I really don't understand how this unconscionable, vicious piece of shit has a national television show. Hell, even Glenn Beck lost his show, and no one killed themselves after going on it, did they?

Shame on the network.

Why does this have to start with calling her a "hawk-faced harpy"? Seriously, WTF? You don't like someone, criticize their actions. Don't use that same bullshit tactic that conservatives use to shut women up by mocking her appearance.

I renew my proposition to frame Nancy Grace for murder. It won't take much to turn her on herself.

@2: Quite right, particularly because the correct appellation is vicious, sociopathic, power-hungry cunt. Is it a terrible word? You betcha. Is it completely deserved, in the British sense of completely useless person? Abso-fuckin-lutely.

And BTW, this isn't a conservative tactic to shut a woman up by criticizing her appearance. Anyone who wears those pants suits has no real interest in her physicality, and she's made it clear we couldn't make her shut the fuck up with a welding torch and a stick of solder melted onto those meatflaps. It's simply an enjoyable way to knock down a truly terrible example of human feces.

@2, Nancy Grace is a fat, ugly, soulless piece of shit. There is no level of insult that is too extreme for her. She NEEDS to be shut up, preferably by having her face tied to a train track.

No, I don't like her, and no, I don't watch her show but I think it's a massive stretch to say she's responsible for these suicides. It's a lot more complex than one trash talking megalomaniac sending them over the edge. If there's a petition to pull her show I will most definitely sign it but I'll also support her right to spew her putrid bile on air so long as she is on the air.

2: Unlike 4 and 5, I do think some words are too much for Nancy Grace. But "hawk-faced harpy" aren't among them. It's factual. She has a hawk face, largely because of the extreme makeup she applies. Your insistence that its a slam is insulting to hawks.

@6: She's not directly responsible, any more than a bully is directly responsible for the suicide of kids and teens. She didn't put a gun in anyone's hand, any more than any bully. But I think it's fair to say bringing a woman on television and berating her for her actions during a time of trauma, for an act she wasn't responsible for, in front of millions of people, certainly contributed to it. And if we're going to charge cruel teenagers for their part in the deaths, it seems reasonable to do the same to her. Free speech is a wonderful thing. But there are limits to everything.

She's rude, abusive, controlling; she's a terrible human.

There's enough wrong with her personality. Why judge her physical appearance? To minimize her terribleness? To remind the people that women's personalities don't matter, since it's all about the perception of her looks?

Also: "Certainly, a woman who allegedly drinks herself into a stupor in the presence of her newborn has plenty of problems beyond the bleating of callous news harpies"

People get drunk and pass out with startling frequency, that doesn't speak to huge problems as much as that she has to daily deal with having killed her own child. Seems like that would be a bigger contributor to her suicide than what led her to drink.

But maybe I'm projecting.

no, no, no. OBAMA's the monster, because he made demand for that woman's son's business decline.

i mean, it's been 3.5 years since he took over. that's more than enough time to get the economy going again. hoover fixed the depression in half that time!

nancy grace is just doing the job she's paid to do - make troubled people kill themselves. it's not personal.

@9 - you are projecting. Drinking yourself to the point of passing out when another person's care (and in this case, life) is at stake is actually one of the definitions of a problem drinker.

And ordinarily I'd agree with those who say we shouldn't attack her looks, but I'm willing to look the other way with this woman. After all, we have no problem saying Rush Limbaugh is a fat, disgusting pig, or that Donald Trump looks like a feral cat died and started decomposing on top of his BBQ potato chip colored head. Hawk faced? Practically an endearment by comparison, and Grace is, if not AS odious, still plenty odious enough in her own right to deserve this kind of derision.

THAT SAID, you know who doesn't deserve this kind of derision? People you think are wrong simply because they disagree with you. The likes of Trump, Limbaugh, and Grace have done a lot to actively go beyond the 'we disagree, but can still respect each other' levels of basic human decency. Fuck them and carry on with the hawk face sniping.

@11 no,no,no. I didn't mean projecting about the drinking, nor did I mean to minimize the problem of drinking or the causes or the utter irresponsibility of what she did.

What I was projecting was how I think I'd feel about killing my children. If I were to cause my child's death, I can't see how I'd be able to live.

Whatever caused her to drink while caring for her newborn may not have been as traumatic as killing the baby. Seems like that would be the more likely reason for her suicide.

Um Melinda Duckett was lying her ass off to the police, and she killed her son. As much I cannot stand Nancy Grace, she is a former Federal Prosecutor who can pinned down lying POS. The lawsuit filed by the Duckett family was bullshit. Melinda Duckett killed her son.

Not only Grace's own behavior, but the fact that Melinda Duckett went on her show, shows people will do virtually any disgusting, debasing thing just to get on basic cable.

@13 - Former prosecutor. Former. Current monster.

@13 - And I don't see any mention of working for the feds on her page. Maybe I'm missing something. Unless you're counting her nationally televised witch hunts as federal prosecution.

Whatever Melinda Duckett did, Nancy Grace behaved inexcusably.

@15,

She was also accused of ethics violations as a prosecutor. There's a reason she doesn't do that job anymore, because she could't be a slanderous harpy without risking her ass getting shit-canned and disbarred.

@2 -- It's not only conservatives who use that tactic to shut women up. Everyone does it.

Calling her a "hawk-faced harpy" is just another way of saying she's an ugly bitch or a hideous cunt. It's a way of attacking her appearance and gender without sounding quite so crass.

@18 - How about "gross misuse of biomass"?

@19 -- Well, that's not specific to her appearance or gender. You honestly can't tell the difference?

Better uses for the chemicals that make up Nancy Grace (a partial list)

- A large nail.
- A rabid dog.
- Equivalent mass of leeches.
- Maybe a small chair made of bones, skin and hair?
- A large, brown, nipple-shaped diamond.

@20 - I'm suggesting alternatives that might appease the tone police, officer.

@22: It isn't the tone that's objectionable. It's the gendered words David chose to describe this execrable carbuncle on the buttocks of humankind.

Seriously. Why is it so hard for men to accept that they've used sexist language? Do you not think women are qualified to know when gendered language is being used as an insult?

There is so much that is sad about this.

@16

Why don’t you read about Trenton Duckett’s disappearance and case? Guess who was the prime suspect? No matter how obnoxious is Nancy Grace, and believe me, I can’t stand her, it is nothing compare to murdering a 2 year old boy by his mother. Grow up.

@23: In this particular case, why would we care? Her gender has no bearing on her cuntosity. She'd be as big of a cunt with a huge swinging dick between those tree trunk thighs. You can choose to take it as an attack on your gender, if you wish - incorrectly, but you can do so. I personally think Nancy Grace herself is an attack on your gender, since she's helped kill 2 of you so far.

We didn't have cable for a long time so I had never seen her show. When I actually did I swear to god that I watched it for a good 20 minutes thinking it was something like the Onion TV. I thought it was really hilarious! Then we realised it wasn't satire and my jaw dropped in horror. The thing about insults is that it is very common to compare the person being insulted to some other appalling thing, like comparing Rush Limbaugh to an oozing, syphilitic water buffalo. But it's complicated, because women are judged so severely on their appearance that it is often the only way they are referenced at all. Their ideas and opinions often aren't even addressed. So while it is tempting to compare Ms. Grace's person to any number of revolting things, because she IS revolting on every level, I don't feel we've come so far as a society that we have the luxury to do that. But her disgusting actions and manners are fair game.

@25 - It's nice to see you have a similar respect for the legal process as does Nancy Grace. Hang 'em high, we can hold a fair trial later!

Oh shit, did you tell me to grow up? Noooo! I've been undone by your completely relevant comment!

@27: I acknowledge and understand your point. Society isn't very nice to women in general. But I'm not society. I believe I, and many other people, are capable of being quite fond and nonjudgmental of women in general, while still treating some individuals with the cruelty they deserve in specificity.

Let me break it down like this. I have this aunt. By marriage, thank the gods, not by blood. When I was five I saw her scream at her son, 8 months older than me, for dropping something non-breakable as though he'd set the house on fire. When I was 8 or so I saw her shake him like a ragdoll for forgetting his toothbrush at a sleepover. At 10 I watched her take a horsewhip to one of her own dogs because it didn't get out of her way fast enough. She dragged my family through a decade long property case out of pure greed. My feelings for this woman could only be expressed by setting her on fire.

I see Nancy Grace, and I see the same attitude. The same spite, same resentment, same evil, vindictive nature. They aren't alike because they have the same sex organs. They're the same because they express what cruelty really looks like. They share its face. Women are creatures of the same value as men. Nancy Grace isn't a woman any more than, say, Michelle Bachman is. Or Rush Limbaugh and Fred Phelps are men.

A great way to combat mean-spiritedness is...more mean-spiritedness.

Don't get me wrong, she sucks, but she's just a product of a larger culture, which includes comment threads of blogs like this. (And I am just as guilty.)

@28 you stated this...

"Whatever Melinda Duckett did, Nancy Grace behaved inexcusably.”

Nancy Grace asked questions that any homicidal detective would asked. They were pretty straightforward.

I don’t understand why people think that causality of Melinda Duckett’s suicide was her telephone interview with Nancy Grace. Melinda Duckett was a prime suspect in the disappearance and murder of her son. The motive was there, (raucous battles with her ex husband) Melinda was in the timeline, (i.e. the last person to see Trenton alive) She was lying her ass off to the police, and was throwing away pictures and toys of Trenton.

So, yes grow up. Melinda’s world was collapsing, and it had nothing to do with Nancy Grace. Nancy Grace’s super obnoxious behavior has nothing to do with the murder of a 2 year old child.

> "Nancy Grace asked questions that any homicidal detective would asked"

That sounds about right.

Except that Nancy Grace doesn't ask questions. Nancy Grace makes statements.

Oh, and also, guess who's got two thumbs and isn't a detective. It's you and Nancy Grace. I'm pointing my thumbs at you. And of course, even a properly conducted investigation isn't televised. A detective--even a homocidal one--doesn't make it his business to publicly ruin the reputations of his suspects.

@29 -- If there's so much that's despicable about the content of Nancy Grace's character, why resort to childish name-calling about her looks or gender? It only weakens your arguments against her by making you seem, at best, petty, and at worst, misogynistic.

@22 -- As others have pointed out, it's not a question of tone, and I'm not the tone police. No one is attempting to police you or take away your freedom of expression. You have the right to call anyone a bitch or a cunt or any number of terrible things. And other people have the right to criticize you for it if they want. Don't confuse freedom of expression with impunity from ever being criticized.

@31 The phrase is "homicide detective."

"Homicidal detective" means something completely different.

Yeah, I'm with Amanda here. There's lots of words to use to denigrate and revile this woman with. We don't *actually* have to use the gendered insults.

@ 31, why the hell don't you give it up. Grace is a piece of shit, and whatever Duckett did (which you don't have the first fucking clue - you're not a cop, that much is clear, never mind anyone with material knowledge of the case) doesn't excuse ANYTHING she does.

@ everyone, regarding the topic of gendered insults, "harpy" is on par with "poopyhead." You're going to get mad over someone being called "poopyhead?" Let it go.

Not for nothing, and risking being one of the annoying PC ones, it's just aggravating that we use "harpie" for women we dislike. Use it for men enough times and I'll be okay with it (though it would make very little sense, mythologically). I've heard enough men called "cunts" and women called "dicks", but come on.... "Harpie"? I can't count how many times Hilary Clinton was called that by the Right, and I wish we could leave that brand of sexist bullshit to the GOP.

The Left tries so hard not to appear "PC" by flinging shitty terms around like this. Sad that we're so easily made to play the game.

@37 How is "poopyhead" a gendered insult? I'm a little naive and might have missed a Savage Love episode that would make it clear, but I don't see how they're related. Educate me.

@2 and @27 - Yes, thanks for expressing that (and for not flinching from the flack you'll get from the misogynists).

It's cool to get riled up when someone calls a woman a harpy, as long as you get equally riled up when someone calls a man a: dick, prick, bastard, loser, wimp, pencil-necked geek, dumb jock, frat boy, creep, perv, player, pussy, etc.

Or when can all just agree that when human beings want to put someone down, we tend, for whatever reason, to use earthy language that relates to their gender. And that we aren't willing to retire so much rich language because of something we learned back in women's studies 101.

@ 39, it isn't.

"Rich language" (!)
"Women's studies 101"
"Earthy language"
Incredible. But I don't have time to teach 102 today. G'night kittens. May your dreams lend breadth to your views.

@38: Because in the original Greek mythology, harpies were female. Blame the ancient Greeks.

My personal reaction to Nancy Grace is to wish that someone would wipe that smug smirk (redundant, I know) off her face by the generous application of a trout - both backhand and forehand.

Don't forget what she did to Richard Ricci. The first person of interest in the Elizabeth Smart Case. Died from a stroke while in jail on a trumped up probation vilotaion. No doubt due to the stress and she has never appologized. Accused his girlfirend too.

From her Wiki article. I know it's Wiki but it is an accurate version of the events.

"During the 2002 Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case, when suspect Richard Ricci was arrested by police on the basis that he had a criminal record and had worked on the Smarts' home, Grace immediately and repeatedly proclaimed on CourtTV and CNN's Larry King that Ricci "was guilty," although there was little evidence to support this claim. She also suggested publicly that Ricci's girlfriend was involved in the cover-up of his alleged crime. Grace continued to accuse Ricci, though he died while in custody.

It was later revealed that Smart was kidnapped by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, two individuals with whom Richard Ricci had no connection.

When CourtTV confronted Grace seven months later to ask whether she was incorrect in her assertion that Ricci was guilty, and whether or not she felt bad about it in any way, she stated that Ricci was "a known ex-con, a known felon, and brought suspicion on himself, so who could blame anyone for claiming he was the perpetrator?" When Larry King asked her about the matter, she equated criticism of herself with criticism of the police in the case. She said: "I'm not letting you take the police with me on a guilt trip.""

@44 ... It sounds like you didn't read my comment. I spoke pretty simply about the mythology.

Nancy Grace is an asshole, and it amazes me that the casualties of her career don't appear to effect any consequence in her success. She continues in her vein only because that is the nature of the structure of what we expect. IMHO.

@41 -- You're probably one of those people who thinks that racism is over, aren't you? Sometimes I wish I could live in that happy little bubble.

@43, @47, I thought the argument was, we shouldn't use gendered insults? I'm pointing out that insults don't have to explicitly refer to gender, or exactly mirror one another, to be gendered. ("Hawk-faced" could apply equally to a man or a woman.)

Sure, we don't tend to insult men as much for their appearance or lack of chastity, because those aren't qualities we have traditionally valued as much in men as in women. Instead, we insult men for being weak (wimp), or sexually undesirable (creep, loser, "you live in your parent's basement." When was the last time you heard any of these directed at a woman?)

Yes, Hillary Clinton faced gendered attacks. So did Bush senior (the "wimp factor") and Kerry (remember how he had to go hunting to prove he wasn't effete?).

If your argument is that it is not ok to attack women you don't like in these terms, but it is ok to do it to men, then just say so explicitly. Because the patriarchy, I guess?

@27, I had a similar experience of not having seen any basic cable news in the longest time, then tuning in to see Nancy Grace doing her act. Horrifying to see this level of violent, pandiering rhetoric was now the acceptable bottom rung of the cable news business. She's the kind of one-note act that will do the same schtick over and over. I blame all of us for letting a program so lousy and debasing to stay on the air. From the execs to the "legitimate" network anchors and reporters who let Grace's revenues prop up their own news budgets and paychecks, to the subscribers who let it pass, all of us constituents who decline to agitate for Congressional pressure on Time Warner to get her evil off the air.

@34: Because I'm not required by law, personality, or society to limit myself to a particular set of insults. And because I find it immensely satisfying to use the sort of language that perfectly describes the person in question.

The word choice police showed up at the scene in record time for this one.

"harpy" is most definitely a gendered word. it is absolutely female.

@48 -- See 34, 27.

@51 -- See 34.

@50 -- I wasn't arguing you were required to limit yourself to certain insults when attacking someone. I was saying that the insults you choose often reveal more about you than about the source of your ridicule, so choose wisely.

@31,

A detective who is actually good at his/her job would not have treated Duckett that way. You don't verbally abuse someone you're trying to get information from. You don't accuse someone of lying right out of the gate. Grace is a hack. All she has is vitriol.

Though I doubt that the Nancy Grace interviews helped, we should acknowledge that it's possible that a woman whose two-year-old has been kidnapped might kill herself because of that.

But yes, this woman is a malicious clown who brings out the worst in human group dynamics.

@37, Matt, I'm a little less concerned about 'harpy' than I am about 'cunt'.

And to all those arguing 'word police'--there are so many ways to insult Grace that don't bring gender into it. TVDinner did so straight away at #1. Using words specifically to shut down women is kinda unnecessary.

@37 Matt from Denver.

Actually, bozo, I do know about the case, and how Melinda Duckett’s story wasn’t backed up with the timeline. The police were focused on her, and pretty much looking for Trenton via her whereabouts since she picked him up for Daycare, two days before she called the police. She was under an enormous pressure before the Nancy Grace phone interview.

She didn’t kill herself because of the Nancy Grace interview, which was actually that third degree compare to Nancy Grace’s crazy antics, Melinda Duckett killed herself because she was a prime suspect in a murder investigation.

Nancy Grace is really obnoxious, I hardly a fan of her antics, but to blame her for Melinda Duckett’s death, doesn’t correlate that Melinda Duckett killed her son and planned a cover up that wasn’t believable.

nancy grace face is a sad example of the worst kind of pandering to our cultures baser instincts. anyone who objects to her relentless witch hunts would be welcomed by those who stand on the right side of our creators hand,and reject that evil ogre. she is guilty of having a very ugly mind. M.H.