By John W. Lillpop
In a world showing increasing signs of going barking mad, news that inspires celebration is all too rare.
However, let history record that, on this day, June 7, 2010 America was blessed with one of those “rare” moments.
For on this day, America’s iconic Helen Thomas was forced to pay the piper for comments one would expect from a red-necked hayseed brewing moon shine in the Deep South, but would never envision coming from a sophisticated, world-traveled, 50-year veteran of the Washington Press Corps.
Today, Helen Thomas retired from journalism, no doubt to avoid being jettisoned out to the street at the tender age of 89. With this move, Thomas lowered the median age in the White House Press Corps. to 40 while boosting the average IQ to nearly 89.
In the vernacular of the unwashed, the White House Press Corps Is Bewitched No More!
As reported, in part, at Politico.com, (1):
“In the world of political journalism, it's the end of an era: Helen Thomas has retired just months shy of her 90th birthday.
“The longtime White House journalist has covered every president since Dwight Eisenhower and broke several barriers for female journalists but stepped down from her latest role -- a columnist for Hearst Newspapers -- in the wake of controversial remarks made in late May about the need for Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" and return to Poland and Germany.
"Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately," read a statement from Hearst Newspapers on Monday. "Her decision came after her controversial comments about Israel and the Palestinians were captured on videotape and widely disseminated on the Internet."
“The decision to retire came as Thomas faced rebuke from nearly every corner after video of her remarks during an interview with RabbiLive.com's Rabbi David Nesenoff emerged online late last week.
"Those remarks were offensive and reprehensible," Gibbs said during the Monday briefing, adding that Thomas's remarks "do not reflect certainly most of the people here and certainly not those of the administration." Thomas did not attend Monday's briefing and journalists, perhaps sensing the closing of an era, were spotted taking pictures of Thomas' empty front row.
“Over the weekend, Thomas' agency dropped her as a client and a high school that had asked Thomas to speak at its commencement ceremony revoked the invitation. Such political bigwigs as Dana Perino, Ari Fleischer, Rep. Rick Lazio, Lanny Davis and Joe Lockhart denounced Thomas' remarks, as did many Jewish organizations.”
Thank God for the abrupt, but very over due, end to the Helen Thomas era of political journalism.
Love live Israel! Long live the Jews!
1-http://www.politico.com/blogs/onmedia/0610/Helen_Thomas_retires.html
