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Not the MSM you're used to |
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So the big stink on talk radio
and The News this morning continues to be the US "stinginess". Durn Furrinurs &
news anchors are calling us cheap and stingy.
Yeah, sure. Of course, there's
other
perspectives to the story, but who's going to let facts get in
the way of the opportunity to bash BushCo? I say turn the other cheek and break out the checkbook. Again. The reason Americans give so much is twofold: first, we want to give - its hammered into us from birth. We're the most powerful nation in the world and we are expected to do something good with that power. Second, we're able. Despite our complaints about high taxes and high spending, we have the best economic conditions in the world. Our ability to give as individuals is not only a measure of how much we care but how much we value freedom. If the government did everything, what room would there be for individuals to contribute? We are a national body, the government doing its part, the individuals doing theirs, the NGOs doing theirs, all working towards a common goal. Lets set aside the petty bickering and niggardly I-give-more-than-you bragging and ante up. Just not to the UNICEF fund. I don't trust them as far as I can throw them.
Dan Rather tried to pull a George Bush on the flight deck of the Abraham Lincoln. Good Lord does he ever look ridiculous.
Marines continue to amaze me with their ingenuity.
The rain in Arizona falls mainly on dry, cracked parched land. In 2003 Tucson received 10.05 inches, which is 2.12 inches below normal. In 2004 we received 7.62 inches, which is 4.55 inches below normal. That makes 2004 the driest year this decade, or century, or millennium, depending on how you look at it. Doesn't matter much right now, since my backyard is a mud puddle, but the local papers and TV stations have been wondering what is going to happen to water prices over the next few years.
One of Hugh Hewitt's guests yesterday pointed out that blogs and news corporations are synergistic, not adversarial. He didn't use those words - his point was that when news organizations report and blogs critique the end result is more informative than the individual elements thereof. Of course, if the news "report" turns out to be fabricated then the relationship is adversarial, not complementary, but that becomes a matter of journalistic ethics, not one of competitive discourse. I've always wondered what would happen to journalism if reporters identified their positions in the news report instead of just the editorial pages. They are human, they have an opinion, it would be disingenuous of them to pretend otherwise. Better to just admit it so that the audience is more informed, so they can then adjust their perspective to take into account the editorial bias. But other problems remain. The
television-reported news is often fluff, while the Blogosphere
reports on actual events. But the blogs often just quote from news
sources not shown on TV and then add commentary - they are not a
source of news in the classical sense, they are a source of
commentary. It is news in the sense that it is not reported
elsewhere, but they didn't write the copy. The rise of the
videoblogger will change that - typeth
Lileks:
Briefcase: $50 There are some things only blogging can bring. For everything else, there's Amazon. |
Toys |
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This site is copyright 2001-2005 by Matthew Maynard. All rights reserved. All your trademarks, copyrights, insignia, and other distinguishing characteristics are belong to you. Sharks in suits make for good joke material. Don't leave a mess on your way out. Links to external websites are valid at the time of article authoring and may decay as time goes by. But we'll always have Paris. The opinions on this site are those of their author and do not represent anyone else's views. That is, unless and until you agree with them, at which point they become yours as well. Opinions expressed in the comments belong to the comment poster and may be edited for content. Play nice with others, since you want them to play nice with you. |
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