Posted on 04/25/2014 4:48:33 AM PDT by Nextrush
In the 1960's German Pastor Martin Niemoller would stand with the Communists to protest the war against them in Vietnam. I was not with the Commies.
But Niemoller also gave us the immortal words that described a time when everyone's freedom was threatened by tyranny...."First they came for the Jews and I did nothing because I wasn't a Jew" and so on....
In the 1970's I was a "groupie" for a vain and egotistical radio preacher who fancied himself the leader of a 20th Century 'reformation" and who preached that "Honor thy father and mother" was "Social Security" found himself on the losing end of freedom.
Liberals complained to the FCC about Dr. Carl McIntire's radio station on Fairness Doctrine grounds and Richard Nixon's FCC ordered the station off the air.
In the 1980's as a young broadcaster in the religious media I reported on the fight in Nebraska over state regulation of Christian schools and home schools.
Pastor Everett Sileven (later known as Everett Sileven Ramsey) went to jail and wrote from there like MLK. Members of his church were jailed and supporting pastors were dragged out of his church by police.
The media like Ted Koppel and "Nightline" focused on his fight for freedom, but Sileven said things that I found to be a bit unusual.
When Pastor Sileven spoke at churches, he would denounce "marriage licenses" saying they would give the state control over children resulting from the marriage. He also said churches should not apply for tax exempt status from the IRS which he considered "registering" a church with government.
But his fight for Christian school freedom was very successful with President Ronald Reagan calling on Nebraska to change its laws and Democrat Governor Bob Kerrey pushing the change through.
In more recent times I have seen the Edward Snowden revelations about the National Security Agency and all its ramifications including his flight to Russia where he is now a "guest" of Vladimir Putin.
Snowden has done some wrong things in my book, but his raising of the NSA spying issue was an issue that needed to be raised. The data collection is a clear violation of the constitutional rights of all Americans.
The British authorities detention and harrassment of David Miranda, the gay partner of "Guardian" journalist Glenn Greenwald who reported Snowden's revelations, is something I also find disgusting and a violation of personal freedom. I don't live the lifestyle of Greenwald and Miranda, but they are entitled to not have their rights violated by any government.
Its way past time for us to say 'EVERYBODY'S FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS'.
When we start thinking and acting that way things can begin to change dramatically in this country.
In Birmingham, Alabama 51 years ago enough folks showed up to protest and get arrested for freedom, including small children, to change history.
An imperfect man, Dr. Martin Luther King, who used the services of two prostitutes at the same time won a Nobel Peace Prize for that.
"DRUNKS" LIKE MYSELF WANT THE WORLD AND PEOPLE AROUND THEM TO BE PERFECT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT IS. IS MY "DRUNK BROTHER" GLENN BECK SEEING THE NEED FOR PERFECTION IN THIS SITUATION????? 'LIVE AND LET LIVE' AND SOME 'ACCEPTANCE' SEEM IN ORDER.
I've lived an imperfect life in an imperfect world encountering these imperfect people in person or through the media whose fights for freedom have all been worthy of my support.
“FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE ‘RACIST” CLIVEN BUNDY AND I DID NOTHING BECAUSE I WASN’T A ‘RACIST’......”
Oh yes you are teabagger....if you’re right, white, and Christian—guess what? You’re razist....
If they justified taking your property for every dumb thing you ever said, shouldn’t Harry Reid be homeless?
Yes Bundy ,you and I are razist for he speaks the TRUTH . The other-side can't handle the TRUTH.
The racist charge and insult is an old, if well worn, standby. In fact, in these times if you haven't been called racist by a liberal, it probably means you haven't been standing up for your conservative principles very publicly.
The sadly ironic thing is, every conservative I know could not care less about race. It just never comes up with them. Ever. Every liberal I've ever talked to is obsessed with labeling people - pigeonholing them into categories. They don't see a friend or co-worker. They see a gay coworker, a friend in an inter-racial marriage, a Hispanic team captain, etc. etc. Ugh. They are the true racists, everything and everyone is judged based on various characteristics as either needing their support (an insult, as if they are inferior and incapable of fending for themselves) or in need of their derision.
I’m still waiting for them to go after a certain racist ex-KKK senator who was able to get away with using the forbidden word twice on tv.
Tell it to certain radio hosts who’ve made millions passing themselves off as ‘conservative’.
Someone uttered the “magic word” and they all scattered like the cowards they are.
When I was younger I used to swallow what the MSM said hook line and sinker. It takes time to think things through and to consider what’s really going on in a situation.
The talk show hosts mostly end up in a bash the Democrats mode talking the cue from the GOPe talking points that go out through “National Review”, the “Wall Street Journal” editorial page, Fox News, “The Washington Times” and other places.
Little or no original thinking or critical analysis of what liberal, progressive GOPe Republicans are saying or “doing” in Washington and other places.
Of course, the truth WAS edited by Media Matters and the NYT. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FbnRnhrNFEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=agXns-W60MI
Direct Links
The first is the Media Matters editted version that the NYT used.
The second is the full statement.
The problem is how to get the unedited versions to the public. ‘cause the rest of the lsm will be busy sweeping it under the rug.
I’m still trying to figure out what it was that the liberal media was able to claim Bundy is a racist???
Did he (Bundy) blow his nose, and it sounded like he sneezed “Negro!”???
The thing to remember about the mainstream media is that whenever it comes to a Conservative issue, they ALWAYS lie!
BTTT
the hyperbole, the connotative smear with pure, reasonless invective, the emotion laced words without any trace of their meaning: it’s all right out of alinsky rules for radicals. why so many who call themselves conservatives continue to fall for it, play into it, enable it, countenance it, i have no idea.
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