Bad Blogging & L'Affaire Randi Rhodes

Exclusive!!! Right-wingnut Rhodes thug mugger holds up innocent kitty

For those of us who sense that too many bloggers are a sneeze away from nervous breakdowns, I present the story of Air America radio host Randi Rhodes.

On Sunday night, Rhodes apparently fell while walking her dog near her Manhattan home, lost some teeth and had to miss her turn on the liberal talk-radio nitwork. What seems to have been an unfortunate accident was quickly transformed by fellow talk-show host John Elliot into a conspiracy.

"Is this an attempt by the right-wing, hate machine to silence one of our own?" Elliot asked on the air. "Are we threatening them? Are they afraid that we’re winning? Are they trying to silence intimidate us?"

Elliot's raving was quickly accepted as gospel by a goodly number of left-of-center bloggers who were undeterred by the fact -- or didn't give a pooper scoop -- that if Rhodes had been lumped up by a right-wing goon squad, let alone been the victim of a generic mugging, she would have gone to the police.

Well, she didn’t.

While I can bloviate with the best of them, I tend to jump to crazy conclusions a little more slowly than my blogging beers . . . er, peers because unlike many of them, I have some precious real-world experience: Many years spent separating the wheat from the chaff as an editor and reporter neck deep in investigations that taught me even mere appearances can be deceiving and there is no end to the number of people who will make up stories about anything if it fits their agenda.

In short: If something doesn't seem to add up then it probably doesn't.

So from the moment I first heard that Rhodes was the victim of a hate crime I was as skeptical as Air America is now embarrassed.

The nitwork later released a statement that said: "The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded. Ms. Rhodes is looking forward to being back on the air on Thursday."

Hat Tip to John Cole at Balloon Juice for the image