It’s a new month and it’s been a couple of weeks since I climbed up on my soap box, so I decided to dig deep into this mental file cabinet and let loose.
First, some procedure matters. This site was created to inform you, but also give you an opportunity to voice your opinions. We have received some comments, but we would certainly welcome more. A recent writer complained in a follow-up that I hadn’t posted his initial comments on the Obama administration. He wondered if I was being a bit one-sided.
In truth, when the comment came in for approval, it was rather lengthy. I read each one before I agree to post it to make sure there’s no slander or libel issues and sometimes to clear up some grammatical mistakes. I didn’t discard his comments, just set them aside until I had time to read through them. You can find them at the “comments” button at the end of my last Ramblings post.
While on the subject of submitted comments, we request that you include your first and last name and if you wish, a return phone number or e-mail address. If you have the courage to post a comment, have the courage to put your name on it. We have no way of knowing if the name you include is yours, so that’s why we want a phone number or e-mail for possible follow-up.
Please keep your comments concise, civil and to the point. And keep them coming!
We receive a daily report on the number of people who have visited our site, the number of pages they visit and the most popular articles read. The report also includes the number of visitors from foreign countries.
All of this information is very interesting. Our number of visitors and page visits continues to grow each month. Most of our readers read breaking news stories, the police report, obituaries and sports stories. And while a vast majority of our readers are probably from Belle Plaine, our site is accessible anywhere in the world with Internet access. In the month of October, we had viewers from 18 countries, from Canada to China, Hong Kong and South Korea. While many of these viewers may have hit on our site by mistake, at least for a moment or two, Belle Plaine Now was on a computer screen somewhere else in the world.
We hope that this site will not only be a source of local news for local residents, it is also a source of hometown news to those who may have moved from this area, are living elsewhere for the winter or may be stationed at posts around the world in the armed forces. We live in a world of instant communication and we try to keep that in mind and realize that we have an important responsibility.
Getting back to the subject of comments for a moment, based on a couple of recent comments we’ve received, it’s interesting that the honeymoon period with the Obama administration is well over. The novelty of the first African-American president, the first president with a young family for nearly a generation and a young activist president has passed for some people. Thanks to talk radio and a rather slanted cable TV “news” channel, it’s suddenly fashionable to bash the president and what he’s trying to accomplish.
Whether it’s pack mentality, frustration with the speed of needed change or simply the knowledge that it’s once again okay to disagree with your government, let’s all try to keep it civil. And if you don’t like how things are going, don’t just gripe, come up with something better!
C’mon Jeff. . .”Thanks to talk radio and a rather slanted cable TV “news” channel, it’s suddenly fashionable to bash the president and what he’s trying to accomplish”.. .. what has air america and cnn done for the last 8 years of Mr. Bush’s presidency ?? . .and yes..the honemoon is over . .. for good reason!
Great article Jeff. It is time the other side came up with a few good ideas. It easy to critcize that is why people do it.
Jeff,
I will admit to being a bit partial but, even though we differ politically, I agree with most of what you have written here and am proud of how you express it. (A mother’s privilege)
Do you truly blame talk radio and FOX news for Obama’s falling popularity Jeff? I’ve got to someday figure out how you and others do that. You know, take those who disagree with you, cram them all into a little dumbed down box of your own making and then hang a label on them.
Don’t you think it might be possible that some of those “bashing” the president are simply opposed to his radical policies? I mean can you consider for a moment that maybe someone somewhere is not happy that unemployment has risen above the 8.5% cap Obama supposedly set with his massive stimulus package. Maybe at least one of those voicing their dissatisfaction with this administration does not support Obama’s bashing of his own country while overseas. And I could fault no one for taking issue with the President’s publically quoting from the Quran. God knows there is plenty of opposition to Biblical quotes in any forum. And consider for a moment those who might see these disturbing accounts of our children being force fed politics in our schools as offensive and eerily similar to SOME of the things seen in early 1930s Germany. ***Before you lose your mind on this one, I’m not name calling. Simply comparing factual, verifiable events. When is the last time you can recall school children, many too young to even understand, swearing allegiance to a political leader?***
And is it not possible that some Americans are shocked by some of the recent cabinet appointments and are now deeply concerned and confused by the apparent “changes” planned for our very political structure?
It’s been reported recently that many of the activist groups who helped to elect Obama now feel disenfranchised over his failing to follow through with campaign promises. Perhaps some are frustrated with Obama’s incessant obsession with the blame game. First it was all on his predecessor. Now he’s added the highest rated cable news network in the country to those he blames for his shortcomings. Meanwhile, the news outlets who chose to cover up legitimate news stories that portray this administration in an unfavorable light continue to lose customers.
Are we really to accept this administration’s claims that the political opposition are a bunch of Bible thumping, gun toting minions who’s political opinions are fed to them by one network as opposed to another? Has this man really done nothing that we should question? Is he now being victimized by a news network that apparently controls the thoughts of millions? REALLY???
While this kind of view certainly saves one a lot of time in the way of rational thought, I would strongly warn against forming political opinions toward masses of people using such a simple minded method.
Jean,
With Democrat lawmakers locking Republicans out of bill writing sessions it’s quite clear the ideas from “the other side” are simply not welcome.
If you TRULY feel there is a lack of alternative solutions to our country’s most pressing issues let me know and I’ll share as many as you care to read. With supporting links of course.