Day: December 2, 2011

A Serious Matter

The Roar

A Serious Matter

My last anti-media essay will not let go of me.  While questions as to whether Cain did or didn’t will predominate till he becomes demoralized and beaten, the sad and lingering thought is that this is just the latest in a long line of channeling public thought to a predetermined position.  For too long, the true culprit is not the individual topic but rather the topic provider.  Our national media has now taken on the appearance of becoming our crucible, our test, for whether we remain not only free in action and deed but free in thought as well.

It seems to me that along with our “freedom of speech,” “freedom of the press” has been prostituted to the max.  Are we okay with free speech’s only reservation being “fire” yelled in a crowded setting or with the mentioning of a “bomb” at an airport?  In reality, there is so much more to free speech than those two exceptions but that is for another time.

These nagging notions of mine, brought about by this despicable portrayal of Cain, urges a further understanding, not only for myself but hopefully for all who remain curious.

Suffice to say that since the freedoms of speech and press are explicitly acknowledged within the First Amendment to our Constitution, it also follows that an ordinary amount of responsibility accompanies these rare public provisions.  This stipulation is often lost with the individual’s flaunting, as exemplified today with the occupiers “free speech” debasements taking place around our Country.

The most acceptable of public impressions is that our “freedom of the press” qualifies as a “free press.”  Both terms, “freedom” and “free,” are defined as a state of liberty.  Yet there is liberty and there is liberty.  Since our Constitution was written back in the day, definitions from Webster’s 1828 dictionary become more appropriate.

Liberty is a freedom from restraint.  Yet in society, there is natural, civil, political and religious liberties.  Civil liberty pertains to an “expedient for the safety and interest of the society, state or nation.  This should form the guidelines for the operation of our information industry.

Who among us can argue that “the safety and interest” of our nation is served best by the retorts of unsubstantiated recollections?  Who among us can accept the defamation of character which these claims are now producing?  Is this the act of a “free press” or an unsubstantiated press?

Is this a new media phenomenon and if not, just how damaging can the whimsical become?  The answer is “very damaging” when one remembers the supposed theories surrounding the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin attacks.   Today, credible doubt has surfaced as to whether this cause for war ever took place.

Another current day media escapade is this “global warming” facade.  Without getting into the nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts of this scheme, the thousands of emails to have been discovered two years ago detail the attempts of scientists to concoct and deceive.  Just recently, another batch of email evidence was brought to light with identical intent.  Still, our media continues with it’s promotion of a future doomsday while the federal government legislates to the point of outlawing the ageless and proven worthiness of the incandescent light bulb.

The media’s product of the unsubstantiated now promotes the public’s acceptance of the absurd.  When it’s weight can start wars and reverse industries, what chance does one innocent man have? But more importantly, what chance do we have for obtaining the truth, if in fact, that  remains our objective?

Jim Bowman, Author of,
This Roar of Ours

Anti-Taxpayer Write-In Campaign Fizzles In Pa.

An attempt by the teachers’ union  for a guerrilla victory in the West Chester Area School Board race was found to have fizzled when the dust cleared and the votes were counted.

When conservative Republicans running on a platform that put concern for elderly or unemployed property taxpayers  ahead of teacher-union interests won in the spring primary,  union supporters launched an unconventional and expensive write-in campaign to take the board.

The West Chester Area is a strong Republican area and winning on the GOP ballot is considered  a shoo-in for a municipal election.

In fact, three of the candidates — Karen Miller,Linda Raileanu and Maureen Snook — also won on the Democrat ticket as cross-filing is allowed in Pennsylvania school board races.

There were two others on the Democrat ballot — Wayne Burton, who was endorsed by the Democrat Party, and Ted Diehl, who called himself an independent and was not endorsed. Neither was part of the write-in campaign.

On Election Day, Nov. 8, 43,665 write-in votes were cast divided among six candidates, including one in a race to fill the remaining two years of the term originally won by John Wingerter, who resigned, and now held by Ms. Miller, who was running for a four-year term.

It was very likely the largest write-in campaign ever held for a school board election in Pennsylvania.

When the results were certified, however, only one of the insurgents, Sue Tiernan, managed to win sneaking in fifth for the final four-year seat.

The final count for the four-year seats is:Ms.  Miller, 9,206; Maureen Snook, 8,958; Linda Raileanu, 8,505; Vince
Murphy, 7,945; Ms. Tiernan, 7,690; Gary Bevilacqua, 7,550; Galen Plona,
7,497; Rick Swalm, 7,453; Spencer Virta, 6,979; Antonia Keg, 6,785;  Burton, 3,568;  Diehl, 3,253.

The other write-in candidates were Bevilacqua; Swalm, who is  incumbent board president; Virta;  and Ms. Keg.  Bevilacqua and Virta were the ones who did not have teaching backgrounds.

Plona was the taxpayer candidate who did not make the cut.

In the two-year race, conservative Ed Coyle easily beat Jim Smith, an incumbent who changed his mind about stepping down,  9,658 votes to the
6,413 write-in votes.

The election has resulted in at least five pro-taxpayer directors on the nine-person board.