Always Jason

Tom Brokaw accepted an award from the National Press Club on Wednesday for being on TV for a long time to read news stories written by other reporters.

During his speech he said, “Radio stations have become instantly jingoistic and savagely critical of any questions raised about the decisions leading up to, for example, the war on Iraq…motivated not by ideological or intellectual passions, but instead by the raw commercial possibilities of creating mob mentality.”

The old, they-really-don’t-believe-their-views argument. By extension, we can only believe those with sincere views are the major network news hosts. To me, it sounds like someone is upset with sinking ratings as viewers continue the abandon old oligopoly media. The blogging revolution is only the continuance of what started with talk radio. We are tired of information being controlled by the likes of Tom Brokaw.

Rush Limbaugh returned to hosting his radio show yesterday after completing a 5 week drug rehabilitation program.

Today a judge refused to dimiss obstruction of justice and insider trading against Martha Stewart. Her trial is expected to start in January.

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was searched by police today, apparently related to new allegations of child molestation.

All three have legions of devoted fans. They all have their flaws. They all show that people only have farther to fall when you put them on a pedestal.

Not much to write about today except…

Tomorrow is my birthday. I’m taking the day off from work and spending it with my family. Have a good weekend.

Ted Rall wrote a column yesterday once again trying to push the notion that the war in Iraq is about oil. He ignores that if the war was about Iraqi oil, the United States would have kept it in 1991 when we had it.

He writes his column in a truly dispicable way, writing a recruiting
letter for terrorists. In the letter he justifies (“regretfully”)
killing our military members. On Veteran’s Day, he said our military
men and women served because that was the only way they could
afford “university” or they were too poor and uneducated to
understand they were pawns for Dick Cheney.

The silver lining is that this liberal thinking will surely lead to
the re-election of George Bush.

New York Magazine ran an article on the problems that develop in a marriage when the wife is the main or sole breadwinner.

Is the problem that men are threatened? The article actually emphasizes the changes in the wives attitudes toward their non-succeeding husbands. Women are attracted to achievement. The stay-at-home man is just not attractive to women. As a result, the article points out, the spousal sexual relationship suffers.

One woman said:
“He was the best sex I ever had.� But that was long ago. “We fight instead,� she says. “We’re embroiled in some weird combat. It’s like Lysistrata. I tell him, ‘Your business is going to have to get better faster.’ Until then, I’m withholding.�

The article interviews a number of divorced women. These women were not divorced because their husbands left after being threatened by their success. They were divorced because the wives lost respect for their husbands.

Let’s face it. Men and women are different. Men want nuturers women who can take care of the emotional needs. Women are attracted to achievement. Those who can reverse those roles are the exception, not the rule.

Maggie Gallagher says:
“The sexual truth is that women (unless they’re lesbians) are attracted to men. And masculinity is not like femininity. It is a performance. It has to be won — and it can be lost.”

Today is the day the United States honors its veterans of military service. Yesterday was the 238th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

Thanks to all those others who served and to those who still serve. Stay safe.

Semper Fidelis.

Lt. Col. Allen West seems to be a hero. The Lt. Col. fired a handgun near an Iraqi prisoner’s head while interrogating the prisoner who had refused to talk. The prisoner then confessed to a conspiracy to ambush American troops and named his co-conspirators who were arrested before the ambush could be sprung. The prisoner was not injured.

American lives were saved. Great, right? Well now the Army says Lt. Col West’s actions were assault on the prisoner. Lt. Col. West now he faces a court martial.

This is why terrorists think America is soft. Bureaucrats value the comfort of our enemies above the lives of our troops. War is a nasty business. Scaring a prisoner into talking, especially when he is left uninjured is not a war crime.

Army prosecutors are sending a message to our enemies. Your secrets are safe from us. We are too soft to find them out. When someone is brave enough to scare one of you, we will punish him for it.

Pop singer Christina Aguilera is defending her reputation for sleeping around and dressing in slutty clothing.

She says,
“I see a lot of double standards in society, Men can do things and women can do the same things yet get criticized for it, labeled for it — they are just constantly put down for things that men can do so freely and so openly and get almost praised for”

She also wrote a song about it:
Can’t Hold Us Down
I don’t understand why it’s okay
The guy can get away with it & the girl gets named
All my ladies come together and make a change
Start a new beginning for us everybody sing

Her argument is false. She makes two errors. She assumes that men are praised for sleeping around and she assumes that men and women are the same.

Men are not universally praised for promiscuity. They get labeled with names like womanizer, skirt chaser, or lecher (maybe she should expand her circle of influence).

The second point is that men and women are not the same. Perhaps there is not as strong a condemnation of men as women. That is because of the respect our society has for women. Women have long been thought to be able to control their more base instincts better than men. Women are assumed to be more monogamous than men. In times gone by, women required men to give up their promiscuous ways by committing to marriage. This respect for women was the basis for all of Western society for millennia.

Now Christina wants to turn that upside down. I don’t understand how women giving up the power they had in society gives them more respect. Ask any man if he respects a woman who jumps in the sack on the first date. I remember a conversation I had with another man a few years ago. He said, “Sure I’ll have sex with a woman on the first date. I won’t respect her, but I’ll have sex with her.”

The book on Jessica Lynch’s story of her capture will be released Tuesday. The book confirms what many suspected all along. Jessica Lynch was raped by her captors.

There are many horrors of war. Why do we insist on sacrificing the femininty and dignity of our wives and daugters? We do not send our women to war out of respect for them. For centuries we did what we could to keep them out of war because of that respect.

Only 9 shopping days left until my birthday.