The LEAST loathsome people of 2004

Recently, Buffalo Beast published an article naming the 50 worst people of 2004, detailing their crimes and how they should be punished. You can find the article here:

http://www.buffalobeast.com/66/50mostLoathsome2004.htm

ANYWAY, now that I assume you've read it, here is my list of some of the LEAST loathsome people of 2004 (Any corrections, additions, or counter-arguments may be made, but I will probably ignore them).

Eli Parisier, and the other founders of Moveon.org

These guys, using nothing but the internet, managed to raise tens of millions of dollars and put tens of thousands of volunteers on the street in the recent presidential campaign. They held a contest to create the best anti-DUHbya commercial, one which had thousands of entries. The got some of the best filmmakers in Hollywood to create original, often funny commercials, which were aired around the country. And even though all their efforts were for nought, they have created a huge grassroots movement which will remain a strong and dominant force in this country.

Howard Dean

One of the first Democrats in a long time who not only accepts the title of "Liberal", he revels in it. Even though his presidential campaign came to a "screaming" halt in Iowa, he looks to remain a strong force in the Democratic party. A few more people like him, and maybe calling someone a "liberal" will no longer be an insult.

Barack Obama

He's young, charismatic, intelligent, well-spoken, reasonably good-looking (except for those ears--good GOD, man, use glue if you have to!) and he knows how to give a rousing speech. If he can avoid the quagmire of D.C. politics that has bogged down the careers of so many promising politicians, I see big things for his future. The only strike against him that I can see is that his last name sounds a little to much like someone else's FIRST name...

Michael Moore

During his Oscar acceptance speech for Bowling for Columbine, he accused DUHbya of leading us into a fictitious war. After a mixed chorus of cheers and boos, and a firestorm of criticism from right-wing media outlets, he then proceeded to make an entire two-hour-long movie detailing exactly why he was right. And despite the efforts of everyone from Bill O'Reilly to Michael Eisner to keep that movie out of theatres, the resulting firestorm of publicity generated by this massive campaign to kill the film ensured that it would go on to be the highest grossing documentary in history. Being selected as the People's Choice for best film was the icing on the cake.

Al Franken, and the other radio hosts of Air America Radio

In less than one year, they've taken a fledgling radio network from 6 stations to more than 40, with more certain to appear. And while it would seem that they started their enterprise too late for it to make a significant difference in the election, I hope that they will continue to hold the Right accountable for the lies it has told and continues to tell.

Hork
www.horkulated.com

This guy finds the best stories from all over the web, from politics to flashgames to just plain weird. He even posts the stuff I submit. And he came up with the term, "Bush Davidians". 'Nuff said.

The Blog Community

Hey, even little ol' me has a Blog now. It was bloggers who first raised the ruckus when Trent Lott made his blatantly racist comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party a few years ago. Bloggers are not afraid to rush in where big media fears to tread. They can keep a story alive long after the major media outlets have let it go. And while that may not always be a good thing, I have to believe that in this day and age, when massive corporations control all the major media outlets, the blog community is the only way to ensure we continue to have a free press in this country.

Let's all keep up the good work!


Anyway, that's all for now. I may come up with more later.