The REAL Issue - Media and Public Opinion

Here's a little something I wrote back around Valentine's day, just before the House voted on the nonbinding resolution (aka cowardly potshot at President Bush and our brave Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen). Okay, it's not exactly little... but it's not a novel either.

-ne

The REAL issue with the media and public opinion.

After much consideration, I've come to the conclusion that the reason we are even having a discussion in the House of Representatives about the defeatist and dishonest-pushed nonbinding resolution is because the American People have been misled. Plain and simple. So many columnists and broadcast news anchors are throwing aside analysis for partisan agenda, or disregarding fact and reality in favor of the extreme and visually assaulting simply in order to get viewership or readership to increase. Make no mistake, they're in it for the money, not for the truth. Unfortunately so many citizens do not expend the effort or take the time to research all sides of a story from different sources and are left with slanted, abbreviated summary - and I'm not just talking about articles found on the editorial pages. As a whole, we the people don't respond properly to assumption and incomplete facts or references. We all know the saying "garbage in, garbage out". Propaganda is powerful to the weak-minded and those unwilling to dig deeper. The rest of us just have to be stifled by powermongers like those in the Oregon Democratic Kulongoski Regime. Oops, I mean government.

Take the Iraq war. Today we have over 120,000 troops on the ground, with more to follow. Hundreds, thousands of military vehicle convoys move around the country DAILY. Only a tiny percentage of these are attacked in any given day, which means that at the very least 98% of the daily efforts of the convoys run without incident. What about all of these missions, all of these success, all of the progress that is truly being made? Where do you hear about this? Only from the soldiers who have been there, who are there now, and who are actually involved in accomplishing this mission. How does the media majority, including newspapers and televised newscasts, paint the American Soldier? They focus on comments of incompetents like John Kerry who insinuate that our enlisted men and women are dumb, or only joined because it was the only way to climb out of destitute poverty. Or they constantly remind us of Abu Ghraib, where a handful out of all of those working at the facility were convicted of mistreating the detainees. These were disciplined by the military court system (successful justice, it's a good thing) and draw the immature and baseless conclusion that all of our military personell participated in this behavior, or would if they had the chance. The say the men and women fighting for the success of a free Iraq governed by it's own people are rapists and murderers. The insult to humanity and the American spirit is that uninformed people believe this. Nevermind the incredibly far-reaching implications of pulling out before victory in Iraq, which the Democrats and more liberal-leaning Republicans in the House of Representatives really want to do, just without saying those words. We have a constant barrage of negativity issuing from talking heads whose goal in life is to undermine, to push their personal eutopian ideals, and to silence their opposition. Our enemies quote our politicians, using their words to build support within their own extremist ranks. And yet these same liberal voices in our government would likely never sacrifice self for country voluntarily- something any soldier who enlists in any branch of the military pledges to do, and hundreds of thousands have done over the history of our great nation. They are too caught up in rhetoric to take action. We all know the overwhelming majority would not be eligible for military service at this point in their life, that's not the point. It's the attitude - not wanting to risk their comfort, their power in order to stand up for what is right and good. On the other hand, one thing that can never be said about President Bush is that he hasn't stood up for his own beliefs consistently and firmly, regardless of what would happen to his perceived prestige as a result.

On to global warming. So many people believe this farce without question that even here few Oregonians are fighting the governor's tactics when a scientist whose analysis has led him to speak out against the theory of global warming is relieved of his title of State Climatologist on the basis that his opinion does not fit with State policy. Though I am not intimately familiar with conditions during the Stalin-led communist Soviet Union, this sounds like something that would have happened during those dark days. And uninformed people agree with Kulongoski's actions. But on closer examination at the actual data quoted by the global warming fanatics, or more truthfully the total lack of hard evidence supporting the claims, this theory falls apart. Even better, simply consider the tactics used by those pushing this agenda and stripping you of your freedom to chose how you want to live. If nothing else, we should be extremely suspicious when we are dealing with this "scientific consensus." Consensus? Millions and millions of people all over the planet believe that the Earth was created by a higher being, regardless of how they name the being or power. Does that make creation fact? Not if you ask the anti-Christian left. And yet, if we follow the logic behind their own arguments in support of human-caused global warming it does. Which is fine with me, since I happen to believe a Creation actually occurred. But in all seriousness, consensus does not and can not replace scientific fact and analysis. All the while anyone disagreeing with the mainstream opinion of human cause is being stifled at every turn, we have a former Vice President with no scientific degree pushing a blatantly propagandic film all over the country and on over into Europe, and who has even trained an entourage to be official representatives in his stead. (Great, more people who want to be like Al Gore.) To summarize: Hawaii may have seen 50 degree temperatures this year, snow may fall for the first time in 63 years in Kathmandu, tens of thousands of people across the United States can be without power due to extreme cold weather conditions and record snowfall, screenings of "An Inconvenient Truth" can be cancelled for the same reasons, but if you're truly intelligent you had better leave the SUV in the driveway (or sell it) and break out those snowshoes to hit the natural foods market, because we're causing the Global meltdown that will... kill... us... all

As this insanity unfolds, and the Party in Power dismantles our freedom beginning with the Military charged with protecting it, I would ask only one thing of anyone reading this: Wherever a debate is ongoing, whenever a decision is made, consider the end implications of the action. I guarantee that you will find the vast majority (if not all) of the actions taken by the liberal Democrats will in the end accomplish two things - strip you of your freedom, and increase the size of the Federal government. Then think about how long you want this to continue, how much you want to pay in taxes, and how little you want to be able to choose for yourself.

Suidice Bombers and Liberal Inhumanity

On the way in to work today, I heard the news blurb that at least 18 civilians had been killed in a suicide blast outside the United States' largest military base in Afghanistan. Primary reports indicated that the Taliban took credit for the attack, though there was much doubt from investigators that the Taliban could have been aware that Vice President Cheney was inside the base at that time, having made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan.

I parked the car, turned off the radio, and headed for the short walk through the park behind the 200 Market Street building. After getting settled in and organized with my days work, I overheard a woman ask one of my coworkers how he was doing, since he had come in to work so early. His response set my blood boiling: "I'd be doing a lot better if those stupid suicide bombers had got it right. C'mon, they killed all those people who didn't deserve to die and missed the one they should have got."

I make a conscious effort not to fall prey to rhetoric from those who label all liberals as defeatists and underminers of the military and our mission in Iraq (and vice-versa, any who label all conservatives as right-wing neocons). Believing all of what any one person says is a shortcut to being misled and subjected to all sorts of infectious propaganda. But to hear someone I know personally to be more liberal minded make an utterly disgusting statement wishing our Vice President had been killed in that attack completely wiped any doubt about the insanity of left-leaning homosapiens from my mind. I had at one time thought this man to be somewhat informed and logical.

In my mind, tiny thought it is, citizens of the United States of America regardless of political opinion or affiliation have a responsibility to uphold and support their elected President. Since G.W. Bush began his first term, there have been numerous media pieces depicting or describing his assassination. Why is that? Who would even consider themself qualified to make such a damning judgment call -- that the President or Vice President of the United States of America is worthy of assassination?

Of Mice and Men

'Twas a dark and stormy night as we drove into our apartment complex, stopping briefly at the mailbox to find out which billing service will get this month's "Most Annoying" award (looks like Comcast has a substantial lead on Clark Public Utilities). Minute twisters tossed leaves, cigarette butts, and other miscellaneous rubbish in random swirling dances through the path of our not-so-fuel-efficient sedan's headlights. One certain piece caught my eye, and as we pulled forward I noticed that it's pattern didn't change. On closer inspection we learned that the performer was a small field mouse, who seemed oblivious to the fact that a 3,000-pound automobile had driven within two feet of him. Twice.

What was my reaction? That of any red-blooded American male - I wanted to see if I could run it over on the first try. Much to my disappointment, the feral cry of a wild female human... er, the objections of my wife... quickly stifled that barbaric urge. So I tried logic: "something must be wrong, look - he's not running away. Have you ever seen a mouse just run around like that?", all to no avail. I was answered, in the end, that I could "...do whatever you want, but if you kill that thing you'd better not tell me about it."

What a dilemma. Either follow her pleading and leave this obviously disturbed mammal to be devoured by wild street cats - the same ones who roamed our apartment complex urinating on doormats as a form of free speech - or lose hard-earned brownie points by ignoring my wife's objection and killing an innocent and defenseless creature (who, as one co-worker pointed out the next day, could have been "hopped up on rat poison,") and follow my drive to do what another co-worker described as "...God's work...stamping out another piece of vermin." I pulled the car into our parking spot, got out and carried our son up to our apartment door. After seeing them inside, I ran back down the stairs to the still running Nissan, and made myself comfortable behind the wheel. "Well, what do you think?" I asked aloud. Scarcely a second passed when the answer "I bet you can smash him on the first pass, even doing 20." came. With no opposing votes from the house, the binding resolution passed to deafening applause. I turned off the radio - nothing worse than applause to break one's concentration. Looking back today, I still think I did him a favor. I just hope my wife doesn't read this.