two or three . net

Tavis Smiley: Your daily dose of stupid

I'm sorry. It's rather difficult to be polite to someone who makes a good, publicly-funded salary in order to spout this nonsense.

Spot the "controversial" nominee

Two men were nominated by President Obama for prominent scientific positions in the federal government. One was dubbed "controversial," they other ... not so much.

Nominee #1 is pro-choice, pro-ESCR, believes in evolution, campaigned for Pres. Obama and was the geneticist who led the effort to sequence the human genome. However, he is an admitted *gasp* evangelical Christian, who even wrote a book about his scientific work called "The Language of God."

Nominee #2 published a book in which he and his coauthors argued that because of the ever increasing population of the Earth, governments could take drastic measures like forced sterilization especially those who "contribute to social deterioration" and national governments could be superseded by a "Planetary Regime." The book argued [wrongly in spectacular fashion] that unless some draconian laws were implemented our civilization would not reach the 21st century, as we stood then.

Isn't it obvious which nominee should be described in newspapers articles as controversial and should have straw man riddled NY Times Op-Eds written about the dangers of his appointment? It just be just as obvious that the other man has simply been "drubbed by conservatives as overstating environmental perils."

Tragic murders

Two acts of terror were committed. Two people were murdered in separate assassinations. One has been the subject of non-stop media coverage and blame assigning. The other has been almost ignored. Doubt that? How many times have you heard the name George Tiller, the partial-birth abortion doctor murdered by an anti-abortion extremist? How about William Long, the Army private murdered by a Muslim terrorist?

Keep repeating: "There's no liberal media. There's no liberal media..."

During the Bush administration, Newsweek's Evan Thomas reminded everyone the job of the news media and particularly his magazine: "Well, our job is to bash the president, that’s what we do..."

Somehow with the election of President Obama, the job requirements have shifted ever so slightly. Now for Thomas it seems bashing has become worshipping: "I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above — above the world, he’s sort of God."

Care to imagine what would have happened if a Fox News reporter had made such a statement during Bush's presidency?

It becomes harder and harder for conservatives to not play up the whole "Messiah" bit when liberals, even those in the "non-partisan" press, keep speaking as if the joke is true.

Eight years later, media discovers benefits of verbal mistakes

I know this is a dead horse, but honestly is the irony not dripping from this statement at the Yahoo Newsroom blog, after President Obama made an impromptu and inappropriate joke about the Special Olympics on Jay Leno:

But in a way, it's heartening to hear our politicians stumble over words, mangle syntax and make inappropriate jokes. It shows politicians are human, too. Sometimes.

Really? I'm sorry, did the last eight years not happen?

Is my Journalism degree real?

I don't want to get in the middle of Ann Coulter and Keith Olbermann trying to out petty one another in their little degree contest, but I have to wonder if I really did get a journalism degree. It seems that everyone else who has one is a liberal and it is starting to show ... well, starting to show even more.

Journalistic virgins

For some reason, when reports begin to discuss issues such as abstinence, particularly in a religious context, they end up looking like it was the first time they had tried to formulate an actual news story. When I saw the headline - "Study: 'Virginity Pledges' are ineffective" - I knew I had to go beyond that to see what actually was going on.

Shock!: Playboy offends Christians

In an outrageous display of courage and creativity, Playboy Mexico used the time Mexican Catholics celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe to mock Mary, the mother of Jesus, with an irreverent cover photo of a model named Maria wearing nothing but a white head covering in front of a stained-glass window. They have sinse "apologized" for the attention grabbing stunt, while still selling the magazines.

While I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, that Playboy would do such a thing, I'm still waiting on the answers to two vital questions: when are we Christians going to gather up for our traditional burn and rampage riots over this and when should we expect the most-assuredly coming cover photo poking fun at Islam?

Bush: Bible not literally true

If you read that headline from numerous news organizations in recent weeks, you may think that the office of the President has changed George W. Bush. I'm sure that is the case (how could it not), but I don't think this is as much of an issue as reporters and editors ignorant of conservative Christianity have made it out to be.

Redstate.com says 'flush US Weekly'

I get regular alerts from redstate.com, and this week's alert about US Weekly's upcoming hit piece on Sarah Palin made me laugh. 

The juxtaposition of these says it all, and redstate has a solution - flush US Weekly!

Content of the communication is below.

Stupidity on Georgia

Conservatives say stupid things. Liberals say stupid things. I've been known to say a few stupid things myself. That's understandable. It happens.

Can we all be grown-ups and agree that what Robert Scheer wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle is sheer stupidity? Shouldn't we be able to disagree on important matters without accusing the other side of recklessly sacrificing the life of thousands of civilians for a few points in the polls?

Obama is not the Antichrist

While McCain's "Celeb" ad has been decried as racist, it is another ad by the Republican nominee that has now surpassed it as the most sinister. In "The One" McCain is sending hidden codes to evangelicals letting us know that Obama is the Antichrist.

Two vaguely political questions

Yes, I said I would be cutting back on politics. You will have to trust me on this one - I have. But I did have two questions, which aren't exactly political, but have ramifications for politics (especially since both come from NR's The Campaign Spot).

Conservatism loses another giant

It has been a rough few weeks with the passing of influential conservatives. Unfortunately that continued with Tony Snow, former FOX News host and White House press secretary, who died today. My prayers are with Snow's family during their difficult time.

Two or Three: Providing balance to the MSM

I have often been criticized here because of my tendency to post more negative stories about Obama than about McCain. I defended my posting habits, even though I have tried to be a bit more "fair" recently, by arguing that I am admittedly biased. I'm a conservative and the stories I blog about are going to follow that trend.

I wonder if the MSM will give the same argument about their writing more about Obama as well (over 3-to-1), although I think their coverage will be a bit more positive than mine. I'm also betting their bias comes from the other direction. But I'm not holding my breathe to see them make the same admission I did.

Discovering the unknown

As an evangelical Christian, when I discuss issues with those who have a different belief system I have to always remember that the other person is often operating from an ill-informed, media-driven stereotype.

One of my favorite sites, Get Religion, deals with the media's coverage of, obviously enough, religion. A recurring theme is the treatment of evangelical culture as if the reporter is working for National Geographic studying some lost people group in unknown regions of the Amazon jungle.

Three recent posts demonstrated that fact. One was dealing with an aspect of the purity movement. Another showcased clergy reaction to the California gay marriage ruling. The other highlighted one lone evangelical couple and their opposition to gay marriage. That post contained a link to a somewhat surprising site (at least to me): GaysDefendMarriage.com.

Global warming, political correctness, and wikipedia

Many of us rely on wikipedia as a quick and dirty source of information in a hurry.  And while some attack it as unreliable, it has shown to be fairly reliable in comparison with the Encyclopedia Britannica.

But on controversial subjects like global warming, DON'T expect wikipedia to be objective.  As Lawrence Solomon of the National Post reports, Wikipedia's zealots may be removing information that is not politically correct, or of the minority opinion.

For the last 18 months I have been profiling scientists who disagree with the UN panel's position. My Deniers series, which now runs to some 40 columns, describes many of the world's most prominent scientists. They include authors or reviewers for the UN panel (before they quit in disgust). They even include the scientist known as the father of scientific climatology, who is recognized as being the most cited climatologist in the world....

I then exercised the right to edit Wikipedia that we all have, corrected the Wikipedia entry, and advised Peiser that I had done so.  Peiser wrote back saying he couldn't see my corrections on the Wikipedia page. Had I neglected to save them after editing them, I wondered? I made the changes again, and this time confirmed that the changes had been saved. But then, in a twinkle, they were gone again! I made other changes. And others. They all disappeared shortly after they were made.

Moses was on drugs...

says a professor known to partake of mind-altering drugs. To make this even more over the top - Yes, he was on drugs when his thoughts turned to the life of the Exodus leader:

The professor, who came up with his theory after experiencing firsthand the effects of a hallucinogenic brew used in religious rituals in Brazil, said the story of Moses and the burning bush also had the hallmarks of a psychedelic experience.

Honestly, it is becoming more and more difficult to determine what stories are from The Onion and other satirical news sources and what stories are genuine MSM stories. I'm not sure who looks worse in this story - the professor who proposed this "theory" or the media who dutifully report it.

Whom does the media favor?

Conservatives often like to point out areas where the media favors the liberal candidate over the conservative one. Often the picture selection tells a story of bias. This time a Democrat is on the receiving end.

McCain and NY Times: BFFs no more

John McCain once called the New York Times and the media his "base." Well, the base has turned on him. After their huge report on a possible-kinda-sorta-not really close affair with a lobbyist, they have unleashed their latest salvo at the man they endorse a scant month ago: He might not be qualified to be the president because he wasn't born in America. Well, no he wasn't, but he was born to American citizens on an American military base as his father was serving our country in Panama.

McCain is not my favorite politician in the world, but I tend to agree with the vast majority of people: the old (bitter) grey lady is out for blood when it comes to John McCain. Maybe it was an especially bad breakup and McCain dumped all their stuff on the floor under their locker during lunch period. I don't know, but it looks like they may start keying the Straight-Talk Express or have their best friend MSNBC send him nasty text messages.

ABC News is an idiot, too

First, Bill O'Reilly has no idea what a "born again" Christian is and now ABC News political reporter Jake Tapper (and all of his editors) are "biblically illiterate" or at least ignorant of Mark 12 and the story of the widow's mite (not the "winner's might").

Bill O'Reilly's an idiot

Yes, as a conservative I just said FoxNews personality Bill O'Reilly is an idiot, but not for the reason you may think.

Who to offend?

Two recent flubs by media members have been brought up. One (a crass, but unplanned remark) will get you suspended. One (a crass and planned skit) will not. It's all about who's being offended.

Another University study finds Fox News fair compared to liberally biased MSM

Previously, a Harvard study revealed that most of the mainstream media, including both TV news and NPR, were very biased in favor of liberal Presidential candidates, while Fox News (and MSNBC) came out more balanced.

Now, the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) at George Mason University has released a study comparing the Hume Report's news segment with the other MSM TV news programs, and CONFIRMS that Fox News is more balanced and fair than the other MSM news outlets.

How much faith is too much?

Being an evangelical Christian, I'm all for issues of faith being discussed in the public arena. However that does not mean that my vote for president will be determined by what a candidate believes about women pastors or their interpretation of the book of Genesis.

How you know Iraq is going well (#3,452)

After all indicators have shown that the situation in Iraq has improven dramatically, the press has nothing left to do but poll themselves to generate bad press.

The greatest discovery no one is talkiing about

If a scientific breakthrough happened that would essentially eliminate a moral quandry and move mankind closer to cures for numerous diseases and no one really talked about it, would it be a scientific breakthrough?

Liberal media bias? Even Harvard says "yes"

Conservatives have long b*tched about the liberal bias in the media.  Now, Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy has done a definitive study, and surprise surprise, it turns out that Democrats are favored on television, radio and in the newspapers.  Thank God for Fox.

I'm getting my ax ready. How about you?

To take media ignorance of evangelical Christianity to a whole new level, we have Johann Hari of the Independent in the UK.

Why the press struggles with Romney and Christians

The press continues to stumble when they attempt to cover the reaction of evangelical Christians to Mitt Romney and that's not coming from me, that's coming from a reporter.

Global Warming: Important to the Peacock

Global Warming is so important to NBC that they are going to fly, privately of course, Matt Lauer to the Arctic, Al Roker to the Equator and Ann Curry to Antarctica. This is part of the network's weeklong Green is Universal campaign, where they will be taking your favorite shows and filling them with climate change propaganda.

Dropping deaths is bad news for cemeteries

The American Media: We can take any positive story and find the negative - as long as a Republican would receive credit for the good news.

Good news: Media ignores Iraq

Investor's Business Daily believes the old adage "no news is good news" is especially true for the war in Iraq. Since General Petraeus's testimony, news from Iraq has slipped from the front page to somewhere after the presidential campaign and slightly before the latest Britney Spears gossip (on a slow news day for former pop diva). IBD argues it is because a turn around in Iraq, which the left-leaning media has ignored. They point to numerous improvement in the situation, not the least of which are declining deaths for Iraqi citizens and US military. So as long as you are seeing other topics dominate the headlines, you can assume that Iraq is continuing to improve.

Wall Street Journal to become a Fox News Outlet?

I am sure that libs are biting their nails as Rupert Murdock, owner of Fox News and other fair and balanced news sources, is the only current bidder for the Wall Street Journal.  NPR has a report.

Murdoch has said he would invest in the Journal and ensure its editorial independence.                        

However, the union representing Journal employees has been steadfastly opposed to Murdoch's overture, saying the tabloid reputation of his publications would likely damage the Journal's quality and compromise its independence.

Now if only the NYT went up for sale...buahahaha!

The lying, unrepentant MSM, or, how Dobson and Beck became friends

In yesterday's USA Today, an opinion piece entitled What is a 'real' Christian? made the accusation that James Dobson, head of the very politically powerful evangelical ministry Focus on the Family, remarked that "former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson is “not Christian enough” to be president."   Trouble is, Dobson says he NEVER said that, and that the reporter was spinning their interview to make him look foolish.

Then, conservative CNN talk show host Glen Beck picked up the story and repeated it, and along with repeating it, said some things about evangelicals being like the Taliban by demanding that everyone believe what they believe or not be considered Christian. 

The collapse of the newspaper

What has long been a daily tradition across the country, scanning the daily paper over breakfast, is fast becoming obsolete. For the fifth straight year overall newspaper circulation saw substantial declines.

As someone with a degree in journalism with a wife working as a newspaper editor, this tends to concern me. The biggest question facing print media is why the decline?

Lessons learned from VT

One of the reasons I don't like taking a tragedy or a national event and turning into a pedestal for my favorite political or cultural issues is that everyone draws "lessons" from these events. Many are contradictory and most are overblown.

Below is a list of the "lessons" that we as a society should learn from this act of violence:

"...they don't mean no harm."

Those are the words of a South Carolina State student explaining why Don Imus was wrong, but the rappers at a recent concert at the historically black school were perfectly fine.

"House" and Abortion

Last night, "House" (Tuesdays, 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox), showed why it is by far one of the best dramas on television in an episode that dealt with abortion in a way unlike any other show on television ever has before.

The episode opens with celebrity photographer Emma Sloan (who happens to be five months pregnant) coming to the hospital after suffering a stroke. After running a series of tests, House comes to the conclusion that it is the baby that is making the mother sick. The mother is dying and if the baby isn't delivered she will die. House is in essence, arguing for aborting the baby to save the mother. But Sloan wants to keep the baby and challenges House to find a way to save them both.

The highlight of the episode is a scene involving an operation on the baby that no doubt was inspired by this famous incident that causes House to rethink his position not only on abortion but realize that he was dealing with a real human being and not just a clump of tissues.

This marks the second time this year that the show has tackled the subject of abortion. In another episode, House encounters a rape victim who became pregnant as a result. House argues that the best thing to do is terminate the pregnancy. While the girl resists at first she eventually decides to have the abortion.

The producers of "House" should be commended for tackling such a controversial subject. While the episodes may not necessarily change anyone's mind, they at least provide a good place to start a conversation on this subject.

Washington Post surprised by conservative compassion

The Washington Post finds it "surprising" that conservatives would support and vote for a measure that would allow gay partners and other non-family members visitation rights.

Poor journalism or poor priorities

Most everyone is aware that Sen. Tim Johnson was forced to have emergency brain surgery after he suffered from bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital malformation.

As unfortunate as it is the talk of politics cannot help, but swirl around the illness of Sen. Johnson. While everyone from both political parties have wished the senator well, offered their prayers for him and his family and maintained that his recovery is more important than political power, at least one news article paints a different picture.

Newsweek Nativity

As has become customary during Christmas and Easter for national news magazines, Newsweek has a cover story on the holiday subject matter.

Media loses "Nativity" controversy

The news come out during the run up to the releas of The Nativity Story that the 16-year-old actress playing Mary, Keisha Castle-Hughes, was pregnant (and not through the immaculate way) with her boyfriend of three years.

The media waited expectedly for the soon-coming Christian backlash. The pregnancy news was met with a resounding silence.

A Fun Way to Start Your Thanksgiving

Here's a classic TV clip to start off your Thanksgiving celebration. (Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Alternate reality

For a moment imagine today's news stories if the unthinkable had happened. What would we be discussing today if Republicans had somehow held on to control of the Senate and even the House? I would like to look at some of the possible New York Times headlines and stories.

Her Royal Perkiness

So, for the moment at least, Katie Couric is the queen of the evening news. Apparently the women of the nation thought this was the most important moment for women ever, while at the same time being angry that Couric was put under so much added pressure for being a woman.

Me, I agree with Mary Katharine Ham. I will honor Katie and all other women, by yawning at this event as just another in a long line of accomplishments by women. I think she will do the same (liberal) job as everyone else.

We're all going to die!

Last night, ABC aired a two-hour 20/20 special outlining various ways in which life on earth will end.

The Emmys crash and burn

As a duly noted member of the vast rightwing conspiracy, part of the evil conservative blogosphere and pawn of Karl Rove, I guess I am supposed to be aghast at the Emmys using a plane crash skit on the day a plane actually crashed killing dozens of people. My outrage should be at an all time high because Conan O'Brien said Fox News knew all about fake news the same day two Fox News employees were released by their terrorist kidnappers.  But for some reason, I'm just not appalled. Someone must have taken my digusted, horrified, offended button.

Joe Biden (D-Slave state)

Two questions:
1)How is this not a top story?
2)Who should be offended more: Southern voters for Biden's insinuation that Delaware being a "slave state" would help him in the South or Black voters for Biden using his state's former stance on slavery as a positive?

Reuters not really concerned about Reutergate

While they have "pulled" all 920 of Adnan Hajj’s photos and added a note to the "worst photoshop ever," Reuters has yet to add anything to the second faked photo.