Dann Todd's 'Dain Bramage'^**

Bias From AP News

The blogosphere is a-buzz with news of an AP story that injected questionable (to say the least) reporting into a story about Mr. Bush on the campaign trail. In speaking before a group of supporters, Mr. Bush began his speech by noting that Mr. Clinton was having heart troubles and would be undergoing major heart surgery in the very near future. Mr. Bush indicated his support and hope that Mr. Clinton would come through his surgery and be returned to good health. The crowd responded with applause for the sentiment.

The AP report indicated that the crowd booed at the mention of Mr. Clinton. The link above contains a link to an audio clip of the event so you can judge for yourself. In my opinion, if there were any people booing, they were vastly outnumbered by those that responded positively towards the wish for good health for Mr. Clinton.

The AP revised the story shortly thereafter indicating that there were questions about how the crowd responded.

This whole episode is just another example of how the media really isn't unbiased. I've seen the AP sculpt reports in the past to either support a liberal line or opposed a conservative line in a given story. But this is something different. It is almost Orwellian in that the story was altered to reflect personal political objectives before it was ever reported.

The media is quickly becoming an obstacle to individual liberty.

by Dann 

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Al-Sadr Is Finished Politically

Zeyad has news from Iraq regarding the utter lack of popular support for al-Sadr. Read it all. Perhaps he will be able to post those pictures of the beer cans and drug paraphernalia left by al-Sadr's Mahdi 'army' in the shrine soon.

In the comments, kat-missouri offers:

I wonder how long it will take before the rest of the world understands that these "fundamentalists" are simply looking for their own power grab and are hardly the next portenders of the great utopia?

[T]hese folks are the new Nazis or Communists. Anyone that believes different is extremely naive.

Quite.

by Dann 

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Convention Blogging

James Lileks was watching the GOP convention on TV last night. Some of his thoughts are interesting.

by Dann 

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Ron Silver At The GOP Convention

I've always enjoyed Ron Silver's work in movies. At the same time, he was mixed up in the Barbra Streisand-esque "free at last" emotionfest that took place during Mr. Clinton's first inauguration.

I suspect that the 9/11 attacks may have made a difference to Mr. Silver. I didn't watch him on TV as I am equally ignoring both parties choreographed coronations. But I did happen across a transcript of his comments at the GOP convention and I found them to be most interesting.

We are again engaged in a war that will define the future of humankind. Responding to attacks on our soil, America has led a coalition of countries against extremists who want to destroy our way of life and our values.

This is a war we did not seek.

This is a war waged against us.

This is a war to which we had to respond.

History shows that we are not imperialists . . . but we are fighters for freedom and democracy.

Even though I am a well-recognized liberal on many issues confronting our society today, I find it ironic that many human rights advocates and outspoken members of my own entertainment community are often on the front lines to protest repression, for which I applaud them but they are usually the first ones to oppose any use of force to take care of these horrors that they catalogue repeatedly.

Bottom line.....it OK for America to win whenever we are fighting oppression.

by Dann 

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What To Inherit

Since Grandpa has died, all that he and Grandma built up over the years is about to be divided up among their children. Grandma and Grandpa raised good kids. So while this will be a hard time, I know it won't be marked by the sort of unseemly behavior I've witnessed when other people have died.

My Mom keeps asking me if there is anything I want from their home. I keep telling her that I have all that I'll ever need and ever really want. They gave to me of themselves. They gave me their time, their love, their patience, their good humor, and their easy grace. What more could I ask for.

But if I get asked again about things what that I might want to have from their home, I know what to ask for.

I want to know if there are any Pecan Sandies left. If so, could I have a couple please? It will end up being more like four or five by the time I'm done.

Is there some root beer in the fridge and perhaps a bit of ice cream left in the freezer? We could have floats!

Could I have a little glass of that chocolate cordial? They only served it to me once when I was about fourteen or fifteen, but it sure did taste great.

Are there any peaches left about? They need to be peeled and sectioned and covered with a bit of sugar for a couple hours the way Grandma used to fix them. Then we could sit in their garage-turned-summer-room with the breeze blowing off the lake and each have a bowl.

What I really want is to be 12 or 13 again, in late June, with my week "up north" just a few days away. Knowing that I can probably stretch that one week into two if I ask nicely. Can I just be that young again and have another summer or two with my Grandma and Grandpa? Please?

by Dann 

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My Last Grandparent Has Passed Away

I lost my Grandpa last Friday. Mom called me at work to give me the news. Grandpa was one of a kind. We say that about many people when they pass, sometimes to be polite, sometimes with just a touch of sarcasm because of those parts of their personality that made them unique in ways that we would prefer not to be unique.

But not my Grandpa Stark.

For the entire time that I've known him, Grandpa lived his life with purpose, enthusiasm, and zest. He was cautious and temperate in how he conducted himself and open minded in his view of others. While those terms have taken on a political flavor in recent years, my Grandpa lived in a manner reminiscent of the days when those words meant more than they are today.

There was a very brief time when I was considering the idea of pursuing photography as a profession. Grandma didn't think much of the idea, but Grandpa stuck up for me. He said that being a good photographer was as decent and rewarding as any other profession. The idea of being a photographer didn't stick with me long, but I remember that my Grandpa was willing to look at both sides of that decision and see the possibilities.

He was that way with anyone he ever met.

He was a bit like those Canadian geese that he spent so much time trying to keep from doing their business all over his back yard. Those geese swam knowing which way they wanted to go. They also swam with seeming effortlessness and grace. Yet below the water line, those feet must have been moving as fast as egg beaters. Grandpa made life look easy and busy all at the same time. And he did so with seeming ease and a great deal of grace.

My Grandpa gave of himself when and where he could. And he gave an awful lot to me over the years.

One day I hope to post my own personal list of things to do if one wishes to be successful. Many I learned from my Grandpa's example of how a decent person is supposed to live.

At his funeral, the pastor made a big deal out of celebrating Grandpa's Christian faith. She made it sound like he lived his life always thinking about the "Christian" way of doing things.

But that doesn't make any sense to me. My Grandpa's faith was a part of him. It wasn't like a coat you wear to keep out the cold. It was like the need to put on deodorant, brush your teeth, and shave in the same order each morning. It was like the person that you can always count on to be in a good mood on Monday morning, just because that is how they are every day.

Grandpa didn't have to think about being a good person. He just was a good person. And he is some one that I will miss for a very long time.

For as long as the link lasts, you can read an article about my Grandpa, Donald H. Stark, that appeared in the Flint Journal.

by Dann 

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