The Glenn, Ed and Oprah Show

One of my favorite things to rant about, (yes, I am preparing to rant) is news shows that are really "opinion" shows.  Take Glenn Beck, for example.  When he first came on TV, I remember thinking, "This guy is pretty good.  He's not afraid to tell it like it is."

Then time passed and I changed my mind.

Glenn Beck is an entertainer.  He is Oprah with a chalkboard.  He is not reporting the news. He is reporting a point of view that is controversial and thus, attracts viewers.  To him, words like "tyrant" and "socialism" equal job security.  These scary words reflect nothing that actually "is."

To support his position, he brings on others that share the same views and then refers to the circular pat-on-the-back session as a debate.  Pat O'Reilly is the same way.  They aren't news people.  They are entertainers.

So, I sit here smugly and think, "Is this really the best the GOP can do?  Do they really think that no one can see how biased this is?"

And then yesterday, I watched The Ed Show.  Ed is to MSNBC what Beck is to Fox News.  They are each other's evil twin.  As much effort as Fox News spends tearing up Obama, MSNBC spends an equal amount of time tearing down the GOP.

Neither side is without sin and yet, they seem to be quick to cast stones.

Anyway, back to last night.  MSNBC is very pro-union.  As for me, I am indifferent.  If someone thinks a union is helpful, then more power to them.

So, there was this mine explosion in West Virginia.  At least 25 people were killed.

Here are the facts as reported by the ED Show.  25 dead, non-union, 400+ safety violations in the last year.  Now, his only guest was the president of the United Steel Workers who said, if this had been a union mine, those workers would have been able to refuse unsafe work.  The circular pat-on-the-back routine began.  Both Ed and the president implied that this would not have happened at a union site.  "Implied" is the key word.  Neither actually said that but the message was clear.

No one from mine management or MSHA (mine safety org.) participated.

Here are the facts that they failed to report.

1. No miner at any site, union or non-union, can be forced to work in an unsafe condition.  When asked, one of the miners from this very site said, "We all know working in any mine is dangerous.  The company treats us well and you can't point a finger at anyone." 
2. All mines, union and non-union, are subject to and follow the exact same safety regulations.
3. While 400+ violations is a lot, there are operating mines with more than twice that amount.  The implication was that non-union mines have high numbers and union mines don't.  Simply not true.
4. Over the years, mine safety has improved while mine union membership has dropped.

So, Ed made his point, at least to me.  That point being, he may have a news show but he is clearly biased and not interested in doing any research before going on air.

Interestingly, he started that show by slamming Fox News and then CNN for not reporting fairly.  Then he joined the game.  He is a poser - an entertainer.  He is another Oprah, but without the sofa.

http://www.worldgratitudelist.com  Leave a list.  Read a list.  Be happy.

j

Have a hat full

I was reading the morning headlines, something I do right after reading the comics, and saw that North Korea has its own software for its computers - sort of like Windows 7 except with a communist twist and probably technologically closer to earlier versions of DOS.

Anyway, it got me thinking.  How can an entire nation live, voluntarily, in poverty and fear?  The people of North Korea can just about peek over a fence and see the promised land.  I think there are two reasons they don't peek.  First of all, I think they shoot people that peek.  Secondly, and I am just guessing here, having wealth and being happy are not the same thing.

They can wake up with their families and that is enough.  I know it would be enough for me.  Everything else is like the sprinkles on a cake; nice but not mandatory for me to enjoy the cake.

I actually like the fact that they are not rising up against their regime.  It means that they found contentment within.  Or at least, it's not so bad that they would risk it all to overthrow.  In the United States, we have television people that want to overthrow the government simply because it improves ratings on their shows and they make more money.

Now, I may sound critical but actually, I am celebrating.  I am glad that people watch and read the same things I do and reach different conclusions.  If we were all the same, I think I would be either really, really bored - or maybe really, really scared.

There are Muslims that kill because they think they are right.  Within the last week, a family of Christians was apprehended because they wanted to kill - because they thought they were right.  Also, a man was sentenced to jail for killing an abortion doctor, thinking he was right.

I hear that there are universal truths - things that are clearly right and clearly wrong.  I wonder if this is actually the case.  There is a lot of evidence to the contrary.  People think Glen Beck is the best thing on television.  I think he should be in jail.  Who is right?  Both?  Neither?

In Hungary, it is considered rude to "sniff in" if your nose is running.  In public, it is better to break wind with gusto than sniff.  When I go there I always take a lot of tissue to blow rather than sniff.

It's just different.

Men are different from women.  Dogs are different from cats.  Cold is different from hot and I am different than you.

So, as I near the end of my babbling, you may be thinking, "What about the title of today's blog?"

Here is the answer.  In the United States, when someone is getting ready to perform, we often say, "Break a leg."  Think about it.  How can such a phrase be meant as encouragement.

In Hungary, instead of "Break a leg."  They say, "Have a hat full."  This is short of the encouraging complete phrase which is, "Have a hat full of shit."

God Bless the differences - everywhere.

Try http://worldgratitudelist.com   Leave a list.  Read a list.  Be happy.

j