Bob's Place

Conservative listeners have their ideals reinforced by radio shows, explains journalism professor Wayne Wanta, which ultimately leads to even more extreme views. Newspapers do not have the same space and time constraints as television or radio, he says, therefore they are able to provide readers with more information on both sides of an issue.
As a result, newspaper and Internet readers are less likely to adopt extreme attitudes about certain issues, the professor states. "Overall, our findings point to radio being a possible reason for the increasing polarization of the U.S. public."

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 10:50 AM |

"After saying 'there is rising concern that everything [my emphasis] seems to be going the wrong way' on Iraq, Sen. Feinstein demanded 'regular progress reports' from the president and explained why: 'It's his war.'

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 8:53 AM |

.............One of the big lessons of these last four years is that many, many beneficiaries of Western civilization loathe that civilization -- and the media are generally inclined to blur the extent of that loathing. At last year's Democratic Convention, when the Oscar-winning crockumentarian Michael Moore was given the seat of honor in the presidential box next to Jimmy Carter, I wonder how many TV viewers knew that the terrorist ''insurgents'' -- the guys who kidnap and murder aid workers, hack the heads off foreigners, load Down's syndrome youths up with explosives and send them off to detonate in shopping markets -- are regarded by Moore as Iraq's Minutemen. I wonder how many viewers knew that on Sept. 11 itself Moore's only gripe was that the terrorists had targeted New York and Washington instead of Texas or Mississippi: ''They did not deserve to die. If someone did this to get back at Bush, then they did so by killing thousands of people who DID NOT VOTE for him! Boston, New York, D.C. and the plane's destination of California -- these were places that voted AGAINST Bush!".............

.........That's the point: A flag has to be worth torching. When a flag gets burned, that's not a sign of its weakness but of its strength. If you can't stand the heat of your burning flag, get out of the superpower business. It's the left that believes the state can regulate everyone into thought-compliance. The right should understand that the battle of ideas is won out in the open.

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 7:52 AM |

Shame on him, and shame on those fellow senators and Democrats who by their refusal to condemn him endorse his slander.

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 7:50 AM |

Right-to-life politicians have done terrible damage to a serious cause. They claimed to know what they did not, and could not, know. They were willing to imply, without proof, terrible things about a husband who was getting in their way. Instead of making the hard and morally challenging case for keeping Terri Schiavo on life support, they spun an emotional narrative that they thought would play well on cable TV and talk radio.

No, we should not move on. We should remember that some politicians will say whatever is necessary to advance their immediate purposes. Apologies, anyone?

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 9:49 PM |

So, the only thing he regrets is that someone misunderstands what he said, not what he said. He said earlier today on the radio that he had no regrets.

Q. No regrets on the statements you made?

Durbin: No, I don't, and I'll tell you why.

He then goes on to expand on his criticisms of Guantanamo. Let's be clear. The reason he doesn't regret his comparison is because deep down he despises Republicans and thinks that they're evil. Thus, any administration policy on detainees would be, by definition, evil because it comes from Bush and Rumsfeld.

# posted by Bob Taylor @ 11:31 PM |