Ignorance and stupidity are in, evidently, limitless supply, on both sides of the political spectrum. What seems to be a precious commodity, however, are accountability and perspective. Allow me to illustrate.
Here are the names of several prominent individuals who have said things – publicly – that are, shall we say, both controversial and bereft of logic:
- Harry Belafonte (Bush is a terrorist; Americans stand behind Chavez/Venezuela)
- Pat Robertson (assassinate Chavez; Sharon’s stroke is God’s retribution)
- Sen. Hillary R. Clinton (U.S. House is run like a plantation)
- Sen. Trent Lott (The country would have been better off if Strom Thurmond had been President)
- Mayor Ray Nagin (Hurricanes are God’s punishment for the Iraq war; New Orleans will be “chocolate” because it’s God’s will)
- Senator Ted Kennedy (practically every time he opens his mouth)
- Rev. Louis Farrakhan (ditto)
- Walter Cronkite (any comment on Bush/Iraq)
Okay. I admit that the left says a LOT more whacked-out things than the right. I can’t help it, any more than the police can for arresting more poor people for violent crimes than rich people. If you say more dumb stuff, and you fit into a particular demographic, that demographic is gonna get fingered.
So we have a lot of people saying a lot of stupid things. However, to hear tell in the mainstream media, we have a lot of CONSERVATIVES saying stupid stuff – the liberals get a free pass. Why? Because the MSM tilts to the left. They are blind to the log in their own eye and are busy pointing out the mote in the conservative’s eye. (For those of you in the MSM, that was a Biblical reference. You could look it up, if only you knew where to find a Bible.)
Now I don’t condone censorship (life would be pretty dull without these guys and others saying outrageous things all the time), but I DO support giving anybody and everybody a close look when they take a walk on the wild side. If you’re gonna climb down Robertson’s throat, then you have to do the same for Clinton, Kennedy, or Belafonte when they say something daffy.
It’s time to pay more than lip service to the Equal Time provisions of the FCC. Come on, MSM…let’s get the story on stupid – no matter WHO’S the source. Let’s not let Fox News have all the fun…why not have a “Gaffe of the Week” (or “Gaffe of the Day”) feature, and make it truly politically neutral? Maybe if you did, your ratings would stop their ever-present decline, and you could stop howling about how Fox doesn’t play fair. After all, what’s sauce for the conservative goose, should be sauce for the liberal gander.
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