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From Confederate Flag To Porn Trial Jury Book Talk, Veins Were Popping

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Daniel Ruth

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2008

Before we get into our weekly love fest with the many happy, satisfied consumers of this space, permit a personal indulgence since, well, I could use the money.

"Somebody should tell you to change that picture, with the hybrid toupee/combover you're rockin' there," wrote fashion critic dre-day, which prompted an idea.

Tell you what, dre-day, if you think it's a rug, let's make a deal. For $5,000 you can come down here to The Ministry of Truth and give it a good tug. If you are wrong (and you will be) you owe me five grand, which I'll split between tuition payments for Zeus the Younger and a contribution to the American Civil Liberties Union.

And if you're right, well ... you're not going to be right, so the point is moot.

So, whattya say, bunky? Do we have a deal?

The aforementioned dre-day's bizarre metrosexual preoccupation with my hair was only part of a longer rant taking me to task for a column on the race-baiting St. Petersburg gasbag Omali Yeshitela's effort to insert himself into the recent shooting of Javon Maurice Dawson by a St. Petersburg police officer.

Essentially, the column suggested that police officers get annoyed with people who reportedly point guns at them, to which LittleCaesar wrote: "Bravo Mr. Ruth. You and Tribune colleague Mr. Joe Brown say the things that need to be said."

Well, that's a lovely sentiment, though apparently not universally shared.

With A Rebel Yell
"Brother Daniel Ruth, one of our best friends in this project," wrote possun33, in reaction to a column on the Confederate flag flap, which argued that raising an enormous banner honoring treason, hate-mongering and (how to put this gently) a surrender at Appomattox was a bit goofy, and scary.

Well, glad to be of service.

"This rebel flag business irks me no end," wrote an obviously irked AMG. "I'm so glad you pointed out that the South lost. 'Hey Confederates! You lost!' Another aspect that is often overlooked is that a Confederate assassinated the best president this country ever had - Abraham Lincoln. Slave owners. Traitors, assassinators and losers. Great Heritage."

As you might imagine, that set off a barrage of royally wadded readers, who have less than a cordial view of Lincoln.

But the best letter on this topic came from jjoplin69, who opined: "I am awed at how Southerners can endure the cognitive dissonance created by simultaneously celebrating a 145-year-old act of mass treason, while at the same time insisting they are more American than the rest of us."

Oh, did I mention jjoplin69 is from the evil New York? And yes, that was the sound of veins popping.

Porn In The U.S.A.

A number of readers also weighed in on the trial of porn filmmaker Paul Little, who was convicted in federal court last week on 10 counts of distributing obscene material through the mail and the Internet.

The column noted that some of the jurors apparently had discussed a possible book deal on the trial at the same time they were deliberating Little's fate, in which a conviction would potentially sweeten the literary effort.

"This trial was a sham from the beginning," wrote toughone. "This revelation the book deal doesn't surprise me. We have turned into a largely narcissistic society. But how can we expect to believe this jury wasn't motivated by the promise of a book deal? God save us all."

"I am surprised that anyone thought it was possible to offend Tampa's contemporary community standards," penned oldaf. And that's a fair point. For a hamlet that wallows in coo-coo-ca-choo, you do have to wonder if Little's vile little movies were all that beyond the pale.

Finally, and I'm somewhat ambivalent about calling attention to this letter since there is no way to verify its authenticity, a writer asserting to have been one of the Little jurors wrote to insist the whole book deal claim was blown out of proportion by an irresponsible press corps, as if reporters gathered around the jury, put a gun to their heads and forced them to make an inaccurate claim.

This is quite often the response of people who are aghast when they find themselves quoted.

Keyword: Book of Ruth, to read and comment on Daniel Ruth's blog.

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