"The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" vs. "the gang that couldn't shoot straight"

[barondave]

For the first time since May, I had a letter published in the Mpls Star Tribune. Sometimes they edit my letters, usually to make it shorter or to take out some supporting clause. This time, they made an interesting edit. My letter as sent:

"It's official: The Bush/Cheney Administration is The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."

As printed:

"It's official: The Bush/Cheney administration is the gang that couldn't shoot straight."

I was one of five short letters under the heading Everyone's a comedian. That makes their removing the capital letters even more odd: Haven't they heard of the Jimmy Breslin novel about a bumbling gang of small-time crooks? Do they think the Bush/Cheney Administration is a bumbling gang of big time crooks? I'll spot them the "a" in Administration, though I think the capital is proper, but making the reference generic makes a slightly different joke than I intended. More than just Cheney illegally hunting in Texas and covering up the incident for most of a day, I wanted to make sly reference to the fumbling and bumbling about Iraq, Katrina, Plame, budget deficits, etc etc etc. That's asking a lot of one sentence but I think the point is made sharper with the caps, less so without.

Oh well. At least they didn't put the period in my middle name.

NB: Joke I didn't send but will probably use later. "Now we know the Republican version of Gun Control: Have an ambulance standing by."

Comments

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I don't think they made the reference generic. You weren't saying that the administration is the novel The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, you were saying it's the gang in the novel: the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

I think that anyone who recognizes the reference at all will ... well, recognize the reference. I doubt that caps would clue in anyone who doesn't recognize it as it is.

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

The Tribune (pre-merger) did the same thing to me once. The bus line expended some ridiculous amount of effort and money on an ad campaign with the catch-phrase, "Around here, we take the bus." I wrote a letter that ran something like, "Around here, we wait for the bus. Around here, we watch several full busses go by before an empty one comes along. Around here, we..." and son on.

My letter was printed, but every iteration of "Around here..." was removed from it, which not only destroyed the reference, but which made me look like some dunce who could only express himself in choppy sentences. I was disgusted.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Possibly true about catching the reference or not, but I still wanted to point to the novel. The goppies are really only good at one thing: spin control. Making the Administration a work of fiction was the Deep Subtext. I was deconstructed!

[barondave.livejournal.com]

"Of course you can have subtlety in a movie. You just have to be obvious about it." -- Frank Capra (though I've never been able to chase down a cite)

Sometimes, you have to be obvious in your subtlety. And sometimes they just don't get it.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Ah, then you actually were saying that the administration is the novel. Well, then, you're right.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm subtle, dammit.

I'M SUBTLE, DO YOU HEAR ME? SUBTLE!

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Interesting commentary (http://bendingleft.blogspot.com/2006/02/its-metaphor-stupid.html) on why this story has legs.

B

[barondave.livejournal.com]

The Daily Show, Mon AND Tues, had great reports. From memory: "What kind of hunting story begins, 'He got out of his car to shoot a bird with its wings clipped'...."?

Already, I see some of the memes spreading. "They waited so long to release the story is that they needed to hide the blue stained dress." While it's unfortunate that the conservative news media, including the STrib, is treating the response as if "Everyone's a comedian", laughter is harder to contain than harsh criticism.

And it's unfortunate that Cheney will be raked over the coals for this incident while letting other High Crimes and Misdemeanors go unchallenged. Though I will say the editorial cartoon in the STrib was good, showing Cheney shooting deficits, Kyoto Treaty, Civil Liberties et al.

[ntrlstgrl.livejournal.com]

Grammar Nazis strike again...when they shouldn't! LOL