Tuesday, January 28, 2014
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Crossfire Targeted For Sparking Interest In Civic Affairs
Since it was first broadcast, CNN's Crossfire was the place to go for
verbal pugilism in the days before the ascendancy of Fox News and the
pervasiveness of talk radio. With its return to the airwaves after an
absence of eight years, the program's latest incarnation elicited
visceral reactions before it was even broadcast.
In the August 28, 2013 edition of USA Today, Rem Rieder doesn't hold back in his disappointment at the news of this classic program's return and his overall contempt for the argumentative debate format.
Rieder laments, “Crossfire, which features a conservative and a liberal predictably and tiresomely bickering with each other, mirrors perfectly what is so wrong with today's hopelessly polarized and paralyzed politics.”
Rieder goes on to conclude that these days that there is no real attempt to solve problems or get outside of the Beltway.
Reider attempts to cast himself in the role of the kind of dispassionate analyst he claims that he longs to see heading into public affairs programing. However, his words betray blatantly leftist sympathies.
For example, in listing the identities of Crossfire's new hosts, Newt Gingrich is the only one held up for ridicule. Van Jones confessing to be a self-avowed Communist is glossed over as if such an admission is something normal and healthy.
Gingrich might daydream about space colonies. But in the ideal world of Van Jones where he identifies so enthusiastically with that particular form of tyranny, authorities would seize nearly everything you have worked for (with the exception of Van Jones' lavish CNN salary) and violently eliminate those that continue to speak out against a dictatorial regime despite extensive efforts at reeducation and social manipulation.
One might respond that an observation pointing out a failure to expose Van Jones as a leftwing subversive is reading too much into it. After all, with Kardashian bastards and Miley Cyrus stage humping, the average American no doubt finds it difficult to retain this constant barrage of information at the forefront of their cognitive awareness.
Rem Rieder, however, drops another comment that reveals that there is more to his agenda than a dispassionate pursuit of just the facts.
Apart from the incident where Robert Novak (likely suffering from the early stages of a brain tumor) stormed off the set no longer capable of handling James Carville's banshee-like shrieking, one of most recalled moments of the original Crossfire occurred with the visit of Comedy Central's John Stewart of the Daily Show. During the interview, Stewart lamented how the debate program and especially Tucker Carlson was hurting the country.
The thing of it is, the likes of John Stewart has done more to hurt this country than the number of interchangeable hosts and even greater number of guests exchanging wonky barbs at one another ever could.
Personally, I can probably count on both hands the number of times I have seen the Daily Show. The only segment that sticks out in my mind was of some bozo walking around in a giant penis costume promoting safe sex or some similar propaganda.
If that represents the kind of public affairs programming Rem Rieder thinks is needed to either elevate or save the Republic, we are worse off than most of us realize. It is likely not John Stewart's wisdom as a statesman that Reider is praising but something else entirely.
In the waning days of the Roman Empire, lavish entertainment spectacles were put on for the purposes of distracting the population from the public scandals and disasters that confronted the world superpower of that day.
Granted, in much the same way that politics is said to be a form of show business for the unattractive, programs such as Crossfire, Hannity, and The O'Reilly Factor tend to be a form of pugilism or professional wrestling for the physically puny but verbally inclined. But despite any shortcomings that these programs might posses, it cannot be denied that they at least get across the point that there is something rotten in Denmark (or more accurately, the United States of America in this instance).
That's why the likes of Rem Rieder are more enthused about a perambulating giant penis costume. And the reason behind that might not be quite so obvious as one might assume by that shocking verbal formulation.
Elites talk up the delights and wonders of deliberative democracy. But the last thing they really want are those in the servile classes to passionately hold to any fixed standard or belief that would impede this human capital from being reshaped, deployed, and even eliminated in accordance with the most convenient timetable possible.
This is the sentiment spoken of euphemistically when talking heads, academics, bureaucrats, and elected officials express a nostalgia for a bygone era when legislators would get together at the end of the day to hash out compromises over cocktails or, in the case of Ted Kennedy, cocaine and lapdances. That approach might have been OK when the kinds of things discussed were the equivalent of whether a tax rate would be 9% or 10%.
But these kinds of backroom compromises have gone on for so long and the line of acceptability moved back so far that, for the go-along to get-along to continue, those of good conscience are being pressured into betraying the fundamental values and morals without which a ordered yet free society will surely collapse.
For example, if one the ethical building blocks upon which a just and free society rests is the assumption thou shalt not murder, meaning that it is beyond the limits of acceptability to deliberately take the life of an individual that has committed no crime, where is the moral wiggle room for an abortion of convenience or preference? On what grounds do you kill a life form, that will be no more genetically complete than it would be at the time of birth, without the consent of that individual for the purposes of harvesting that individual's stem cells or other biomolecular components?
Most believe that marriage is a sacred covenant instituted by God Himself predating the codification of organized religion in a time when man's relationship with our Creator did not require the medium of the written word. So on what grounds can that definition be changed on the whims of a jurist or plebiscite and on what basis do those making such a claim complain when these fickle procedures decide to change the arrangement back?
Just where does one compromise on these kinds of issues? For if one does, isn't doing so the equivalent of saying it is allowable to slap your spouse one time across the face but twice is going too far?
As these kinds of social developments continue to unfold, it is becoming more apparent that recognition of gay marriage is not so much about these individuals confessing unending love for one another which they are pretty much able to do so already in parts of the country where most mind their own business and where laws prohibiting illegitimate carnal knowledge haven't been enforced for years. Rather, it is about bringing the destructive power of the state crushing down upon those that do not stand around applauding the new world we are being thrust into.
Don't believe me? Perhaps you ought to ask the bakers and wedding photographers whose businesses have been ruined for failing to embrace diversity to this radical extent. What about their ability to express their preferences without fear of retaliation?
Only time will tell whether or not there is a place for a revived Crossfire in a media landscape where the clash of opinions is more the norm than an entertaining novelty, However, even if this particular program falls by the wayside as a result of attention being grabbed by flashier versions of this classic debate format, Crossfire deserves a place at least in the pages of journalistic and mass communications history for admitting that legitimate opinion worthy of national consideration exists beyond the narrowly defined parameters of the mainstream establishment.
By Frederick Meekins
In the August 28, 2013 edition of USA Today, Rem Rieder doesn't hold back in his disappointment at the news of this classic program's return and his overall contempt for the argumentative debate format.
Rieder laments, “Crossfire, which features a conservative and a liberal predictably and tiresomely bickering with each other, mirrors perfectly what is so wrong with today's hopelessly polarized and paralyzed politics.”
Rieder goes on to conclude that these days that there is no real attempt to solve problems or get outside of the Beltway.
Reider attempts to cast himself in the role of the kind of dispassionate analyst he claims that he longs to see heading into public affairs programing. However, his words betray blatantly leftist sympathies.
For example, in listing the identities of Crossfire's new hosts, Newt Gingrich is the only one held up for ridicule. Van Jones confessing to be a self-avowed Communist is glossed over as if such an admission is something normal and healthy.
Gingrich might daydream about space colonies. But in the ideal world of Van Jones where he identifies so enthusiastically with that particular form of tyranny, authorities would seize nearly everything you have worked for (with the exception of Van Jones' lavish CNN salary) and violently eliminate those that continue to speak out against a dictatorial regime despite extensive efforts at reeducation and social manipulation.
One might respond that an observation pointing out a failure to expose Van Jones as a leftwing subversive is reading too much into it. After all, with Kardashian bastards and Miley Cyrus stage humping, the average American no doubt finds it difficult to retain this constant barrage of information at the forefront of their cognitive awareness.
Rem Rieder, however, drops another comment that reveals that there is more to his agenda than a dispassionate pursuit of just the facts.
Apart from the incident where Robert Novak (likely suffering from the early stages of a brain tumor) stormed off the set no longer capable of handling James Carville's banshee-like shrieking, one of most recalled moments of the original Crossfire occurred with the visit of Comedy Central's John Stewart of the Daily Show. During the interview, Stewart lamented how the debate program and especially Tucker Carlson was hurting the country.
The thing of it is, the likes of John Stewart has done more to hurt this country than the number of interchangeable hosts and even greater number of guests exchanging wonky barbs at one another ever could.
Personally, I can probably count on both hands the number of times I have seen the Daily Show. The only segment that sticks out in my mind was of some bozo walking around in a giant penis costume promoting safe sex or some similar propaganda.
If that represents the kind of public affairs programming Rem Rieder thinks is needed to either elevate or save the Republic, we are worse off than most of us realize. It is likely not John Stewart's wisdom as a statesman that Reider is praising but something else entirely.
In the waning days of the Roman Empire, lavish entertainment spectacles were put on for the purposes of distracting the population from the public scandals and disasters that confronted the world superpower of that day.
Granted, in much the same way that politics is said to be a form of show business for the unattractive, programs such as Crossfire, Hannity, and The O'Reilly Factor tend to be a form of pugilism or professional wrestling for the physically puny but verbally inclined. But despite any shortcomings that these programs might posses, it cannot be denied that they at least get across the point that there is something rotten in Denmark (or more accurately, the United States of America in this instance).
That's why the likes of Rem Rieder are more enthused about a perambulating giant penis costume. And the reason behind that might not be quite so obvious as one might assume by that shocking verbal formulation.
Elites talk up the delights and wonders of deliberative democracy. But the last thing they really want are those in the servile classes to passionately hold to any fixed standard or belief that would impede this human capital from being reshaped, deployed, and even eliminated in accordance with the most convenient timetable possible.
This is the sentiment spoken of euphemistically when talking heads, academics, bureaucrats, and elected officials express a nostalgia for a bygone era when legislators would get together at the end of the day to hash out compromises over cocktails or, in the case of Ted Kennedy, cocaine and lapdances. That approach might have been OK when the kinds of things discussed were the equivalent of whether a tax rate would be 9% or 10%.
But these kinds of backroom compromises have gone on for so long and the line of acceptability moved back so far that, for the go-along to get-along to continue, those of good conscience are being pressured into betraying the fundamental values and morals without which a ordered yet free society will surely collapse.
For example, if one the ethical building blocks upon which a just and free society rests is the assumption thou shalt not murder, meaning that it is beyond the limits of acceptability to deliberately take the life of an individual that has committed no crime, where is the moral wiggle room for an abortion of convenience or preference? On what grounds do you kill a life form, that will be no more genetically complete than it would be at the time of birth, without the consent of that individual for the purposes of harvesting that individual's stem cells or other biomolecular components?
Most believe that marriage is a sacred covenant instituted by God Himself predating the codification of organized religion in a time when man's relationship with our Creator did not require the medium of the written word. So on what grounds can that definition be changed on the whims of a jurist or plebiscite and on what basis do those making such a claim complain when these fickle procedures decide to change the arrangement back?
Just where does one compromise on these kinds of issues? For if one does, isn't doing so the equivalent of saying it is allowable to slap your spouse one time across the face but twice is going too far?
As these kinds of social developments continue to unfold, it is becoming more apparent that recognition of gay marriage is not so much about these individuals confessing unending love for one another which they are pretty much able to do so already in parts of the country where most mind their own business and where laws prohibiting illegitimate carnal knowledge haven't been enforced for years. Rather, it is about bringing the destructive power of the state crushing down upon those that do not stand around applauding the new world we are being thrust into.
Don't believe me? Perhaps you ought to ask the bakers and wedding photographers whose businesses have been ruined for failing to embrace diversity to this radical extent. What about their ability to express their preferences without fear of retaliation?
Only time will tell whether or not there is a place for a revived Crossfire in a media landscape where the clash of opinions is more the norm than an entertaining novelty, However, even if this particular program falls by the wayside as a result of attention being grabbed by flashier versions of this classic debate format, Crossfire deserves a place at least in the pages of journalistic and mass communications history for admitting that legitimate opinion worthy of national consideration exists beyond the narrowly defined parameters of the mainstream establishment.
By Frederick Meekins
Monday, January 27, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Why Shouldn't Those On Food Stamps Be Required To Show ID?
The Nation Magazine is outraged over a proposal that would require those using Food Stamps to show an ID when utilizing the nutritional assistance program.
The same ones opposed to this suggestion probably think you shouldn't be required to document income levels when applying for the program as well.
If Americans are now required to show ID's in doctor's offices they have been going to for decades, why is it an outrage to require those on the public dole to acquire food to verify who they are?
It is claimed that the poor cannot afford to acquire proper identification.
But, by golly, it's probably a pretty safe wager that these indigents had the latest iteration of the Iphone as soon as it was released and can operate the technical intricacies of the device with an adeptness that would put a NASA engineer to shame.
By Frederick Meekins
If members of a church want to participate together in a social media fast, that is one thing. However, there is no basis in Scripture to demand such a spiritual exercise be congregation-wide or to use such an activity as a measure to distinguish between the proverbial sheep and the goats. If anything, the Bible would seem to indicate such activities aren't even to be made public if you want to be technical about it.
Friday, January 24, 2014
To deceive the German people in part, the Nazis staged elaborate, large-scale theatrical events with smartly dressed stormtroopers marching in intricate formation. Even Jewish historian George Mosse admits he found himself nearly being swept along with the excitement when he witnessed these spectacles in his youth. In the attempt to deceive the American people, Obamaists presented Richard Simmons sticking his head between his legs and essentially whistling as part of a six hour informercial.
Not exactly sure what to make of the advertisement for “Real Time with Bill Maher” on the back cover of the 1/27/2014 issue of National Review. On the one hand, it shows that conservatism is broadminded enough to accept the money of the ideology's most vehement critics. And on the other hand, ought a publication that claims to stand for traditional values and morals to promote someone such as Bill Maher that has described his opponents such as Sarah Palin in the vilest of terms? Would the magazine accept funds on behalf of a media personality that utilized the “n-word” in reference to President Obama?
Hispanosupremacist Evangelical Conspires To Undermine Christian Opposition To Gay Marriage
One has to conclude that should Chinese armies or flying saucers show up on America's shores, these same milksops would lift on high placards reading "Welcome Conquerors".
Click On The Headline
To gloss over his rowdy behavior and filthy heathenish appearance, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has decreed that the term "thug" is a racial slur equivalent to the "N-word". Actually, the term originated in reference to Islamic and Hindu sectarians from India that use to inflict violence upon unsuspecting travelers. So if we are to view the term as racially insensitive, must we also abandon the use of the term "vandal" or "vandalism" since that term traces its origins back to that of a marauding Germanic tribe that use to plunder Roman outposts?
General David Petraeus laments in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are ending up unfulfilling, dead-end jobs that don’t tab into their skills. And how is that different than the economic plight of most other Americans? Veterans deserve gratitude for their contribution to the war effort. However, when it comes to this aspect of existence, they aren’t deserving of handouts more than anybody else. They weren’t drafted. They made the decision on the own to join the military.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
And exactly what part of his former Fox News program and related undertakings does Glenn Beck consider to have torn the country apart? Was it the flow charts that dared spell out for the American people the intricate global conspiracy bent on destroying our constitutional liberties? Or does Beck lament his own plans to destroy human freedom through the promotion of his own shoddy Mormon theology and the establishment of a Jonestown-like compound with a sign overhead demanding all who enter in to forget their previous way of life and where residents were have to been denied backyards in order to condition them away from their individualistic proclivities?
John Warwick Montgomery Reviews "Zealot: The Life & Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth"
Click On The Headline
Interesting in his condemnatory oration of the evils of collegiate sexual assault President Obama gave no advice about staying away from frat house booze parties and not dressing like an outright slut. These don't excuse wandering hands, but isn't it akin to sleeping with your door locked? It's not something you should have to do, but it is just the way it is in such a wicked world.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
A convicted Ohio murderer and rapist gasped as it took him nearly 15 minutes to expire during his execution. Critics warned that the combination utilized to carry out the sentence would cause the felon to die in agony and terror. And the pregnant woman (and thus also her baby) that he raped and murdered did not? Are we to suppose he lulled her to her eternal rest through tender caresses and verbalized sweet nothings?
Same churches that gripe about folks having fewer kids will cry and scream even louder should tithe dollars dwindle as congregants would make the rational and ethical decision that the higher moral priority is that they keep their own progeny fed than whether the church gets new carpeting or that the pastor goes on “pilgrimage” to Israel or the savannahs of Africa.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
In a Washington Post Op-Ed, Southern Baptist Convention functionary Albert Mohler is highly critical of Evangelical acceptance of birth control. However, he himself has only reproduced twice. The position Mohler has enunciated leads us to two likely conclusions. Either he is as impotent as a proverbial Nevada boxing commissioner. Or, as in the case of many Evangelical leaders that miraculously came out in opposition to Halloween once they enjoyed their own childhoods of Trick-Or-Treat revelry, the use of these pharmaceuticals just happens to become wrong once he and the Mrs squeaked past their own years of fecundity. Apparently, screwing yourself away from the dinner table is a moral obligation only for the lesser breeds of humanity.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
An activist on the radical end of the homeschooling spectrum quipped that one can either choose Communism or COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY is in many instances merely just a diluted form of Communism. Granted, it might not at this juncture result in systematic executions, but both ideologies view the group rather than the individual or a transcendent morality governing the behavior of the individual as the highest source of authority and the criteria through which justification for decisions is arrived at.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
So apparently it's an outrage to artificially manipulate traffic patterns for political purposes when that goal is to get back at an electoral rival but perfectly acceptable to arbitrarily manipulate traffic patterns in order to get motorists to abandon their individualized vehicles in favor of public transportation.
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