Schutze and Dreher, a Christmas Miracle

By Robert Wilonsky Thu., Dec. 24 2009 at 11:22 AM

Categories: Schutze

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This may or may not be our last post before we call it quits (I've got to prep for my Christmas Day job, besides). Still, I meant to mention this yesterday: On his way out the door to West Conshohocken, PA, Dallas News columnist Rod Dreher discovered that Schutze is, indeed, his brother from another mother -- at least when it comes to the city's clampdown on neighborhood farmers markets that have the audacity to compete with the city-owned market downtown. Wrote the Crunchy Con, "Jim Schutze drives me crazy, but when he's on, nobody can touch him."

And speaking of Dreher's farewell, over on Beliefnet today he bids adieu to the one thing he'll miss most about Dallas:

I want to mention one in particular, my favorite place in Dallas, a place I'm going to miss fiercely: Central Market, the location on Lovers Lane, at Greenville. It is without question the best supermarket I've ever been to. If you are a foodie in Dallas, this is your St. Peter's, your Hagia Sophia, your Mecca. When we left New York in 2003, Julie had come ahead to scout out the area for a house. She knew I was heartbroken over leaving Brooklyn, so she said the only thing she could that would cheer me up: "I've rented us a house close to Central Market." I knew about CM's reputation from having frequented the store in Austin on trips there; what I wasn't prepared for was how much better even the Dallas store is than the Austin one.

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I'll leave it to grumpy folks to obsess over Mr. Dreher's worth as a columnist, however you partisans clearly did not bothered to read Ms. Obama's college work. Or you simply don't care. Her paper concerning (problems created by) blacks attending predominately white universities is so poorly written that I am shocked that she is a high school graduate, let alone a graduate of an Ivy League law school. In fact, the poor quality of her published college work is the most compelling argument against affirmative action that I have ever encountered. Rod would likely agree, and he would be right.
Bill Marvel and Rod Dreher are smarmy prigs both. O Captain! Unfreeze thy supercilious rictus!
On a positive note, since Rod won't be in the building, at least the the elevator rides for the Gay, Black, Hispanic, woman, tricker-treating employees will less awkward. Having to work with an editor that gets paid to recycle every bigoted cliche about minorities and women that the National Review promotes, can't be fun, may explain why the high turnover among women and the few Hispanic editors. I personally thinks Rod's talents are better suited for publishing a company newsletter, ask any reporter: that has to be a great career move.
I'm so happy Rod is gone,hate he stayed so long.
Oh, whoops. I thought I smelled organic fertilizer, but it's just Bill Marvel's writing.
Some of these folks sure do talk pretty on paper. It is a joy to read them and often go to the dictionary to complete my understanding of their thoughts on paper.
Long before retiring from the DMN in 2006 where he specialized in long-form nattering features, Bill Marvel had been Matt Groening's breakthrough inspiration for the character of Abe Simpson and his iconic "onion-in-the-belt" soliloquy. Marvel's heartwarming accounts of octogenarians in love, shoes, and other insipid minutiae of a life mostly gone by the wayside now has motivated his successor in spirit at the News, Steve Blow, to vow to die at his desk before ever being ignominiously forced out for terminally failing to grasp that, on the internet, all the rules are different. Now, like some ghost straight out of Dickens, the suspiciously named Marvel spends his time haunting the internet for the opportunity to attach himself parasitically to other corpses from the DMN past who might still hold some fading measure of warmth or its equivalent, relevance, like Rod Dreher.
No idea what an "ad homemim" might be. But I'm pretty sure Rod wouldn't commit one, if only because Rod knows his Latin and always spell-checks his copy. But the nonsense writ here runs a lot deeper -- or thicker. Many of the best writers in our language have been masters of the ad hominem attack. One need not agree with the attack -- and I rarely agree with Rod on anything -- to appreciate its wit and thrust. If Rod hurts your feelings and you don't have the stomach for that sort of thing, read someone else. There are plenty of bland pundits on both sides of the political divide -- though rather more, sad to say, on the Left, which is notoriously short on humor. I've searched your own blog, Grumpy, for really sharp takedowns. Well, you can guess the results. And, to the person why styles himself "Flutenhort": I always assume a certain level of familiarity with the language when I post. Apparently in your case I overshot.
Opinion writers are supposed to make you think, and thinking makes some folks downright grumpy.
I'd like to point out that Bill Marvel uses silly phrases like "makes bold" and considers himself a writer. I think he's mistaken.
Anyone who has respect for intellect of Drher, someone who's writing consisted of ad homemim attacks on straw men unconstrained by actual facts or knowledge on a good day, and baseless screeds on a typical day. Here's some sample of you hero's work: Regarding having Speaker Pelosi's grandchildren involvement in her swearing in [Rod]"thought she looked asinine up there, frankly. It's a wonder she didn't lay out cookies and milk. But with Rod it's not just about behavior, it's also about a woman's appearance: "Then again, Margaret Thatcher is my ideal of feminine leadership, not some ridiculous Bay Area Botox victim." Tonight's topic Rod numerous ad hominin attacks against Michele Obama. Here's how Rod has described our next First Lady in his own words: -Based on Rod's analysis of her college papers she She's a "Phony. A Princeton-and-Harvard-educated, $400,000 a year phony, whining about her privilege." (From Dreher's "The chip on Michelle Obama's shoulder Wednesday March 5, 2008 ") -"I've basically been admiring how effectively she's managed to give an essentially dishonest account of who she really" ("Scrutinizing Michelle Obama" Tuesday August 26, 2008) -"She gave up lawyering, she says, and chose "public service"--the kind that leads in due course to a 300k-plus salary. I've no problem with it. I just don't want to keep being asked to admire the sacrifice." (From Dreher's "Oh, the selfless Obamas" Wednesday August 27, 2008) -"I'm wondering if the Obamas are, underneath it all, the kind of educated left-wing miserabilists who really do despise their country." (From Dreher's "Mme. Obama hated America till now?" Tuesday February 19, 2008) -"Is she really vain enough to believe that America was a dishonorable place until it began to embrace her husband?" ( Dreher "Madame Obama's gaffe" Feb 19, 2008 Dallasnews.com) I'm not even mentioning his ahistoral know-nothingism, racists and gay bashing, support for creationism, fear of ghosts and Halloween, fetish for authoritarianism. If that's the kind of "intellect" you respect, you've got my pity. As for his writing ability: Maybe you need to get your GED, so you can appreciate something written for more that a Eighth Grade level.
FooEee.on you'all. SimonDavid is the best until Google goes into the supermarket biz.
Ginger Beard Man
To the "Demo" who signs himself -- most aptly -- "Grumpy": I always look down and shuffle my feet in embarrassment when a 10th-rate blogger makes bold to assess the writing and intellect of, say, a Rod Dreher.
I was pleased to see that on Christmas Eve Rod posted about his true saviour, Central Market. No matter what religion or cultural values we may champion from one week to the next, I think we can all agree with Rod that taste and mouthfeel remain our enduring salvation.
Grumpy, Al Dia Dude
"And the journalist and the Right Wing hack bigot shall lie down together, . . ." Sounds gay to me, so Rod won't do it. Never fear fans of "the stupid" the Belo boys have replaced their: Former Moonie Times Life style reporter, second rate writer, third rate intellect and first rate gay-basher, with not one but two equally ungifted Right Wing clowns. For you consideration: Nicole Stockdale, Editor: she's almost an incoherent asg Dreher, but has that Dreher warm spot in her hear for White Supremacists and thinks Neo-Confederate segregationist ideas should be given consideration (the comments are equally disturbing) http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/12/the-values-of-s.html Jarrett Rush, Editor: He's an editor of a major newpaper, but gosh darn it "not a Constitutional expert" so he doesn't know if the health care bill is consitutional (would want to upset the readers at the Dallas Country Club, who think social security is a Commie plot). http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/12/the-constitutio.html One WASP prig replaced by two know-nothings, progress? The really sad part is the even though Dallas is one-third Hispanic, Dallas' only (white?) daily has not one Hispanic editorial writer. We can all look forward to more white suburbanite lecturers on how to save South Dallas. (Wow, nothing like strong coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, and a snow day to ramp my rant meter to 11.)
Amen to that, brutha....