Arkansas Blog

But don't forget, the religious--especially the conservative religious--are under attack, ATTACK from the Godless left.....so they have to get their views out.

It's taken me 50 years to learn, but I finally figured out that the media is about show business, 24-7. The members of the media are constantly searching for the best actors to put on their little mini-stage.

Truth takes hind tit in the show as the media pushes microphones into the faces of the most extreme among us. They always overlook the intelligent preachers and go for the fire-breathers like Falwell. They pass up normal folks and find those most trashy to represent their soap opera version of real folks.

They find the scariest looking black folks, most white trash looking white folks and Mexicans either scary or with a little taco sauce on their chin. And we're supposed to find the truth in these people?

Mostly I trust the obituaries, though now and then people fly to the loving arms of Jesus and I'd like to see some proof of that. The rest of the news must be taken with a grain of salt because it's the news thru the filter of someone looking for a promotion and so most of the time it's jazzed up a little, if not a lot.

The media is to blame for the influx of religion into everything. Every time anything happens they find a preacher to pronounce the wrath of God on the subject. Why not ask a postman? Why not check the pulse of stamp collectors across America. Does the opinion of Star Trek fans no longer count?

Basing things on facts, it's pretty ridiculous to asked the combined opinion of people who take everything on faith. Garry Trudeau appears to have as much authority as the Pope. I'll have more faith in our news when the faithful are included less. Nice folks....don't know much, ya know.

Thanks for this Max. I'm saving the piece--maybe I'll even laminate it as a pocket card--to pull out each time someone tries to tell me that "the majority of Americans believe so-and-so".

So who's responsible for this right-wing bias in the MSM? Nevermind, the answer is obvious. One of them, at least, is dead now, another is fallen from grace, and their most powerful enabler is about to be kicked out of his office on Pennsylvania Avenue.

This is no surprise. The media is mega-corporations. Mega corporations are right wing leaning. Most of their political funds go to the GOP/right wing elements. Most corporate CEOs support in all ways right wing political candidates. The most persistent on-going myth today in America is the spiel, "left wing liberal press," and the second most on-going myth is the "left wing liberal US Supreme Court."

Does Huckabee count as a progressive religious figure? 'Cause they're quoting the hell (sorry) out of him lately.

ARK. BLOG: No.

Cato, those are not myths, those are lies--very different things.

And DBI, I appreciate your biases against religion in general, given your background, but please, you and others as well, please do not lump all Christians--much less all religions--together under the head of odious liars. That only applies to those who have been participating in this right-wing collusion for control of this country.

I hope you will read some of Sr Joan's writings for a taste of what real religion and spirituality are about. I highly recommend any of her 35 or so books--none of them is very long.

It's all about entertainment and
ratings. That's why they trot
out the nuts on both sides
and let them mud wrestle.
Intelligent discourse among
normal people is too boring.

It's all about money...always is.

The hellfire and damnation point of view makes better-selling TV than peace, love and understanding.

People love to hear about celebrity mishaps, get obsessively fixated with murders, slow down to look at car wrecks, etc.

If we can watch other people get hurt, we like it. That is the basic driver of the fundamentalist 'business model'. "We're saved, and you're going to hell" appeals to our human nature.

Thanks for an excellent and fact-filled post. The one-dimensional portrait of black religion in American politics presented by the MSM does a disservice to us all, black, white and other. The truth is nice.

I'd also like to point out that NBCUSA has a strong Arkansas connection. Its founding director was Rev. E.C. Morris, pastor of Centennial M.B. Church in Helena, Arkansas. From its founding in 1897 to his death in 1922 (if I have my dates correct), the de facto headquarters of the NBC was in Helena, Arkansas. I can't find a link to cite, but email me if you want more info (or if I got some of that wrong!)

My two cents to the comments above about the media in conjunction with both religion and the civic life in general of our society.
This morning while I was cleaning my breakfast dish I heard this gushing, emotional music on CNN's American Morning. No words just music. I dryed my hands and went into the tv room to find shots of soldiers coming home in caskets or alive hugging their beautiful blonde kids and wife, to parades and cheers. I'm sorry because I respect our people who have gone to Iraq to fight - but they really deserve a government/society that is as good as they are. And the media is significantly responsible for what we now have.
They gave little Georgie-Boy a pass in the intellect and accomplishments arenas when he was running for office. They did a weak-kneed job of following the Florida recount, exposing the Supreme Court for the political apparatus it became, and did nothing [except for Michael Moore] on the unprecendent actions in the House of Representatives to try to undo the political manipulation of that election.
Then they fell in line behind the "9/11 changes everything" mantra with its associated fear factor. They aided and abetted ALL branches of our government in its rush to judgement called the Patriot Act.
And finally, I would not have had to see the footage I saw this morning or hear the mournful sounds of the music which accompanied it, had they done their job from July 2002 to March 2003. Our good folks would not have been coming home in body bags, damaged for life in both limb and mind, or buried under those endless white crosses in National Cemetaries thoughout our country. Had you done your jobs MEDIA, these people would still be whole.
So don't attempt to entertain us any longer - do your f'''ing jobs because if you don't there will be no schmaltzey music at the funeral of the American Republic.

Gee, I hope having his comments posted on a blog isn't an ethical or judicial offense for His Honor. You never know these days apparently.

On the topic of our media: has anyone seen mainstream media report of this information?

Cheney's Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year

Sources:
Raw Story, October 2005
Title: "Cheney's Halliburton Stock Options Rose 3,281 Percent Last Year, Senator Finds"
Author: John Byrne

Senator Frank Lautenberg's website
Title: "Cheney's Halliburton Stock Options Soar to $9.2 Million"

Vice President Dick Cheney's stock options in Halliburton rose from $241,498 in 2004 to over $8 million in 2005, an increase of more than 3,000 percent, as Halliburton continues to rake in billions of dollars from no-bid/no-audit government contracts.

An analysis released by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) reveals that as Halliburton's fortunes rise, so do the Vice President's. Halliburton has already taken more than $10 billion from the Bush-Cheney administration for work in Iraq. They were also awarded many of the unaccountable post-Katrina government contracts, as off-shore subsidiaries of Halliburton quietly worked around U.S. sanctions to conduct very questionable business with Iran (See Story #2). "It is unseemly," notes Lautenberg, "for the Vice President to continue to benefit from this company at the same time his administration funnels billions of dollars to it."

According to the Vice President's Federal Financial Disclosure forms, he holds the following Halliburton stock options:

100,000 shares at $54.5000 (vested), expire December 3, 2007
33,333 shares at $28.1250 (vested), expire December 2, 2008
300,000 shares at $39.5000 (vested), expire December 2, 2009

The Vice President has attempted to fend off criticism by signing an agreement to donate the after-tax profits from these stock options to charities of his choice, and his lawyer has said he will not take any tax deduction for the donations. However, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) concluded in September 2003 that holding stock options while in elective office does constitute a "financial interest" regardless of whether the holder of the options will donate proceeds to charities. Valued at over $9 million, the Vice President could exercise his stock options for a substantial windfall, not only benefiting his designated charities, but also providing Halliburton with a tax deduction.

CRS also found that receiving deferred compensation is a financial interest. The Vice President continues to receive deferred salary from Halliburton. While in office, he has received the following salary payments from Halliburton:

Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2001: $205,298
Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2002: $162,392
Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2003: $178,437
Deferred salary paid by Halliburton to Vice President Cheney in 2004: $194,852

These CRS findings contradict Vice President Cheney's puzzling view that he does not have a financial interest in Halliburton.

UPDATE BY JOHN BYRNE
The media has routinely downplayed Cheney's involvement and financial investment in Halliburton, one of the largest U.S. defense contractors that received supersized no-bid contracts in Iraq. Ultimately, the importance of the story is that the Vice President of the U.S. is able to use his position of power to reap rewards for his former company in which he has a financial investment. Halliburton may also benefit from a chilling effect in which the Pentagon is more likely to favor Cheney's firm to seek favor with the White House.

Cheney continues to hold 433,333 Halliburton stock options, and receives a deferred salary of about $200,000 a year. According to Cheney's most recent tax returns, he held $2.5 million in retirement accounts, much of which likely came from his former defense firm.

Cheney recently filed disclosure reports that show he is valued at $94 million.

Cato, I was all ready to write something nice about how insightful and articulate Judge Griffen is, when I got to your post.

Cowabunga do you need any more proof that Cheney is a freaking liar who has an appalling conflict of interest in sending troops to die so he can get richer and richer. Can we not force leaders to divest significant holdings like this? Granted, he should have done it as a matter of ethics, but he's sorely lacking in any. Cripes....I have a headache now.

First they knocked off Agnew and then they went after Nixon......sounds like a plan, Stan.

I would like to comment on the original post. Larger numbers of people don't mean that they should be followed as being correct. There are many people today who call themselves Christian but are not leading a Christ like life. Many will stand before God and claim the blood of Christ, only to be turned away as if Christ never knew them. Faith without works is dead. Your faith must be in action in your daily life; denying the selfish things we want and actively following Christ. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?"
The point is that just because a larger majority of people call themselves this or that; we can't assume that they are right based upon mere numbers.