St. Judy and the Dragon
We skipped last night's Lou Dobbs interview with Judy Miller and upon reading the transcript, even our extraordinarily low hopes were dashed. This was not an interview, it was an argument for canonization. Endeavoring to highlight the most literal aspects of martyrdom, Dobbs first sniffed, "give us...the sense of what you had to endure?" It was downhill from there:
One hopes that we all learn something from the experience and the example you set. You must be extraordinarily proud and thankful. . . And all of us in this craft respect you immensely and are deeply grateful to you for so doing. . . . It's an immense sacrifice. . . . I can imagine each of those days seeming all together... [an eternity] into the next. . . . the only person who's paid a penalty to this point is you.
And in case the idea of Miller's being on the side of the angels was a little too metaphorical for you, Dobbs wound up with this: "I prefer evil doers be punished. ... We, again, respect you very much."
It's all very St. Agatha, only without the rolling around on hot coals, just the book deal.