What interesting karma: One of my roomies brought home today's San Francisco Chronicle. I haven't read the Chron in a couple of years, so when the universe sends me a message like that, I have to sit up and take notice. No offense, Tom--in auditing your post, I'm answering to a higher power.

Let's see how the printed reality stands up to the cybernetic diatribe...[sound of rustling pages]...editorial page...yeah, here it is...

Tom: with the sole exception of their token conservative, Deborah Saunders, who stands out there like a dove at a crow convention. Oh, wait. She isn't included on the website. Well, trust me. She had a few inches in the hard copy.

Well, yes, Debra J. Saunders had a "few" column inches...about 16, I'd say, most of the height of the right page. (Appropriate placement, eh?)

Wow, now here's some flaming liberalism for ya:

Chronicle: San Francisco's Board of Education needs to take a deep breath before passing a resolution to 'educate' students against the war on Iraq...(T)he polemic Iraq resolution is an insult to the many teaching professionals who are committed to encouraging a free flow of ideas and respect for all viewpoints in the classroom.
(The editor's column [the official position of the Chronicle] quoting an earlier editorial on Dec. 20th, and providing follow-up urging people to let the Board know they're opposed to anti-war teach-ins.)

Scorchin'!

The editors also praise Illinois Guv Ryan's clemency for deathrow inmates...yeah, that could be considered mildly liberal.

Let's see, over on the right page...

Joan Ryan opining that if the draft is reinstated, women shouldn't be called, the male-only status quo (of past drafts) is just peachy. She concludes:
The only practical question in a time of war is this: What does the military need from its citizenry to foster the greatest chance of success with the lowest loss of life?

Not exactly an anti-war diatribe, is it?

EJ Dionne of the Brookings Institution: "Is Lieberman too nice to win?" Geez, I almost fell asleep reading that flaccid academic essay. "Is EJ Dionne too nice to read?"...

Middle of the page, some guest professor decrying a movie audience's groans at a nude scene featuring a 60-ish woman...that damn "appearancism"...yep, that's classic leftist.

Now here's the fieriest and most intemperate rhetoric on either editorial page:

Today, San Francisco and Oakland school board members will make clear whether they believe schools to be havens for learning or tools for leftist propoganda....you'd think the boards would not further degrade their reputations as incompetent, intolerant busybodies more interested in leftist politics than than teaching poor children the skills they'll need as adults.
--Debra J. Saunders

(Which, to be fair, wasn't all that fiery and intemperate, at least compared to the standard set here at the Zone.)

It's probably fair to say that the Chronicle's editorial page leans a bit to the left overall, as does its San Francisco audience. But a "solid spew of leftist blather"? A "newspaper entirely written by Bowser, only with about half the brains"?

No, I don't think so. But thanks for reacquainting me with the Chronicle. I'd forgotten what an interesting and entertaining paper it can be. I enjoy getting a diverse range of viewpoints, even if I don't agree with many of them.

--Robert