The weekend before November's elections, Frank Rich of the New York Times wrote a curious column titled, "The G.O.P. Stalinists Invade Upstate New York."

Apparently, in Rich's mind, because conservatives thought -- accurately as it turned out -- that Dede Scozzafava, running for Congress in New York's 23rd District was a Republican in Name Only, and they preferred a more conservative candidate, that made them...Stalinists! On the other hand, it was rather refreshing to see a journalist with the New York Times use the word pejoratively. Needless to say, that hasn't always been the case, as we'll explore in the latest edition of Silicon Graffiti, including:

* Thomas Friedman's love for Big Brother in China and Cuba.
* The Time's necrophilic 1953 obit for Stalin.
* Walter Duranty: ace foreign correspondent.
* A quote from the New Yorker on Pinch, Punch, and "the other guy's country."
* And the Time's first ombudsman on where the Gray Lady sits on the ideological spectrum. (less info)