Recently the White House launched what some have coined a War on Fox News. Spokespeople from the administration went on every Sunday morning talk show except Fox's, and declared Fox News to not be a legitimate news station that pushes a point of view rather than news. Now, I do not entirely disagree with that statement, but the White House must realize that this attack just consolidates the base around the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. Fox News does have the right to publish whatever content they desire, and any attempt to muzzle Fox News plays right into the idea that the White House is turning this country into a social dictatorship and our very freedoms are at stake.
Now, having said that, Fox News is an irresponsible and, in my opinion, dangerous organization that prays on the fears of its viewers and expands the ignorant views of a narrow minority. Yes, speech is a right; opposing speech is especially important to a free society. But with our freedoms and rights comes responsibilities. It is essential that news organizations hold themselves to a high standard of integrity and only report the facts and not opinion based journalism. Opposing view points have their place, but not as a platform or a prism from which you report what your station claims to be "fair and balanced" news. News does not have a point of view. Facts do not have emotions. And journalists have a responsibility to the truth.
And that is why I think that Fox News, and other individual shows on MSNBC and CNN, are dangerous. Each claims they have cornered the marked on the truth. They report on a narrow set of facts with a narrow politicized interpretation. What makes matters worse is they use words like communist, socialist, maoist, nazi, and, most offensive of all, Anti-American. First, holding an opposing view is not Anti-American, as Fox News argues against the White House's attempted black listing. Second, and perhaps most important, who determines what "American" is? Isn't America supposed to be the giant mixing pot of all nations? Where all religions, all ethnic backgrounds, all points of view are not only permissible, but welcome? Labeling the opposition with slanderous adjectives to scare up more viewers is irresponsible, dangerous, and an abuse of the first amendment.
But it is not all Fox News and MSNBC's fault. The American public needs to take responsibility for its knowledge on world/political issues. The internet makes it possible to view multiple, in fact thousands, of different news sources. When an issue is important to you, a well informed citizen will educate himself on all aspects of an issue from multiple sources. This is also an inherent responsibility of free expression.
In the end, organizations and shows that promote extreme views as the truth and label anyone who doesn't fit into their narrow point of view as "Anti-American" do not help solve the political problems we face as a nation. I am convinced that we all share a common set of values that do not drastically conflict. The argument is how we implement these common values as laws, and realizing we do share a common point of view is the first step in moving ahead as a nation.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mission Statement
My first post on my new blog will be a general statement about what I hope to accomplish through this blog. First, I am seeking individuals who share my political point of view. Every day I grow increasingly frustrated with the political situation in this country, and I am now almost convinced that nobody shares my political views. This blog is an attempt to find those individuals, and allow a place where common sense and compassionate thought from the right and the left can be shared and discussed.
Throughout the lifespan of this blog, I will comment on the hot political topic of the day. I will never spout hateful, ignorant, racist, or otherwise demeaning comments on this blog. I will try to present my point of view, and I hope to find others who agree and spark civil debate with those who do not. In order to do that let me tell you all a little bit about my political stance.
I consider myself a republican/libertarian, but I do not agree with the "neocon" version of conservatism that is now propagating throughout the Republican party. I am also not a "Regan Republican." For one, I am too young to remember who Regan was, and that brand of politics doesn't work anymore and there is no hope of it ever returning. If the Republican party ever wants to regain any form of respectability again, it must move forward with a different vision. I do believe in small government, but government must be there for certain things: Military, Law Enforcement, and, yes I know it is blasphemous to say this as a republican, health care. How is it okay to have a federal law enforcement agency to protect us, but it is not okay to have a government that provides for its people?
This is where I feel my views are different from the platform of the republican party and cannot be defined by conventional labels. Too often we narrow our scope to democrat or republican and forget that the world is not that black or white. Health care is a perfect example of my, and I believe this nation's, internal conflict. I believe the government is bad at running things. They can operate at a loss on the backs of taxpayer's money while maintaining inefficient practices. BUT as a Catholic, I believe that we must help our fellow man, we must cloth the naked, care for the sick, feed the hungry. And right now our country falls short. We do not care for our people like a first world nation should. But how do we fix that?? Ultimately, I believe it comes down to responsibility. I believe that government's function is to take responsibility for essential human needs when no one else will take proper responsibility for them. That is exactly why we have a federal law enforcement agency and a military. Local militia/law enforcement cannot adequately protect the nation like a federal military/law enforcement can. Right now, health insurance companies do not adequately cover those who need it; therefore, government is the one responsible to provide this essential common good for its citizens.
I feel this internal conflict on a number of other issues. I am strongly anti-abortion, but I cannot condemn those who feel that abortion is their only option. I also am against gay marriage on moral grounds, but as citizens they deserve equal rights under the law like everyone else. I believe the Iraq war was a mistake and did not fit the definition of a "just" war, but we can't change the past and their is no way we can leave the country in the state it is now. Income tax should be abolished and replaced with a national sales tax, but this tax cannot hurt the poor by taxing everyday food stuffs and items needed to sustain a family such as diapers. These views are just a few of the reasons why I feel ostracized from the mainstream political parties, and why I hope to find other like minded individuals.
Throughout the lifespan of this blog, I will comment on the hot political topic of the day. I will never spout hateful, ignorant, racist, or otherwise demeaning comments on this blog. I will try to present my point of view, and I hope to find others who agree and spark civil debate with those who do not. In order to do that let me tell you all a little bit about my political stance.
I consider myself a republican/libertarian, but I do not agree with the "neocon" version of conservatism that is now propagating throughout the Republican party. I am also not a "Regan Republican." For one, I am too young to remember who Regan was, and that brand of politics doesn't work anymore and there is no hope of it ever returning. If the Republican party ever wants to regain any form of respectability again, it must move forward with a different vision. I do believe in small government, but government must be there for certain things: Military, Law Enforcement, and, yes I know it is blasphemous to say this as a republican, health care. How is it okay to have a federal law enforcement agency to protect us, but it is not okay to have a government that provides for its people?
This is where I feel my views are different from the platform of the republican party and cannot be defined by conventional labels. Too often we narrow our scope to democrat or republican and forget that the world is not that black or white. Health care is a perfect example of my, and I believe this nation's, internal conflict. I believe the government is bad at running things. They can operate at a loss on the backs of taxpayer's money while maintaining inefficient practices. BUT as a Catholic, I believe that we must help our fellow man, we must cloth the naked, care for the sick, feed the hungry. And right now our country falls short. We do not care for our people like a first world nation should. But how do we fix that?? Ultimately, I believe it comes down to responsibility. I believe that government's function is to take responsibility for essential human needs when no one else will take proper responsibility for them. That is exactly why we have a federal law enforcement agency and a military. Local militia/law enforcement cannot adequately protect the nation like a federal military/law enforcement can. Right now, health insurance companies do not adequately cover those who need it; therefore, government is the one responsible to provide this essential common good for its citizens.
I feel this internal conflict on a number of other issues. I am strongly anti-abortion, but I cannot condemn those who feel that abortion is their only option. I also am against gay marriage on moral grounds, but as citizens they deserve equal rights under the law like everyone else. I believe the Iraq war was a mistake and did not fit the definition of a "just" war, but we can't change the past and their is no way we can leave the country in the state it is now. Income tax should be abolished and replaced with a national sales tax, but this tax cannot hurt the poor by taxing everyday food stuffs and items needed to sustain a family such as diapers. These views are just a few of the reasons why I feel ostracized from the mainstream political parties, and why I hope to find other like minded individuals.
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