Where do you get your information?

Gary asked, "Where do you get your information?"  He watches only MSNBC and CNN--two channels that pretend to be objective and fair, but repeat the Democrat party talking points, in my opinion.  That is a great question, however, something all librarians and teachers emphasize when teaching research skills. And it’s essential for him particularly to ask because so much of the news is infused with opinion, not research, and he spends a lot of time watching news from one viewpoint. His method is why librarians and teachers usually don’t accept “magazines” as a valid source when teaching research. Some won’t even accept an encyclopedia, which is a shame, in my opinion. I love encyclopedias, and most articles are signed. Not many people own the 11th, 12th, and 13th editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica, but I do.

When I give an opinion, it’s that. Norma’s opinion. When I quote, I try to always cite the source, and my opinion may be learned from others over time, but by checking their sources. Dennis Prager’s recent tirade against Biden reflects mine, but I’ve followed Prager for years. He’s been on radio for 40 years, is Jewish, loves music, literature, politics, has great wisdom, and supports young conservative influencers like Candace Owens, Will Witt and Charlie Kirk who have gone on to their own careers. Pager was anti-Trump in 2016—converted to a fan when Trump accomplished conservative goals of lower taxes, less government control, border security, cutting red tape, best friend Israel had, priorities for prison reform, etc. https://www.creators.com/read/dennis-prager/05/22/joe-bidens-buffalo-speech-was-the-speech-of-an-indecent-man

My opinions are primarily built on my values, even if I don’t think about it. Christian, anabaptist, conservative fiscally, formed by the region I’ve lived in (Midwest U.S.), the language I speak, race/culture, college education, and career. However, my entire life I’ve been pro-life, even before I understood the science and politics of taking the life of a baby in the womb. Even in second grade, I remember thinking evolution was ridiculous and anti-science, because yes, evolution was being taught as truth at Forreston elementary in the 1940s. I learned to pretend I learne it, to answer the questions on the tests correctly, and not rock the boat. I love science—and I see my values about creator/created confirmed every day, especially astronomy and all the “new” critters found at the bottom of oceans. Love that stuff!

When it is rate, number, percentage, average, median, year, I am usually relying on a government or academic source (since academics have government grants it’s hard to know where one stops and the other begins). I always keep in mind those sources also have biases because they are collected and published by humans. For instance, after 2008, certain crime sources just disappeared. After certain years, census sources changed—for instance, additional groups or races were added or divided. What was called white was changed to create Asian or Hispanic (a made-up word that includes hundreds of cultures). Biracial white/black/Asian/Mexican/Cuban/Indian is almost always considered black—probably a carry over from segregation days. It's my impression that liberal/progressive sources are more likely to refer to numbers rather than rate. Most confusing (on purpose) is the writer moving from rate to number to percentage in the same article. For instance, violent crime may have black aggressors 8x the rate of whites, but because white criminals outnumber blacks due to the population, liberal sources will site numbers more often in crimes. You may have to go to the last paragraph or a graph/chart to see percentage or rate.

Over time, I’ve learned when there is a horrific tragedy like last Wednesday in Uvalde, Texas, the tsunami in 2005, or the Louisiana hurricane in 2006, or the strange conflicting figures for the 2020 vote, it may take years to sort out or find the truth. I’ve heard three versions by Saturday of how police acted/reacted to the Uvalde tragedy. Without even listening to the news we know there will be the anti-gun bills and the safety bills. We know Democrats will be anti-2nd amendment and the Republicans will focus on SRO, more cameras, better training.

For some reason, Gary often sites David Duke, a has-been, colorful Democrat, from many years ago, sometimes because he was a southerner, and that was the party of hate he grew up with, the party that held blacks back with various Jim Crow laws, and now do it with money from government programs. He’s really a creation of the media, unlike Antifa, which actually did roam city streets, who were well-educated, rich white supremacists, who covered their faces with hoods, who did burn down buildings, and had clout. When I was a Democrat I certainly didn’t associate my party with Duke, just as I don’t associate any Democrats I know with Antifa.

But Democrats do get in a rut.  They are very suceptible to "progressive" ideas and fall for the socialist clap-trap. They actually believe if we hand more money over to the government, it will be used for whatever purpose they claim.  Republicans have spaghetti spines and no balls, to stick with the body language. 

Musings and opinions

A former in-law writes: “The Hunt Club tavern is still packing them in at its small location. I get pissed every time we go by it.”

Yes, it’s too bad when people can still go to bars, but not to church. However, this whole lockdown would have made more sense if it involved keeping people our age at home—we are the people with age, heart conditions, lung problems, obesity, diabetes, etc. If you were out and about, I hope there was a good reason, and that no one could have done that errand for you.

The good news is that although cases are on the increase, the fatalities are below 1%, which means that those getting Covid now are much better off with the newer treatments and more knowledge that those who got it in March and April. Our president has been successful and cut about 15 years off the approval schedule for a new drug that should be delivered to health care workers in early December. We will still have people who fear vaccines, but hopefully we’ll have more herd immunity besides that which we’ve developed through the spread of the disease. 95-99% success for a vaccine is unheard of. Let’s see if it works that well on the general public. Every media outlet will announce every side effect, or death with anxious faces and whispers, when they never paid attention to flu deaths, or shingles side effects, or falls among the elderly. They may even demand on Twitterverse that immunizations stop until NO ONE has any side effects, although if Biden takes office in January, those alarm bells will stop so the end of the pandemic can be attributed to him.

Thanksgiving mandates—an opinion

"I think public health experts should not just listen, but HEAR what people are saying. Americans are saying that despite all the damage done by COVID-19, despite the rising cases and at-capacity ICUs around the country, their desire for human connection is so great, that they are willing to take the risk and have Thanksgiving. Americans are, in effect, expressing the longing and desperation of their soul."

"My worry is that the very nature of the modern media ecosystem is to promote messages that spark anger, shame, and fear. The original article hits these emotions. Doctors then tweet messages that amplify the 'shame on them' message and escalate tensions. The reward system of Twitter gives these actors positive feedback with likes and retweets."

Full piece at Medscape.com (need to register, but free) Op-Ed: Demanding Thanksgiving Abstinence Is Not Public Health | MedPage Today

Conservative news, journalism, opinion, talk shows A - G

America’s Voice News  24/7 digital entertainment and news network, focusing on Conservative family values.  https://americasvoice.news/

Sharyl Attkinsson: Investigative Journalist. "Full Measure." https://sharylattkisson.com/

Fred Barnes: executive editor of The Weekly Standard https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/author/fred-barnes

Glenn Beck: politics, author, producer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur https://www.glennbeck.com/

Bill Bennett: pundit, politician, political theorist, author http://thebillbennettshow.com/

Brent Bozell: Founder, President Media Research Center; columnist, TV commentator https://www.newsbusters.org/people-and-organizations/brent-bozell

Breitbart News https://www.breitbart.com/

Tammy Bruce: nationally syndicated radio host, author, and political commentator. Lesbian. https://tammybruce.com/

Tucker Carlson  Fox News Opinion show host,  conservative journalist, political commentator  https://www.foxnews.com/shows/tucker-carlson-tonight

Ann Coulter: Lawyer, author, columnist, frequent TV guest https://anncoulter.com/

Steven Crowder:  American-Canadian conservative political commentator, YouTube channel and podcast https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/

Dinesh D'Souza, Indian American conservative, speaker, author, film https://www.dineshdsouza.com/

Larry Elder, black conservative talk show host, https://larryelder.com/

Richard Fernandez, Filipino-Australian, conservative columnist, https://pjmedia.com/columnist/richard-fernandez/

John Fund, senior editor at The American Spectator, National Review, https://www.nationalreview.com/author/john-fund/

Mike Gallagher, conservative radio talk host, https://mikeonline.com/

Pamela Gellar: Commentator,  Activist Counter-jihad movement https://gellerreport.com/

Jonah Goldberg,  syndicated columnist, author, political analyst, and commentator. The founding editor of National Review Online  https://jonahgoldberg.com

Sebastian Gorka, British Hungarian immigrant, conservative talk show host,  https://www.sebgorka.com

Greg Gutfield,  Fox talker, comedian, author   https://ggutfeld.com/

Scandal around Obama’s role grows, but will it be reported

The Flynn “justice” scandal and the Trump impeachment fiasco. It all points to the top.  Based on any past bad news about Obama, the media will run for cover, or not cover the growing scandal clearly laid out in the documents that the Democrats were pulling off the biggest vote theft in their history--the attempt to undo the 2016 election.

https://nypost.com/2019/11/20/when-the-villain-is-obama-not-trump-news-suddenly-becomes-not-worth-reporting/?

I know what happens in libraries, and it's probably the same in news. Librarians don't purposely "ban books" and that whole ALA "Banned books" week/month is just hype to get you into the library (before they were closed by the government). Library collections become liberal because the banning goes on in the back rooms where books are ordered from favorite review sources, which are liberal. It's a massive, circular system--conservative professors don't get promoted or don't get published so the liberal publishers don't pick up their material, which then circulates through smaller, independent publishers. And at the root the banning goes much deeper. Conservatives may decide against a career in academe or anything that influences the culture because the deck is stacked against them. You'll hear about women or minorities being shut out because that fits the liberal agenda of grievance, but what liberal would ever write about discrimination against conservatives! Just doesn't happen. It's "banned."

Much the same in the news. News media don't fabricate fake news, they don't have to--the people who post on FB and Twitter do that for them by reposting memes and fake stories. What the media do is edit out the part of real news they don't like, major in minors, or just choose to not report something. That's why liberals bad mouth Fox News--its coverage of Trump is only 50% negative, so therefore liberals believe it must be fake if it isn't filled with negative, insulting information. Or they point at Hannity or Levin, which are opinion shows (very pro-Trump), not news. Because the MSM like Washington Post or New York Times contain so much opinion in their regular news coverage, liberal readers are confused between factual reporting and biased opinion (all opinion articles have a bias, as they should, even this one). So if the media cover a political or cultural event that is a current topic, then later find out it actually happened under Obama and not Trump, they scramble to quietly pull it, or don't report it at all.

Monica asked if I wrote it and I responded

I didn't write the Forbes article, but the commentary is all me. My opinion. When it's someone else's opinion, I put it in quotes or link. Like Michael Smith or Michael Rectenwald. It's how I usually write. Get it down, then look up a source that confirms what I think is true. I even wrote that way when publishing was required for promotion and tenure. I'd start with what I knew (or on my office book shelf), then find the sources. Maybe everyone does that, but I did get to Associate Professor. That said, because I read a lot and am a news junky, my opinions are not necessarily original or earth shattering, but a mish-mash of information from multiple sources that has percolated for awhile.

"Data is not information, Information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, and understanding is not wisdom." Clifford Stoll. I had to look it up, but I used to have it posted in my office. Librarians are inundated with data and information and it's good to be reminded that doesn't necessarily mean we understand or are wise.

Why Fox is better for News

Fox News is far more reliable than CNN or MSNBC for this reason—it separates the news programs from the opinion shows, and you are never confused about which you’re watching. I may only watch 10 minutes of the morning chit chat, or 10 minutes of the 6 o’clock news, but I’m never puzzled about whether it’s news or opinion. The other networks not only ridicule and demean Trump, they also belittle his supporters, which doesn’t seem like a good plan to draw in viewers. But they don’t really need to add people who have different viewpoints because Trump has made so much money for them because the haters tune in to get their latest fix of Trump derangement.

I use a wide variety of sources from print, to digital to YouTube commentary to TV news shows. EWTN nightly news.  Jordan Peterson’s channel. Lionel Nation on YouTube.  I can’t help but see the broadcast media, and Fox always shows what’s going on in the Clinton News Network, etc. Occasionally I even watch or listen to PBS, but it’s a challenge because they don’t even realize the narrowness of their writers and reporters and therefore can’t offer anything right of center. Those other avenues of alternate opinions are being challenged however; the leftist cabal is pressuring them not to carry conservative voices, nor to accept payment methods which would dry up alternate viewpoints very quickly.

One of the nasty characteristics about a capitalist system (and the news networks depend on investors and advertising) is you need to destroy or block your competition. That use to be by offering a better product, but today it’s done with smears against personalities or owners. Find a few “non-profits” to call them racist or homophobic, and you’re on your way to a clear course to the big money.

What violence from the left?

Clicked through a lefty blogger's entries just now--a guillotine decorated his page, Bush and Cheney's heads were on a razor blade, the Statue of Liberty holding up a cross had the international stop symbol through it, violent images abounded, lots of nasty f-ing words about conservatives, libertarians and Republicans, along with take back our Bill of Rights, yada, yada. Didn't see Sarah, but I'm sure he's recommending violence against her too, because that's just what the left does. Now, when similar nonsense appears on conservative websites, Keith Olbermann, whom this blogger seems to admire and imitate, gets all quivery and hot-crotched. I didn't leave a comment--he's entitled to his opinion and protected speech, even as he would deny it to others, and my opposite views certainly would only encourage him. Like it does here, when liberals think they know something I don't.

Serbs say he's forgotten his roots

Rod Blagojevich, whose first name is Milorad, son of Radissa, is a second-generation Serb-American. Blagojevich was the second person of Serb descent elected governor in the United States (after U.S. Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, who served as governor in the 1990s).

At Politika:

Miodrag writes: "Blagojevich asked American Serbs to help him financially but he's never done anything for Serbia. To the contrary, he voted for sharp measures against Serbia. ... He came to Belgrade in 1999 with Jesse Jackson to release four American soldiers captured in Kosovo [during the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia]. He did it only to promote himself. That person has never done anything for Serbs." Milos writes: "I'm glad that justice finally caught up with Rod Blagojevich. When he was a member of the Congress, he appealed to Serb Americans to give him donations because he was allegedly fighting for Serb issues. However, when he received thousands of dollars from naive Serbs, he never did anything positive at all for the Serb people. Rod Blagojevich always took care of himself and his pocket." Janko writes: "If somebody is not clear enough on what is a true American myth, the so-called American dream, he should look into the biography of Rod Blagojevich. He was always fighting for himself alone and went from zero to somebody. Serbs did not vote for him. He was elected governor of Illinois with the votes of African-Americans—that is Obama's voters." Slobo writes: "Well, one more piece of evidence that the Americans hate us. They don't let us steal."

Some people drop their middle name, some their first name. It's an American custom, and it's OK unless you're Joe the Plumber.