Posted on 01/12/2005 12:26:41 PM PST by thelastvirgil
First, go to the outrageous opinion piece, published in our local rag, yesterday at http://www.jonesborosun.com/archivededitorials.asp?ID=871
Following is my response to this desperate-to-be-relevant jerk:
Gaping Irony
Rarely have I seen such a well-reasoned, insightful opinion column in "The Daily Fishwrap" as our esteemed editor's "Behind the news" of January 11.
In "He crossed gaping line", our editor excoriates TV/radio host, and opinion columnist, Armstrong Williams, for having accepted a sizeable stipend from the Department of Education for promoting the Bush Administration's -- and Teddy Kennedy's -- No Child Left Behind legislation.
Not mentioned in the piece was that nothing illegal was done in the matter, either by Mr. Williams, the department, or Secretary Ron Paige. Unethical? Maybe, but the only "gaping" that jumped out at this reader was the gaping irony of Mr. Ockert's slam on Mr. Williams.
The column hit our doorsteps the morning after the long-awaited release of CBS's independent investigation of Dan Rather's extremely biased "60 Minutes Wednesday" segment having to do with George W. Bush's service in the national guard during the Vietnam war.
The report was based entirely on forged documents that were provided Mr. Rather's producer by a Bush-hating lunatic from Texas. Coming, as it did, fifty days out from a presidential election, objective observers could only conclude, after the documents were proven forgeries, that Mr. Rather's left-leaning bias was showing, and that he and CBS were attempting to influence voters.
Bottom line is we have before us a political columnist, Armstrong Williams, who has never made a secret of his conservatism, and has never implied that he is in the business of providing unbiased "news" -- only opinion, mind you -- being skewered by holier-than-thou "journalists". Dan Rather, on the other hand, is charged with bringing us hard news, free of any personal bias.
In other words, we should all be intelligent enough to separate news from commentary. The relative integrity of the two aforementioned celebrities is beyond comparison. The one, Armstrong Williams, speaks and writes his opinion. Mr. Rather is supposed to limit himself to reading news, and without "slanting (his) reports to match (his) opinions".
Mr. Williams' only sin is that he is a successful black conservative, he has strayed from the Democratic Plantation, and he has a mind of his own.
Further, to assume it outrageous that tax-payer dollars were spent in order to purchase favorable opinion for NCLB may be correct. One wonders, though, where the editor's righteous indignation is at all the government money -- millions each year -- being wasted on the far-left PBS and NPR commentators? Or, are they "journalists"?
My link doesn't appear to be live. Just click on "The Jonesboro Sun" in the heading to go directly to the offending article. Thanks.
One wonders, though, where the editor's righteous indignation is at all the government money -- millions each year -- being wasted on the far-left PBS and NPR commentators? Or, are they "journalists"?
Indeed!
What the heck is a gaping line?
Not exactly certain what a gaping line is, but it was written by a gaping idiot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.