In 1980, a book called “The Spike” was co-authored by Arnaud de Borchgrave and Robert Moss. The novel showed how the news could be slanted or distorted by placement in a newspaper. The storyline had the Russian KGB infiltrating newspaper and magazine editorial offices to bury information they were opposed to being exposed. The original “Spike” was a device, shown at left, which was on the desk of the city editor of a pre-computer age newspaper. If a story came in from a reporter which was unacceptable to the political leaning of the paper, it was placed “on the spike” and not used in that day’s edition. Then, days later, it might be inserted, but buried way back in the paper, reducing it’s importance to the reader. Or, it might not be used at all. If we fast forward to the present day, it is my contention that this is exactly what the mass media is doing, especially with reference to political issues or breaking news. A given story might receive extensive coverage by Fox News, for example, but little or none by ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN. By not impartially covering the news, they fail in their duty to the public. There is a place for editorial opinion in the media. It is on the “Op-Ed” pages of newspapers and magazines and on clearly stated opinion segments of broadcast news. In the United States, the media is often called the fourth branch of government (or “fourth estate”). That’s because it supposedly monitors the political process in order to ensure that political players don’t abuse the democratic process. When the media instead becomes just another arm of a particular political party, we move towards becoming another “Banana Republic” or dictatorship. That is a very slippery slope which I hope we can avoid at all costs.
Monthly Archives: September 2016
Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics.
Mark Twain once quoted a famous politician of his day who made the observation that: “There are are lies, damn lies, and statistics”. Presumably this meant that statistics can be the greatest lies of all. In this political season, we would be wise to observe some of the statistics being thrown around. The current administration proudly announced that the national unemployment rate is 5 percent, the lowest in years. However, the fact that over 90 million people have left the workforce makes that stated employment statistic grossly understated. The “Affordable Care Act” (aka “Obamacare”) supposedly would save the average family $2600 per year in medical care costs according to it’s proponents. We all are aware that the truth is dramatically different. Average medical costs have risen dramatically, not dropped. We are told that the Democrats are the party of the poor and the working class, but over the past 7 1/2 years, during a Democratic administration, the wealthiest Americans became wealthier, while the poor and middle class earned less and acquired more debt. No fudging of the figures can obscure that fact. I could list more questionable statistics, but you get the point. So, as we go to the polls this November we should be very careful to examine the claims made by the candidates. In addition, we also might consider another question: How do you know when a long time politician is lying to you? Answer: Their lips are moving………………..
A Clear and Present Danger.
During the Russian-Afghani war, which lasted from 1979 to 1989, hundreds, if not thousands of shoulder fired “Stinger” missiles were supplied to the Taliban by the American CIA. They were a primary reason that Russia finally withdrew from that conflict. It allowed primitive, frequently illiterate tribesmen to shoot down complex military aircraft. Due to the proliferation of military conflicts in the Middle East since 2001, their are at the very least hundreds of shoulder fired missiles in the hands of some very bad people. With our porous southern border, it is not impossible that some of those missiles have already been smuggled across that border into our country by radical Islamists. In fact there is compelling evidence that they have been. There is no better way for these people to strike fear into the hearts of Americans than to disrupt our transportation system, specifically our airline industry. I can think of no better way to do that than to use one of these Stinger type missiles to shoot down airliners in the supposedly “safe” American heartland. Continue reading A Clear and Present Danger.
Gun Free Zones = Free Fire Zones
The grainy photo at left shows a man who entered a mall in Burlington, WA with a rifle and shot and killed, at latest count, five people. It is my understanding that the Cascade Mall is a designated “Gun Free Zone” with, according to the Mall’s website “Uniformed Security Officers patrolling the interior and exterior of the Mall.” Are those security officers armed? How many of them are on duty? The first reaction of many will be to once again call for more “gun control”. Let’s think about that for a moment. From the picture, it appears that the killer is carrying a hunting rifle, not a so-called “assault rifle” or a handgun. So, should we trash the Second Amendment and ban all firearms in this country, as was done in Australia? While that might make some feel safer, it is a false sense of security. Continue reading Gun Free Zones = Free Fire Zones
I’m mad as hell?
As we proceed though another “Summer of Rage,” 1968 style, we have the spectacle of people, black and white, protesting about perceived injustice. The young woman at left, probably a college student, is emblematic of that movement. She’s “Mad as hell, and she’s not going to take it anymore”. Ok, more information please? What are you mad about? Do you have all the facts? Or, as I suspect, are you just caught up in a mob mentality? Fact #1: A forty something African-American male, apparently with a previous criminal record, is shot and killed by an African-American police officer who stated that the man got out of his car after being stopped, holding a handgun, and then disregarded numerous commands to drop same. Fact #2: A Facebook post from a person claiming to be a family member of the slain individual says he was just reading a book, and that was what was in his hand when he exited the vehicle. Fact #3: According to Charlottes’s African-American Chief of Police there is apparently a dash-cam video of the incident, plus eyewitnesses who corroborate the officer’s account. Fact #4: there was a handgun found at the scene. Continue reading I’m mad as hell?
The Great Debates.
In 1858 a homespun, self educated hometown lawyer and a powerful, well educated incumbent Senator from the state of Illinois held a series of seven debates. The debates were meant to influence the voters of Illinois to elect either Republicans or Democrats as State Legislators. Since at that time the legislatures, not the voters, of the various states elected the men who would serve as their Senators in the U.S. Senate, the debates had great significance. The participants in those debates were Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen Douglas. The “hot button” issue of the day was the institution of slavery, and whether it would be allowed in future states as they came into the Union. As a result, you could say that Lincoln and Douglas were debating to determine the soul of our society and through it the future of our nation.
Shortly, there will be another series of debates. These between Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. As in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the candidates could not be more diametrically opposed in their viewpoints. Republican Lincoln opposed slavery, and Democrat Douglas defended it. Trump and Clinton will be addressing many issues, but none more important that of open borders and unrestricted immigration. For this country to survive and thrive we must control both. We are a nation of immigrants. There is no debating that fact. However, we are also a nation of legal immigrants. Since our nation was formed, we have accepted people of all races, colors and creeds to “The Great Melting Pot” that is America. Those people were drawn to the beacon of hope and liberty that we represent. They observed our laws, learned our language, and respected our customs. They gladly swore an oath to respect and defend our Constitution. They wanted to become Americans! Continue reading The Great Debates.
A tale of two women.
From the dawn of history, women have been great leaders of their people. Boudicca, Catherine the Great, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher to name a few. On the current scene, two women, one in office and one who seeks office, are having or might have, a significant effect on the future of their respective countries. Namely, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and United States Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton. They have many similar traits. Both lean to the left in their political beliefs. Both think they know what is best for their country, even though many of their viewpoints are very controversial. Both support the concept of “open borders”. Finally, both apparently believe that the threat of “Radical Islam” is overblown.
Angela Merkel’s support for virtually unlimited immigration from the Middle Eastern countries has already created significant problems in Germany. Common sense dictates that there is more, much more, to come. In our country, The proposals by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party that we continue the open border immigration policies of the Obama administration, and indeed increase the numbers of Muslim refugees we accept from Middle Eastern hotspots like Syria, Somalia and Yemen should give us all reason to question the logic of that course of action. Continue reading A tale of two women.
Is airline flying safe?
Is airline flying inherently dangerous? Well, consider this. Some years ago a statistical research firm was asked to rate various vocations as to their relative risk for life insurance policies. It turned out that airline pilots, who fly hundreds of hours each year, have a job which is just slightly less dangerous than being a plumber!
With that said, when flying in a modern jet, you are in an aluminum tube which is miles above the earth and traveling at roughly the speed of a .45 caliber bullet. What makes it safer than driving to the airport is the quality of the pilots and the aircraft they are operating.
There is no doubt that the technological advances I witnessed over a 45 year flying career have made many aspects of aviation much safer, but no level of technology can overcome a lack of “situational awareness” by the pilots. In fact, an over reliance on technology can actually be detrimental to the safety of the flight. Continue reading Is airline flying safe?
Am I a “Deplorable”?
Well now. It appears that if you don’t agree with some politician’s views, you are automatically an outcast, and as such, deplorable. This is a symptom of a world wide mental disease caused by “Political Correctness”. In many countries on the planet it is generally agreed that their citizens have the right of “Freedom of Speech”. The United States Constitution guarantees that right under the First Amendment to that document. Only dictatorships and other repressive regimes seek to stifle free speech because it threatens their ability to control their citizens. Here in the United States we have just been informed by a candidate for our highest office that to disagree with her parties principles immediately exposes you to be a bigot, homophobe, xenophobe, Islamophobe or whatever unsavory character she chooses to label you as. This is ridiculous, and should probably be a reason to classify her, and the party she represents, as “Freedomophobes”: persons who are afraid of someone with a differing opinion. Continue reading Am I a “Deplorable”?
The Grand Lie.
Fifteen years ago today, for the first time in history commercial airliners were used as weapons of war, and against civilian targets. Nineteen young Arab men, led by Mohamed Atta, perpetrated this heinous act. In the process they killed nearly 3000 people, mostly American citizens. While some believe that this was the beginning of the Islamic Jihadist’s war against this country, it actually began much earlier. I will not recount those acts here except to say that they were all unprovoked. Hundreds were killed or maimed. All in the name of the “peaceful” religion of Islam. Shortly thereafter, the pastor of a Chicago church stood up before his congregation and stated that the atrocities of 9/11/2001 were indeed our own fault. He said that “The chickens have come home to roost.” He also said “Not God bless America, God damn America!” Less than 8 years later, a long time member of that church was elected President of the United States. During his administration we have seen numerous jihadist attacks on our homeland. We have seen border security become a joke. We have emboldened those who seek our destruction by foolish acts meant to appease them. Some, including our President, refuse even to name our enemy. Death and destruction on a scale almost unimaginable await us and the rest of the western world if we are unwilling to confront that enemy, and now. They are NOT peaceful. That is the grand lie.