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Joel Stein's going to get letters [finally?—ed.] for writing that its wussy to "support the troops" if you oppose the war. Also if you fly a yellow ribbon. And don't even think of giving Iraq vets a parade. Also today, Friend-of-Antonio Richard Meruelo gives his Taylor Yard project a big push...UCLA's right-winger milks the publicity machine one more day...Katie Holmes' missing sex scene—or is it?...the Chatsworth time capsule turns up...and more. Click to turn the page.
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♦ Times op-ed columnist Joel Stein says it's cop-out to oppose the Iraq war then say you support the troops: "I'm sure I'd like the troops. They seem gutsy, young and up for anything....But I'm not for the war. And being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken." Why Americans fly yellow ribbons: "to ease some of the guilt we feel for voting to send them to war and then making absolutely no sacrifices other than enduring two Wolf Blitzer shows a day." In conclusion: "I'm not advocating that we spit on returning veterans like they did after the Vietnam War, but we shouldn't be celebrating people for doing something we don't think was a good idea."
♦ Developer and big-time Villaraigosa contributor Richard Mereulo takes his 23-acre Riversedge Village project before the school board today. The Daily News' Rick Orlov and Naush Boghossian set it up.
♦ Andrew Jones, the righty provocateur behind the so-called Bruin Alumni Association, got stories again today in the NYT and LAT by withdrawing his offer to pay $100 for taped lectures by liberal UCLA profs. Meanwhile, KABC's Al Rantel joined the list fleeing from Jones.
♦ Skillfully placed money quote of the week: "There were a couple of thousand people who saw the film at Sundance without the Katie Holmes sex scene. I implore all of them to now go back and see the movie with the Katie Holmes sex scene." — Jason Reitman, director of Thank You for Smoking, a film with a Katie Holmes sex scene.
♦ A staffer at CBS Sportsline emailed that it's odd sports was left out of yesterday's LAT memo on online priorities: "Sports is a natural for more interactivity and for daily reporting on breaking news." Indeed.
♦ The Times picks up on the Union Station to LAX Flyaway service we had yesterday.
♦ The time capsule that was was buried in 1984 at the Times' then-new Chatsworth plant in 1984 has been moved to the downtown office, the in-house newspaper Among Ourselves says. The Chatsworth plant recently closed.
♦ Instead of looking backward, FilmStew.com has begun looking ten years ahead at what will happen in film history. It's a joke.
♦ C. Scott Miller publishes the BioConversion Blog out in Studio City and, naturally, is high on councilman Greig Smith's trash plan.
♦ The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and USC Annenberg are sponsoring a panel Wednesday at 7 pm on "Mistakes, Rumors and Responsibility: Covering Breaking News." Larry Mantle of KPCC will moderate, with panelists Scott Gold of the LAT, Jim Hattendorf of CBS2, Michael Parks of USC, Lt. Paul Vernon of the LAPD and Anita Vogel of Fox News. Info.