Yesterday’s post examined NPR’s one-sided handling of the lacrosse case between March 29, 2006 and the indictments of Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty. Today’s will focus on how NPR handled lacrosse matters from late April until the end of the case.
Two reporters dominated NPR’s coverage after the first two indictments: Juan Williams and Adam Hochberg.
For Morning Edition on April 26, 2006, Williams interviewed three students at NCCU, where, he said, “this story is what everyone’s talking about in class and around campus. The accuser [Crystal Mangum] goes to school here.”
Williams did not seem to consider it odd that neither he nor, it seems, any other reporter could ever find a student who had taken a class with Mangum, or a professor who had ever taught Mangum.
The three NCCU students provided Williams with a litany of extremist statements—which he featured without criticism or balance in his report.
In a comment eerily reminiscent of the one made a few days before by student government leader Chan Hall, senior Shauniste Duvance remarked that “people want to support her because, you know, she’s a black female and they want to see justice done . . . Nobody knows for a fact if she’s telling the truth or if she’s lying, but either way, people are like, we want to support her regardless of if she’s telling the truth or not.”
Junior Jerelly Dawson that “it’s kind of like a black against white thing, and then, just taking our own side. Like, kind of, you protect your family members, you’re not, don’t want to see what’s happening on the other side. You just want to keep that family kind of tight.”
Senior Anissa Holmes expressed the point in a different way: “The difference between NCCU versus Duke is white versus black. And wealthy versus, I don’t want to say poor, because, you know.”
Imagine how an NPR reporter would have responded to white Duke students publicly promising to stand by Reade Seligmann “regardless of if he’s telling the truth or not,” because “it’s kind of like a black against white thing.”
NPR returned to the case a week later, after the Coleman Committee report was released. The report made it perfectly clear that members of the team drank much too much. But, by May 1, 2006, this item had been repeatedly established, in print by the N&O, and over and over again on the cable news networks. The new revelations in the report centered on how a team portrayed as a bunch of racist, misogynist hooligans by much of the national media (including, of course, NPR) in fact consisted of good students who had strong support from women at Duke, no documented record of sexist or racist behavior, and a good record of community service.
Adam Hochberg, however, mentioned none of these items. His summary of the Coleman Committee’s findings: “Even before Duke lacrosse players held their raucous spring break party, the team had a disciplinary record that faculty leaders call deplorable. A month-long university investigation of the team found a pattern of misconduct dating back several years, involving property damage, theft, and other offenses, both on and around Duke’s Durham, North Carolina, campus.”
He did manage to concede that the report “gave something of a vote of confidence to Duke’s troubled lacrosse program.” In fact, the committee was unequivocal that the program should be restored.
Hochberg covered Dave Evans’ indictment by again terming the party as “raucous.” In a peculiar editorial judgment, his report also gave less airtime to Evans’ statement on the courthouse steps—a turning-point event in public perceptions of the case—than to the race-baiting remarks of Victoria Peterson.
In his piece, Hochberg introduced Peterson as “an activist in Durham’s black community,” neglecting to point out Peterson’s background as a homophobe, her public claim that Duke Hospital had tampered with the DNA evidence, her decision to welcome the New Black Panthers to Durham, or her publicly advocating burning down the lacrosse house. Would most NPR listeners have considered such behavior covered by the description “an activist in Durham’s black community”?
Meanwhile, throughout April into May, NPR all but ignored Kirk Osborn’s bombshell motion revealing Seligmann’s airtight alibi. It ignored the release of the lineup transcript showing that Nifong had ordered the police to violate their own procedures and confine the lineup to suspects. Defense motions showing that Mangum had changed her story many times likewise received no play.
But NPR did devote considerable attention to Kim Roberts, who sat down for a one-on-one interview with Juan Williams in a June 14, 2006 broadcast. Parts of the transcript read as if Williams, not Roberts, was actually recalling events from the party:
Two reporters dominated NPR’s coverage after the first two indictments: Juan Williams and Adam Hochberg.
For Morning Edition on April 26, 2006, Williams interviewed three students at NCCU, where, he said, “this story is what everyone’s talking about in class and around campus. The accuser [Crystal Mangum] goes to school here.”
Williams did not seem to consider it odd that neither he nor, it seems, any other reporter could ever find a student who had taken a class with Mangum, or a professor who had ever taught Mangum.
The three NCCU students provided Williams with a litany of extremist statements—which he featured without criticism or balance in his report.
In a comment eerily reminiscent of the one made a few days before by student government leader Chan Hall, senior Shauniste Duvance remarked that “people want to support her because, you know, she’s a black female and they want to see justice done . . . Nobody knows for a fact if she’s telling the truth or if she’s lying, but either way, people are like, we want to support her regardless of if she’s telling the truth or not.”
Junior Jerelly Dawson that “it’s kind of like a black against white thing, and then, just taking our own side. Like, kind of, you protect your family members, you’re not, don’t want to see what’s happening on the other side. You just want to keep that family kind of tight.”
Senior Anissa Holmes expressed the point in a different way: “The difference between NCCU versus Duke is white versus black. And wealthy versus, I don’t want to say poor, because, you know.”
Imagine how an NPR reporter would have responded to white Duke students publicly promising to stand by Reade Seligmann “regardless of if he’s telling the truth or not,” because “it’s kind of like a black against white thing.”
NPR returned to the case a week later, after the Coleman Committee report was released. The report made it perfectly clear that members of the team drank much too much. But, by May 1, 2006, this item had been repeatedly established, in print by the N&O, and over and over again on the cable news networks. The new revelations in the report centered on how a team portrayed as a bunch of racist, misogynist hooligans by much of the national media (including, of course, NPR) in fact consisted of good students who had strong support from women at Duke, no documented record of sexist or racist behavior, and a good record of community service.
Adam Hochberg, however, mentioned none of these items. His summary of the Coleman Committee’s findings: “Even before Duke lacrosse players held their raucous spring break party, the team had a disciplinary record that faculty leaders call deplorable. A month-long university investigation of the team found a pattern of misconduct dating back several years, involving property damage, theft, and other offenses, both on and around Duke’s Durham, North Carolina, campus.”
He did manage to concede that the report “gave something of a vote of confidence to Duke’s troubled lacrosse program.” In fact, the committee was unequivocal that the program should be restored.
Hochberg covered Dave Evans’ indictment by again terming the party as “raucous.” In a peculiar editorial judgment, his report also gave less airtime to Evans’ statement on the courthouse steps—a turning-point event in public perceptions of the case—than to the race-baiting remarks of Victoria Peterson.
In his piece, Hochberg introduced Peterson as “an activist in Durham’s black community,” neglecting to point out Peterson’s background as a homophobe, her public claim that Duke Hospital had tampered with the DNA evidence, her decision to welcome the New Black Panthers to Durham, or her publicly advocating burning down the lacrosse house. Would most NPR listeners have considered such behavior covered by the description “an activist in Durham’s black community”?
Meanwhile, throughout April into May, NPR all but ignored Kirk Osborn’s bombshell motion revealing Seligmann’s airtight alibi. It ignored the release of the lineup transcript showing that Nifong had ordered the police to violate their own procedures and confine the lineup to suspects. Defense motions showing that Mangum had changed her story many times likewise received no play.
But NPR did devote considerable attention to Kim Roberts, who sat down for a one-on-one interview with Juan Williams in a June 14, 2006 broadcast. Parts of the transcript read as if Williams, not Roberts, was actually recalling events from the party:
WILLIAMS: And you have called the escort service . . .
ROBERTS: Yep.
WILLIAMS: . . . say, “We’re here, everything’s cool.”
ROBERTS: Everything’s good, you know. We feel safe.
WILLIAMS: Okay, so, from the back of the house, the two of you go inside.
ROBERTS: Mm-hmm.
WILLIAMS: And are subjected to, like, racial stuff or lewd suggestions.
ROBERTS: Right.
WILLIAMS: Then you go out; you decide, I’m uncomfortable.
ROBERTS: Right.
WILLIAMS: And leave.
ROBERTS: Yep.
Williams never said exactly when the racial comments occurred—and the cagey Roberts didn’t offer any clarity—thereby leaving the false impression that the comments could have taken place while Seligmann (and Collin Finnerty) were still at the party.
The broadcast also highlighted Roberts’ temporary tilt toward Nifong: “I can never say that a rape did or did not occur; that’s for the courts to decide. I didn’t see it happen, you know. But what I can say is that there was opportunity and that it could have happened. You have to entertain the fact that it’s possible it didn’t, but it’s possible it did.”
At the end of the interview, Williams did mention that defense attorneys had filed a motion in which Roberts had termed the allegation a “crock.” But he didn’t ask Roberts about that remark. Nor did he ask her about—or even mention—the discrepancies between what Roberts told him in the interview and the versions of events presented in her official statement to police. Kirk Osborn had made the statement public well before Williams interviewed Roberts, so the NPR reporter could not credibly claim not to have seen it.
Between March 29 and May 15, the network ran 20 reports or interviews, almost all of which framed the case through the lens of race, class, and gender. Then, from July 12 through December 22—as Nifong’s case crumbled for all the world to see—NPR ignored events in Durham. On December 23, the day after Nifong dropped the rape charges, Scott Simon allowed that the accused players might well be innocent. But, he quickly added, they certainly were “boars and oafs.” He offered no grounds to substantiate his attack on Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann.
It was not until December 28, 2006—the day the State Bar filed ethics charges against Nifong—that NPR interviewed anyone critical of Nifong’s behavior, when my colleague Stuart Taylor sat down with Melissa Block. People who received their news solely from NPR must have been mystified by the turn of events.
Even as the case wound down, the slant remained in place. On March 1, the network brought together three people to discuss the almost comically biased CCI report. The invited panel? CCI vice-chair Larry Moneta; CCI student member Trisha Bailey, and Group of 88 favorite Janet Reitman of Rolling Stone. Critics of the CCI—whether Student Government president Elliot Wolf, or Chronicle columnists Kristin Butler or Stephen Miller, or signatories to the Economics Department public letter—were not welcome. NPR listeners would never have known that a majority of the campus appeared to greet the report unfavorably.
Hochberg fittingly concluded NPR’s coverage of the case in his report on the post-exoneration press conference (which he described as “long” and “sometimes bitter”). Stated he, “Defense lawyers said the players are not proud of throwing the party, which included not only the strippers, but underage drinking, threats of violence, and an exchange of racial slurs.”
The comment was doubly inaccurate. Not only were no threats of violence that whole night, but Hochberg’s wording implied that the defense lawyers themselves had admitted that there were threats of violence at the party.
Asked for evidence to substantiate Hochberg’s claim, Andi Sporkin, NPR’s Vice President for Communications, replied, “Your use of the isolated soundbite does not include its context in the larger NPR News piece - which was, in fact, about the clearing of these false charges . . . NPR stands by Adam's report.”
There has been no public review by NPR of its coverage of the lacrosse case. Though the network has an ombudsman, the post has been vacant since last fall.
Hat tip: B.S.
The broadcast also highlighted Roberts’ temporary tilt toward Nifong: “I can never say that a rape did or did not occur; that’s for the courts to decide. I didn’t see it happen, you know. But what I can say is that there was opportunity and that it could have happened. You have to entertain the fact that it’s possible it didn’t, but it’s possible it did.”
At the end of the interview, Williams did mention that defense attorneys had filed a motion in which Roberts had termed the allegation a “crock.” But he didn’t ask Roberts about that remark. Nor did he ask her about—or even mention—the discrepancies between what Roberts told him in the interview and the versions of events presented in her official statement to police. Kirk Osborn had made the statement public well before Williams interviewed Roberts, so the NPR reporter could not credibly claim not to have seen it.
Between March 29 and May 15, the network ran 20 reports or interviews, almost all of which framed the case through the lens of race, class, and gender. Then, from July 12 through December 22—as Nifong’s case crumbled for all the world to see—NPR ignored events in Durham. On December 23, the day after Nifong dropped the rape charges, Scott Simon allowed that the accused players might well be innocent. But, he quickly added, they certainly were “boars and oafs.” He offered no grounds to substantiate his attack on Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann.
It was not until December 28, 2006—the day the State Bar filed ethics charges against Nifong—that NPR interviewed anyone critical of Nifong’s behavior, when my colleague Stuart Taylor sat down with Melissa Block. People who received their news solely from NPR must have been mystified by the turn of events.
Even as the case wound down, the slant remained in place. On March 1, the network brought together three people to discuss the almost comically biased CCI report. The invited panel? CCI vice-chair Larry Moneta; CCI student member Trisha Bailey, and Group of 88 favorite Janet Reitman of Rolling Stone. Critics of the CCI—whether Student Government president Elliot Wolf, or Chronicle columnists Kristin Butler or Stephen Miller, or signatories to the Economics Department public letter—were not welcome. NPR listeners would never have known that a majority of the campus appeared to greet the report unfavorably.
Hochberg fittingly concluded NPR’s coverage of the case in his report on the post-exoneration press conference (which he described as “long” and “sometimes bitter”). Stated he, “Defense lawyers said the players are not proud of throwing the party, which included not only the strippers, but underage drinking, threats of violence, and an exchange of racial slurs.”
The comment was doubly inaccurate. Not only were no threats of violence that whole night, but Hochberg’s wording implied that the defense lawyers themselves had admitted that there were threats of violence at the party.
Asked for evidence to substantiate Hochberg’s claim, Andi Sporkin, NPR’s Vice President for Communications, replied, “Your use of the isolated soundbite does not include its context in the larger NPR News piece - which was, in fact, about the clearing of these false charges . . . NPR stands by Adam's report.”
There has been no public review by NPR of its coverage of the lacrosse case. Though the network has an ombudsman, the post has been vacant since last fall.
Hat tip: B.S.
90 comments:
While NPR occasionally has useful features, I find its main use is to help me identify nitwits.
Anybody who takes NPR seriously or talks about it in glowing terms is usually wrong about a great deal of things.
KX - Love you blog and articles. It is time for the moderator again..
Professor
It's ad nauseAm.
Glad to see that your book was praised by John Grisham, and I'm grateful that you skewered the administration in your book.
I just discovered Durham-In-Wonderland. Good luck with your book!
Don Lewis
U Cal, Berkeley '74
Oh, how the sachems at NPR must yearn for the days when audio files and transcripts were esoteric items, accessible only to the Right Sort of People.
As an aside, at 2Blowhards.com, the excellent culture-blogger Michael Blowhard recently painted this picture of headquarters:
"By the way: I once interviewed for a job as a producer at NPR. When I toured the place, many of its employees seemed to me to be exactly what you'd imagine from listening to NPR -- a bunch of entrenched and self-righteous old hippies. Had I been offered the job, I probably would have turned it down: Imagine trying to manage such people, let alone trying to break them away from their navel-gazing."
**********
It is rare enough to have a substantive disagreement with Prof. Johnson, but the first part of his critique of Juan Williams' reporting misses the mark.
Johnson notes that Williams interviewed three NCCU students, offering their litanies of extremist statements to listeners without balance.
Senior Shauniste Duvance: “people want to support her because, you know, she’s a black female and they want to see justice done... Nobody knows for a fact if she’s telling the truth or if she’s lying, but either way, people are like, we want to support her regardless of if she’s telling the truth or not.”
Junior Jerelly Dawson: “it’s kind of like a black against white thing, and then, just taking our own side. Like, kind of, you protect your family members, you’re not, don’t want to see what’s happening on the other side. You just want to keep that family kind of tight.”
Senior Anissa Holmes: “The difference between NCCU versus Duke is white versus black. And wealthy versus, I don’t want to say poor, because, you know.”
Extremist? Compared to, say, the calls for Due Process that filled the pages of the NCCU campus paper? To the measured approach taken by student leaders? To the judicious wisdom expressed by other students...
No. From all we have seen, Duvance, Dawson, and Holmes were representatives of mainstream NCCU opinion. If called to jury duty, would folks like these have checked their bigotry at the courtroom door?
Thank you for the inadvertantly revealing report, Juan Williams.
It's better to know.
Professor
Has it occurred to you that the quotes by the NCCU students may reflect positively on Juan Williams' talent as an interviewer?
Those are brutally honest statements that black people rarely make in public.
Don Lewis
amac 12:33,
Well played, sir. Keen observation.
Of course NPR didn't comprehend this. Oh, possibly they trolled as usual for local quotes that supported their editorial position - but they obviously wasted no time searching for a range of opinions. Imagine their relief when the first three interviewees spouted the PC party line unprompted. And as amac says, this was mainstream opinion on the NCCU campus - not extremists at all.
The extremists were in the courtroom yelling 'dead men walking' - with the acquiescence of the judge.
This is all difficult for me to process.
I see journalists as I see the emergency lights on the dashboard in my automobile. If the sensors find something fishy, they flash; if something ugly is happening they stay on bright while barking a little and if I am in serious trouble they speak to me...and don't shut up.
I thought that is exactly what journalists were suppose to do with government and those in government who have the power to take away our freedom.
What happened?
Are any of the professors of journalism at Columbia for example studying any of this in order to right the wrong that has occurred with respect to journalistic oversight?
Even Will Rogers would have caught this hoax early on ...and he was an entertainer/commenter.
::
GP
NPR is LIKE broadrot ...they were more interested in COVERING UP INNOCENCE...than reporting the facts...NPR=no proof required
KC
This comment moderation is unreinforcing to the max. Just delete the stuff you don't like at the end of the day.
Your entertaining wack jobs need to see their stuff published immediately.
Congratulations on your blurb from Grisham.
NPR also dove in prematurely on the wrong side of the Guilford College incident from last January. They don't appear to have corrected their original story. Two things are interesting here: first, the Palestinian students may have been deliberately attempting to create a story using the Duke lacrosse paradigm, and second, with the Duke case going down in flames, the people who got it wrong still hadn't learned anything.
Gary
There are different kinds of journalism. Are you familiar with James Agee and Walker Evans's "Let Us Praise Now Famous Men"? It dealt with the Depression South, and it depicted the struggles of a very proud people. You could argue that it was "one-sided," but that was the point. You have descriptive vs evaluative journalism, which is fine.
The problem with achieving journalistic oversight in PC America is that it is almost impossible to report honestly on any story concerning race, because unpleasant truths (e.g., honestly reporting interracial crime statistics; have you seen the NY Times or NPR treat this issue?) end up being either confronted (rare) or ignored. In most cases these unpleasant truths are ignored, which is why the mainstream media coverage of the hoax was abysmal. Durham blacks; Mangum's criminal history; horrible scholarship of AAAS; etc.
Just to give you an example: If you were to describe Houston Baker to the editors of the NY Times in any way other than respectfully, they would not listen to you. That's how bad it's gotten in the US.
Here is where journalistic oversight can be had, and believe me when I tell you that NPR and NY Times have been damaged by their fraudulent coverage.
Hat tip: Professor Johnson.
Don Lewis @ 12:53 A.M. said:
Those are brutally honest statements that black people rarely make in public.
I suppose then that Ed Bradley, Professor James Coleman, La Shawn Barber, Jason Whitlock, and countless others who questioned this hoax from the very beginning aren't black.
Thanks for that revelation.
KC,
Your comments today are fairly brief for so long a period as you are addressing. They are also limited to two people's reporting. You would do your readers a favor if you would practice what you preach: more balanced reporting.
How about some mention of other NPR reporting, even if it doesn't fit so neatly into your argument?
JLS says....,
It seems the sports "journalists" have learned nothing from the Duke lacrosse rush to judgement, when the Michael Vick indictment came down.
Now I am hardly a fan of dog fighting and I most certainly am not a Falcon or Vick fan, but federal prosecutors are not immune from getting drunk on the power of the office either as I believe our Bill Anderson can document. Time will tell on Vick, but the press as with NPR has no ability to wait for the facts to come in.
I think Scott Simon probably called the Duke Three "boors and oafs" rather than "boars." Houston 'Farm Animals' Baker might have called them boars though.
And some at the LAX party, not matter how many college students do the same, probably do behave boorishly (also boarishly? dunno) and oafishly. Such terms, which can be equally applied to behavior at cocktail parties, do not indicate much journalistic bias...
correction to 3:10 (it's late or early)
correct "not" to "no"
and
"do" to "did"
At least give the NCCU students credit for being honest and for wanting to support one of their own (although now we know better). As one told NPR, "[W]e want to support her regardless of if she’s telling the truth or not." While this is going too far, I just wish that Duke would have supported the lacrosse players in some way rather than leaving them hung out to dry.
Another good example for Duke: the NCCU president has since left for another institution.
Your tax dollars at work!
Please write your Congressthieves and ask that NPR stop recieving public funds.
To Anon @ @:49, what "other" NPR reporting are you talking about? The talking heads of NPR always follow the leftist PC paradigm, and will always report incorrectly.
I meant that for the second 2:49
Freedom of the Press does not include the freedom to lie and the freedom to distort the truth.
It's high time that public taxpayer money is yanked from NPR.
It's been embarrassing for a very, very long time!
KC - Thanks so much for exposing the bias of NPR so clearly. I noticed on the NPR page you linked to there is a phone number to call their interim ombudsman:
******Questions & Comments: Listeners can call the Office of the NPR Ombudsman at 202-513-3245. Send us your thoughts »******
I think maybe I will give them a call today and politely offer my thoughts along with a link to your last two posts. I would encourage others to do the same. If enough people call it will send a message.
dear 5:51,
there was a madeleine brand interview on december 26, for example.
if you accept that npr reports may have a different view than you do, but are still careful to use the words alleged, allegedly, and reportedly and the like, you may conclude that npr reporting was not quite so black and white as kc has presented it.
2:07 AM
Part of the problem is exactly what this posting discusses. One reason that the Duke lacrosse hoax produced so much diatribe has to do with the fact that it is allowed whereas any discussion concerning blacks is so proscripted as to mean very little except as to where it touches any reality it is discussed and understood as grand or great. Put another way or put into shorthand the media and feminist and left view the world through a prism of "white man bad" everything else "good." Things that are bad in other communities seem to just go away. The murders at or near the NCCU have not been resolved in all this time even as the greater part of the blck community has conducted itself very well. The second dancer essentially told the truth as did the cab driver and the owner of the club. Common people both white and black in this community waited patiently for the system to work itself out. It was the leadership in the intellectual community at Duke and the want to be groups like NPR and others who were horrible as was the main stream media at large. It reminds that there are too many adult things that need to be addressed in this country for this sort of journalism to continue. Remember, when riots happen as a rational rsponse to a great stress they are fundamentally irrational acts and they are not as a general rule to be confined to any one group of people. You would think that rational people in positions of intellectual importance and trust would not be leaders of a lycnh mob.
6:41 AM
Alledgedly, my ass . . . .
6:55,
you do mean allegedly; that is the word that is used when charges are pending.
We've seen the value of media ombudsmen, so there's no loss in leaving the position vacant. That whole concept is a sham.
NPR's track record in this case is like every other mainstream media outlet in both the print and broadcast sectors. Not one of them got it right. The only ones who did were a few bloggers that those who have been following the case know by heart. There might be a dozen of them.
I would have no problem with a biased media, if they would acknowledge themselves as such. Until the 20th century, newspapers (the only media in existence prior to the 1920s) in the US made no bones about their angle. Many papers in Europe, even today, do the same. Read the Guardian in the UK? You know you're getting a liberal slant.
What pisses me off about the American media (excluding the bloggers) is their absolute refusal to admit who they are. NPR is no better or worse than any of the others. But they should stick to playing classical music 24/7. That's something even they can't screw up.
Is Hochberg a Communist?
GP 1:40 am,
I respectfully disagree about Will Rogers:
he wasn't merely and entertainer/commentator
(though he certainly was entertaining.
More than anything, he was an astute observer,
and that's what made his commentary so entertaining.
You're right, though: he would've seen through this
in an Oklahoma moment (whatever that is.)
NPR could use people like him,
but they don't seem to be all that available:
These days, they're more likely to be blogging -
(someone made the point with a
reference to Michael Blowhard.)
Question: would KC work for NPR?
To 6:41
So, you're able to cite just one NPR report to show their fairness? And who is Madeleine Brand? Your post suggests it is a known entity.
What about PBS? They are also funded by tax dollars. They pulled the documentary below because they thought it was too conservative.
AJ
"The film PBS pulled from a documentary series lineup, "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center," highlights the work of moderate Muslims who oppose the Islamist agenda and are willing to speak out.
Some of the key Muslim figures featured in the documentary, which cost taxpayers more than $600,000, believe PBS is practicing censorship and doing a disservice to the American public.
It was initially slated to be screened as part of an 11-part PBS series called "America at a Crossroads," examining post-9/11 challenges facing the nation. The series was broadcast for the first time in April."
"It seems the sports "journalists" have learned nothing from the Duke lacrosse rush to judgement, when the Michael Vick indictment came down."
On the contrary, they've learned two very important things.
(1) This kind of crap sells a lot of papers.
(2) There are no negative consequences, either personal or insititutional.
NPR used to call their news program "all things considered". Maybe they still do, but I have not listened recently. I think this is a noble title, and someting to aspire to, but what they really seemed to subscribe to was "all views considered even if they are absurd".
NPR:
Part I
"All is peaceful in the serene surroundings
of Durham North Carolina - (sounds
of waterfalls, birds chriping) -
but somehow, this paradise has
a troubled side:
a small parasite, known as M. Nifongii,
is in trouble (sounds of sporadic gunfire in the background.)
It would seem that M. Nifongii is threatened
in his habitat by roving gangs of
troubled women,
known in these parts as the
UBUNTU (sounds of chanting, warbling.)
One might fear that the UBUNTU is
the reason that the parasite
is soon to be extinct.
"But that would be far from the
truth; M. Nifongii actually thrives in
the presence of the UBUNTU.
It seems that a foreign element has
been introduced to the region,
something toxic to M. Nifongii and
other intrinsic parasites, such as DPD Absurdus:
K.C. Johnsonni,
a ubiquitous, hunter-seeker
with a taste for the blood of
M. Nifongii and DPD parasites.
"Not only is Johnsonni a threat to the survival of
Niofongii, but there is an airborne pseudopathogen,
also known as Intellectualis Blunderbuss 88,
otherwise known as 'Shitsturmus 88,'"
that is threatened by the mere presence of Johnsonni."
Part II
"The Magic Epididimi of Caucasoid
Athletes: an interview with G. Farred."
Well, with Juan, it's a black thing, you couldn't possibly understand that racism is about white people.
As for Adam, "bitter" is one of those prick up your ears words in MSM and large bureaucracies-- if you point out that you have been screwed to the wall and are innocent of all charges and that some involved in your persecution had pre-existing agendas and were unfair. . . well, the answer to that is, you are "bitter."
sic semper tyrannis
Very entertaining MAC, waiting for part 2.
Another great effort professor Johnson. It amazes me that those who critique your using one sound bite have not likely spent any time reviewing the compendium of your work. They would certainly not make such statements if they read your material.
"The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep...And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness." - Genesis 1-3
KC thanks for shining the light were it needs to be shone - the DA, the DA's office, Duke administraton, DUMC, DPD, the AAAs and Woman's Studies/Gang of 88 frauds, the pot bangers, the activists, and the media. All unapologetically abetting the hoax.
One questions, after the passage of all this time, whether an apology would have any real meaning.
"...and God saw the light was good."
7:17 Scott...you miss an important point. Paying to read the NYT, or tuning-in to CNN is voluntary. NPR extorts funding from us and is involuntary. We should not being forced to pay for this tripe yet we are.
One arguement for support is that the NEA and funding for NPR are very, very small parts of the federal budget. That same arguement is used for every earmark and that is how we end up with a government that is so large and unmanageable.
NPR Interview with Dr. G. Farred,
Professor of Xian studies:
Interviewer, Don Juan Williams
DJW: "Dr. Farred: May I call you 'doctor?'"
Dr. F.: "Always refer to me by my
statutory title."
DJW: "Uh, yes. Would you explain to the listeners about your hypothesis,
with regard to the 'Magical Epididimi of Caucasoid Athletes?'"
Dr. F.: Well, you see, it's a matter of the X: the X chromosome,
that is, the pair-bonded chromosome
that is double in women, and combined with a Y in men. Only men
have a Y chromosome.
And Caucasoidal male chromosomes of the X variety have a special
characteristic that causes them
to spontaneously erupt under certain circumstances."
DJW: "Can you explain to us those 'special circumstances?'"
Dr. F.: Certainly. When in the presence of a person
possessing the double X chromosome,
a Caucasoidal XY will begin to
make loud sounds and to begin imbibing
concentrations of yeast-induced,
liquid grain products,
with or without hops.
The Caucasoidal XYs will begin demanding that the double Xs
remove the outergarments, particularly if the XXs are
possessed of that special uniqueness,
which is demonstrated by a higher
level of melanin. The epididimi
in question will produce prodigious amounts of DNA,
more than any land mammal short
of a zebra."
DJW: "So you're saying, in essence,
that white boys can't control themselves around black women."
Dr. Farred: "Exactly. It's all a matter of the 'X,' simple as XYZ."
7:18,
that one came to mind. i don't have time to do your leg work for you. Go to the npr website and pull up lacrosse reports and discussions. do not depend on kc's reports on the reporting of two npr employees only. listen for yourself. there are audiocasts.
NPR Part III: Protection of the parasite M. Nifongii and its relationship to MSM.
To 2:07am
You say the "common people" of Durham waited patiently for things to work out?
Rather, the common people of Durham have supported a corrupt municipality for decades. Few cities can boast of a prostitution ring run by their police department, a missing police chief, prosecutorial injustice, and courtroom death threats.
We know one thing for sure: NPR was NOT interested in the truth. In that sense, there really was no difference between Juan Williams and Adam Hochberg and the G88. They had their story, thank you, and they were sticking with it.
After watching the horrible performances of the MSM and NPR in this case, we should be glad -- maybe "stunned" is the better word -- that "60 Minutes" actually did a story that was based on the facts of the case, and not the typical leftist "narrative" we see on the news.
np, nj,
the war in iraq extorts money from me. governments do that. how about i give you my share of the war in iraq and you give me your share of npr donations?
i would argue that cnn or fox is also the result of money being extorted. just less directly.
9:13/Bill Anderson,
Do you really think there is one "truth" and only people who you agree with are interested in it?
Bill Anderson,
A lot of us consider that a typical right-wing narrative. Depends on your perspective.
9:11 "Leg work?" I don't have time nor do I have the inclination to subject myself to the bullshit that spews constantly from NPR. If you like wallowing in the bovine effluvia, fine. What I really object to is that some of my tax dollars are being spent to entertain the likes of you. Thomas Jefferson made it very clear when he said it was immoral for a government to force its people to pay for things to which they have objections.
Lopez is now officially going to take the job as chief of police in Durham, starting in September. Lots of luck with that mess, Jose.
To Anon 6:41 who said:
there was a madeleine brand interview on december 26, for example.
if you accept that npr reports may have a different view than you do, but are still careful to use the words alleged, allegedly, and reportedly and the like, you may conclude that npr reporting was not quite so black and white as kc has presented it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Dec 26 interview you reference is the one with Stuart Taylor which KC mentioned explicitly in his post. I'm forced to conclude that you are either trying to muddy the waters or not intelligent enough to comprehend the whole post.
Could the anon's please adopt a handle. It allows me to skip certain commenters like 6:41 who have nothing to say.
So, these NCCU students were prepared to support the accuser regardless of whether she was actually a victim or she lied through her teeth for malicious reasons simply because of the color of her skin.
We have a word for that I think.
Wayne Fontes sez it all!
For all:
Throughout the coverage of this case, there has been reference to "race, class and gender." I have a good understanding of the notions of race and gender as used in media reports.
But what does the word "class" mean and does the word "class" have a nuanced meaning that is a function of membership in one or both of the other categories? Further, does the general definition have an economic or "social graces" context?
I'm very curious.
9:14 Common defense is clearly articulate in the constitution. Leftist, 5th column pap from NPR is not.
Regarding the statement:
"On December 23, the day after Nifong dropped the rape charges, Scott Simon allowed that the accused players might well be innocent. But, he quickly added, they certainly were “boars and oafs.” He offered no grounds to substantiate his attack on Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann."
Who is Scott Simon? That is not clear from reading the post. Is he another doofus at NPR?
Science has long observed a vicious bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus -- a human flesh eating bacterium. It was only discovered recently that a new strain of the bacterium is extant in the world and, unlike the Vibrio vulnificus (which lives in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico), it dwells on land, generally in the United States and, especially areas of the South.
The name given to the new species is Vibrio nifongicus.
"Thomas Jefferson made it very clear when he said it was immoral for a government to force its people to pay for things to which they have objections."
Let's be precise. He wasn't talking about "things" (which includes many necessary functions about which there will never be total agreement - not just wars but mundane stuff like deciding where to put a new post office) but about propaganda for a partiuclar point of view, which is not a necessary function. He was talking about government-supported religion at the time, but it applies just as well to PBS and the NEA.
ralph..
...and the original 1st draft of the Declaration of Independence included the phrase "...life, liberty and the pursuit of property..." which was changed after an editor (I think it was either Madison or Franklin) suggested the now final version "...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."
Perhaps the change was motivated by the "pot banging" notion that ...well...you know...the "white man...black women" thing ...as articulated so many times before and which remains an undercurrent (or riptide) of the entire Hoax.
There is little doubt that most of the MSM did a poor job in covering the Duke Lacrosse case. This leads to the obvious question of why?
The reporters are biased: It would seem natural that the reporter’s politics would naturally reflect the area on which they are based. Durham seems to have a bias so the reporters who would be hired from that pool would share the bias.
The profit motive: There was a time when media tried to tell people the news more honestly then now. However if biased news “sells” more then straight news then biased news becomes more profitable.
Reporters are not as trained as they use to be: Investigative reporting has been in a downfall for sometime. It is expensive to do and it takes looking at documents and analyzing inconsistencies. A case could be made that fewer people in the profession are trained with theses basic skills. Instead we get personalities like Nancy Grace. A line from Steven Colbert says we feel the news instead of reporting it. While Colbert is satire this line like most good satire has some truth in it.
NPR: All Things Decided
With Nina Totenberg
Subject: Protection of the Parasite Nifongii and it's realtionship to MSM
Interviewing Mr. Brian Meehan, Director of the Center for Anthropological and Epidemiological Studies;
adjuct professor of The Department ofDNA and other Icky Stuff No One Wants To Know About at NCCU,
and author of "Biosolids Studies in the University Setting."
N: "Good morning Dr. Meehan. Shall I call you "doctor."
BM: "Of course!"
N: "OK...Dr. Meehan, let's begin with DNA evidence
and the students who participated
in the orgy at the Pedophile House -
I mean, Lacrosse Cave.
What did you find there, at the compound?"
BM: "Oh, I found lots and lots of stuff. Do you want the scientific
stuff first or the laymans' terms."
N: "Start with the laymans."
BM: "Well, The X axis on Chromosomal..."
N: "I said start with the laymans', if you don't mind."
BM: "That was the laymans'."
N: "OK...then start with the technical."
BM: "Well, I discovered that the students had lots of DNA.
Lots and lots. They had enough DNA in them to convict anyone
of anything; there was enough collective DNA in them to
convict a whole prison!"
N: "So...you're saying they're
guilty?"
BM: "Well, certainly they're guilty of possessing DNA. Other than that,
I can only conclude that 'something happened.'"
N: "Let's move on. What about the parasite, the endangered species?
M. Nifongii?"
BM: "The species is indigenous to the Durham area. Could be the
lead in the water, or could be that so many people
have polluted the gene pool."
N: "Gene pool?"
BM: "Yeah: there seems to be an epidemic of biosolids infiltration in the gray matter of the resident population."
N: "And this is harmful to M. Nifongii?"
BM: "No, this is helpful. What makes this organism so endangered
is the fact that other organisms,
such as K.C. Johnsonni, have found
a niche in the environment,
feeding off the parasite. The
rather loud activities of population at-large,
and the loud noises emanating from the Professoriate at the
University in particular, alerted
this organism to the presence of the parasite."
N: "So how do we protect the parasite?"
BM: "Oh, I don't think you can.
There was a collaborative effort,
even a national effort, to keep
Johnsonni out of the region, but
he just got more invasive."
N: "You mean a national crusade to keep Nifongii
intact wasn't enough?"
BM: "Exactly. Even some of your
comrades on NPR joined forces,
raising funds and whatnot, and
they were defeated. Seems that
Johnsonni operates pretty well
under daylight conditions, and
Nifongii requires complete darkness."
Next:
"The Mating Call of Nubian Dancers in a Primitive Environment."
9:33,
Not to worry about your tax dollars, darling, you entertain "the likes of" me free on this blog. I think you're a hoot. And, I don't even have to go to the zoo! Yippee!!!
But, it appears that you're happy to let someone else tell you how to think about NPR's reproting rather than find out for yourself. Are you too busy spewing b.s. to listen...??
OT
Now that Lopez has been named Chief, will Hodge resign? Maybe start a new thread on this... should be interesting, how HS handles it.
10:05,
I was never aware that attacking Iraq constituted common defense. Try it on someone else. Shall we discuss the reporting on that? Where da WMDs, np, nj????
Inman:
I interpret "class" generally as socio-economic class, but there may be other nuances, as well.
Ed
Inman 10:39 -
"...and the original 1st draft of the Declaration of Independence included the phrase "...life, liberty and the pursuit of property..." which was changed after an editor (I think it was either Madison or Franklin) suggested the now final version "...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."
Perhaps the change was motivated by the "pot banging" notion that ...well...you know...the "white man...black women" thing ...as articulated so many times before and which remains an undercurrent (or riptide) of the entire Hoax."
Well, Jefferson is alleged to have had a penchant for pursuing happiness by pursuing that particular type of property ... (A minor but intriguing historical puzzle - in Paris, Sally Heming was a free woman. Why did she get on that ship back to America with Jefferson, knowing she was returning to slavery? Sounds like a good basis a historical romance.)
As I recall it wasn't originally "pursuit of property," just "property." The British government violating property rights was one of the big gripes, which is why our Constitution has a specific prohibition of quartering soldiers in private homes.
One thing that struck me about this affair is the different aspects of history that are considered important in different areas. The NCers seem very parochial in that they think the history of slavery is as important to the entire country as it is to them. When I was growing up in the NY Metro area (as did two of the defendants, though much later than me) we spent a lot more school time on Ellis Island and the immigrant experience - quite understandable, given how many of my classmates' ancestors came through Ellis Island. When 88ers and such started bloviating about the whole fraught history of white masters and black slaves, these grandsons of potato farmers must have been shaking their heads wondering what the heck they were talking about.
I think the reconstruction-era hatred of yankees and carpetbaggers was a much more important historical echo. I did find it interesting to learn that black North Carolinians hate yankees as much as white ones.
*************
The NCers seem very parochial in that they think the history of slavery is as important to the entire country as it is to them. When I was growing up in the NY Metro area (as did two of the defendants, though much later than me) we spent a lot more school time on Ellis Island and the immigrant experience - quite understandable, given how many of my classmates' ancestors came through Ellis Island.
*****************8
Sometimes getting middle and high school students interested in history requires studying parts of history that have relevance to the students, like you described in NY. In NC, slavery and its legacies are more relevant to NC students. I'm mid 50's and my dad was born and raised in central NC on a subsistence farm his stepfather owned and worked himself. I remember well as a child riding by sharecroppers' houses and having the concept of sharecropping explained to me. That legacy is not too far removed from current generations.
Open minded people still have paradigms but are able to be persuaded with facts that show a situation doesn't fit one's preconception.
...Dr. Farred: "Exactly. It's all a matter of the 'X,' simple as XYZ."
All that just to tell Juan his fly was open???
DM..
Ralph: Good points, but let me comment on your final statement that black Tarheels hate Yankees as much as white ones. I don't think the term "hate" is accurate as far as this white Tarheel is concerned. We recognize there is a difference in perspective between the South and the North, but perhaps "aversion" is a closer description. One more thing: we in the Outer Banks welcome Yankees and their money every summer, but it gets tiresome by the middle of August when we have been asked for the hundredth time "how far is it between mileposts?" and "What's that ocean there?" by you sophisticated Yankees.;)
To my thinking, and I believe in the context of the LAX case, "class" refers to socio-economic characteristics: money, education, standard of living, status in work and community, access to a certain lifestyle. In reality, those characteristics also apply to people with NO CLASS: Paris Hilton and Rosie O'Donnell come to mind. But I think in the "narrative: here, most people would believeit to be framed in the context of socio-economic terms only. PS -- the 3 young men ALSO exhibited "class" of extraordinary measure using the definition of strength of character, standards of personal and civil behavior.
Duke U is trying to get their name in the media with something other than the phony rape debacle.
So they're latching to the iPhone's popularity in a desparate ploy.
Duke: iPhone May Be Disrupting Network
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070719/D8QFKTP80.html
duke09parent @ 11:18
Well spoken about open-minded people. I'm also mid 50's and my grandfather was born on a farm in Surry County VA, a farm that had been in the family for generations. The War to Protect States Rights (not to mention foraging by Federal troops to support the Siege at Petersburg) and reconstruction resulted in the economic decline of my family to the point that they "lost" the farm in the early 1900's. Frankly, they were among the lucky because many others "lost" their, shall I say, "way" much earlier. They were reduced to subsistence. But then, those things happen.
That legacy is also not too far removed from current generations.
And it seems to me that the different paradigms may point to a singular ethic. That despite disparate backgrounds, the good of this country is built on justice and the notion of innocent until proven guilty. And that applies to all.
Also, perhaps we should re-evaluate the notion of "innocent until proven guilty"...wouldn't it be better to think of someone as "innocent until, and only if, proven guilty." The first phrasing seems more deterministic.
To 11:27:
Excellent observations regaring class. I particularly agree with your "PS" as a standard for determining class.
Earlier in this thread, Anon NPR Supporter (ANS) made three important comments.
At 2:49am:
“KC, Your comments today are fairly brief for so long a period as you are addressing. They are also limited to two people's reporting. You would do your readers a favor if you would practice what you preach: more balanced reporting.
"How about some mention of other NPR reporting, even if it doesn't fit so neatly into your argument?”
At 6:41am:
“dear 5:51, there was a madeleine brand interview on december 26, for example.
"if you accept that npr reports may have a different view than you do, but are still careful to use the words alleged, allegedly, and reportedly and the like, you may conclude that npr reporting was not quite so black and white as kc has presented it.”
At 9:11am:
“7:18, that one [madeleine brand interview of 12/26/06] came to mind. i don't have time to do your leg work for you. Go to the npr website and pull up lacrosse reports and discussions. do not depend on kc's reports on the reporting of two npr employees only. listen for yourself. there are audiocasts.”
ANS –-
Why didn’t you provide links in your comments? If you don’t know how, use Google to find a web tutorial on using the “href” command in HTML. Or go to www.tinyurl.com and use their service.
Here are the 79 stories that “Duke lacrosse rape” finds with the NPR.org search engine.
Madeline Brand’s 12/26/06 interview of KC Johnson co-author Stuart Taylor is here. In the aftermath of the revelation of the DNA conspiracy (etc.), it is a balanced explanation of the state of the case. As ANS implied at 6:41am.
By the way, were the stories that K.C. discussed the only examples of biased reporting and commentery? Ed Gordon covered breaking news of the case in the 3/30/06 News & Notes Roundtable (starting at 0’35”). At 3’00”, here is commenter Walter Fields desribing the case. “The environment in many of these athletic teams… ([including] uncontrolled drinking) lends itself to these kinds of behavior where women are attacked and assaulted… [It] lends itself to the irresponsible climate these universities allow… which leads to this kind of criminal activity [the group rape].” Not many insertions of the word “alleged” that I noticed.
ANS, now that you know how to link (see above), please point out the stories in which NPR accounts for its performance. Take your time… I didn’t see that entry in the search results.
In summary, ANS is slyly asserting that a "fair" story balances out an "unfair" one--No Harm, No Foul. This is similar to what New York Times Editor Bill Keller said to the author of the AJR piece: 'Well gee whiz, eventually we got part of the story right--good enough for us!' Both ANS and Keller seem to believe that decent stories that ran once the Hoax was alrady collapsing should redeem a news organization for participating in the Mainstream Media Stampede of the Spring and Summer.
”There is no need for a public accounting of our alleged misconduct.” Does that excuse have a familiar ring, yet?
If ANS’ apologias were meant as more than Talking Points, I think he or she would have provided details and links, helping readers judge the strength of the evidence for themselves.
This is another case where unsourced assertions turn out to be yet weaker than they first appear. Something that ANS’ comments have in common with most of the writings contributed by Defenders of the Enablers of the Hoax.
"9:11 "Leg work?" I don't have time nor do I have the inclination to subject myself to the bullshit that spews constantly from NPR."
If you don't have the time or the inclination to check the accuracy of what you're saying, why are you saying it? It seems you're kindred spirits with the potbangers; when faced with the possibility that there might be evidence contradicting your loud public declarations, you don't do the intellectually honest thing and investigate, you simply raise your voice from a shout to a scream.
Inman,
Thank you. I suspect you have a great deal of (PS) class, too.
JLS says....,
re: Ralph Phelan
Touche' on the issue of what the media learned.
NPR
Nubian Dancers in Their Native Environment
An interview with the Dr. Reverend M. Hankins Duke,
Pastor of Ebeneezer Providence Baptist Prophetic Assembly Temple International.
Interviewer: M. Coates Dilly
Setting:
A quiet estabishment, tables being set up,
a collapsable dance pole being re-erected, lights and sound system
tests in the background.
D: "Dr. Duke - should I call you Dr.?"
Dr. Rev: "Of course call me Dr.!"
D: "OK...tell me something about your relationship
with these dancers - exotic dancers?
Dr. Rev.: "We prefer to call them 'aesthetically pleasing athlete/entertainers.'"
D: "Isn't it a little inconsistent that you - well -
don't criticize these dancers?"
Dr. Rev.: "Yeah? You Catholic?
I don't see you sayin' nothin' about you nancy-boys in
they pretty robes, BF'n the
choir boys!"
D: "Sorry, Dr. Duke; no offense intended. What I mean is..."
Dr. Rev.: "I KNOW what you mean. You gonna criticize our Nubian Princesses, that's what you MEAN!"
D: "Let's try again: tell us about 'Samples.' How does she
fit into your congregation?"
Dr. Rev.: "She fits just fine, thank you."
D: "Is she going to perform tonight?"
Dr. Rev: "No, I hear she hasn't been feeling well lately."
D: "I know you've heard of the criticism..."
Dr. Rev.: "She hasn't been feeling well. Stop trying to make me criticize a Sister."
We took a short break as the music was being
pumped up, along with the lights.
There was a distinct odor of chorine emanating from the bathroom, and the energy of the place was almost pulsating.
D: "Do you wear gold chains?"
Dr. Rev: "Is you ignorant? I wear rangs; rangs and robes. Dealers
wear chains; I wear rangs. See?"
(he shows me his many rings)
D: "Are you a full-time Pastor?"
Dr. Rev.: "No, it part-time.
I do other stuff. Dogs, numbers...Mike Vick kind of stuff."
D: "Other stuff?"
Dr. Rev: "You think I drive a white stretch on money from little old ladies?"
D: "I see your point."
Dr. Rev: "Now shut up; shows about to begin."
We watch intently as the native Durhamites perform,
the Reverend's eyes pasted to their
every move.
As the evening passed, I couldn't help but think of myself in
the words of the immortal T.S. Lewis:
"I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of
silent seas."
I found myself strangely attracted to and simultaneously
repulsed by the "peaches" on display, and I sympathized with
the poet in the most profound ways.
End of NPR segment IV
Next:
An interview with Tara Levicy
JLS 12:52
The 'angry studies" folks have learned the same lesson only more so.
Duke's AAAS got promoted to full department status after it was clear it was all a hoax. This implies that no matter how obviously bogus their cause it, if they can work themselves up into a big enough tantrum the university administration will give some goodies to shut them up.
In the near future I expect to see some campus brouhahas over completely fictional incidents. Want better parking spaces for the AAAS faculty? No need to fake a hate crime so you can declare a campus-wide racism crisis - just declare that one happened, ignore anyone who says otherwise, and get out there with the signs and kitchen implements.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3874941
Yes, Simon is an NPR reporter, and IMHO we are obligated to do our own research, Dr. Johnson is not paid for this and has no staff.
AJ
Jul 19, 2007 10:56:00 AM
Polanski is that you?
I kind of like disease vectors. Its a physics thing.
NPR bashers
I don't like biased reporting either; pray tell, where does one seek out perfecly objective news?
Polanski
Simon
I was on set today. I usually sign posts (unless I forget or I have an "urge").
Polanski
re "class"
Word no longer has meaning.
Gentleman, honesty, integrity--these are concepts with meaning.
And by using the word "class" you're buying in to the diversity pimps' nomenclature.
Polanski
6:38 Polankskis, One doesn't have any say in what one has extorted from them to pay for NPR. That's a substantive difference versus the biased reporting from the NYT and others that one can refrain from buying. What's not to agree about that?
10:58 WMD may be a better question for the Kurds.
One can argue wheterh taking the fight to the enemy is better or worse than waiting for them to bring it to us. History will sort that out.
What is clear is that no where in the constitution does it say we should be supporting the NEA/NPR/PBS. The problem becomes acute when you analyze the tax payer supported reporting in the context of the Duke hoax.
11:40 Inman, you are refering to the War of Northern Agression are you not?
Did this interview occur during Car Talk? Prairie Home Companion? No?
Ok, then there's no chance that I heard it because the rest of NPR is absolute GARBAGE!
no justice, no peace @ 7:13
The War to Protect States Rights -- in deferrence to the true underlying Consitutional cause
The War to Suppress Northern Arrogance -- in deference to the attitude of all-too-many -- even today
The War of Northern Aggression -- it still is being waged
The War Between the States -- a polite moniker
The Civil War -- this has always befuddled me ... how can any war be civil?
& finally, the name officially given in the records of the Federal government
The "War of the Rebellion" --- complete with God-knows-how-many volumes cataloging every scene, battle, skirmish, quiet moment and the orders and communications between friends and foe alike.
In that record, I particularly like the communications between combatants, such as:
"General My-enemy-on-any-other-occassion:
Sir, may I have the Honor of addressing the current field and suggest that a cessation of hostilties is in order, so that the dead and wonded can receive appropriate care. With humility and all due respect, I will remain in your debt for a showing of such mercy. Signed General Somebody-really-important"
When finished, they'd fight again.
Can you imagine Al Qaeda behaing like this? Simple answer: NO.
"The War to Suppress Northern Arrogance -- in deference to the attitude of all-too-many -- even today"
And the events that brought us together on this board indicate to me that that arrogance is still justified.
Ralph...
Point well taken!
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