American Politics Journal -- Off the Radar



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Dave "Doctor" Gonzo's
Off the Radar!

Wednesday, March 1, 2000 (AmpolNS) -- New York -- Time again for a review of all the news the big media missed.

DATELINE: Arlington, Virginia -- Someone should have clued in Emmett "Boy" Tyrrell, Imperial Grand Potentate of hard-right rag American Spectator, that scandalmongering just doesn't pay.

But nobody bothered.

In fact, the neo-fascist monthly magazine, which helped launch the Paula Jones "scandal," has hit major hard times. A couple years back, the mag -- run by a suspect political nonprofit "educational" foundation lorded over by Tyrrell -- lost the financial backing of ultra-right-wing Richard "Daddy Whorebucks" Scaife. And according to a Washington Post article, circulation has dropped by 50% (from 300,000 to 150,000), publication has been slashed from 12 to 10 issues a year, and the mag's budget has been chainsawed from some $9 million a year to under $6 million.

Now there's talk that Canadian media tycoon Conrad Black, owner of London's super-conservative Daily Telegraph and the Chicago Sun-Times, is interested in buying the Spectator at a fire-sale price. If that happens, look for Tyrrell and his circle to be swiftly replaced by veterans of competing conservative journals.

DATELINE: Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- File this one under "D'oh!" diligence: a maker of clothing and accessories for mountain bikers is suing arch-bigot David Duke.

The company, No Fear Inc., filed a suit late last week alleging that Duke, ex-Grand Doofus of the Ku Klux Klan, has infringed on the company's trademarked name.

Duke refers to his newly-organized "white rights" group, the National Organization for European American Rights, by the acronym NOFEAR.

But according to Marty Moates, a spokesman for the California-based apparel maker, the company holds trademark rights to "No Fear." Moates also informed the press that has received calls saying that the callers will not buy the company's products -- evidently assuming a tie between the apparel maker and Duke's latest publicity stunt.

Mr. Duke claimed that he was not even aware that a company named No Fear even existed as he vehemently denied that the organization's name violated trademark rights.

Um... David, now maybe you're a little slow, but it's not the name that you're being sued over.

So let me propose a new name: Duke's Union Maligning Blacks, Asians, Semites & Such.

Now there's an organization with an acronym even The Doc can appreciate.

'Nuff said.