Andy Rooney, the world’s first blogger, died at 92.

And the always self-indulgent media is showering him with unflattering words like“curmudgeon,” “irascible,” and “cranky.” The media are morons, because he was none of those things. He was a guy who was not afraid to say that some stuff we take for granted is just stupid, frustrating, or annoying.

One of the more persistent memories many of us have was that he was a homophobe and racist; he was suspended and forced to apologize at one point—although the exact statement he made about gay unions seemed taken completely out of context (he was using heavy sarcasm to attack the news media’s then-fascination with deaths of gays); and his so-called racist comments about Native Americans’ misdirected complaints (“they’re not going to get their country back. Next question.”) seems more like an observation that was simply too blunt.

In hindsight, he was forced to apologize for something he never actually said, which must have been humiliating. And by all accounts, he was not a racist. Indeed, he was that more vicious creature for the Left: a liberal who came off sounding like a conservative. As a result, numerous “hoax” letters were emailed from dupe to dupe in which he was purported to have said terrible things: however, he wrote or said none of them, and spent too much of his career trying to stop their spread. Both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck understand this problem, but never quite get the opportunity to defend themselves as many times as Rooney was given.

Anyway, bloggers of the world now have the internet at their disposal, and should honor the passing of Mr. Rooney the best way possible: a screed about something that annoys you. Go ahead. We’ve always got ‘Puter, so we’re good here.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.