Hokay.

[heidi]

In the past three days, I have explained to someone on the TLC comments zone that Jefferson was not a "Christian", at least not in the way the term is currently used, but a Deist - said someonedid not know what a Deist was.

I explained to someone else that under the Clinton administration, children were not expelled from schools - and in fact, could not be expelled from schnools, for praying privately before lunch or a test. Said someone believed that W had put that into law at the start of 2001.

I have pointed out to yet another person that FOX news presents its staff with daily position papers that mandate how issues are to be covered, and that those position papers iunvariably take the side of the administration.

You know, there are very understandable reasons for someone to vote for George Bush.

If you firmly believe that God talks through him, as he said in a speech to the Amish earlier this month, vote for him. If you agree with his position on abortion, vote for him. If you think that doctors and scientists should be barred from attending conferences because of their political beliefs, vote for him. Vote for him because you'd rather have lower taxes than funding to protect ports from serving as a way for WMDs to enter the country.

Go right ahead. But don't vote for him because you believe things that are not true.

Comments

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

I heard the head of fox news was Dubyas cousin. Do you know if this is true?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Yes, he is.

You might want to look over Fox News Channel Chairman Roger Ailes' prepared remarks to Congress back in 2002 on the 2000 election:

would like to say a few words about John Ellis because I am sure you are all familiar with him and his family connections. Mr. Ellis is the first cousin of President George W. Bush and Governor Jeb Bush.

I am aware that Mr. Ellis was speaking to then Governor George W Bush and Jeb Bush on election night. Obviously, through his family connections, Mr. Ellis has very good sources. I do not see this as a fault or shortcoming of Mr. Ellis.

I do believe that democracy was harmed by my network and others on November 7, 2000. I do believe that the great profession of journalism took many steps backward.

Furthermore, Roger Ailes sent a secret memo offering political advice to George W. Bush after last year's terrorist attacks illustrates one of the fundamental facts of American political life: the utterly dishonest and politically incestuous relationship between the mass media and the government. And you may not know that Ailes was the man who produced the Troop Homecoming shows for Gulf War I,

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

I did not know that, and it pisses me off.


Media shall now be on the list, politicians are already on there, as enemies of the RCP.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Weirdly enough, it doesn't piss me off that he works there, or that he's a journalist. What bothers me is that people who watch foxnews each day don't know that he's there, running things behind the scenes.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

I wish we could send everyone who watches Fox a copy of Outfoxed. That wakes ya right up.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Word!

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

Yes, that has a large pissing off factor too.

I just wish media and politics could be kept seperate. Just report the facts and not your opinions.

[wendywoowho.livejournal.com]

AMEN.

[themorningstarr.livejournal.com]

I thought Jefferson was Unitarian.

Word on everything else.

I have two devout Christian friends (the daughter and son-in-law of the Preacher at my mom's church) and they cannot wrap their minds around Bush claiming to be Christian and then supporting the policies he does. They believe that people shouldn't vote for a candidate because of their religious beliefs, because anyone can put on a cross and claim to talk to God. Only God knows, however, if they're telling the truth.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I can ask my friend Amy, who is a Unitarian minister, but as I understand it, there's a lot of overlap between people who believe in Deism, and those who join Unitarian congregations.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I have a wutever for you. A columnist for the NY Post wrote that Teresa's speech was full of new agey language.

The bits the reporter complained about were Teresa's quotes from Abe Lincoln.

[themorningstarr.livejournal.com]

The bits the reporter complained about were Teresa's quotes from Abe Lincoln.

alsdfjas;lgfj asdfljkasjdf;alksjf na;kfjasl;fdj
asdlfjkalsfdj;alskgjdf ;aslkjf;awerugjlk

Somewhere, a village is looking for its idiot...

...then again, maybe it's glad the idiot's gone. o_0

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Great icon for this! Btw, this was the quote:

The better angels of our nature are just waiting to be summoned.

[sternel.livejournal.com]

That's it. I'm avoiding the media until Election Day. Any more stupidity and my head will explode. Terrible messy when that happens...

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Ah, don't avoid it. I know a great reporter at the Staten island paper (melissa_tlc!), for example, and other press try to at least show varied perspectives, or actually do research. I read the Washington Times, Washington Post, NY Times, MSNBC and Slate's websites, and Salon.com each day; I know I'm getting at least a bit of a range.

[virginia-bell.livejournal.com]

MSN Slate is a wonderful website. I read that, along with The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer, everyday. Here in DC, I'm currently getting a free subscription to the NY Times. Well, that ends on Sunday when I head back home. :-)

Signing off, V.M. Bell

[evil-erato.livejournal.com]

... you have got to be kidding. o_O Do you have a link?

[phoenixsong]

*dies*

[debellatrix.livejournal.com]

Too pissed-off to be coherent. It's not just the few things you mentioned above, but from 4 years of this crap. I can't believe I'm going to say this (given my boundless love for summer), but I wish it was November already.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

This is part of what makes me so frustrated...the US is a country where accurate information is possible to get. It's like...people have a lot of advantages living in this country, flawed as it is. I think that gives people a responsibility to deal with the truth instead of stupid horror stories that make the world situation seem so much simpler.

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

Or, vote for him because you wouldn't want to elect anyone smarter or more informed than yourself: the "dumb and proud of it vote."

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I just don't understand the whole "being dumb" thing. I mean, shouldn't people want to aspire?

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

Au contraire, apparently: If you have no ambitions or aspirations, you too can become president.

[ninegal.livejournal.com]

Not much to say on this issue as a non-american (well. actually I would have a lot to say, but anyway).

Just wanted to say Thank you for all these posts recently. They make me, up to a certain extent, extremely glad

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Ah, good, I am glad to see interest in it, regardless of where people are from!

Religion and politics

[redina]

did not know what a Deist was.

I don't know what a Deist is. I'm guessing it has to do with someone who believes in God, which encompasses numerous sects of religion. Following religion doesn't make it into my top twenty.

There are enough folks who follow rights and politics... They can give me a general synopsis if the world is about to end. {g} Shame there isn't someone who could do a synop of HPFGU.

Real life and fandom irk me enough as is without adding additional branches of irrationality to downright stupidity into the mix.

Bad enough I just read this one HP slash fic where the author kept spelling 'maybe' as 'maby'.

{chuckle} I've got my priorities in order.

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

As annoyed as you were while writing that post, it actually made me feel good to read. At least someone has their head screwed on all the way. *hugs* Your views are comforting. I'm so happy you can vote.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

You know what? The first time George Bush I ran, I was too young to vote, but I volunteered for the Dukakis campaign anyway. There are so many things people of all ages can do!

[harlequincy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my family's going to a fundraiser for the Democratic Party at some point later this month, and I think we're giving money. So that makes me feel a bit more helpful, I guess.