Between running as hard as I can to get my ideas on paper, arranging a "Closing" for DFW Cursillo, figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, mourning the loss of my friend Norman (see previous Blog) and trying to make sense out of the Boston Marathon bombings, I had a rather productive week last week.
Most of my brain farts regarding The Magnolia Chronicles have cleared and I have slightly less than half of the story assembled with roughly 75% of all of the elements written. Most of my efforts this past week have centered on Emily Stevens and Kevin Peel with character readings by Frank-Frank the Dog. I have distributed parts of my efforts to various acquaintances and have been encouraged by the feedback on this work in progress.
I was encouraged, too, by the feedback I received from my previous blog entry - "Who's Norm Shor?" For those of you who have read my book The Legacy of Miss Annie Darden Coggins, you may recall that I incorporated Norm Shor as a passing character. His widow appreciated my inclusion of him in my first book. I hope that she appreciates her name appearing in The Magnolia Chronicles.
While I was writing on Saturday afternoon, I noted something I saw on the internet into one of my margins. Please note that quite a bit of what I write is done in long hand on a legal pad before I toss it into a word processor. The habit is one of my 'quirks'. What I noted was concerning a political cartoon which suggested that the "Liberal-Left Leaning Media" in this country was probably upset that the Boston bombers were not white tea party types.
The term "Liberal-Left Leaning Media" is one of those which is extremely "loaded", and I'm quite frankly tired of hearing the term every time some conservative feels like slamming the press for being too "Liberal". Mind you, I am also sick and tired of hearing liberal comments about conservative mouthpieces like Fox or Newsmax. In my humble opinion, damning press reports as being either too liberal or too conservative sounds like someone wanting censorship imposed on those with viewpoints other than their own. This "My viewpoint is correct, yours is trash..." runs contrary to the First Amendment of this "Constitution" every third person seems to have handy in his/her pocket.
The media ain't perfect - sometimes even jumping to wrong conclusions.
Earlier this month, the District Attorney of Kaufman County and his wife were slain in their home - brutally murdered by unknown assailants. "IT HAS TO BE THE NAZIS", the local newspaper quite literally screamed, placing the blame on a group called "The Aryan Brotherhood", a prison gang which may have held a grudge against Kaufman County. We learned this week, though, that the real assailants (alleged) were a disaffected former Kaufman County Constable and his wife.
And this was concluded after all of the newsprint wasted on the nazis. (Note to my spell-checker: the word nazi does not merit a capital letter.)
The point here is that yes, the media isn't perfect and yes, the media has bias - but don't we all to some degree or another? Before knocking someone else's choice of media and telling them in so many words that they are wrong, know that there are others who would think the same thing about your choice.
People will believe who they want to believe. It's a Constitutional right.
And that's the truth!
Be Seeing You.
bdharrell
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