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Monthly Archives: June 2013

This blog is a Kitsap Sun reader blog. The Kitsap Sun neither edits nor previews reader blog posts. Their content is the sole creation and responsibility of the readers who produce them. Reader bloggers are asked to adhere to our reader blog agreement. If you have a concern or would like to start a reader blog of your own, please contact sunnews@kitsapsun.com.

Journalism On the Ropes ?

Journalism on the ropes ? Have you ever had a discussion with someone and wondered where they got that view point from on a story ? I would say it is more so then ever , and besides our perceptions and our own built in filters , there I other reasons it appears .

Years of cutbacks to staff working in newsrooms across our country is showing a change in how we receive our news , and with that the quality of our news , local and nationally.

 

Pew Research Center Project for Excellence said  recent consumers polled  had one third stating they had abandoned a news outlet because it no longer gave the information they wanted in coverage or the amount of coverage in those stories.

 

Television News employment is down and in the newspaper newsroom employment has decreased by 30 percent. Since hitting a peak in 2000.  Newsweek has gone totally to the Internet , Time is cutting staff .

 

Coverage of the government on local TV has been cut down by 50 percent in the last 8 years , sports, weather , and traffic now account for 40 percent of the content .  This has caused other people to go elsewhere for their news in record numbers.

 

42 percent of people under 30 a few years ago said they regularly watched the news , today that number is down to 28 percent .

 

In the Local daily in our county , The Sun has followed the national trend to go digital , 450 out of 1380 newspapers have gone this way and others considering . Offering a paid digital content to off set the new market to consumers .

 

The main beef with consumers , 61 percent stated the stories were less complete then that had been .

America “STILL THE BEST HOPE”

 

Still the Best Hope:

Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Still-Best-Hope-American-Triumph/dp/0061985139/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371505773&sr=8-1&keywords=Still+the+Best+Hope%3A+Why+the+World+Needs+American+Values+to+Triumph

Dennis Prager is a Orthodox Jew who writes a column ,is  a radio host and author. “Still The Best Hope “ speaks to the issues relating to the values  in our our current culture and political frame work in the world .  He splits the main differences into three categories . Europeans Style Socialism , Islamism, and Americanism. He spoke to the morality that each group held .He made clear that their were good and bad on all sides of the issues , but made a strong support for Americanism . The book perhaps can explain why say certain people will be more inclined to support a small government view over a larger government view. Why those on the left will blame  crime on poverty , racism and another group  will blame individual morality . A few distinctions I took from the book are below , Leftism is a term used for the European Style Socialism view , secular in nature . Americanism is a reflection of the Judeo Christian ethic morality. Atheist, Jews , Christians and all groups of people also can share in this morality . Atheist for instance may have no belief in God but still appreciate the freedom and choices that the morality of those with a Judeo Christian Ethic  do extend .

 

 

 

Americanism will  support Liberty , In God We trust, E Pluribus unum their 

 main concern …… Liberty                                                                                 

 

Leftism   material Equality

 

Americanism believes Individual character builds strong communities                

Leftism   Get rid of in equality and you will have a better behaved society.

                          

Americanism believes in  Small government  ,

Leftism believes in Big Government

 

Americanism believes  Wealth should be created                                     

Leftism    redistribute it

                                

Americanism believes values are Universal,taken from the Judeo Christian ethic.

Leftism  Relative to individual and or society

        

Americanism believes Evil comes from individual                                                    

Leftism socio economic forces causes wrong doing .

    

Americanism family headed by mom and dad                                                          

leftism  Only Love is needed in families

 

Religion should be in our society                                            

Leftism believes   Secularism should be only in our society

 

Americanism believes  America is exceptional.

Leftism believes America exceptionalism is a chauvinistic doctrine

        

Americanism believes Evil is our biggest threat                                                            

Leftism believes Global warming is our biggest threat.

 

Americanism believes  Teen age sex should be discouraged by family and society          

Leftism says Teens will do what they want , teach safe sex .

                             

Americanism teaches some cultures are superior then others                                            

Leftism believes No culture is superior

   Americanism believes America is the least racist society                                                  

Leftism believes Racism is all around

 

Americanism believes Violent crimes caused by individuals                                           

Leftism believes Violent crimes caused by inequality 

                          

 Americanism stands for a strong military Pacifist did not free Jews from death camps                               

Leftism believes War is not the answer

 

 

School Valedictorian Recites Lord’s Prayer At Graduation

School Valedictorian Recites Lord’s Prayer At Graduation
Here is a link to a popular speech that is making its way around Facebook pages and Non mainstream media sources.
A South Carolina valedictorian’s commencement address sparked wild applause from the crowd when he tore up his pre-approved speech, and instead began reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Seems the School District had received complaints about ceremonies including prayers in the ceremonies and banned them altogether .
Just amazes me somewhat , when I was graduating HS we had a dope being smoked in the row I was in . No one seemed  concerned about that , or the effects of when we legalized it recently in this state . Regardless the graduation ceremony and the kids  seem to have survived . Parents must be very proud of this young man .

Harrison Hospital Receiving Help

 One  Secularized System Only For Health Care Hurts all of us  !

 

 

One of my favorite films is the Bells of St Mary’s . Still gets plenty of play around Christmas time . It seems to capture the Christmas Spirit of Love , forgiveness , and believing in the best part of humanity . Bing Crosby at his best . Would a film today show a Catholic priest , Nuns , a school as a place we would want our children . or even by some to even allow it ?

In deed our culture has changed .

Recently it was revealed of the intentions of Harrison Hospital to merge with the Franciscan Health System . Immediately secular progressive voices sounded the alarm . Abortion , sex changes and the right to kill oneself was among the complaints . The following is from the Hospital concerning the merger.

http://www.harrisonmedical.org/home/news/199

“Franciscan Health System and Harrison Medical Center have signed a letter of intent (LOI), a non-binding agreement to affiliate in order to improve access to high-quality healthcare services for residents of the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas and North Mason County.”

“To increase quality of care ,  access to care, reduced costs,  Harrison will continue to be Harrison , their abortion and assisted suicide policies are consistent with the Catholic beliefs” .

 

http://www.harrisonmedical.org/home/news/199

But as in other areas , concern and prejudices have been seen and heard.  Perhaps somewhat hard to understand the morality to those of us who see Care for the sick as such a needed and  directed  function to perform by people of faith. .  Especially when a religious organization is helping our community and providing better and  more affordable services .  Not even raising our taxes to do it . But morality is exactly what is being seen here . Not immoral , but different moralities . Leftism has a secularized value system , and their intention is not to hurt. But what I have noticed Leftism has always done t is to promote a  system that believes it has to be totalitarian in nature.

 

The following link is an interesting NPR article that reports on another Washington State County where a similar merger took place and the negative reaction.

 

http://www.kplu.org/post/fears-catholic-monopoly-dominate-talk-hospital-mergers

 

Fears of a Catholic monopoly dominate talk of hospital merger.

The testimony was one-sided. Hundreds of people turned out in Arlington, Mt. Vernon and Anacortes, hammering away on one point:“I urge Island Hospital not to affiliate with a faith-based hospital,” says Hal Rooks of Anacortes.