I hate it when I blow the punch line... :(

It seems that the scientists were becoming to attached to the rats and there are some things that even rats won't do ...

Michale....
0473

True...

But that was quite a while ago. Long before the MSM had become so depraved and the field so competitive..

I recall reading a story online about scientists who stopped using rats in their experiments and started using journalists.. It seems the scientists were becoming to attached to the rats... :D

RE the BBC: yeah, but you guys pay television and radio tax for it. Never happen here in America. Heh

{{{cough}}} NPR {{{cough}}} :D

Michale
0472

On the scorpion thing -- the MSM can be shamed into changing its ways. I've seen it happen (on rape victims).

Interestingly, tonight the media actually reported that the people of Sandy Hook are getting pretty fed up with the media. I saw footage of a sign that spoke volumes in two words: "No Media!"

michty6 -

RE the BBC: yeah, but you guys pay television and radio tax for it. Never happen here in America. Heh.

LewDan -

Excellent points, especially your closing two paragraphs. Well said.

-CW

Or, more accurately, it's what happens when personal liberty and freedom trumps the public good... :D

"Every rose has it's thorns"
-Poison

Michale

I still find it amazing that 'personal responsibility' turned into a dystopian grab all you can grab screw your neighbor vision.

-David

Nothing could be further from the values and goals of our Founding Fathers than Ayn Rand's "philosophy." That people are so misguided as to promote Rand's views as the way to safeguard democracy and freedom goes a long way towards explaining why we're in such deep trouble, in so many ways.

I like to keep reminding people of what I consider to be first principles, that we claim to revere, but really abhor. Like the first amendment, which was intended to prevent those in power from silencing dissent, but is abused in the service of slander and "the Big Lie" to discredit opponents and silence dissenting opinions. (And, according to SCOTUS, protects the powerful from being prevented from overwhelming dissenting opinions.)

Or states rights, intended to protect minority communities from the tyranny of the majority, now abused to persecute minority communities and circumvent federal protections for minority communities.

The filibuster, intended to ensure minority views could not be simply ignored and subjected to the whims of the majority, now abused to ignore majority views and subject the majority to the whims of the minority.

I happen to believe that at the time of the founding the people of this nation actually wanted to find a way to work together for mutual support and protection and were willing to accord others the autonomy to conduct their own affairs in peace in return for the freedom to autonomously conduct one's own affairs in peace.

No longer. In our Ayn Rand America, freedom solely resides in and pertains to self alone. Winning is everything and all's fair in love, war, and politics now. We no longer agreed its important to us for us to protect our democracy and each others' individual rights and personal freedoms. In modern America if you can get away with something you've every right to do it. Its all about gaming the system for personal benefit, and many of us have gotten very good at it.

Unfortunately, first principles—The constitution doesn't protect our democracy, individual rights and personal freedoms because its the law. The constitution is the law because we agreed it was important to us for us to protect our democracy and each others' individual rights and personal freedoms.

So sure, you can interview a seven year-old, attract lots of eyeballs, sell advertising, and make money—at the expense of the well-being of the child. Its your First Amendment Right even! Of course, the fact that the Bill of Rights now guarantees the exploitation of children, rather than protecting them, is exactly where we, as a nation, are today—and why. We can either decide, once again, that we want to be a civilized democratic society—or we can live Ayn Rand.

However, we do have the good old BBC who are much better :)

When it can be done w/o cheap political grandstanding for the purposes of pushing thru an unpopular agenda...

Michale
0419

It's the nature of the MSM to be the way they are.

Personally, I think the blame lies with the parents who allow this sort of thing...

And, since we're talking about things we would like to see banned, I would like put a ban on ANY politicking and pontificating for TEN DAYS following a mass shooting...

When I first posted about the Sandy Hook tragedy, I stated that within a couple hours, the politicians would hit the airwaves pointing fingers.. I was off by half.. It took less than an our for politicians to get in front of a microphone and start their hysterical and irrational bloviating...

Any politician who opens their yap within the 10 day cooling off period is taken out and summarily shot..

And yes.. I do appreciate the irony... :D

We'd like to see Chris get a new computer in the New Year as, from what I understand, his current one is 10 years old. Which as a computer geek, I simply cannot fathom :)

I second that... I get antsy and anxious if my video card is 3 months old... :D

Michale
0416

Me personally, I had to turn off the coverage and remind myself that we always have the choice not to watch.

It was just too much listening to the endless speculation which is used to fill up time on the mainstream networks. It kept reminding me of how sports is covered ... they keep speculating to keep you watching.

-David

p.s. Bashi- A quick reminder. If you haven't donated to Chris' fall fund drive, I'd encourage you to chip in a couple bucks. If you have, apologies.

We'd like to see Chris get a new computer in the New Year as, from what I understand, his current one is 10 years old. Which as a computer geek, I simply cannot fathom :)

I agree. I tried searching for two sources for this article, but couldn't find either one of them. The first was (as I remembered it) from "Bowling For Columbine" which actually did show the "media row" interviewing children, and tales from the principal at a school where (again, as I remember it) a 6 year old had killed another 6 year old in Michigan (up until now, the youngest shooting victim at a school in US history). The principal called school off for a few days, but the day he reopened the doors, the media charged the school bus en masse, cameras and microphones out, terrifying the kids. It might have been after the Stockton shooting, too, but it was a memorable piece of film. Too bad I forgot what movie it was from, but it sure does sound like Michael Moore. Anyone?

The second was an article I read, I believe, in the SF Chronicle. After a school shooting (Stockton again, I believe), a young female journalist had been part of the press "covering" the story, and she later (at least 6 months, could have been a year or two) wrote a LONG and extensive article about how she had quit journalism after seeing what the reporters did to the kids. She was that thunderstruck at her whole profession. This is a powerful article, but I cannot for the life of me dig it up. The Chron's online archives only go back to 1995 or so, and I haven't had any luck finding it on Lexis/Nexis. Which is a shame, because it is one of the most eye-opening pieces I've ever read about the reporting side of the media (television in particular).

Anyway, that's why today's article was late... searching for sources I never found...

-CW

Going after kids though puts them in the same class as paparazzi, the bottom feeders of journalism.