This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Truth, Lies and The Media
Kevin E. Dayhoff

Just two long weeks ago, Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, announced that he had chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate.

For conservative Republicans, the cheering has not yet subsided. On the other hand, the elite media and its Democrat friends immediately ran into the room with hatchets drawn.

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, John Fund noted that “Democrats have airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators, and opposition researchers into Anchorage, the state capital Juneau, and Mrs. Palin's hometown of Wasilla to dig into her record and background. My sources report the first wave arrived in Anchorage less than 24 hours after John McCain selected her on August 29.”

The Democrat National Committee denies this. In all candor, Mr. Fund has more credibility.

No matter how you slice and dice the 2008 presidential election, it is one for the record books. It will be an election that will be studied for many decades to come. On the one hand an African-American will be our next president; or – on the other hand – a woman will be our next vice president.

For many these facts alone are enough to celebrate. Finally, we have candidates running for office that look like the country they intend to lead if elected. In many ways, all of America is the winner.

However, if the country is the winner, the media will, no doubt, not be treated too kindly by history.

Read the entire column here: Truth, Lies and The Media


A Miserable Mistake
Tom McLaughlin
Other than he is a Republican, anti choice, pro war, a trickle down economist, drill here, there and everywhere fanatic, and a DNA clone of the mind (or lack thereof) of George Bush, there are few other things about Arizona Senator John McCain that bother me.


Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Facing Reality
Roy Meachum
The latest White House military pin-up vigorously protested the administration's hard-core policy toward the Middle East. Instead of calling for more and more young men and women to become cannon fodder, Gen. David Petraeus said: "You don't kill or capture your way out of an industrial strength insurgency."


The Dream Realized
Nick Diaz
A young man, (let’s say “George”), a former middle school student of mine, was doing fine in high school until the spring of his senior year at a Frederick County public high school, many years ago. He was near the top of his senior class, and his list of activities – curricular, extra-curricular, and service-oriented – was impressive. It appeared to all at the time that he would go to a great college and do important work.


Monday, September 15, 2008
A Media Vetting
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
Sally Quinn, a noted national political journalist, finally said aloud what many have long known about professional political journalists.

Ms. Quinn, in a nationally televised interview, expressed the idea that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain's choice for running mate, was not qualified to be on the national stage. Ms. Quinn was pressed on her comment, and – in a moment of stunning clarity – issued the following observation. "Governor Palin needs to expose herself to professional political journalists. She needs to be fully vetted by the news media and asked tough questions before the American people will accept her as being qualified to be vice president."

The last person in the world who would guide my opinion on the qualification of a national political figure would be a representative of the national news media. There can be no doubt that we need to see our national leaders or aspirants face difficult, probing questions from journalists. But we'd prefer, for the sake of our own determination, that the journalists be free from bias and preference.

Read Delegate Weldon’s entire column here: A Media Vetting


A Bias About Media Bias
Steven R. Berryman
Last Saturday my attention was taken from Tentacle scribing and also from my other compulsion, posting comments to www.FrederickNewsPost.com, by their Ask the Editor feature, “The dark secrets of our political bias,” by Comfort Dorn.


Friday, September 12, 2008
Seven Years Ago
Roy Meachum
The phone rang; it was my Texas "child." Knowing my penchant for working mornings, he guessed correctly that I had not seen television that day. He had been watching a national trauma that changed the world. It was seven years ago yesterday.


A Little Convention History
Kevin E. Dayhoff
It would be an understatement to suggest that the events of last week were quite different from the first Republican National Convention June 17 to 19, 1856.

That convention was attended by 600 delegates and 100 news reporters, who had ample room to move in the 1200 seat Musical Fund Hall, near 8th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia. This year’s convention was attended by 45,000 including some 15,000 members of the media from all over the world.

The last Republican National Convention to be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul was in 1892. Qwest Communications, which handled all the technology demands of last week’s convention, noted that in 1892, the convention attendees “relied solely on the use of the telegraph and did not employ a single telephone…”


Thursday, September 11, 2008
A Pit Bull With Lipstick
Chris Cavey
Sen. John McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate was the dominating conversation in St. Paul at the Republican National Convention. The resulting affect of this selection vice presidential pick was a totally revived Republican Party, like giving a huge shot of adrenalin to a formerly lethargic patient.


What’s The Difference?
Joan McIntyre
A community activist, a freshman senator, with a huge resume of “present, yep I’m here” votes. What do you do, wake up one morning and say I’m a little bored today so – BAM – I think I’ll go run for president?


Eloquent Prose – Excellent Friends
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last week I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to tag along to the Republican National Convention with the Maryland delegation.


Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Four “E’s” of the GOP Convention
Kevin E. Dayhoff
I made a concerted effort to arrive early on each of the four days of last week’s Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.


Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ivins' Mystery Still There
Roy Meachum
Sunday readers of The Frederick News-Post and The New York Times should not have been surprised. The investigation of the Fort Detrick anthrax incident is still very much alive, despite declaration of its death by the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Following politics rather than proof, Jeffrey Taylor officially closed the case.


Summer’s Dog Days: Elephant Time – Part 2
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
So, after a cautious decision to postpone the GOP festivities in St. Paul, Gustav's lack of massive destruction allowed a resumption of good old fashioned partisan-bashing.


Scaling The Abyss
Farrell Keough
Many have heard or read about the new math system being instituted by the Frederick County Board of Education. This program, TERC (now called Pearson Math Investigations) has a poor foundation and virtually no books or parent involvement. In short, the child taught under this program will fall well behind within a few short years.


Monday, September 8, 2008
Summer’s Dog Days: Elephant Time – Part 1
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
Two weeks ago, Barack Obama wowed 'em in Denver. Last week, John McCain tip-toed across the balance beam of public opinion, beginning the week with a compassionate whisper and ending it with a partisan roar.


Dressing the Moose
Steven R. Berryman
I’m loving the political jokes now: What’s the experience difference between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama? Answer: Not much when taken in aggregate, but Governor Palin is a better ice hockey player and can shoot straight…

20080917 This week in The Tentacle