# PonderIt

## Sunday, July 04, 2004

Orson Scott Card on Media Bias
The article above is a terrific, non-angry take on bias in the media. Card does a superb job of explaining why bias is still present even when there is no lie told in the story. He illustrates his point well with one fictitious paragraph you know you'll never hear:

"Senator Hillary Clinton (Dem. NY), making no mention of the $100,000 she once made by trading cattle futures with astonishing perfection, told a cheering crowd of activists that Bush's globalist economic policy is hurting poor people in other countries and costing American jobs."

He compares it to this paragraph that appeared in a wire story:

"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, making no mention of the prisoner abuse scandal that has led to calls for his ouster, told a cheering crowd of graduating cadets Saturday that they will help win the global fight against terror."

I don't always agree with Card (I say that a lot, don't I?) but this piece is well worth a read.

## Saturday, July 03, 2004

Jesse Jackson with John Kerry
Mr Jackson, in his introduction for John Kerry in this campaign appearance, perpetuates the apparent misconception that somehow millions of black voters (or any voters) were disenfranchised in the 2000 presidential election.
Why is it that people like Mr Jackson cannot see that a vote must be cast according to the correct procedure to be valid? If there isn't a definition of a vote, there can be no such thing as a fair election. I could sit at home and WISH that a certain candidate might win. That doesn't count as a vote, no matter what the intention. Nothing short of an actual vote can count. In Florida, an actual vote was to punch a hole in a piece of paper. Nothing short of punching that hole can count as a vote, no matter what the intention an any person! It is that simple. Nothing else would be fair.
Now, if there was illegal activity in removing names from the voting rolls, I think that is wrong. If there were honest errors made, that is hardly the conspiracy perpetually trumpeted by the partisan Democrats. If there is other information that I ought to be aware of, please let me know. Otherwise, the Democrats need to get off this issue. It makes them appear dishonest.

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