Honestly, folks, I had to read this one five times to believe my eyes, and strongly suggest that you remove all potables, flammables, and sharp objects from your proximity before proceeding any further.

Everybody ready?

Well, it turns out that one of the Live Earth concerts to draw attention to the planet’s imminent doom at the hands of the left’s most recent bogeyman global warming had very poor attendance due to – wait for it! – cold weather.

How great is that?

Yet that’s not the funniest part, as reported by Contactmusic.com Sunday (hysterical emphasis added):

The Washington Post's David Montgomery just loooooves those Chavistas ("What a Difference a Day Makes; Venezuela, Toasting Freedom on the Fifth"). Along with the typical Washington party stuff, he goes to great pains to explain how we're not so different, Chavez and us, eh? (You can almost hear Eli Wallach in the background: "If God didn't want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep.")

An embassy official gives a ceremonial reading of the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence. Alvarez declares, "Now, more than ever, Venezuela is struggling to assume a full independence" -- referring to the freedom to carry out the Chávez program without meddling by the United States, which now plays the part of Spain in the national drama.

Right. The freedom to carry out the Chavez program. That would include harboring the Buenos Aires JCC bombers, making nice with Iran, supporting FARC terrorists in neighboring Colombia (a real democracy, by the way), suspending Constitutional liberties, shooting down your opponents in the streets, stealing elections, and aiding and abetting Middle Easterners in getting into the US illegally. No reason for us to meddle at all. Of course, we play the part of Spain in Chavez's propaganda, not the actual national drama, and not, one suspects, in the minds of the mass of Venezuelans.

Just in case you wanted some confirmation on what kind of leftist garbage NBC endorsed with the Live Earth concert, let’s flash back to singer Macy Gray and her back-up singers. Gray, as you might recall from my earlier post, had several things on her dress – a peace sign and the words “Darfur” and “Red Alert.” Not exactly controversial, just comical.

Her band was less subtle. You’ve got the guitarist with the name “George Bush” and a big X through it. How edgy. Then you have the intelligence-challenged guitarist with the name “Dick Chaney” and a big X through that. (For those who call the public school system home, the name is “Cheney.”) Here’s a hint for the left: Don’t go on global TV without a copy editor.

ABC's World News Sunday presented a sympathetic look at Philadelphia city officials who are threatening to sue the Pennsylvania state government, "dominated by rural lawmakers" from hunting country, for blocking the city's push for more gun regulation in the face of a high murder rate. Correspondent David Kerley suggested a link between New York City's gun control laws and its lower murder rate. Kerley: "Philadelphia has more murders than New York, with six times the population. But unlike New York, Philadelphia cannot pass its own gun laws." Instead of presenting the argument that a greater rate of gun ownership could help reduce crime, Kerley merely showed a soundbite of a Republican lawmaker who argued that gun control would not affect criminals, before concluding: "That argument is being echoed across much of the country, as rural sensibilities continue to rule the gun debate, and cities like Philadelphia prepare for another night, and another shooting death." (Transcript follows)

Many know by now that Democratic Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles has admitted to a lengthy affair with a television reporter. So, what do you call an extremely thoughtful, well-written commentary that suggests that the mayor uphold his wedding vows, immediately end his affair, repent for his actions, and work to restore the relationships between his wife and his children? If you're the helpless Tim Rutten at the Los Angeles Times, you call it a "hysterical screed."

In his latest column, Rutten refers to "The Cheat and The Homewrecker" by LA Daily News editor Chris Weinkopf. Writes Rutten (bold mine):

The old-style "Latin Mass" (the "Tridentine use") of the Catholic Church was never banned, but it required the permission of a local bishop to be performed. But in a recent announcement, Pope Benedict XVI has "opened the door to wider use" of the Latin Mass by not requiring local authorization. The effect on Catholics around the world, if any, will be minimal, as the vast majority of masses will continue to be celebrated in people's own languages.

Big whoop, eh? This is the kind of news that maybe justifies a tiny "In Brief" appearance in your paper. But the Los Angeles Times never leaves a stone unturned in trying to portray Catholics and Catholic-related news in the most unflattering light. (I posted this only a few days ago.)

On the July 4 CNN Newsrooom, as correspondent Cal Perry reported on the Hamas role in the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in Gaza, Perry characterized Hamas as a "military" organization fighting for "independence" against Israel without mentioning its long-term stated goal of taking over Israel as part of a Palestinian state, or its use of terrorism. Perry: "This is really an organization that's evolving. On the one hand, they're a political organization, they want to stay in political power, and of course on the other hand they're a military organization who are fighting for independence against Israel." (Transcript follows)

Perry did at least relay the criticism that Hamas was using the hostage release as a "PR ploy" for its own gain, and showed a clip of Fatah member Riyad al-Malki accusing Hamas of staging the kidnapping and using the release for "political gains." Below is a complete transcript of Perry's report which aired shortly after 2:00 p.m. during the Wednesday July 4 CNN Newsroom:

Live Earth or Live Al (as opposed to the version we’ve always seen) was a laugh riot. Lots of know-nothing rockers interspersed with juvenile Youtube-esque videos made for a day few could survive without nausea. It was a celebration of hypocrisy on a global scale and for NBC it was a marathon contribution to lefty causes. (Anyone think the Fairness Doctrine would ever stop something left-wing like this?)

The kicker comes courtesy of our friends at Sunday’s Washington Post. Matt Bellamy from the band Muse called the event “private jets for climate change.” And John Buckley of Carbon Footprint, an eco group that helps firms cut their footprint, said “We would have to plant 100,000 trees to offset the effects of Live Earth.”

If Neal Gabler had been around in the late 1930s, would he have been praising Neville Chamberlain's complacency toward Hitler while condemning Churchill and FDR for their "hysteria"? Maybe so, judging by the liberal Fox News Watch panelist's comparison of the reaction of the British and the Americans to terror.

Gabler appeared on last evening's Fox News Watch.

FOX NEWS WATCH PANELIST NEAL GABLER: The [British] coverage was I think very responsible, very even-tempered, very fact-based, very cool, and I'm wondering if this isn't a function of the way the British government responded, which was very even-handed, very temperate, very cool . . . When we get terrorist threats in this country, I mean they are hyped, there's hysteria, and is that a function of the fact that the admistration hypes these things?

View video here.