Tag Archives: politics

A Study in Contrasts

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I'm fascinated by bias and slant in the media. Here are two opposing spins on the same story.

Vatican Has Not Denied Automatic Excommunication of John Kerry (LifeSiteNews)

"News which broke yesterday about a Vatican consultant's response to a question about canon law application to Catholic politicians who support abortion, has created a media uproar and contradictory statements about the Vatican's involvement in the response."

"Washington-based Rev. Basil Cole's response to California canon lawyer Mark Balestrieri indicated that Catholic politicians who advocate abortion are 'automatically excommunicated'. This pronouncement was understood by Balestrieri to indicate Vatican support for his lawsuit against Kerry. However, with the Presidential contest in question, Vatican authorities, with unusual haste for an institution that is typically very slow to respond to even the gravest matters, today fended off any suggestion of involvement in Balestrieri's lawsuit. Balestrieri has launched a church lawsuit against Kerry seeking to have him disciplined by Church authorities for his outspoken support for abortion"

Kerry "excommunication" scam exposed (CathNews)

"An official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has claimed that a Californian canon lawyer seeking a formal decree of heresy against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry of Massachusetts has misrepresented his contact with the Vatican office."

"The canon lawyer has claimed publicly that he received a communication from the Congregation implying that Kerry is excommunicated because any Catholic politician who says he is 'personally opposed to abortion, but supports a woman's right to choose,' incurs automatic excommunication. If credible, the claim could cause significant damage to Kerry's chances in an election that some pollsters say hinges on the Catholic vote."

"'The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has had no contact with Mr (Marc) Balestrieri,' said Congregation undersecretary Fr Augustine DiNoia."

Boring

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America was served twice-reheated leftovers tonight. What’s worse, is that the meal
wasn’t filling or satisfying in the first place. It looked good, but it tasted like
cardboard.

Tonight’s debate was more of the same style over substance we say in the previous
two debates. The answers were all over-rehearsed and lacked any real depth or sincerity.
Like in the first debate, Kerry came off looking and sounding better. Bush didn’t
fall on his face like he did in the first debate, but he didn’t come out swinging
like he did in the second debate, either.

Continue reading →

I’ll Take Substanceless Debates For $1,000, Alex

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Part of the Jeopardy! 2004 College Championship was filmed on Pitt’s campus recently. Host Trebek took some time between tapings to talk to the audience.

“I don’t think either one would do particularly well [on Jeopardy!]. We deal in answers and questions. Neither one of these [presidential candidates] seems to answer any of the questions they are asked.” – Alex Trebek

Cheap Imitations

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For the last hour or so, I’ve been watching the second of two debates between Vice
President Bush and Governor Dukakis on CSPAN. I was in sixth grade at the time of
original broadcast. I idolized the character of Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties”
and parroted his conservative statements and supported the candidates he liked,
much to the chagrin of my liberal Democrat parents. In my social studies class,
I debated, as if I were Bush, against a classmate playing Dukakis. I don’t recall
the substance of the debate, but I know that, in the eyes of my classmates, I cremated
“Dukakis”.

A lot has happened since them. I’ve grown up and changed. I eventually shed my conservative
skin and accepted what my parents said as political gospel. I was a bleeding heart
liberal through most of college. I gradually learned that idealism and naivete
are a bad combination. I slowly drifted toward the middle, where I am today. I’m
still and idealist, but some of my ideals have changed. My political acumen is still
dwarfed by my knack for science, but I believe I have lost much of my former naivete,
and I think I see things more clearly than I used to and many of my peers currently
do.

I watched that Bush-Dukakis with great interest. I was surprised to note the similarity
of the questions asked. I was further surprised by how similar the answers were
to those heard from Kerry and Bush. There was a very distinct difference, however.
Both candidates were more thoughtful, intelligent, and responded to more questions
without evasion, than today’s candidates. Bush, Jr. and Kerry rarely strayed from
their campaign slogans and ready-made rebuttals. Neither has debated with either
the prowess or the substance of Bush, Sr or Dukakis.

When I stepped away from the TV to write this entry, I had one very clear idea in
my head. Both of the candidates in 1988 were head and shoulders above the candidates
of 2004. 2004’s candidates are cheap imitations of 1988’s. Given the chance,
I would vote for either Bush, Sr. or Dukakis before wasting my vote on either of
the vapid, inept, self-serving, self-aggrandizing, grandstanding egomaniacs running
today.

Shut Out

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Libertarian candidate Michael Bedanrik and Green candidate David Cobb were arrested
at the site of the second debate. They were attempting to serve papers to the
Commission on Presidential Debates. The story makes for an interesting read. (Thanks,
Slashdot)

Supporters of the two-party system have argued that minor candidates shouldn’t be
allowed to participate in debates. The problem with that reasoning is that’s it’s
circular. As long as third party candidates get shut out of mainstream events, they
will remain minor. If people get a chance to see them in action, they might actually
change some people’s mind. *Gasp* The horror!