news channels

Maybe the news channels will wake up and realize what they are doing isn’t working:

After years of audience growth, cable news may have hit a wall.

According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's annual State of the News Media report, cable news viewership for CNN, MSNBC and Fox News fell substantially in 2010 -- 13.7 percent in aggregate for a sharper decline than any other sector. Broadcast news, which has experienced declining viewership for years, was down another 3.4 percent in 2010.

The numbers are truly telling. The biggest loser is to be expected, CNN, which saw a decline of 37%. Up next is FOX, who saw a decline of 11% and the network with the smallest loss was MSNBC, with only a 5% decline.

I will admit I am part of the decline in viewership. I used to be one of those people that was glued to network news, but I finally got my fill of it. Having paid personalities tell me how I should think and feel just didn’t seem healthy. Instead when I watch a news network I want to see news. I know that might seem like a far-fetched idea, but really – is it that hard to do? Other countries have news networks that show news, why can’t ours? Are Americans really that incapable of drawing their own conclusions?

So all the talk in print and on the news channels this morning is how Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are going after each other. Also they are finally mentioning John Edwards, but that is only because he threw some criticism towards Clinton.

This would typically be nothing, but they are making such a big deal out of it. Wow an election where candidates go after each other - how would of thunk it! I guess the Republicans are too busy sipping cocoa and singing Kumbaya to argue with each other. Oh wait - they have been fighting each other, much longer than the Democrats. The media just shrugs that off.

Since their announcement yesterday of the return of Elizabeth's cancer, the pundits have taken to the news channels to try and analyze why Edwards is staying in the race. People such as Rush Limbaugh have even gone as far as saying this was some big political stunt and if her cancer doesn't give him a bump in the polls, he will drop out.

To these pundits, I have an idea. Could there be a chance John decided to stay in and Elizabeth supported his decision because he truly believes in what he is doing? Why don't you give up all the conspiracy theories and look at what is probably the most obvious answer. Edwards has been coined as one of the "most honest" guys in politics, so why would he use such a life altering incident for political gain? With analysis like you are doing, it is no wonder that politics is so vile today.

There has been much talk this week about Rep. Virgil Goode's comments regarding Muslim's in Congress:

A congressman said Thursday that he will not retract a letter warning that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims will be elected" and use the Quran to take the oath of office.

Republican Rep. Virgil Goode triggered angry responses from a civil rights group and some colleagues with a letter this month to constituents concerned about a decision by Rep.-elect Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, to use the Quran when he is sworn in.

"I will not be putting my hand on the Quran," Goode said at a news conference Thursday at the Franklin County Courthouse.

While most seem to focus on this as an insult to Muslims (as it is), they seem to overlook the other major insult here. The bigoted Virgil Goode also insulted the people of Minnesota's 5th Congressional district. Ellison did not hide his religion during his campaign, and it actually became a big issue. All the news channels ran segments talking about the fact we could have the first Muslim in Congress. Furthermore, that did not stop 56% of the voters in MN-15 to go out and support Goode.

These citizens of the United States engaged in their Constitutional right of electing their leaders, and for that they get insulted by a member of Congress. That alone should be grounds for Vigil Goode to be kicked out of Congress and this country.

Why should George Bush look into a job as a weather man? Well he has a knack
for dealing with the public, but most importantly, he is wrong more than right.

We all know by now that in the months leading up to September 11, the
President received intelligence that Osama was planning on attacking. Some
intelligence even suggested the use of airplanes as a weapon. But yet our leader
failed to act upon this, and dismissed these reports.

Fast forward a few months. George Bush receives intelligence that Saddam has
restarted his WMD programs, and tends to use it against the United States.
George now feels to even tell the people of the country and the world about
this. Furthermore he feels the need to go to war because of these reports.

So what is the problem here. Simple. The first reports turned out to be true
and over 3,000 people lost their lives because of our President's failure to
respond. The second reports turn out to be false, and lead to over 1700 of our
soldiers dying.

So our great President is batting 0 for 2 on interpreting intelligence
reports, and we have lost over 5,000 lives because of it. This is a terrible
track record and cries for regime change here at home. I put some of the blood
of all those lives lost on the hands of our President. He has failed, and failed
miserably. He could of saved all these lives but instead acted on what he felt
would be better for him and his financial interests and allowed all these poor
people to die.

 If you ask me George Bush is nothing more than a cold hearted killer.
Even more cold heated than the BK killer or Jeffrey Dahmer. Those people acted
on a sick lust for death. George acted on greed. Those mass killers performed
the acts themselves to satisfy their needs. George let others commit the acts
because he is to scared to do his own dirty work.