Don't Delete Me!

I thought this was pretty funny:

hat tip to Kazara over at MMO.fringe.com!

Media's Presidential Bias and Decline

Wow. Just when thought it would never be safe to read a newspaper again -- just when you thought that the toxic goo that goes for journalism days aren't safe to line the bottom of the bird cage because such toxicity just might kill your canary, along comes someone honest.

That man is Michael S. Malone in an opinion piece at ABCnews.com.

The traditional media are playing a very, very dangerous game -- with their readers, with the Constitution and with their own fates.
news
The media have covered this presidential campaign with a bias and that ultimately could lead to its downfall.

The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months I've found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and my laptop computer.

But worst of all, for the last couple weeks, I've begun -- for the first time in my adult life -- to be embarrassed to admit what I do for a living. A few days ago, when asked by a new acquaintance what I did for a living, I replied that I was "a writer," because I couldn't bring myself to admit to a stranger that I'm a journalist.

Dang. I must admit, I have been wincing for years, but he's right, it's gotten REALLY bad since the Obama anointing. I have found myself watching Fox more and more as the only place where anything remotely resembling journalism can be found -- if you can get past the fires, the manufactured outrage, and the kittens.

Malone gets it. He is part of it, but his true journalistic instincts still hold sway, and he can admit what so few out there will: they are corrupt, and what they are doing endangers our freedom.

Republicans are justifiably foaming at the mouth over the sheer one-sidedness of the press coverage of the two candidates and their running mates. But in the last few days, even Democrats, who have been gloating over the pass -- no, make that shameless support -- they've gotten from the press, are starting to get uncomfortable as they realize that no one wins in the long run when we don't have a free and fair press.

He goes on to discuss that it's not so much how they've gone after Palin, but how they have given Obama a pass:

No, what I object to (and I think most other Americans do as well) is the lack of equivalent hardball coverage of the other side -- or worse, actively serving as attack dogs for the presidential ticket of Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Joe Biden, D-Del.

If the current polls are correct, we are about to elect as president of the United States a man who is essentially a cipher, who has left almost no paper trail, seems to have few friends (that at least will talk) and has entire years missing out of his biography.

That isn't Sen. Obama's fault: His job is to put his best face forward. No, it is the traditional media's fault, for it alone (unlike the alternative media) has had the resources to cover this story properly, and has systematically refused to do so.

His take on Joe the Plumber is spot on:

The absolute nadir (though I hate to commit to that, as we still have two weeks before the election) came with Joe the Plumber.

Middle America, even when they didn't agree with Joe, looked on in horror as the press took apart the private life of an average person who had the temerity to ask a tough question of a presidential candidate. So much for the standing up for the little man. So much for speaking truth to power. So much for comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable, and all of those other catchphrases we journalists used to believe we lived by.

Why did this happen? His answer, which I am not sure is true, is almost frightening. First he goes on to blame the editors more than the reporters, which might be true, and his reason is interesting and compelling:

Why? I think I know, because had my life taken a different path, I could have been one: Picture yourself in your 50s in a job where you've spent 30 years working your way to the top, to the cockpit of power … only to discover that you're presiding over a dying industry. The Internet and alternative media are stealing your readers, your advertisers and your top young talent. Many of your peers shrewdly took golden parachutes and disappeared. Your job doesn't have anywhere near the power and influence it did when your started your climb. The Newspaper Guild is too weak to protect you any more, and there is a very good chance you'll lose your job before you cross that finish line, 10 years hence, of retirement and a pension.
In other words, you are facing career catastrophe -- and desperate times call for desperate measures. Even if you have to risk everything on a single Hail Mary play. Even if you have to compromise the principles that got you here. After all, newspapers and network news are doomed anyway -- all that counts is keeping them on life support until you can retire.

And then the opportunity presents itself -- an attractive young candidate whose politics likely matches yours, but more important, he offers the prospect of a transformed Washington with the power to fix everything that has gone wrong in your career.

With luck, this monolithic, single-party government will crush the alternative media via a revived fairness doctrine, re-invigorate unions by getting rid of secret votes, and just maybe be beholden to people like you in the traditional media for getting it there.

And besides, you tell yourself, it's all for the good of the country …

Damn fine piece, Mr. Malone. Thank you and my compliments.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

So, first and foremost, I urge God's people to pray. They should make their requests, petitions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all humanity. Teach them to pray for kings or anyone in the high places for that matter so we can lead quiet, peaceful lives -- reverent, godly, and holy --all of which is good and acceptable before the eyes of God, our Savior who desires for everyone to be saved and know the truth

Because there is one God
and one Mediator between God
and us --

The man Jesus, the Liberator,
who gave His life as a ransom for all
so that we might have freedom (VT)

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.(KJV)

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. (NLT)

Here we come to a wonderful piece of scripture. In it, Paul is describing what we need to pray for -- for EVERYONE. We should pray for each and every man, and even kings and people in government, so that our lives may be at peace and love one another in a peaceful society.

This is because God, our savior, WANTS ALL TO BE SAVED. Now, no matter how I look at this, I see that it is God's will that ALL BE SAVED, and unless I have decided once again in a apriori manner that not all will be saved, I can't see this in any way to mean anything other than god wants ALL saved. Can God's will be thwarted?

Why? because there is one God and one Mediator, Jesus, and he paid the price of ransom for ALL.

Sounds like a done deal to me.

A note on translation: I do so love this new "Voice" translation. Really dig that Jesus the Liberating King theme. That's MY Jesus.

By the way, sorry I am over a night late for this -- been really busy.

Winds Of Change

Seems that the entire world has learned from the mistake of Socialism -- everyone except us...

The Voice New Testament

I didn't really have time to do my usual Sunday Bible Discussion, and it's going to get harder and harder as we get closer to the holidays. Anyway, there's a new translation of the New Testament that I am liking very much.

It's called The Voice New Testament: The Liberating King and His Church, and so far I am enjoying it a great deal.

One might say it is from an Emerging Church perspective, with contributors like Brian McLaren. What they do is they do not 'clean it up," so that it sounds as if one person wrote everything. They carefully maintain the stylistic differences that are apparent in the original Greek manuscripts, to give the reader a real feel for the voice of the authors. Nice job.

I feel it is highly worth checking out :)

I'll post something using that translation later tonight if I can find the time.

Finally, Some Real Journalism!

For the first time in this entire campaign, we have been treated to some real journalism:
Predictably, the Messiah was extremely offended by the way the interviewer handled Darth Plagiarus, and has canceled all future appearances of either candidate. Detailed here.

Biden so disliked West's line of questioning that the Obama campaign canceled a WFTV interview with Jill Biden, the candidate's wife.

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.

McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was "a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West."
WFTV news director Bob Jordan said, "When you get a shot to ask these candidates, you want to make the most of it. They usually give you five minutes."

Jordan said political campaigns in general pick and choose the stations they like. And stations often pose softball questions during the satellite interviews.

"Mr. Biden didn't like the questions," Jordan said. "We choose not to ask softball questions."

Jordan added, "I'm crying foul on this one."

Let the message be heard: Question the Anointed One or his chosen disciples, and be cut off!

Diddy Blog #26: Barack Obama Could Lose the Election

Diddy Blog # 25: State of Emergency! Attention Young America Time is Running Out

Been busy with other things, so I've missed two good ones from my favorite video blogger. Here's the first, and older one, but a good one:

Best Ad of the Campaign

By far this is the best ad in a campaign with a lot of crap:

But What About Star Wars Galaxies?

Many people are wondering what will happen to Star Wars Galaxies now that SWTOR has been announced. It seems, at least according to this very informative Gamespot article; that Lucas Arts feel there is no reason to shut it down:

The Fate of Galaxies
The amount of energy, resources, and enthusiasm being thrown at The Old Republic raises one obvious question: What about Galaxies? LucasArts was emphatic about the fact that there's enough room for two viable Star Wars MMORPGs to co-exist.

The ol' Sith standby Force Choke will be back.

"We're looking to continue to support Galaxies with high-quality updates on into the future," said Jake Neri, producer for LucasArts' online division. "We're focused on a chapter release around Hoth, where we're re-creating the battle at Echo Base. We'll allow players to get in groups and jump in and just participate in a very high-quality battle. We've just released a trading card game inside of Galaxies, and fans are eating it up. Looking into next year, we're going to revamp our droid system with something called droid commander." Neri also said that SOE Austin was working in conjunction with LucasArts on further additions to Galaxies for years to come, with no end to the game in sight.

We shall see. From what is being said about the new MMO, SWG may still be the more sandbox of the two, will still be the only one with non-combat classes, and will still have the more in depth crafting systems, and with it, player economy.

Always in motion is the future.