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The first sonnet in a new series of Op-Ed rhetorical verse. (NOTE: Each is fax-submitted to The New York Times 10 days before it appears on this site) KEYWORDS: media criticism, politics [esp. 2004] rhetorical analysis, i.e., BULLSHIT. INITIAL PREMISE: Journalism that can't even say "bullshit" ... can never mediate it. UNTIL IT CAN ... democracy is doomed.

NOTE: All rhetorical sonnets posted at this site conform to a strict definition of Shakespearean/English sonnet form. In early 2003, a Perl cgi-bin program was written to enforce/verify this compliance. CLICKING the VERSCHIP icon above will submit the text of the verse to the verification process, which you may witness for yourself. (Click BACK to return to this page.)

COMING SOON? ... SOUND! There's nothing deader than a "poetry reading." {deadly serious smile} A rhetorical performance is "a whole nuther thing." STAY TUNED NOTE: MUSIC SAMPLE CURRENTLY OFFLINE      (an improvised composition to check sound: RealOne Player)