Beacon Editorializing: 11 January
I've decided to start a new thing where, every now and then when the Beacon opinion page is particularly interesting, I'm gonna write a review/opinion/response/whatver to the things appearing that day. As I've been on the recieving end of both praise and criticism for my works with the Beacon for two years now, I've decided to dish some out for once.
Bear in mind, though, that even if I disagree with or derride a columnist's argument, it's being done in in civil discussion and not meant to be in any way malicious. In fact, chances are good that I'm friends with most of these people. Anyway...
Now, I'd love to link the columns I'm about to comment on today, but the website hasn't been updated yet. When that happens, I'll update with the links. Til then, pick up a copy of the Beacon, jeez!
"Reexamine views in 2006" (can you tell we don't get to write our own headlines?)-Crystal Humphrey
Sigh...I love the girl, but we clearly need to have a talk. Now before I go on, I'll just tell ya that Crystal likes to call herself a centrist. Don't let her get away with it! Lol, na I'm givin' her a hard time, but you will notice she took the moderated conservative view on every issue she mentioned, even going so far as to espouse support of the pseudo-notion of extensive media bias. This is just like the idea of "judicial activism" in that the facts simply go against conservative ideology far more often than not, so instead its easier to slander them (the media and the judiciary, respectively). I've always argued that if the media looks biased, it tends to be because the right is being caught trying to screw America way more than the left. That's not to say the left doesn't do it's fair share of trying to screw us; their attempts usually just pale in comparison.
I did like what Crystal had to say about some of the events though. In talking about Katrina, she couldn't have been more right when she said "For every display of heroism and compassion, there were images of rage and opposition." I remember hoping for a meteor to strike Nancy Pelosi, Kanye West, and Michael Chertoff every time they got on TV in the weeks afterward.
And I absolutely loved the part about Terri Schivo. Bill Frist (R-TN, Medical Doctor, Senate Majority Leader, and complete tool) turned that woman into a martyr for principle, and I remember wishing that someone would martyr Bill Frist for being such a colossal, for lack of a better word, douchebag.
Then there's the Tookie thing. People keep trying to drag me into Tookie debates (damn you Pevey), but I just can't get worked up about it. I don't care about the death penalty. You can't make me care about the death penalty. It doesn't matter!
However, when cornered and forced to take a stance on the issue, I take a purely pragmatic one: what good did it do to execute him? The short answer is, well, none. In fact, we may have done him a favor. I mean if he'd had his sentence commuted, life in prison is no picnic (in fact, it's probably a lot worse if you have faith and know something better lies around the corner). Plus, there was some potential good he could have done. Since his imprisonment, it appeared that Tookie had realized the atrocities he'd committed, and had become a harsh and vitriolic critic of gang violence and the gang lifestyle. Hell, I just tend to think that if his words could have stopped one person from joining a gang, it'd have been worth it.
Then there's the standard conservative rhetoric about all the good we're doing in Iraq. My argumet to that one is well documented: does that really make up for all the bad? The thousands of dead Americans? Tens of thousands of dead Iraqis?
And what about the reason we went there in the first place? We were told that Iraq had WMDs (the republican's favorite buzzword) and that Saddam consorted with terrorists. These two reasons are very compelling reasons to go to war, because if you're a terrorist, who's on top of your hit list right now? That's right: us. We're #1! We're #1! USA! USA! It's too bad that both of these reasons, the only ones we heard til about a year after the war had begun, turned out to be patently wrong if not outright fabrications. Let's get to the heart of the matter, this war is about two things: oil and revenge; and that's why so many have died.
Unacceptable. Irreproachable. Unforgiveable.
Wow I've rambled. Moving on...
"Political labels signify little" -Scott Hendrix
I really liked this column. I fall into this category of not fitting into the standard label system. Now I won't deny my affiliation. I'm a hardcore liberal, and proud of it, but did you also know that I am a certified National Rifle Association Instructor in Rifle, Shotgun, Handgun, and Muzzleloading Rifle and Shotgun? Or that I am an Eagle Scout and still quite active in Scouting? Or that I fully endorse the expansion of nuclear power? Do those sound like liberal traits to you?
And I'm glad Im not the only one concerned about the new "tax and spend conservative" doctrine. Bill Clinton actually cut government spending by over 1%, whereas George W. Bush has increased spending by over 44% in the last 5 years. That's fiscal responsibility, let me tell you.
I'm also glad he got on the new scandals recently breaking out. Well they're not that new. I mean, this is why Nixon was ousted, after all. I've got my own piece to say about spying on Americans. Stay tuned.
Otherwise I don't have much else to say except kudos, Scott. Great piece. Well, save for the "no handguns" thing. I despise the NRA as much as the next liberal (yes, I'm aware I'm certified as an instructor by them, but they're the only ones that do it), but a handgun has legitimate defensive tool. Now if ya wanna talk assault weapons, I'm right there with ya.
Political Cartoon - Josh Schendel
Very funny. Pat Robertson is a dick and a half.
Alright, that's all for this edition I suppose. As an aside I wanna say goodbye to LaRue Cook. The former Entertainment Editor of the Beacon won an internship with Scripps Howard and had to resign to persue this opportunity. Unfortunately, now I have no one to shoot the bull with when I'm down at the Beacon. Everyone else actually does work! Sigh...ah well, good luck man!
~Peace
Bear in mind, though, that even if I disagree with or derride a columnist's argument, it's being done in in civil discussion and not meant to be in any way malicious. In fact, chances are good that I'm friends with most of these people. Anyway...
Now, I'd love to link the columns I'm about to comment on today, but the website hasn't been updated yet. When that happens, I'll update with the links. Til then, pick up a copy of the Beacon, jeez!
"Reexamine views in 2006" (can you tell we don't get to write our own headlines?)-Crystal Humphrey
Sigh...I love the girl, but we clearly need to have a talk. Now before I go on, I'll just tell ya that Crystal likes to call herself a centrist. Don't let her get away with it! Lol, na I'm givin' her a hard time, but you will notice she took the moderated conservative view on every issue she mentioned, even going so far as to espouse support of the pseudo-notion of extensive media bias. This is just like the idea of "judicial activism" in that the facts simply go against conservative ideology far more often than not, so instead its easier to slander them (the media and the judiciary, respectively). I've always argued that if the media looks biased, it tends to be because the right is being caught trying to screw America way more than the left. That's not to say the left doesn't do it's fair share of trying to screw us; their attempts usually just pale in comparison.
I did like what Crystal had to say about some of the events though. In talking about Katrina, she couldn't have been more right when she said "For every display of heroism and compassion, there were images of rage and opposition." I remember hoping for a meteor to strike Nancy Pelosi, Kanye West, and Michael Chertoff every time they got on TV in the weeks afterward.
And I absolutely loved the part about Terri Schivo. Bill Frist (R-TN, Medical Doctor, Senate Majority Leader, and complete tool) turned that woman into a martyr for principle, and I remember wishing that someone would martyr Bill Frist for being such a colossal, for lack of a better word, douchebag.
Then there's the Tookie thing. People keep trying to drag me into Tookie debates (damn you Pevey), but I just can't get worked up about it. I don't care about the death penalty. You can't make me care about the death penalty. It doesn't matter!
However, when cornered and forced to take a stance on the issue, I take a purely pragmatic one: what good did it do to execute him? The short answer is, well, none. In fact, we may have done him a favor. I mean if he'd had his sentence commuted, life in prison is no picnic (in fact, it's probably a lot worse if you have faith and know something better lies around the corner). Plus, there was some potential good he could have done. Since his imprisonment, it appeared that Tookie had realized the atrocities he'd committed, and had become a harsh and vitriolic critic of gang violence and the gang lifestyle. Hell, I just tend to think that if his words could have stopped one person from joining a gang, it'd have been worth it.
Then there's the standard conservative rhetoric about all the good we're doing in Iraq. My argumet to that one is well documented: does that really make up for all the bad? The thousands of dead Americans? Tens of thousands of dead Iraqis?
And what about the reason we went there in the first place? We were told that Iraq had WMDs (the republican's favorite buzzword) and that Saddam consorted with terrorists. These two reasons are very compelling reasons to go to war, because if you're a terrorist, who's on top of your hit list right now? That's right: us. We're #1! We're #1! USA! USA! It's too bad that both of these reasons, the only ones we heard til about a year after the war had begun, turned out to be patently wrong if not outright fabrications. Let's get to the heart of the matter, this war is about two things: oil and revenge; and that's why so many have died.
Unacceptable. Irreproachable. Unforgiveable.
Wow I've rambled. Moving on...
"Political labels signify little" -Scott Hendrix
I really liked this column. I fall into this category of not fitting into the standard label system. Now I won't deny my affiliation. I'm a hardcore liberal, and proud of it, but did you also know that I am a certified National Rifle Association Instructor in Rifle, Shotgun, Handgun, and Muzzleloading Rifle and Shotgun? Or that I am an Eagle Scout and still quite active in Scouting? Or that I fully endorse the expansion of nuclear power? Do those sound like liberal traits to you?
And I'm glad Im not the only one concerned about the new "tax and spend conservative" doctrine. Bill Clinton actually cut government spending by over 1%, whereas George W. Bush has increased spending by over 44% in the last 5 years. That's fiscal responsibility, let me tell you.
I'm also glad he got on the new scandals recently breaking out. Well they're not that new. I mean, this is why Nixon was ousted, after all. I've got my own piece to say about spying on Americans. Stay tuned.
Otherwise I don't have much else to say except kudos, Scott. Great piece. Well, save for the "no handguns" thing. I despise the NRA as much as the next liberal (yes, I'm aware I'm certified as an instructor by them, but they're the only ones that do it), but a handgun has legitimate defensive tool. Now if ya wanna talk assault weapons, I'm right there with ya.
Political Cartoon - Josh Schendel
Very funny. Pat Robertson is a dick and a half.
Alright, that's all for this edition I suppose. As an aside I wanna say goodbye to LaRue Cook. The former Entertainment Editor of the Beacon won an internship with Scripps Howard and had to resign to persue this opportunity. Unfortunately, now I have no one to shoot the bull with when I'm down at the Beacon. Everyone else actually does work! Sigh...ah well, good luck man!
~Peace
posted by Jon Fish at 10:50 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home