As one who believes our system of government is completely broken, no longer bearing any semblance of the democracy and limited government our forefathers designed for us, I cannot in good conscience firmly back either candidate in this year's Presidential election. I think we lost our chance to restore liberty when we were too short-sighted to see the wisdom behind Ron Paul's campaign in the Primaries. However, I can make a string case against Barack Obama being chosen to lead this country.
You have all heard the rumors of Obama's background and associations, many of which are true, but even they have no bearing on my argument.
It's really quite simple. The man is a Socialist, period. He may be registered as a Democrat and may have earned the reputation as the nation's most liberal Senator, but his political views go far beyond even the liberal tax and spend ways of Democrats and well into the realm of Socialism and Marxism.
That in itself is enough to make me refuse to ever vote for him, regardless of who is running against him.
However, an even stronger argument is preservation of a balance of power. Unfortunately most Americans seem to have forgotten their high school civics class and the fact that this country is currently a two party system, which I think led to the utter ruin of our great nation, but that's another argument for another day. No, today I am merely concerned with the fact that, if Barack Obama is elected our next President, we will have a Democrat-controlled White House AND a Democrat-controlled Congress. Our entire country will be led and governed by a single party. How on earth will we ever be able to keep this man, the most liberal (translation: dangerous) Senator in check if we hand him control of the White House when Congress is also controlled by liberals?
The thing I can't seem to wrap my mind around is how our nation has turned a blind eye to the tyrannical rule of these two parties for so long.
Showing posts with label ignorance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ignorance. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, June 29, 2007
Ethical journalism
No, that is not the oxymoron you are presuming, although given the sad state of most news outlets these days, I can certainly understand why you may think so.
I am often ashamed to be lumped into the categories of "media" and "journalists", given the poor standards of so many of my counterparts.
Perhaps I am even more ashamed of the society, which has fed this machine.
It was an old family friend, a muckraker from way back, who had prepared me for the onslaught, offering the following words of wisdom:
"The only thing you have when you walk in that door is your integrity. Before the door even closes behind you, you'll have people doing everything they can to take that away from you. They will try to sweet talk you into giving it to them, they will try to buy it from you and they will even beat you over the head and try to snatch it from you. But remember this, whether you're there 2 years or 20 years, when you walk back out that door, your integrity is the only thing you're taking with you.
Sure enough, the good ol' boys were well pleased and eager when I found myself in the role of editor of our community newspaper. I was a young white woman in a small southern town where the only news outlet (our weekly paper) had long-since been labeled as a biased, sensationalist "rag". Local leaders were used to the status quo — controlling the voice of the people by applying pressure when needed, brown-nosing when necessary and resorting to bribery, threats and bricks when all else failed.
"We look forward to some real positive coverage," they stated with a friendly smile, shaking my hand firmly.
I simply mustered my sweetest southern girl voice and replied, "If you do positive things, you will get positive coverage, but don't go getting mad if you do something stupid and end up looking like a jackass across the front page. I will be fair and I will be accurate but that is all I can promise."
It took them a while to grasp that concept. Apparently a man's integrity has a pretty low price tag these days.
My job is simple — I am the eyes and ears of the community. It is my responsibility to ensure that the people of the community have access to the information they need to make informed decisions. It is also my duty to encourage and foster communication among them. It is NOT my responsibility to tell people how they should interpret that information and it is NOT my responsibility to protect the reputations of people or policy.
It can be a difficult line to follow in today's society where the masses have become so accustomed to having their information spoon-fed to them in palatable sips, watered down or sweetened to make their digestion more pleasing.
I believe my readers are intelligent enough to discern information for themselves and refuse to spoon-feed them as though they were toddlers, unable to tell you their favorite color without asking you first what they believe their favorite color to be.
"Ignorance is bliss," George Orwell explained in his novel 1984.
It certainly is. It also seems as though, coupled with apathy, it could lead to utter destruction.
I am often ashamed to be lumped into the categories of "media" and "journalists", given the poor standards of so many of my counterparts.
Perhaps I am even more ashamed of the society, which has fed this machine.
It was an old family friend, a muckraker from way back, who had prepared me for the onslaught, offering the following words of wisdom:
"The only thing you have when you walk in that door is your integrity. Before the door even closes behind you, you'll have people doing everything they can to take that away from you. They will try to sweet talk you into giving it to them, they will try to buy it from you and they will even beat you over the head and try to snatch it from you. But remember this, whether you're there 2 years or 20 years, when you walk back out that door, your integrity is the only thing you're taking with you.
Sure enough, the good ol' boys were well pleased and eager when I found myself in the role of editor of our community newspaper. I was a young white woman in a small southern town where the only news outlet (our weekly paper) had long-since been labeled as a biased, sensationalist "rag". Local leaders were used to the status quo — controlling the voice of the people by applying pressure when needed, brown-nosing when necessary and resorting to bribery, threats and bricks when all else failed.
"We look forward to some real positive coverage," they stated with a friendly smile, shaking my hand firmly.
I simply mustered my sweetest southern girl voice and replied, "If you do positive things, you will get positive coverage, but don't go getting mad if you do something stupid and end up looking like a jackass across the front page. I will be fair and I will be accurate but that is all I can promise."
It took them a while to grasp that concept. Apparently a man's integrity has a pretty low price tag these days.
My job is simple — I am the eyes and ears of the community. It is my responsibility to ensure that the people of the community have access to the information they need to make informed decisions. It is also my duty to encourage and foster communication among them. It is NOT my responsibility to tell people how they should interpret that information and it is NOT my responsibility to protect the reputations of people or policy.
It can be a difficult line to follow in today's society where the masses have become so accustomed to having their information spoon-fed to them in palatable sips, watered down or sweetened to make their digestion more pleasing.
I believe my readers are intelligent enough to discern information for themselves and refuse to spoon-feed them as though they were toddlers, unable to tell you their favorite color without asking you first what they believe their favorite color to be.
"Ignorance is bliss," George Orwell explained in his novel 1984.
It certainly is. It also seems as though, coupled with apathy, it could lead to utter destruction.
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