tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post4111236917140561507..comments2023-11-03T03:17:27.053-05:00Comments on NPR Check: Kiss the AshesMytwordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307620268159811668noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-21972595753893249932008-11-10T13:19:00.000-06:002008-11-10T13:19:00.000-06:00Good words.Good words.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-57881859825560442872007-11-21T14:58:00.000-06:002007-11-21T14:58:00.000-06:00I did some research about the think tanks that NPR...I did some research about the think tanks that NPR uses and it was really instructive. I did not realize how many times they used words such as "some say" or "many feel" which is just their way of saying we at NPR do not have a source or we aren't going to quote one you can nail down. Anyway, they use conservative think tanks more often that not (see I can do that too!) when they do bother to quote their source. But what I want to know is why do they rely so heavily on biased sources for their news? Isn't a reporter suposed to do their own research and report? Oh yeah, I forgot, those were the good old days and all they are paid to do is sound convincing and somewhat bemused by this stuff called the news.Life As I Know It Nowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03733963455243806298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27644679.post-39354090449891205322007-11-21T12:59:00.000-06:002007-11-21T12:59:00.000-06:00Excellent analysis of the Giuliani piece.To me, Ru...Excellent analysis of the Giuliani piece.<BR/><BR/>To me, Rudy is a retread. He's today's version of Bush2: a figure with minimal background but all the right connections.<BR/><BR/>This is not are era of great leaders. Great minds exist, but they are not in power. When I saw TV coverage of Bush and Rudy on the scene during the 9/11 saga, I was waiting for some sort of extraordinariness to emanate from them, whether it was manufactured or not. Even their handlers and scriptwriters couldn't come up with remarkable material. So these two figures came off, at least to me, as rather ordinary inspectors who were just doing their obligatory jobs. No poetry was necessary, but what we got was about as inspiring as a leftover eggroll. It was left to the media to build up the 'bullhorn' and 'podium' moments. On repeated viewings, Bush looks like he's merely inspecting a construction site, but no one would dare make fun of his 'nukular-isms' now. And Rudy, in his golden moments of screen time, sounds like he's dealing with a transportation strike or something. No one would dare make fun of his lisp now. In the meantime, the people down in the trenches were doing all the work while these pinwheels took all the credit. I just don't know why people were so impressed with Rudy's performance, even now. Letterman's emotionalism was to be expected, but it looks pretty feeble today.<BR/><BR/>As Lord Byron said, 'I want a hero: an uncommon want, when every year and month sends forth a new one . ..' Well, in media-managed America, and in such an emergency as 9/11, heroes had to be created, and fast. Who better than Hizzoner, who, despite his flaws and botches, was nevertheless readily available for hero-dom. Keeping cool is part of an actor's skill, and apparently, Rudy wowed 'em on his stage. He failed to wow this child though, and I don't trust him further than I could spit in a hurricane. It is a sad fact that most of the heroes of 9/11 . . . are dead.<BR/><BR/>Plus, I still think 9/11 was preventable, but we'd better not get into that here. <BR/><BR/>As far as Rudy's world view is concerned, he fits in nicely with wacko/toxic opinionist Tom Friedman's feeling that, in order to fight terrorism, you have to have leaders who are crazier than the terrorists. It's a hollow comfort zone, a veritable hallucination for a public that wants to be swayed. To keep us safe. Hell, I feel more vulnerable walking to work, dodging SUV-driving, backwards baseballcap-wearing, cellphone-dialing goofballs than the prospect of the looming Islam-o-fascists, who are waiting to pounce. But - how petty of me.<BR/><BR/>NPR is happy to go along with all of this. They have prospered under Bush, and it is certain that Rudy's machine would keep them a going concern. With a more 'liberal' administration overseeing public broadcasting, things might revert to the bad old days of low ratings and indeterminate audiences out there in the wilderness somewhere.Porter Melmothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473990960543501439noreply@blogger.com