Rush in Modesto

I come back to Modesto, California after a long absence and find the editorial page of the Bee dominated by comments about Rush Limbaugh. I wonder if this is how the Bee deals with the real problems of the day, how it wants to direct thought and opinion. It is particularly sad, seeing that what is now going on in the States and in the world calls for less of a demonic voice than what passes for wisdom from the oracle of the Right. Angry old white men; I don't see much difference between Rush and the madrassas of Pakistan except that the god is different. The same hate and vitriol spewed out against all who do not think in lock-step with the oracle. There is no room for individual thought or critical thinking, and no respect for consensus, for the vision of the center, or for commonality of thought and desire as it applies to civilization as a whole.

What and where is Modesto, and what does it stand for? These tough economic times are certainly going to hold up a mirror to the heart and soul of this Valley community, to us as individuals, and to the Modesto Bee.

Very Scary

The other morning I enjoyed a pre-work interview with Sarah Palin on the ‘Today’ show. Always ready to interview someone over the latest Columbine or Casey Anthony type-tragedy, this morning it was Palin. When Sarah said that the media coverage of her was ‘very scary’, it turned my good cup of morning coffee bad.

She is promoting a DVD made by John Ziegler, a conservative talk show host turned filmmaker, called ‘Media Malpractice: How Obama got Elected’. The purpose of this work of art is to educate everyone about how the liberal media assassinated her character and savaged her and her family.

She uses examples like the Katie Couric interview. Let’s face it, she didn’t do a good job answering the questions posed to her, especially about what she read, and now it seems she misunderstood the question anyway. I’m glad she has an answer now, several months on. How astute.

Palin wonders if Caroline Kennedy's quest for the Senate "will be handled with kid gloves," and if "we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here". I think there is a big difference between a senator from New York and being a Vice President to an old man, and Kennedy has been taking her lumps as well. Palin is not qualified to be the Vice President; if the people of Alaska want her to be Governor, then they can live with it.

As far as Tina Fey’s dead-on impersonation goes, Palin sure enjoyed the limelight when she had a chance to be in it, and she believed in the old adage “any publicity is good publicity”.

But Savaged? No one savages like a Republican. Just ask John McCain about the character assassination foisted on him by the Republicans in 2000. Savaged? How about enduring the slings and arrows of Bill O’Reilly, Hannity and Colmes, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, that gauntlet will give a person pause. Little problems like truth, honesty, and integrity never got in the way when that pack smelled blood.

When it comes to Sarah Palin, it is not the media coverage of her that is frightening, it is Sarah herself.