Media Watch

I know things are tough in the Middle East. The whole notion of a holy war seems to me oxymoronic, to over-simplify matters slightly. But what seems really odd to me is watching efforts to convince peoples that we're a peaceful nation and have deep-seeded beliefs in human rights, liberty and democracy, yet the government uses bombs and bullets to negotiate or sponsor a "peace process". I don't blame people of other lands and cultures for questioning the motivation of our leaders here.

I usually just delete forwarded emails, but this caught my eye. I received and read some remarks purportedly made by a televangelist's daughter today. It doesn't matter who made the remarks or what people were thinking when they forwarded it into cyberspace. People mostly know how I feel about cluttering other people's inboxes with politics and religion and offers of larger organs. But this particular message caught my eye for another reason. It hits on a nerve. I think it's no wonder people are pissed at the media in general because the news isn't news anymore and advertisers and political action groups have been given a right-of-way over the interests of America. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show.  [In reference to the September 11th attacks], Jane Clayson asked her, "How could God let something like this happen?" Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believ...

I've done my best to reserve judgment on President Bush after the Senate Intelligence Committee reported impairments in the intelligence he used to take the nation to war. I can bite my tongue no longer. Tenet resigns "for personal reasons" one week, and the next, the Intelligence Committee releases a negative report (careful not to criticize Bush personally). We can set aside for a moment all of the irrefutable facts repeated in the movie “Fahrenheit 9/11”. Hello! I think people have to trust their instincts on this one. Sure, we want to believe we have a president that has integrity; that's a natural desire. But we also have to use the facts to come to some thoughtful judgment. After all, it's our job, as tax payers and citizens, to make judgments which have consequences on our elected officials. It is not our job to trust them, a fact our forefathers tried to spell out for us. I know no one really wants war. There is nothing good about it, even t...

Saw the movie Wednesday night and have been processing it last couple days. It didn't change my mind -- and from the movie I can draw no conclusions. I was against Bush in 2000 and against the war in 2003. I think Bush is a poor leader and his circle engages in questionable practices. Will Conservatives stay with Bush? Of course they will. Will the movie convert a few conservatives into independents? I hope so.

Ellisblog

The nation obviously regards piping petroleum and natural gas products as more critical to human sustenance than water.  We spends billions on pipelines to deliver fossil fuels that destroy our environment and bring man to war, yet oxygen and water are given a backseat. On the other hand, why should I be surprised that government leadership that can't create a safe and reliable transportation infrastructure would act differently in this case?

If your computer’s acting up today, showing errors or shutting off completely, it might be infected with “Sasser”, a worm that hit computers this weekend. It does not use email to propagate, but it copies itself onto random vulnerable computers directly. Industry analysts suggest Sasser may have started in Russia. Microsoft is offering 250-thousand dollars in reward money for the identity of the author. Last year’s Blaster worm cost companies millions to fight, but Sasser may not have it so easy, due to acute awareness of such threats. In fact, Microsoft released a patch more than two weeks before the worm struck, that protects Windows computers from the worm. Speculation abounds that the very act of publishing a patch alerts would-be hackers and inspires attacks. The best defense against such threats? Keep your security patches up to date, use anti-virus software and put a firewall between you and the Internet.

A good download site... Tucows Downloads - Download freeware and shareware software

I want to tell an Iraqi person how I feel as an American. I am naive. I learned about America in text books. I learned about the world from text books. I have been given so much by our society and have put back so little in comparison. I volunteered for our military service as a promise and comitment to defend freedom, liberty and our American values. Luckily, I was not asked to fight in any war. I am truly a lucky individual. I was born into and inherited the principles of The New World, a place where freedom was born. We are not an old European country. We make no apologies for that. We are America! We are the United State of America. We are free people because our fathers and forefathers fought and died to establish it and maintain it. Freedom and liberty were gifts left by generations past. We came here to escape many injustices and built a land that is the envy of people of many lands. I am proud of my heriatage and I couldn't imagine living in another. ...

I was reading THE JEFFERSON MUZZLES the other day and it brought back a Dr. Phil quote from a couple years ago that has stuck with me, and it goes to the heart of secrecy. The thing that protects our liberties and freedoms most of all is the free speech principles of the First Amendment, which is responsible for keeping the government out in the open for all to observe, and thereby keeping it honest. If the government is permitted to operate under a veil, then it will most certainly be corrupt. One of the underlying themes of our form of government is distrust. Maintain a healthy distrust for the government, because when you start to trust it to provide for you, it will take away from you. Freedoms, liberties and money. But wait. That's already happening!

When a popular voice tells a lie, the passive majority among us will begin to promote it until it is perceived as the truth. Inundate sheep with manure long enough and they'll wallow in it. Case in point: A recent poll indicated most people believed weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq and that the dictator had indeed been linked to the 9-11 terrorists. While facts showed otherwise, popular media, through vague and ambiguous "analysis", propagated those perceptions. Walter Cronkite was once quoted as saying, "The news is what I saw the news is."  That seemingly arrogant remark has been taken several steps further by today's so-called news organizations.  Just because you report it, people do believe it.  There are a growing number of "analysts" who purport to be "journalists", and while news and commentary were once divided, today, opinion-based content is pervasive in popular media. Diane Sawyer was on Lett...

How long will Clear Channel tolerate my style of broadcasting?  When will Mark Mays announce a zero-tolerance policy against the likes of me and my standards?  When will " href="http://www.greaseman.org/wp_19970515.html" target="_blank">Greaseman " be heard in our market?

While the movie 1 (and I know you know to which I'm referring) and gay marriage 2 dominate the headlines, what isn't being covered?  Mel Gibson was apparently try to make a great movie, and I think he managed to do that.  1 Opponents of the film sound as though they want to hear themselves talk, and those who favor it are quite passionate in their remarks.  2 Regarding Bush's assertion that a constitutional amendment is needed, the Federal Government needs to get a life.  Now can the media move on and begin covering the news?

A neat party trick might make you smarter. Increases or improvements in advanced mental functions might result from learning to juggle -- a revelation that is believed to lead to disease management, accoring to Arne May, who heads reasearch in this area at Germany's University of Regensburg. Mars rover 'Spirit' is in critical trouble. NASA engineers think a hardware failure is the cause of malfunctions that cropped up this past week, which means the mission is terminated for all intents and purposes. Spirit's twin, 'Opportunity', is expected to land later today. It's unclear whether the second rover will suffer the same demise. A new way to contribute to the presidential candidate of your choice. Amazon.com rolled out a new feature Friday that collects campaign contributions of up to $200 for the candidates. As of this morning, Kerry received 1,699 bucks, Dean got 1,095 dollars and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik earned 252 dollars. A ...

Please don't pass this onto your friends. His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.  One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.  There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings.  An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life." "No, I can't accept payment for what I did", the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer.  At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.  "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes,...

This letter was forwarded to me, claiming to be the best ever chain letter.  You judge. Hello, my name is Dan and I suffer from the guilt of not forwarding 50 billion chain letters sent to me by people who actually believe that if you send them on, a poor 6-year-old girl in Arkansas with a breast on her forehead will be able to raise enough money to have it removed before her redneck parents sell her to a traveling freak show. Do you honestly believe that Bill Gates is going to give you, and everyone to whom you send this email, $1000?  How stupid are we? "Ooh, look here!  If I scroll down this page and make a wish, I'll get laid by a model I just happen to run into the next day!"  Whoopee!  Maybe the evil chain letter leprechauns will come into my house and sodomize me in my sleep for not continuing a chain letter that was started by Peter in 5 AD and brought to this country by midget pilgrims on the Mayflower.  Forget them. If...

Is it any wonder there's a demand for foreign workers in the US? $7 an hour is not a living wage, so naturally the American labor force doesn't race to take those jobs. Packing house wages haven't increased in twenty years, mostly as a direct result of illegal immigration and south-of-the-border recruiting efforts, and partly because we've started moving American companies to cheaper labor -- and right out of the jurisdiction of fair labor standards and market value in this country. American workers cannot compete on this playing field without sending Mom to work, thereby dominishing family values and the family unit itself!

Have you seen the national debt lately?  Do you see a trend? GW may well out spend Reagan & Bush 43 combined.  It took them 12 years to raise the debt from 1 to 4 trillion, and GW will raise it by 3 trillion in one term! Under Clinton, the fiscal deficit was reduced to zero and the national debt nearly stopped increasing altogether by the end of 2000. GW says he can cut the fiscal deficit by half in five years, and you know what? I don't believe him.

Whoa, stop with all the so-called reality TV. There's nothing genuine about it; it's meant to pull in ad dollars at the expense of (and perpetuates) the lowest common denominator. But I like "The Apprentice". No apologies. It inspires me and makes me think. About something worthwhile, for a change. Donald Trump has churned the imagination of many would-be entrepreneurs and this show puts on display the unusual personalities you see in business -- the same devious people we might really have to deal with in such an arena. UPDATE -- Who the hell does Trump's hair!?

It isn't fine with me that we're telling foreign nationals to ignore the legal standards for immigrating to the US, and 'W' didn't ask me about it. I fully recognize that we're a country built on immigration, but there's some paper work we ask people to fill out at the door. If you don't like the process, then let's work to change it, but don't reduce the standards based on unacceptable behavior and make breaking the law acceptable.  War exists where there are no effective laws; chaos reigns where there is no order; and Americans lose their jobs where illegal immigration is permitted!