Back in the days of Walter Cronkite, the news was in place to keep the powerful in check and the public informed. It was a tool to ensure that the Constitution was always adhered to by our leaders. It told the public what they needed to hear and not what they wanted to hear. Today, we live in a softer time. We live in a time of political correctness, of corruption, and of greed. The news is no longer a trustworthy tool to keep us informed on the world around us, but it is a weapon to keep us in the shadows and in fear. Today the news is a biased casserole of absolute nonsense and paranoia inducing jibber jabber. Two of the most biased cable news commentators who have really seemed to just fly off their rockers would have to be Bill O’Reilley and Sean Hannity of FOX News. First off, I CANNOT STAND anybody who is an extreme conservative or liberal. I don’t know if you've noticed, but America’s two party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in the mirror. O’Reilley and Hannity both have their own television shows on FOX in which they spend an entire time slot spewing out criticism and negativity towards the president as well as analyze current events. Because that’s how we believe we get things done in this country, we never actually talk about the facts we talk about our opinions about the facts. Meanwhile, everyone on Capitol Hill spends their time sitting around pointing fingers at each other while the country and its reputation heads down the shitter. Of all the cable news commentators, I would have to say I enjoy watching Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert because the way in which they satirize our government is quite frankly, hilarious. They poke fun at the biased media and make them sound foolish. It’s a shame that we have to sort through the news and decide for ourselves what is real and what isn't, it truly is. It’s a shame that our country has taken it upon itself to put profit before honesty. We call ourselves a democracy and yet we don’t even have the basic building blocks to support a democracy. Little things like we should be tolerant of those who disagree with us, we should be tolerant of those who worship a different god then us, that a journalist should be able to disagree with the president. People in this country don’t want freedom, they want boundaries and rules. They want protection, from invaders and from themselves. The media knows this, they toy with our fear on a daily basis because fear is an extremely powerful and effective tool. My advice? Stop preparing for an Ebola outbreak, for a zombie apocalypse, or even for a government and military take over. This isn't Star Wars people. Obama won’t be lifting a hood over his head and say, “Execute Order 66”, and have all of our soldiers turn against us. It isn't going to happen. My advice to you is to not be afraid, but to be aware, selective, and proactive. Instead of putting your energy towards irrational fear and panic, put it towards something a little more substantial. Put it towards something that is here and happening today like the global warming and sustainable energy crises. There are so few truths in this world, it is up to us to decide what to believe.
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