The media finally noticed
0 comment Tuesday, July 8, 2014 |
It's interesting to me to notice that suddenly the ''mainstream'' media have deigned to start discussing the eligibility issue, almost three years after it was first brought up. Up until very recently only the so-called ''birther'' blogs and a few others have discussed it.
It's staggering to note that some people, especially the Republicans who claim to care about the Constitution and the Rule of Law, insist that the eligibility issue is irrelevant, a 'red herring', a ploy by the Democrats to discredit Republicans, or a 'conspiracy theory' which they deem off limits.
Here, the Washington Times notices the issue, if only to sneer and to ridicule it. And the Washington Times is the closest thing to a conservative daily paper in this country, which is itself a pretty sad commentary on our media.
Apparently many ethnopatriots don't believe this issue touches on our concerns, but it does, if only in the way it illustrates how race and color exempt one from meeting standards and following established rules and procedures. To insist on a single standard for all is to be accused of racism and bigotry. How dare we expect documentation and proof of anything?
As the left and the PC right insists that there is racism inherent in 'birtherism', I say that the left, including the media, have buried this story, and exhumed it only to ridicule it, because of race. There is an unwritten, unspoken rule that everyone must cover for a public figure who is of one of the protected victim groups. And it would appear that it is more than just the left's groupthink which enables a coverup of this proportion; it would seem that probably there are powerful interests who make sure that the media and the paid-for politicians hew to the party line, or else.
So many of us, at this point, have grown so cynical that this elicits only a shrug or a sigh of resignation, or a few bitter complaints, but we resign ourselves to this as a fact of life in our corrupt age.
The one individual who is most responsible for stirring up this flurry of coverage on the eligibility question is Donald Trump. I can't say that I have ever regarded him favorably, to the extent that I thought about him at all; to me, he was just the moneybags with the bad comb-over and the unfortunate marital history, but I have to say I applaud him for speaking up about this and stirring things up. I see that as only a good thing, or at least a welcome diversion from the dreary media monotone. I have watched with some bemusement as the FReepers squabble amongst themselves over Trump and the 'birther' question. Some are vociferous in their view that Trump is a 'Trojan horse', being employed by the Democrats to distract or discredit the Republicans. There is some acrimonious discussion going on over there.
Many of the Republicans are directing ad hominem attacks at Trump, attacking his character and honesty. It seems many of those who shrilly denounce the eligibility skeptics as 'conspiracy-mongers' are themselves believers in an another conspiracy theory, that Trump is acting on behalf of the DNC or the 'Powers-that-Be' to ensure that the Republicans lose the election. Or this one: he is another 'Ross Perot' sent to divide the party and re-elect the Mystery Man.
By the way, I actually voted for Ross Perot, though I was still officially a Democrat then -- a very disaffected one. I knew a number of similar Democrats who voted for Perot. So the idea that he was a spoiler who helped elect Clinton is not necessarily true; I think he stole quite a few Democrat votes. But most Republicans do not accept that; Perot is their excuse for not winning in '92. At the very best, I would say he drew votes off from both parties.
But apart from venal party politics, what about the issue of truth? Has the truth become irrelevant for most people today? Are we really willing to shrug off this obvious corruption and secrecy in the name of maximizing our electoral chances and re-electing our political party? Or do we care about the issue of justice and right also?
Are we willing to let the standard fall as far as requiring our presidents to be documented natural-born citizens of this country? Or are we willing to acquiesce to letting non-citizens or inadequately-vetted candidates assume the highest office in our country? Apparently a lot of us are.
I fully expect the left to sacrifice all standards in the name of winning an election and gaining or keeping power; that is who they are. But shouldn't there be at least one political party which upholds certain principles? There is a lot at stake here in the eligibility controversy, even as the media try to bury it and discredit all those who ask obvious questions.

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