Of course we’re relieved to hear that none of our frenemies at the Times or P-I were endangered by the packages helpfully labeled “anthrax” delivered to their offices last Wednesday. The real toxin was sent to some of the New York media in 2001, and that was serious. (Five died as a result of similar mailings that year.)

Some Sacramento crank named Marc M. Keyser apparently mailed around 120 CDs labeled “Anthrax: Shock & Awe Terror” to newspapers and TV stations around the country. Most media outlets, the P-I included, refused to actually play said disc—which we’re guessing contains some sort of political screed. (The discs are stamped with a picture of what looks to be Colin Powell talking about WMDs at the UN.)

But notice, despite the massive and depressing decline of the newspaper biz, that this crackpot Keyser still cares about the MSM. It’s almost kind of touching, as the Christian Science Monitor ceases to print, as the Times announces yet more layoffs, that some conspiracy nut living in a trailer park (his windows covered with aluminum foil) still thinks newspapers have influence. It’s like getting a letter to the editor from Ted Kaczynski, or having Charles Manson call to complain that his newspaper was tossed into a puddle outside his front door. Somebody still reads us!

Need we point out that no one’s bothering to send anthrax to Google News? Not yet, anyway.