http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/orsonscottcard/ en-us Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:20:17 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133483/posts <...excerpted, the first half of the article is at the link>... Which brings me, at long last, to Eagle Eye. We went because we like Shia LaBeouf. Period. No other reason. And he came through for us – the same earnest everyman quality that made Nicolas Cage and Tom Hanks such beloved stars. The same combination of kindness and goofiness that makes us care when they are in danger – LaBeouf is the best thing to emerge from the Disney stable since Sean Connery. (Are you forgetting Darby O'Gill?) Director D.J. Caruso, whose work I had seen none of, is... greensboro.rhinotimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133483/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:20:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2122993/posts Orson Scott Card got a lot of attention recently for his article, "Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?"Here's a taste: Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper. But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie -- that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad -- even bad weather -- on Bush, and they are... All American Blogger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2122993/posts#comment Mon, 3 Nov 2008 01:17:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2118437/posts <p>Sometimes it seems like this election is one big pillow fight. The air is now so full of floating feathers that it's hard to see the furniture, and the media isn't helping, as they blow the fluff around.</p> <p>But there are solid issues in this election, and how we vote will have lasting effect on our future.</p> The Ornery American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2118437/posts#comment Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:40:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2110339/posts Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights? By Orson Scott Card Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism. An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America: I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know. This housing crisis didn't come out of... Meridian Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2110339/posts#comment Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:29:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2102442/posts An open letter to the local daily paper – almost every local daily paper in America: I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know. This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration. It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2102442/posts#comment Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:42:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086926/posts We don't need a president who hasn't the courage to admit that his previous policy failed and openly change his mind -- the way President Bush did when he determined to change strategy and execute the surge. We saw your true colors when you sneered at white middle-class voters who cling to guns and religion because they're bitter, as if an entire class of "those people" can be analyzed and dismissed in a sentence. McCain was not my choice for President at the beginning of the campaign a couple of years ago, Mr. Obama. You were. I rooted for you.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086926/posts#comment Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:51:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073930/posts "In the election coming in November, we face the kind of choice that shapes the future of nations. On the one hand, we have an irascible Republican who is wrong as often as he is right, but at least has the courage to act according to his conscience often enough to earn the enmity of party hacks. On the other hand, we have a candidate who has shown himself to be a complete captive of the intellectual elite, voting their party line in Congress, sneering in private at ordinary citizens that he does not even try to understand, wrapping himself... The Ornery American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073930/posts#comment Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:51:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067916/posts They were right. Starting at the moment of his famous address at Harvard in 1978 (see http://snipurl.com/harvardspeech), Solzhenitsyn became, in effect, mute. Why? Because the cultural elite of the West is just as unhappy to hear itself criticized as the political elite of the Soviet Nomenklatura. How dare Solzehenitsyn fail to recognize that the American intellectual establishment was not in possession of Truth! How dare he point out that in our arrogance, we of the West were as blind to our own doom as the Communists? Let me quote just one passage from Solzhenitsyn's speech: "A decline in courage may... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067916/posts#comment Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:27:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2053474/posts The first and greatest threat from court decisions in California and Massachusetts, giving legal recognition to "gay marriage," is that it marks the end of democracy in America. These judges are making new law without any democratic process; in fact, their decisions are striking down laws enacted by majority vote. The pretext is that state constitutions require it -- but it is absurd to claim that these constitutions require marriage to be defined in ways that were unthinkable through all of human history until the past 15 years. And it is offensive to expect us to believe this obvious... Mormon Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2053474/posts#comment Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:04:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025765/posts In all the flap about Obama's reckless comments about Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela not posing a threat to the U.S. because they're small and spend less on their military than we do, one statement he made has gone virtually unnoticed. Yes, it's important to realize that we have a presidential candidate who actually believes that the Soviet Union once told the U.S. "We're going to wipe you off the planet" (they never did). Is it as important as Gerald Ford's gaffe when he declared that Poland was a free country -- back when it was under Russian domination? Let's not... ornery.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025765/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 11:52:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020368/posts It would have been so simple for Obama to handle this like a statesman instead of a whiner. President Bush went to Israel to affirm America's ironclad support of Israel's survival as a nation. While there are Americans who don't agree with it, this has been the policy of the United States from the foundation of Israel on. President Bush didn't invent the policy, but he affirms it more vigorously and intelligently than most presidents have done. President Bush said, "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade... rhinotimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020368/posts#comment Fri, 23 May 2008 19:09:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2010227/posts Can you believe that J.K. Rowling is suing a small publisher because she claims their 10,000-copy edition of The Harry Potter Lexicon, a book about Rowling's hugely successful novel series, is just a "rearrangement" of her own material. Rowling "feels like her words were stolen," said lawyer Dan Shallman. Well, heck, I feel like the plot of my novel Ender's Game was stolen by J.K. Rowling. A young kid growing up in an oppressive family situation suddenly learns that he is one of a special class of children with special abilities, who are to be educated in a remote training... Linear Publishing http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2010227/posts#comment Fri, 2 May 2008 14:19:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1966877/posts IT WAS THE last Sunday of 2007, and I was preparing to substitute for our gospel doctrine teacher, who had just had her second child. The text of the lesson was the book of Revelation, chapters 5, 6 and 19 through 22. I read of the "golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints" (5:8), and I thought: Wouldn't it be much more convenient if all the images in this book could come with a nice little explanation like that? And then it dawned on me: Maybe the explanation was given only where the meaning would not... Deseret Morming News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1966877/posts#comment Fri, 8 Feb 2008 03:57:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1934208/posts In the News & Record last Sunday, Lewis Beale of Newsday wrote about how "War films can be hard for Hollywood to peddle." It seems that "of the four flms released in the past six months dealing with the current world situation -- all with big-name stars and the full Hollywood studio push -- none earned a profit in its initial theatrical release." Stephen Bochco explains the failure of these war films (as of his own TV series on the war, Over There) by saying, "It's a hugely unpopular war, and there's a staggering amount of depressing coverage.... I don't... Uncle Orson Reviews Everything http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1934208/posts#comment Tue, 4 Dec 2007 00:31:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924487/posts On Monday I got a letter from a friend of mine who is a sergeant in the US Army. With permission of his commanding officer (he does not reveal any classified information), I'm sharing it with you. He writes: I've been on the ground in Iraq for a few weeks now, and thought I'd chime in with a grunt's-eye view. In Sadr Al-Yusifiyah, an area to the East of Anbar province (just across the Euphrates from Anbar, actually), things are moving in a very interesting and hopeful direction. About six months ago, something happened that the Americans are calling "The... Rhino Times, Greensboro, NC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924487/posts#comment Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:48:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1921256/posts There are those who would like to tell you that no religion is civilized, but these tend to be people whose ignorance of history is so profound as to appear deliberate. Human beings sometimes do terrible things, and when they do, they invariably find reasons to invoke their belief system, whatever it is, to excuse their bad behavior. Thus Communists have committed their barbarities in the name of "the good of the people," just as Christians and Muslims and practically everybody else, when they decided certain people needed killing or oppressing, found a way to excuse themselves in the name... The Rhinoceros Times, Greensboro, NC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1921256/posts#comment Mon, 5 Nov 2007 19:16:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915263/posts So Al Gore gets the Nobel Peace Prize, and my wife says to me, "Wow. First time they ever gave the peace prize for religion." So true. And so sad. What has Al Gore done for the world? Ran loaded hearings in the Senate to promote the idea of global warming with no evidence worth a bucket of ... whatever it was John Nance Garner said was in such a bucket. Then he was President Clinton's pet veep, treated with genial contempt, which he earned by his incompetence at running even an inconsequential office like that. Then he tried to... Rhino Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915263/posts#comment Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:45:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915219/posts It was quite a spectacle. Democratic Congressmen and Senators standing there denouncing Rush Limbaugh for attacking American soldiers by calling them "phony." We already know how much they hate Limbaugh and other conservative radio talk show personalities. Talk radio is the only part of the American media that the Left does not already control, one way or another; that's why they're trying to reintroduce the "fairness" doctrine (equal time for all points of view) only for talk radio, while the media the Left controls remains "unfair." But if they can make Rush Limbaugh look unAmerican, unpatriotic, well -- then all... The Ornery American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915219/posts#comment Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:57:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911088/posts It was quite a spectacle. Democratic congressmen and senators standing there denouncing Rush Limbaugh for attacking American soldiers by calling them "phony." We already know how much they hate Limbaugh and other conservative radio talk show personalities. Talk radio is the only part of the American media that the Left does not already control, one way or another; that's why they're trying to reintroduce the "fairness" doctrine (equal time for all points of view) only for talk radio, while the media the Left controls remains "unfair." But if they can make Rush Limbaugh look unAmerican, unpatriotic, well – then all... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911088/posts#comment Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:59:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890080/posts So the election grows closer, and it's time to satisfy all those people who have been demanding that we put a stop to illegal immigration. The failure of the so-called "amnesty bill" leaves the government no choice other than expulsion of anyone without papers. The National Guard is activated and the city and state police forces are nationalized. Sweeps of Hispanic neighborhoods round up all the Spanish-speaking people with brown skin and sort them out according to who has the right documentation. Six million of them are found to be illegal immigrants. They are loaded into buses, trucks, cattle cars... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890080/posts#comment Sun, 2 Sep 2007 03:55:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1848014/posts History does repeat itself. Never exactly – there are always enough differences in the details that people who are determined not to learn anything from the past can find an excuse. But history shows patterns precisely because human beings don't change. After the First World War (then called the Great War), Britain and France were exhausted. They had triumphed – barely – but they had left more than a million dead soldiers on the battlefields. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1848014/posts#comment Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:22:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830606/posts       |     Civilization WatchFirst appeared in print in The Rhinoceros Times, Greensboro, NC By Orson Scott Card April 29, 2007 Don't You Dare Ask for Proof! In last Sunday's News and Record, columnist Andrew Brod heaped ridicule on those who dare to contest the religion of global warming. What is his proof? He doesn't think he needs any. In fact, he's against proof. He likes it when governments make massive changes without any evidence that those changes are necessary. He spends his whole column citing political documents like the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on... The Ornery American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830606/posts#comment Wed, 9 May 2007 10:29:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816758/posts Warning: don't get hung up on a few disagreements with a democrat Orson Scott Card - we have overwhelmingly more points of agreement. If you disagree with me, see my tagline    :^)Duty. Honor. Country. Once these words could inspire the hearts of patriots. Now, in our benighted era, the elite in our nation sneer at the words and at those who still believe in them. ::: But there is such a thing as honor, and whether we name it by its right name or not, we depend on it. Honor is akin to the word "honest." We say a person... rhinotimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816758/posts#comment Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:18:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1808781/posts When I heard that Mitt Romney was actually running for President, my first thought was, "Is he serious?" Doesn't he know that there is zero chance of a Mormon ever being in the White House? Everyone knows that Christian evangelicals hate Mormons so badly that if they had to choose between a bribe-taking, FBI-file-stealing, relentless-lie-telling, mud-slinging former first lady, and a Mormon ex-governor who doesn't lie, who's still married to his first wife, and who supports the entire Christian evangelical agenda, they'd still rather die than vote for a Mormon. Being Mormon just makes Romney too easy a target. And... The Ornery American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1808781/posts#comment Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:04:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1803246/posts It's not going to be the best movie you see this year, but it might be the most important. Amazing Grace is the story of William Wilberforce, the man who was most responsible (though he certainly did not work alone) for abolishing the slave trade and, ultimately, slavery itself, beginning with the British Empire, but ultimately around the world. The trouble with a story like this is that while Wilberforce's effort was heroic, fighting in what seemed to be a losing cause — yet one that could not, morally, be abandoned — the great moments consisted of speeches and... Meridian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1803246/posts#comment Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:42:39 GMT