the Wednesday Edition

I get the feeling, while reading news articles today, that I’m being sold a bad used car. It looks good at first glance. I walk around it and don’t see any dents so I get interested and kick the tires. Then I open the door and get in and MAN… something stinks!

Associated Press writer Michael J. Sniffen pens a Trojan horse of a yarn that makes me wonder what exactly he is inhaling. In Hate crimes rose 8 percent in 2006 he starts off with some hard hitting facts:

WASHINGTON - Hate crime incidents rose nearly 8 percent last year, the FBI reported Monday, as civil rights advocates increasingly take to the streets to protest what they call official indifference to intimidation and attacks against blacks and other minorities.

Increasingly in what way? More than in the seventies? I Googled the term “official indifference to intimidation” and got seven links that pointed to this article. Thats it. “They” say that but the only person who can be attributed to putting those words together, in the whole wild world of Google, is him. He also writes that it’s attacks against blacks and “other” minorities. If blacks are minorities and the others are minorities then why single them out? I woder if he has an axe to grind?

In the next paragraph he states some facts that I will get back to shortly but want to get to the stink of this article. It’s the old bait and switch I tell ya! He slips in an op-ed about the incidents in Jena. The meat of this article talks about Jena and even quotes the the honorable Rev. Al:

“The FBI report confirms what we have been saying for many months about the severe increase in hate crimes,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who organized Friday’s march. “What is not reported, however, is the lack of prosecution and serious investigation by the Justice Department to counter this increase in hate crimes.” Sharpton called for Attorney General Michael Mukasey to meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and civil rights leaders to discuss this enforcement.

7 paragraphs of propaganda hidden in the trunk of this rehashed, piece of crap jalopy. He couldn’t have read Craig Franklin’s article in the CSM about what really went on under that tree. As he says:

There’s just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice.

Its a must read if you haven’t already been there.

The AP article ends with some cherry picked stats  so you’re better off getting them from the horses mouth. The smell’s a lot better.

I haven’t been too bloggy in recent months as you can tell but I’ve been reading more than writing. I’ve spent the last few months writing music and recording 11 tracks with my band with hopes of getting back to playing out soon. We had to say goodbye to a good friend and bandmate but were able to add another all-around good guy and kick-ass guitarist to the mix, so things are looking up.

There’s a lot of stuff to talk about so let’s get to it!