Introduction
RED, BLACK AND BLUE IN AMERICA
Major media newspapers in our modern American supposed “free” press society, typically severely limit if not outright censor the ability of citizen readers to adequately respond to often slanted “news” articles and more obviously biased, editorials and contributing pundit columns.
While a regular columnist may be allotted 800-1200 words or more to spin a perspective of rather dubious credibility, a “guest columnist” attempting to point out why the paid columnist is obviously a complete moron, is allowed substantially less space for responding.
Not surprisingly, as discovered while attempting to write this book, it is considerably easier to clearly present a position in 800-1200 words than in a mere 500 regarding the same issue. Several of the “issue” chapters in this book, each limited to 500 words or less, could have been addressed much better if even an additional 100 words were allowed.
Similarly, a well thought out and carefully crafted “letter to the editor”, if one is fortunate enough to actually have it published, is typically severely edited and otherwise, entirely hacked beyond recognition. Thus often as not, the position of the responding letter becomes so skewed, that angry counter-responses ensue from people who actually agree with the position the response is trying to make.
Compounding average citizen woes is the modern media's incessant compulsion to divide us up on one "side" or the other. For example, someone who opposes Junior Bush's ¹ illegal invasion of Iraq, as many experienced military people did from the beginning, supports a fairly applied death penalty, favors strict gun control and, who opposes abortion in most cases, literally has no voice in today's American ² media great divide (this example does not necessarily represent the author's views).
When published by The Tennessean newspaper, the fifth chapter in this book, illustrating the overwhelmingly obvious hypocritical position of the NRA regarding the 2nd Amendment, received a barrage of angry responses, branding the author with every liberal hate name imaginable and some perhaps, previously not invented.
A few weeks later, the seventh chapter, pointing out the equal if not greater hypocrisy of the ACLU in regards to the 1st Amendment, induced a larger torrent of venom from the opposite "side", branding the same author a “right-wing lunatic fringe fundamentalist conservative Pharisaical wacko” and other even less desirable and polite associations.
Thus, the beleaguered “common people", who Jesus reportedly came to save, have no voice, nor are we afforded any right to hold an independent viewpoint. As assuredly as we will never be free if we do not know what is true, most assuredly, we will not likely know what is true if we don't take time to fairly examine an issue for what it is, independent of partisan bias.
Therefore this book, however inadequately, attempts to take such an unspeakable approach of fair and unbiased examination, letting conservative, moderate, liberal, progressive and other such vinegar-laden chips fall where they may.
And now my 500 words are about up. . .
NOTES:
1. George W. Bush is deliberately never referred to formally as "President Bush" in this book, as he was not fairly elected in the year 2000 and most probably not in 2004, nor would it be wise to downgrade the already somewhat questionable "highest office" of our nation any further than it already is, due to the many questionable policies and actions of both Bush and his predecessors.
2. The term “American” is for the most part, carelessly used throughout this book in reference to citizens of the United States. Although, this is an extremely arrogant and overwhelmingly incorrect application of the term, which applies equally to citizens of Canada, Mexico and every other nation in North and South America, it is nevertheless, used as such for reasons which continue to be somewhat of a mystery, even to the author himself.
Other Books by Richard Aberdeen Click Here to eMail the Author Copyright © by Richard Aberdeen Copyright © by Freedom Tracks Music No part of this material may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author: Inquires click here. Appendix Revolution and Revolution/Side B are open copyright and may be reproduced or utilized as desired. |