You know, if you are going to provide a service to me, you've got to not piss me off while doing it.
My subscription for Smithsonian Magazine came due a couple months ago and I really debated renewing it. I enjoy the hell out of the articles, I really do. That said, there is some vein of stodgy conservative BS about the magazine that every so often just sits wrong with me. Plus, Dick Cheney has some position with the main Smithsonian foundation. And hell, I just can't endorse that with my money anymore. I'd rather he go broke and be spit upon for the rest of his evil days.
It is also pledge drive time at my local NPR station. Normally I'm pretty good about putting up some dough for them. Same problem though, I really can't endorse their content lately.
A few months ago I was griping about their "Conversations with Conservatives" interviews, aka "Know Your Enemy". Problem was, they didn't interview Trent Lott or McCain or even scumbags like Gingrich and Limbaugh. They went deep into psycho right-wing land and spoke to Glenn Beck, Richard Land, Grover Norquist, the real pieces-o'shit of the party. I don't want to hear from them; they think I'm a traitor for disagreeing with Bush. What possible thing could I learn from them other than even more loathing of them and their positions?
But I got over that, until NPR went on an ass-kissing three-part adventure to interview Antonin Scalia. Apparently he's got some form of book out. Either way, I wouldn't pull that guy out of the way of an out-of-control 18-wheeler. Yeah, I'm that petty at this point. But spend some time reading some of the decisions he's made while on the Supreme Court and you'd probably agree with me too.
Beyond all that "why am I funding FAUXNews Lite" crap, I also notice a strong pro-Clinton slant to NPR's reporting of the Democratic race. And that, frankly, is the final straw for me. Unless I'm getting some free show tickets for my contribution, I really don't see why I should bother this year.
They'll make their pledge totals, life will continue, no one will notice. But I will. And that's enough for me right now.
