if i got anyone upset over my feelins i am sorry

[reefaddicted]

The bottom line is ...there is one major difference between our system and the systems we oppose.
We do not try to impress, enforce, or agress our belieifs onto other societies.
We do not condemn or kill people (our own or others) for their beleifs. Think about this before you reply....Remember Momar Kadafi(sp?)? We hear nothing about him anymore because he decided that he could prosper more through peaceful means than by antagonizing th US.
We simply make our best attempt to maintain, preserve, and protect our way of life at home. Sometimes this unfortunately means that we must engage in battles both political and physical.
what would the middle east be like if all of the religions in the area got along and tolerated each other, the way they do here in our own homeland.
The earth does not belong to us we belong to it.
Political discussions are never ending so.........
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

 

[kelly]

HairTrigger,
I must disagree slightly. There are many good things happening in the world and this country. Why does the media have to mainly show the garbage and bad things? The reason, is not news, it is not to keep the public informed, if you believe this, you are mistaken. They want ratings, inturn this bring in revenue, and therefore you get paid.
The media puts infront of us what it thinks we want to see. Many people have bad attitudes because of the media reports. Not to compare you to the hate groups, but if less was said about the bad, and there was focus on the good, our opinions would change. We would have less skepticism, less faith in others around us. The media is definately one sided. If you doubt this watch a few hours of news, and keep track of the "positive" reports and the "negative" reports, the report back with the ratio. I have watched much news in the past only to feel depressed, hopeless and distraught.
It would be nice if the news reported was good instead of negative. If a person says one thing wrong, especially a goverment official, it is news worthy. The same person does a hundred acts of kindness, it is not news worthy. Talk about being biased, the media surely is, and there is little that we can do to change it. It needs to be changed by those that believe it is not biased like you. But then again, how or why would it change if you think there is not a problem???
Find a news program that is 90% postive (good weather days excluded) and maybe I will start watching it again. If the balance of bad out weighs the good, then it is biased. I would sure like to hear business is up, the stock market is rallying, etc. rather than all the negative. Maybe if the positive was reported the business would be up, consumer confidence would be on the rise, resulting the the stock market doing well. I do not have stocks, but that does not matter.
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[hairtrigger]

Ok ok, whew. This is getting rolling nicely. Lots of good points. Just so yall know, I am not taking offense to any of this. Everyone is entitles to their opinions, and it's nice to see people speaking up for them. Sammy is right, all the different backgrounds and views make this kind of fun. Now, being the sole media member doesnt bother me, it just tires me out. My writsts are killing me from typing so much. But, I like it. It gives me the chance to see what people think, while at the same time showing them our view. Dig yo?
However, I worked the overnight, as usual. So, I must sleep now. So, when I get to work, and come to play on the board... I will have my wits about me. I am sure I'm going to have a lot of typing to do on this post. I look forward to it.
Keep the posts coming... you right wing leftists. Is that a contradiction in terms or what??????? Anyways, I'll get back to all the debatees tonight. Later for now.
And, be sure to tune in to Headline News today, your source for news 24-7. Real News, Real fast.

 

[hairtrigger]

PS... and that tune in to headlines thing... that's some PROPAGANDA for yall to chew on. Next time, I'll write it on little pamphlets and drop them over all your houses from a chopper. Hear the drumroll playing in the background?

 

[scarybo]

Okay...Here's my .02..Hopefully I won't offend anyone..I don't mean to.
I dont work for a media organization, but I take offense when people blame the media for the content of our news programs. We get what we ask for. All media programs are driven by ratings (to a degree). I feel very few people want indepth programming. We have become a society of sound bites. We want it fast, to the point, and exciting. The news media does a great job playing this balancing act. I would like to see less sensationalism in news programming, but I understand why it is there. We complain about what we see in the media, but would we watch it if it was less sensational. For all it's faults however, I feel we have the best in the world. We have the ability to hold reporters accountable. Many places in the world don't.
As for Trent Lott. I dont know if his apology was sincere. I dont know what his true racial views are. I dont think it is possible to know that based on a few statements at a birthday party. I do however feel he needed to be removed. He was in a position of power and has to know he is watched. It is inconceivable that he would make the comments he made. That shows a lack of thinking before he speaks. We cannot afford a leader to do act in that manner with the current level of tension in the world.
The views expressed above represent only me and are not endorsed by this station.

 

[demosthenes]

How can you say that the media is unbaised? This is how my 15-year old mind views the recent events that are(n't) shown by the news media. First off, let me just state that it is a known fact that Bush is an oil man, and his cabinet is made up of oil men. So, when he is faced with the option of heading up an attack against the oil-rich nation of Iraq, whose leader is simply attempting to gather the resources to build the structures and facilities neccessary to PRODUCE a weapons arsenal capable of mass destruction, or the nations of North Korea and China, who already have very powerful and extensive nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons arsenals at their disposal, and are currently trying the EXPAND on these, which do you think he will choose? Well, he chose the one with the oil, obviously, and what did the media say about that? Nothing, really. They simply showed how horrible of a person Saddam is, which I do not deny, but do believe that a lot of it has been severly overplayed. They also showed the American public how close Iraq was to being capable of producing the weapons that the nations of N. Korea and China already have in great quanities, but the fact that these nations already have these weapons was glossed over. So, when you fully support a war against a man who doesn't even possess these weapons, simply because that is the president's agenda, and yet mention no support of any action against other countries who already have these weapons at their disposal, and often lack to report these stories, or at least to great length equal to that of the Iraqi conflict, this makes me a little wary of your claim to be unbaised. It seems to me that you are simply a propaganda machine for current presidential agenda.

 

[arkman]

if it bleeds, it leads...huh, Hair Trigger?
I have a question on the Trent Lott issue. Putting aside what he actually said, isnt it a bigger problem that an eleceted official let his "true" feelings/thoughts "slip" --- shouldnt he be who he is instenad of a fake, wishywashy, spineless walking haircut? --- in this particualr case, if MR. Lott was acting as a REPRESENTATIVE of the people of Mississippi - I'm sure there are quite a number of people in his state that would agree with his comments and beliefs. This is why he needed to step down as a party leader, but not as a state rep.
Oh, and HT - c'mon man, are you really going to say tht Dateline (planted explosives on SUV gastanks) isnt just a wee-little bit sensational?

 

[scotts]

First of all this post is COOL.
I will admit that I do not like some of the news media, however Most of my beefs are with the local news media. "A local man was gunned down as he left work. Was it your husband? Tune it at 11:00 and find out" (Not a real braodcast). Or how when it rains here in Southern California all of the stations go on "Storm Watch" It has rained almost 1/4" in the past 24 hours, is it ever going to stop! I now watch CNN almost exclusively.
I will admit though that there is a certain element of the meia that does work on sensationalism. Does any one remember the flesh eating bacteria. That might have been just a local thing. It has been around for years, people started to report on it, then stopped reporting on it. You know what, the bacteria is still around.
I just realized this, that most of this post has dealt on the negative. But I believe the people at CNN are doing their job, and I think doing it well. He who is without fault cast the first stone. When people bring up the fact that I made a mistake at work I just tell them, it isn't the first mistake and it won't be the last.
I will admit when something real big is going down I become a news Junkie. The beginning of the Iraq war, the attempted Coup in Russia, 9-11 and the lastest the tracking down of the Washigton snipers. Don't bother me, I am watching.
Over all you have to admit that debates like this could not happen in other countries. What is that saying, I would gladly stand up and defend you right to critisize the country. Or something like that.
All in all I like the passion that hairtrigger has shown. I have to admit that I would love to know who you are. You can e-mail me at Scotts@valex.com if you would like. Confidentially guaranteed.
Very stimulating debate. reminds me when we would debate religion in high school, no one would change their mind, but it was interesting to talk about. No I am not opening up a religion debate!

 

[scotts]

Arkman,
You cannto blame the Lott fiasco on the media. He came out and endorsed a known segregationist and said that he would vot for him again. Then he says, Oh no I am not endorsing segragation. His past record has been dismal on civil rights. My personal belief is all of this political correctness has been taken too far. But here is a man that has flip flopped on the issues. yes I believe that a politician should say "This is me, like me or not" But the politicians say "well public opinion says that I should vote this way so I will" That is not standing up to who you really are. How many times did Lott apologize in the last week. If you truly believe in what you are saying you should not have to apologize.
Scott

 

[scarybo]

Demosthenes,
I agree with your point that N.Korea and China do have weapons, and pose a danger. I feel however the reason we have leaders is to make the hard decisions. Iraq is different than N. Korea and China due to it's leadership. If an individual is willing to sacrifice his family and own citizens to meet his personal agenda there is very little he wont do. We as a country cant fight every battle at the same. I think we need to prioritize and deal with the greater evil first.
Do I think everything our leaders do is completely and totally devoid of self interest. No.. I am not that naive. How many of us can say that everything we do ..we do without considering how it affects our personal interests.I do feel however that we are doing what is right for the country. Do I totally agree with the concept of war..I'm not sure. I wish there was another alternative, but I dont know what it is. We have to trust our elected officials. Yes..we elected them ..If we didnt vote, then we shouldnt complain..we had a chance to make our voice heard.

 

[striker]

If the news is so dark and depressing then why do so many people read and watch it. The majority of people want to read and see these stories. They aren't interested in cnn. or the ny times. You won't see most of these people at the non-fiction section of the library or book stores.
That's because sadly a lot of people don't care. They don't want to know what's happening in Chechnya, North Korea, Venezuela, etc.. It doesn't impact them directly so they void it out. --- and violence sells on tv. and the news. Is it their fault that society prefers this. I'm sorry but I don't blame the govt., media and large corporations for everything that's wrong with our society and lives. As I said before there are things wrong with them but maybe we should start looking at ourselves as well.

 

[demosthenes]

Originally posted by SCARYBO
We have to trust our elected officials. Yes..we elected them ..If we didnt vote, then we shouldnt complain..we had a chance to make our voice heard.
I would've voted if I could, and believe me, it would've been for Gore.

 

[scotts]

Just how big was that soap box that I was on???
I do not know if my previous posts got the point across that generally the media does not deserve the criticism that it gets. Around here it is generally the local media that sucks.
Please no flaming on this post. I would like to keep it around and see what hairtrigger has to say when he wakes up.
Sorry for the typos. Fingers not working today.
Scott

 

[bhav_88]

There's an obvious reason for the news content... People LIKE to be miserable. They don't really want to hear "The stock market is up", they want to hear, "A city was wiped out by a bomb today"... It seems to be almost human nature to take sick pleasure from complaining and enjoying the bad things. I'm among them. I'd much rather watch the scene in 'The Two Towers' where the Ents dropkick orcs into walls than the happy Arwen-Aragorn Love Scenes.

 

[wrassecal]

Just so everyone is straight. I'm not complaining about what is reported by our news networks, Im just saying they report through our propaganda system, edited in a manner that will get our society to tune in so that they can get the ratings. It's capitalism at it's best and I am a firm believer in capitalism. I just want an opportunity to hear what the other side(s) are offering through their propaganda systems when it concerns the well being of my family and my society.
Hair Trigger - you don't need to drop propaganda pamphlets on my house. This is America man, they are delivered by the US mail and increase dramatically during election time Also, I am glad that you are passionate about your job, only darnit now when I'm watching CNN in the middle of the night I'm probably not going to be paying any attention trying to figure out who you are. BTW - my favorite line of yours so far is "right wing leftists" I'm going to steal it from your since "centrist" is getting old and not give you any credit because I don't know who you are
Kelly - we do get good news, just don't go to the bathroom during the commercials. You'll see everything from how great our life is when we "just do it" with Nike to how easy it is to fall in love over a beer/coke/candy bar.........
Sammy - you know I love you too and I agree, this post is VERY interesting..so far and I hope it stays that way. If not then maybe ya'll could just delete inappropriate responses and not the whole thing.

 

[picard]

Ah, discourse. The strength of this country. It's a beautiful thing, heck, I'm getting all puddly. No where else in the world can this occur with impunity. Season's Greetings!

 

[musipilot]

Superb post.
HT -- I believe things are going to change soon though, because for the first time reporters and news stations are acknowledging the fact that they are biased toward the left or the right.
I recently cancelled my subscription to the New York Times, because for the first time in its long history, I believe it violated its manta, "all the news thats fit to print". They have been exercising censorship relating to the Augusta situation, after demanding in an editorial that Tiger Woods take umbrage over the whole thing. Fine, want to say it? Let people respond. They have not, including their own beat writers.
My other indication of this is the actual ad campaign that Fox news is running. They say, "We report the news, and let YOU decide." If thats not an admission of slanted reporting, I don't know what is.
Happy Holidays to all, great to have discussions like this every once in a while!
Dave

 

[scotts]

Hairtrigger,
I think the perfect examples have just been given how difficult your job is. A politician only has to get the approval of 51% of the public, while you are expected to get approval of 100% of the people.
I thought McCarthyism was dead.
Scott

 

[wrassecal]

I don't really want to know who HairTrigger is. I want to be able to steal the lines I like from him/her with impunity I'm anxiously awaiting his/her responses tonight.
Draxx - I agree I usually never get in on anything like this because it's usually idiots. (If I'm going to post idiotically, I prefer to do it on an idiotic thread) I am very impressed with the well thought out responses on this post. I've harbored the suspicion that we saltwater fanatics were, in the main, intelligent and complex people. Nice to find out I'm right.

 

[wamp]

BHAV_88
You hit the nail on the head. Thats why reality TV shows are s big. People love drama and backstabing.
PS. I think HT is behind the scenes. If not, he be needin to give a big "shout out" to all his peeps on the board.