Category: Guest Authors

The Roar

Media’s  Alarming Power

For the first time in my life, an accepted societal cog has caught my serious and now fearful attention.  Here, in the land of the free, a charlatan, who enjoys our freedom of thought and expression, has been allowed to move among us with impunity from its unaccountable conduct.  For too long, we have been resigned to the machinations of what we have come to accept from “a liberal media.”  Today, our leniency has produced a menace with an insatiable appetite.

In hindsight, many refer to the Obama Presidency as a “product of the media.”  Their lack of scrutiny, in areas other than just his citizenship, certainly greased the mental process for shedding America’s hangover from our days of slavery and segregation.  The public’s exhilaration from finally being able to prove that, yes, those days are truly behind us, enabled voters of all stripes to cast careful thought and debate aside for their passion that America could elect its first black President.

While all this now taking place, it seems ironic that a media questioning of Senator McCain’s citizenship eligibility came to the forefront while they showered Obama with an automatic pass. This 2008 preferential treatment may now seem to be the harbinger of what is taking place with the up and down horse race to this early republican campaign season.  Sad to say, those shades of differing treatment have now mutated into an all out assault based on innuendo and “he said, she said” references.  This is not the task of a responsible and honest free press.

What we have today is an information source that trades jabs between the glitzy formats of a revolving platform of political opinion and predictions verses the usual hum-drum news casts which often centers on the despicable and/or the macabre.  This conclusion may seem overboard but given the hundreds of lifting stories which surface daily, news in general depresses and it now seems to depress for a reason.

To underline this descent from the preferential to the slanderous, try to now shed political loyalties and consider the numerous Clinton allegations, which filled the spectrum from the adulterous to the criminal.  Yes, even a rape charge was not sufficient for media curiosity, let alone to investigate.  Need we compare then to this present investigative vim at targeting
Cain’s purity?  A comparison projects our dilemma.

What is being sacrificed, is the public reputation of a man who, for some reason, answered the call of his country.  Now, for just a moment, stop rushing to media conclusions and consider the possibility of innocence.  Our media pundits are eager to rid this republican primary of a black conservative with a proven and widely successful career in business and also in his private life. Why?  The reasons are obvious yet to be left unspoken.

We often ask the question, when faced with the choice of electing “frick” or “frack,” is this the best out Country has to offer?  Well, when an true outsider enters the political fray, the insiders with their establishment power circle the wagons.  Their attacks are as vicious as they are unending.  What we are now witnessing, and to a degree, buying into, is the complete and vicious ruination of a man who, for all intent and purposes, would never have entered the contest with all these various women waiting to sharpen their knives.

What the various media outlets ignore is that during the time span of this last accuser, armed with her infamous “61 text messages and cell phone calls,” Mr. Cain had endured and survived a Stage Four cancer struggle.  I would think this hardly is the setting for any sexual shenanigans.  Also, 61 conversations averages less than five per year.  The grist for a hot and heavy relationship?  It is not!

Ladies and gentlemen , Mr. Cain is obviously the victim and the reasons are quite clear.  Let’s rid ourselves of emotion and knee jerk reactions spurred from unsubstantiated sources.  Common sense must once again be embraced for if we allow this to affect our support, “Frick” and ‘Frack” will once again be our only reward.

Jim Bowman, Author of
This Roar of Ours

The Roar

A Day For Prayer

First off, let’s get it right!  I want to wish all my fellow Americans a happy day for thanksgiving and prayer.  These are George Washington’s words when he sign a decree designating November 26, 1789, as a day of “Public thanksgiving and prayer.”

I am sick and tired of this whack-a-doo anti-American sect somehow erasing our Forefather’s original message and intent with their secular and anti-Christian overlap.  Today, in the year of our Lord 2011, let us all proceed to renew our American instinct and dedicate our efforts towards the return of the principles which made our Country so great.  For I believe that our current turmoil and agitation comes as the direct result of our waywardness from our original design.

In 1962, our august Supreme Court ruled against prayer in school.  In its finding, the Court stated, “prayer in its public school system breaches the constitutional wall of separation between Church and state.”  Also cited was the Court’s, “A union of government and religion tends to destroy government and to degrade religion.”

This was the conclusion to a case against having a twenty-two word voluntary and nondenominational prayer observed in New York State schools.  Consider the words of this particular prayer, “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country.”  This bland moment of reverence is a monumental example as to this continuing push for a secular America.  Ladies and gentlemen, without a rudder, a ship flounders.  Our ship of state is floundering and the reasons are quite clear.

Returning to the words of George Washington, his thanksgiving and prayer proclamation wisely acknowledged “the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor…” also “Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to ‘recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'”

Now President Washington spoke in lengthy sentences.  It seems to be the trade mark of those early days when diction was more elaborate and defined.    As such, our first President continued proclaiming that this occasion is “to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be…”

Space does not permit the complete proclamation but suffice to say that the main theme to Washington’s decree was his and our worshiping thanks “to the great Lord and ruler of Nations.”

From this historical document, one can readily see that that modern day America has been led to the slaughter.  Starting from when the Constitution was ratified till the 1947 Everson case, which introduced this insipid and Constitutionally unfounded “wall of separation between church and state,” the freedom of religion, to practice and worship remained sacred and untouched.  It is a monumental injustice for nine black robes to embark upon a First amendment detour which has the complete eradication of our Christian doctrines and heritage as it final quest.  In essence, our Supreme Court created new law which for all intent and purposes contradicted our First Amendment’s recognition of our inalienable religious rights by prohibiting their “free exercise.”

So on this day of thanks and prayer, while we all enjoy the football games and eagerly anticipate the Black Friday store gimmicks, remember that it was a Supreme Court authority, the same authority which will now consider the constitutionality of Obamacare, which trashed our inalienable religious freedoms.  As such, their record for upholding Constitutional safeguards should send shudders throughout our society.  If ever there was a time to “beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions,”  this seems to be the occasion.  The father of our Country was right, and his message still rings true.  A day for “thanksgiving and prayer.”

Jim Bowman Author of
This Roar of Ours

The Roar

MADD, What Happened

I have witnessed the seemingly overnight and phenomenal growth of MADD from its original ten members to it’s current National membership roster. Along with corporate sponsorships MADD now even entertains their own DUI grading system over the various State and local law enforcement agencies.

MADD’s immense network now can place representatives in courtrooms across the country to ensure that DUI offenders receive a proper verdict.  However, as a recent event suggests, maybe MADD picks and chooses which case to intimidate.

Just after midnight, on April 30th, it seems that two Philadelphia police officers observed a vehicle  proceeding in the wrong direction on a one way street.  After stopping the vehicle, both officers noticed that the driver appeared to be glassy eyed and smelled of alcohol.  The ensuing breathalyzer test turned up a .16 result, or twice the legal limit.

The Philadelphia Daily News reported the results of this DUI case in an article written by Mensah M. Dean on November 2nd.  In that essay, it seems that this .16 BAC defender benefited when the “judge threw out all the evidence in her drunken-driving case.”  It just so happens that the defendant is none other that Rep. Cherelle Parker, who happens to hail from the same Northwest Alliance political camp as does Judge Hayden.

Now, a case with such incriminating evidence, there had to be substantial questions which led the judge to dismiss the charge.  The judge cited “credibility concerns” related to the two officer’s testimony.  Cited was officer Stephanie Allen’s “first that no other cars were on the street, but changed her testimony during cross-examination.”  Wow, that should exonerate  Rep. Parker.

As a lifelong Philadelphia resident, Deputy Attorney General Marc Costanzo stated, “I  understand how things go around here.  No, I’m not surprised.”

My question is not about Philadelphia’s political  shenanigans but to the AWOL status of our heroines of DUI safety.  The attention getter in this case, from a MADD standpoint, should be the breathalyzer result.  Of course, there is also the matter of an elected representative being the possible offender.  Obviously, water too deep, even for the mermaids from MADD .

In spite of appearances, there still might be a positive or teachable moment.  Contrary to what many now believe as the only enforcement tool against DUI offenders, a police check point, which is a politically correct rendition of the term roadblock, was not in use.  Oddly enough, probable cause led to the vehicle stop as the officers observed the vehicle being driven opposite to the one way street sign,  Yes, this is the procedure which worked up and until the MADD influence appeared on the scene.  This enforcement practice is in accordance with our Constitutional safeguards enumerated in our Fourth Amendment, something which MADD obviously deems expendable.

In conclusion, Deputy Attorney General said it best when he stated, “I’m a little surprised that a city judge would find two police officers who testified – in my opinion – consistently about an incident less credible than someone who blew a .16 blood alcohol reading.”  I’ll drink to that!

Jim Bowman, Author of,
This Roar of Ours

The Roar

No Means What?

On Thursday, November 17th, Congress killed the funds for Obama’s pet project of building  high-speed rails nation wide. Normally, this would end this debate.  Not so with Obama.  This reckless President, who views our Constitution as a mere nuisance rather than what it is, the law of the land, has another card up his sleeve.  It seems that there is substantial money to ensure that work will continue on certain projects.  Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill, mentioned that “some money will be found to keep Obama’s train program going through the Transportation Department’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economy Recovery) program, which makes grants to projects that achieve critical national objectives.”  A 2012 spending bill contains approximately $500 million for the TIGER program.

So, just what did Congress accomplish and to what did the headline “Congress kills high-speed train” refer to?  Since congress holds the purse strings, how does this possibility present itself?  And what precedent does this set when preaching “no means no?”  Along with all his other Constitutional violations, Obama now stashes funds for constitutional (rainy) days.

Seriously, aside from the manipulation of funds, which now seem to lie around for this exact purpose, ala the approximate one hundred billion allocated for the ongoing implementation of Obamacare, defying the January 31st summary judgement which ruled the legislation to be unconstitutional, just how many types of “slush funds” are available for legislative detours?

Now, I must concede that the previously mentioned $100 billion was actually hidden within the thousands of pages which made up the Obamacare bill.  Given that this monetary inclusion is precedent setting and unethical, the question remains, if Congress votes down a piece of legislation, just how is it that a Presidential policy continues while negating a congressional vote?  At what point did money overtake legislation?

Since assuming office, it seems that the current administration “has steered $10.1 billion to high speed rail projects around the country.”  This national need confounds since  the jammed Northeast corridor is where the commuter action is most prevalent.

Many State governments have refused this high-speed rail funding due to the down the road expenses.  Ultimately, this project is just another make work program which adds to the rolls of governmental employment.  All at the taxpayer’s expense.  Buying votes is now a high speed business and one that seems most efficient when circumventing congress.

Jim Bowman, Author of,
This Roar of Ours

The Roar

Used to be, before this “age of information,” the American voter would decide without undo media influence.  Although the selection of candidates were above the periphery of public input, there still existed conventions where surprises lurked.  This uncertainty was most notable with the Goldwater and Reagan nominations.

Back in those days, the media still had a heavy input into the general elections but it was after the fact of the nominations.  Still, they didn’t miss a beat, as was the Goldwater example, when they scared the voters towards their more peace loving LBJ preference.

Today, the voter is presented with a parade of “debates” which is nothing more than a media circus designed to whittle down the candidates to the one they have already anointed.  It’s a process which entails either inciting arguments between the hopefuls, trying to get them to misspeak or flub an answer or overload the questions onto the most inexperienced of that particular field.

As with the most recent Perry flub, not being able to come up with his third cabinet department, which he deemed in need of abolishing, it followed that this one instance disqualified him as a worth while candidate.  All the while, the media’s unmistakeable soft Romney approach suggests that his selection is their priority.

Now, as embarrassing as are the spoken gaffes, once again the media takes a vacation when it comes to Obama’s misspeaks.  And there are sadly too many to replay.  Again, protection of their chosen ones.

As previously detailed, the despicable treatment allotted to Cain, has produced an overdue negative public response with regards to the media’s blatant bias.  This repulsion now seeps into that former granite like hold on public opinion which Rather, Cronkite and Jennings relished.

This didn’t happen overnight.  One remnant from Obama’s 2008 election was the public’s perception that his success was due in part from his preferential media treatment.  This impression is hardly debatable given the questioning of McCain’s qualification to be President, due to his birth outside of our Country verses the complete pass given to Obama.

Another lesson learned was the manner in which the media continued their anti-Palin attack during the post election years.  In short, there are ample examples that serve and strengthen this growing distrust for media authority.  The recent boos directed to the moderator’s revisiting of the Cain controversy provides ample proof to a hand which the media over played.

For as long a I can recall, it’s always been referred to as “the liberal media.”  Their bias could be found from day to day and it was largely accepted to a degree.  However, that slant for interpreting has since morphed into witch hunts which at times, employs varying degrees of calumny.  It is this tactic which has caused their disfavor and rightly so.  If running for our Presidency includes unsubstantiated questioning to one’s reputation, well then, our Republic will truly become that fearful entity known as a democracy.

Jim Bowman, Author of,
This Roar of Ours

Free What?

If questions still linger about our free press,  they have all been answered through this slanderous media lynching of Herman Cain.  Whether one is Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, America must finally recognize that along with education, our news and informational sources are now in the governmental tank!

War used to be truth’s most feared adversary.  Senator Hiram Johnson, way back in 1917 said, “The first casualty when war comes is truth.”  This became the subject for Phillip Knightley’s extensive essay entitled The First Casualty.  I mention this solely for the need to prioritize the need for truth’s essential worth in reporting the news.

During the days since my last presentation, where I tried to make light of an anonymous question of  “gesturing,” news reports have upped the ante for Presidential campaigning.  Now, we have a face and a name, along with unpleasant charges from supposedly a quid pro quo offering by candidate Cain.  While reports center upon this unsubstantiated charge, many questions remain ignored by our army of investigative reporters.

As a curious bystander intent upon maintaining election integrity, bells and whistles chimed for me with the accuser’s hometown of Chi-town.  What a coincidence!  Also, it seems that Ms. Bialek imitates our federal government’s spending habits as she seems to live at a level not commensurate with her income.  This, along with her fickle work record and her 1991 personal bankruptcy action, should arouse curiosity as to her current living quarters being in the same building as Mr. Axelrod, of the Obama Administration.

After failing to ignite a public condemnation from charges of improper or harassing “gesturing,” our media sleuths have now located Ms. Bialek, after fourteen years, who now feels the need to set the record straight and be desirous of a confessing Mr. Cain.  Ms. Bailek’s ability to quell her nagging conscience for those fourteen years is remarkable in itself.  I remain curious as to just what caused her sudden reformation?

Ms. Bialek asks America to believe that based upon some previous and inconsequential meeting, she flew to Washington and reserved accommodations in the hopes of contacting Mr. Cain for possible employment?  This, on the surface, seems to be an expensive long shot.

Her description of what took place combines fantasy and romanticism into a well rehearsed presentation which just doesn’t quite jive with reality.  Her version relates that Mr. Cain “upgraded” her room to that of a suite and that they enjoyed drinks prior to going to another location for dinner.  Excuse me but if all this were true, and given that Ms. Bialek is not some naive school girl, either she is a fabricator or she is an extreme fabricator.  Who in their right mind would go to dinner with the expectation that the evening would end after desert?

Given Ms. Bialek’s background, from both a financial and personal perspective, possibilities abound that notoriety and some future payday may play heavily into her sudden need for Mr. Cain’s accounting.  Despite all these circumstances and inconsistencies, how is it that not one media pundit hesitated with their anti-Cain venom?  It now seems that the pedestal reserved for Ms. Bialek is all for the ruination of America’s first black conservative presidential candidate, pure and simple.

Our nation’s media sources and individual talking heads have shown their intentions and exhibited a vendetta styled assault upon what many view as Obama’s most serious threat.  Obviously, this comes from Mr. Cain’s equal racial footing and subsequent appeal to the black voter.

While this type of journalism may well define the demise of what was a “free press,”  it is the typical American reader and  audience viewer who needs to recognize this for what it is.  If not, then we have truly lost our desire and need for seeking truth.  All without having a war to fight.

Jim Bowman, Author of

This Roar of Ours