonymous said...

soma online drug interactions between soma tramadol - online pharmacy for soma

Anonymous said...

where to order viagra online order viagra online canada - viagra pill dosage

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cialis online purchase viagra mexico - cheap viagra online prescription

Anonymous said...

buy soma online no prescription buy soma underwear - soma kendrick lamar

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cheap buy viagra costa rica - generic viagra us pharmacy

Anonymous said...

buy viagra gold buy real viagra online canada - buy viagra online vipps

Anonymous said...

generic soma online soma muscle relaxer drug test - cheapest soma online no prescription

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol for dogs tramadol dosage canine - tramadol youtube

Anonymous said...

buy generic viagra generic viagra no prescription canada - generic viagra united kingdom

Anonymous said...

buy viagra viagra online prescription uk - off label viagra for women

Anonymous said...

online soma what are soma pills - buy soma online no prescription

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cheap buy viagra online - viagra yahoo

Anonymous said...

order viagra without rx online buy generic viagra 50mg - buy viagra uk next day delivery

Anonymous said...

viagra sale buy viagra online australia paypal - viagra buy safe

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol hcl or tramadol - tramadol withdrawal depression

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cialis cheap viagra online ireland - what is the cheapest place to order viagra

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol with paypal tramadol online 180 - tramadol for dogs vs rimadyl

Anonymous said...

how to order viagra online safely buy pfizer viagra online in india - buy viagra online no rx

Anonymous said...

buy viagra online reviews best online pharmacy viagra cialis - viagra cialis

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol no rx tramadol brand name - tramadol 50mg buy

Anonymous said...

order cialis from canada buy generic cialis online no prescription - order cialis online with mastercard

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol 50 mg and beer - tramadol 50 mg high snort

Anonymous said...

buy propecia should see results propecia - generic propecia finasteride reviews

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod fedex tramadol first time dosage - tramadol 50 mg lexapro

Anonymous said...

buy finasteride online how to buy propecia in the uk forum - how much does propecia cost uk

Anonymous said...

cheapest viagra buy real viagra cheap - buy real viagra cheap

Anonymous said...

order tramadol tramadol ultram alcohol - order tramadol online overnight

Anonymous said...

generic propecia online propecia results blog - merck propecia lawsuit

Anonymous said...

buy retin a retin a cream dark circles - retin a micro generic

Anonymous said...

buy propecia online propecia side effects viagra - generic propecia 1mg vs 5mg

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol 50mg tablets vs vicodin - 8 50 mg tramadol

Anonymous said...

buy propecia online propecia cost usa - side effects quitting propecia

Anonymous said...

where to buy retin-a online retin a micro not covered by insurance - buy retin a micro with no prescription

Anonymous said...

buy discount tramadol overdose of tramadol side effects - tramadol compared to ultram

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cheap buy viagra jelly online - cheap real viagra online

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol for dogs uti - where to buy tramadol forum

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online mastercard tramadol 50mg oxycodone - buy tramadol online 100mg

Anonymous said...

buy retin-a online retin a cream shoppers drug mart - retin-a gel 0.01 uses

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol hcl 100 mg er tablets - tramadol dosage for people

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol with cod ultram vs tramadol generic - tramadol dea schedule

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online order tramadol overnight mastercard - can you buy tramadol over the counter usa

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online pharmacy for ultram - best place buy tramadol forum

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online where to buy tramadol cod - buy tramadol online us pharmacy

Anonymous said...

buy retin-a where to buy retin a otc - retin a acne scar treatment

Anonymous said...

buy generic tramadol no prescription tramadol 20mg - best online pharmacy tramadol

Anonymous said...

cheapest propecia propecia cost - generic for propecia reviews

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol 50 mg vs percocet 5mg - good place buy tramadol online

Anonymous said...

generic propecia generic finasteride good propecia - propecia 8 month results

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online buy tramadol cod overnight - tramadol package insert

Anonymous said...

buy retin-a online retin-a for wrinkles photos - retin-a cream benefits

Anonymous said...

tramadol online pharmacy do people buy tramadol - can you order tramadol online legally

Anonymous said...

tramadol overnight shipping can take tramadol high blood pressure - tramadol overdose 50mg

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol tramadol xr - buy tramadol cheap

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol 100mg - buy cheap tramadol overnight

Anonymous said...

buy propecia propecia 5 years - propecia side effects swedish study

Anonymous said...

buy strattera online strattera cost australia - strattera side effects adhd

Anonymous said...

best buy tramadol tramadol for dogs how long does it take to work - tramadol buy overnight

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol without rx where to buy tramadol online usa - tramadol 50mg street value

Anonymous said...

finasteride hair loss where to order propecia online - propecia 4 free

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol no prescription buy tramadol no prescription - tramadol overnight delivery no prescription

Anonymous said...

propecia pharmacy propecia initial hair loss - propecia kidney stones

Anonymous said...

tramadol 100 mg high dosage of tramadol - tramadol 50 mg snort

Anonymous said...

generic strattera medication equivalent to strattera - generic brand of strattera

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online best place buy tramadol online reviews - safe place buy tramadol online

Anonymous said...

propecia online propecia joint pain - what's cost propecia

Anonymous said...

buy discount tramadol next day tramadol usa - tramadol 50mg an 627

Anonymous said...

where can you buy retin-a retin a cream while breastfeeding - retin a cream acne treatment

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol online tramadol (ultram) prescribing information - tramadol dosage route

Anonymous said...

generic viagra buy viagra online us - viagra online original

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription viagra urban dictionary - buy viagra qatar

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription viagra professional online pharmacy - buy viagra american express

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50mg tramadol 50mg para que serve - tramadol 100mg info

Anonymous said...

viagra 50mg buy viagra hyderabad - viagra without prescriptions illegal

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online without a prescription tramadol 100mg dose - generic tramadol

Anonymous said...

generic cialis buy cialis online germany - cialis upset stomach

Anonymous said...

cheap generic cialis cialis price rite aid - cialis coupon free

Anonymous said...

viagra no prescription viagra how long does it last - purchase viagra online with prescription

Anonymous said...

tramadol online no prescription buy tramadol online overnight cod - tramadol 100mg wikipedia

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription viagra last longer - viagra online pay with paypal

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol purchase cheap tramadol online - is ordering tramadol online illegal

Anonymous said...

buy cialis professional cialis online senza ricetta - cialis online reviews

Anonymous said...

cialis online canada cialis coupon free trial - brand cialis online pharmacy

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol does tramadol hcl do you - tramadol side effects high dose

Anonymous said...

viagra no prescription generic viagra canadian pharmacy - order viagra 100 mg mastercard

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription buy viagra liverpool us - viagra buy china

Anonymous said...

viagra price viagra online doctor - pink viagra dosage

Anonymous said...

cialis 20mg buy real cialis - cialis how long

Anonymous said...

cheap viagra viagra online mexican pharmacy - buy viagra online laser card

Anonymous said...

generic viagra galaxy 959 viagra - buy generic viagra online

Anonymous said...

generic viagra can i legally buy viagra online - viagra soft tabs dosage

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol 200mg - tramadol hcl espanol

Anonymous said...

generic viagra online safe purchase viagra online - viagra online testimonials

Anonymous said...

generic cialis buy cialis edmonton - buy cialis viagra

Anonymous said...

cheap viagra buy real viagra us - buy viagra online illegal

Anonymous said...

generic viagra viagra online order us - buy viagra online legally

Anonymous said...

buy viagra no prescription buy 100mg viagra online - purchase viagra with paypal

Anonymous said...

buy cialis buy cialis walmart - can you buy cialis over the counter in us

Anonymous said...

buy cialis cheap cialis half price - cialis pharmacy coupon

Anonymous said...

cheap viagra online viagra online blog - cheap viagra usa

Anonymous said...

generic cialis generic cialis overnight delivery - generic cialis efficacy

Anonymous said...

viagra price viagra for women jokes - viagra buy

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription viagra rx - best place purchase viagra

Anonymous said...

cheap viagra viagra and ecstacy - order viagra no prescription online

Anonymous said...

cialis cost generic cialis walmart - cialis online store

Anonymous said...

order cialis online cialis mail order - buy 36 hour cialis online

Anonymous said...

buy cialis generic cialis 30 - cialis online pharmacy europe

Anonymous said...

viagra online generic viagra review - cheap viagra reviews

Anonymous said...

cialis pharmacy buy cheap cialis 20mg - cialis 40 mg

Anonymous said...

buy soma online watson soma online - buy soma online usa

Anonymous said...

buy cialis cialis online pharmacy europe - cheap cialis lilly

Anonymous said...

buy cialis buy cialis vancouver - daily cialis new zealand

Anonymous said...

buy cialis cialis online acquisto - buy cialis online us

Anonymous said...

viagra online viagra dosage versus levitra dosage - viagra for men buy online in us

Anonymous said...

viagra online buy viagra online illegal - reliable generic viagra online

Anonymous said...

buy soma online buy soma ga - soma buy overnight

Anonymous said...

buy soma online soma muscle relaxer online - soma bras outlet

Anonymous said...

cheap soma online soma prescription drug abuse - buy somatropin injection usa

Anonymous said...

soma price best buy soma - soma chef costa rica

Anonymous said...

viagra online buy viagra via paypal - buy viagra 50mg online

Anonymous said...

soma no prescription soma drug 1984 - buy somatropin forum

Anonymous said...

soma muscle soma institute - cheap soma no prescription

Anonymous said...

soma medication cheap soma overnight - cheap somatropin hgh

Anonymous said...

soma online soma online next day delivery - buy some plant

Anonymous said...

soma drug soma medication overdose - does soma generic look like

Anonymous said...

soma online buy soma online us pharmacy - hub soma 901 mission

Anonymous said...

soma 350 mg soma streat food park - soma online overnight delivery

Anonymous said...

soma medication pictures of generic soma - soma de horas online

Anonymous said...

soma medication generic soma 250 - soma rx

Anonymous said...

soma medication legal to buy soma online - soma drug info

Anonymous said...

where to buy retin-a online where to buy retin a online - retin a gel initial breakout

Anonymous said...

soma online buy soma online usa - cheap soma online no prescription

Anonymous said...

cheap soma online soma online arizona - buy soma 350

Anonymous said...

soma online safe place buy soma online - soma online next day

Anonymous said...

order retin-a online difference between retin a gel and cream - retin a micro over the counter

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cod tramadol online fedex next day - order tramadol overnight

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online cod overnight tramadol online fast - tramadol hcl 325

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online without a prescription best place buy tramadol online reviews - tramadol to buy usa

Anonymous said...

order tramadol online overnight long will tramadol high last - order tramadol no rx

Anonymous said...

tramadol overnight shipping online pharmacy tramadol overnight - tramadol hcl er dosage

Anonymous said...

retin a online pharmacy retin a micro gel and moisturizer - cheap retin a products

Anonymous said...

tramadol 50 mg tramadol 37.5 - get cheap tramadol

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol buy tramadol online cod no prescription - buy tramadol online next day delivery

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol dosage 70 lb dog - tramadol 50 mg can you get high

Anonymous said...

buy retin a retin a acne how long does it take to work - retin a cream how long to use

Anonymous said...

where to buy tramadol tramadol hcl 650 - buy tramadol online no prescription overnight

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol can you buy tramadol legally online - tramadol 50mg slow release

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol for dogs benadryl - can u buy tramadol over counter

Anonymous said...

cheap tramadol buy tramadol prescription - buy generic tramadol online

«Oldest ‹Older   1 – 200 of 240   Newer› Newest»