Morning Joe - brewed by Starbucks

Dear Starbucks, 

Your company’s recent sponsorship of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC has me sincerely concerned.  Although MSNBC has a reputation for solid news programming and is even called “liberal” by the right wing – “Morning Joe” is well known for being the trial run for the RNC’s daily talking points.  But my main concern at this time is the behavior of Mika Brzezinski. 


 Although originally presented as a counterpoint to Joe’s radical right wing agenda, she failed miserably in that chore.  Every morning, Joe Scarborough bullies people of color and women.  The men are treated like boys and the women are reduced to being either mommies or girlfriends.  Joe has a habit of chatting on incessantly when he has guests whose opinions he doesn’t share.  He can say that he presented the opposing view; he simply forgot to let them speak.  Instead he wastes time on discussions of mediocre AM radio groups from the 70’s (the Raspberries) he can continue misrepresenting the person’s position for another three hours.  He has insulted anyone who dares to interrupt his fanatical rants.  When in spite of his best efforts, someone manages to inject some intelligence into the debate, Joe shouts, “Now I’ve got to stop you right there!  No!  No!  Let me stop you right there!”  Then he goes on another one of his tirade were truth is optional.  He rewrites history, misrepresents facts and insults most of his guests.  At even the slightest perception of an insult, Joe will dedicate the rest of the show to massaging his tender ego.  His treatment of Chuck Todd had me throwing the remote at the television. 

It would be nice to have a co-host to bring some facts and some balance to the act.  But Mika is not a counterpoint.  She’s an exclamation point.  She’s father right than Joe.  The fact that she claims to be a journalist, is insulting to real journalists.  Moaning Mika preens, and coos and flirts and discusses her drug and alcohol abuse on a show that airs when children are dressing for school.  The only kind of journalism this woman knows is McCarthyism. 

Just the other day, Mika started the show with a wink about the infamous Obama photo in Italy.  From the cropped picture it appears that the President is looking at a young woman’s behind.  The full video shows he was looking behind him to take the hand of another young woman to help her down some steep steps.  So Mika leads with the photo and a giggle.  Yes, she hinted that there was more to the story but from her smirk, you assumed some sort of liaison between the young woman and President Obama.  Although the photo had been debunked days before, at not time during the three hours did she show the full video clip or explain that the picture was not what it seems.   Not only did she not present the full story, she actually created a new one.   

This week she keeps snarling that the Democrats are childish for demanding oversight of the C.I.A. From the discussions you would think that Congressional oversight was as quaint an idea as the Geneva conventions.  She presents half truths and flavors it with “the facts of the situation from an unnamed source.”  What journalism school taught her that?  They treat the idea that that the Congress has a responsibility to keep our secret services in line as un-American and bizarre.  They are claiming that by asking the C.I. A to comply with the law we are putting our nation at risk.  Are they are ignorant of a world where rouge hit squads murder opposing political leaders? It seems they’ve never heard of Stalin’s KGB or the coup in Honduras that overthrew the democratically elected government. With no oversight, who’s to say that these paid assassins will only target al-Qaeda. Why not arrange plane crashes for Democratic Senators or poison a cigar for Obama. Does Cheney still run the C.I.A.?  

 But Mika’s undying devotion to Sarah Palin borders on obsessive love.  All reason goes out the window when this woman’s name is mentioned.  Now Mika tells us, the fact that Sarah is a “celebrity” is proof she should be anointed president.  Funny, being a "celebrity" was considered a flaw for Obama.  The truth is that Sarah Palin is this years Brittany Spears, a slow motion train wreck.  The male reporters love to report on the latest scandal all the while hoping she’ll for get to wear her panties.    

 Your companies association with this program demonstrates your willingness to sponsor those whose agenda is to deceive.  Is that the image Starbucks wants to promote?  Well, I can’t continue to support that agenda.  I certainly won’t help pay the salary of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.  No more Starbucks for me.  I live in Seattle, on the bus route from downtown to the University of Washington. I have great windows for signs.  

Hey Starbucks, why not sponsor a real honest to goodness journalist.