Solid Words

My thoughts today come from another. They are attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, who apparently wrote them to her circle of friends. Her words are being circulated over the Internet. I liked what I read, I trust you will too.

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.

Anger is only one letter short of danger. If someone betrays you once, it's his fault; if he betrays you twice, it's your fault.

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

He who looses money, looses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he, who loses faith, loses all.

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

Friends, you and me, You brought another friend and then there were three. We started our group, our circle of friends and like that circle, there is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift."

So are these words.

Fox News

The Fox organization has decided to replace WWOR’s evening newscast with a half-hour program on New Jersey politics. The canceling of its ten p.m. newscast is a gigantic loss to New Jersey and an unconscionable misuse of local service responsibility.

WWOR is New Jersey’s only licensed television broadcast facility. I know, I anchored and co-anchored that broadcast for many years back when it was an independent super station and reached an audience nationwide and it was a bonifide player in the New York Television ADI.

Other network stations in New York City and Philadelphia do cover breaking news in New Jersey, but their license does not require them to do so.  

Years ago there was a challenge to the then WOR-TV license for not covering the public service needs and news requirements in New jersey for a renewal of an FCC license.

Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradlay extracted a promise from the previous owners of Channel Nine that if the license were to be renewed they would move their facilities to New Jersey and concentrate their news coverage on New Jersey with a noon and a ten o'clock news broadcast.

The license was renewed and New Jersey had a state wide televison news coverage until Fox, a.k.a. Rupert Murdock, bought the station several years ago and began its systematic decimation of a rival to New York’s, Fox owned, channel five.

That fact that the FOX news organization influences over 37 percent of American television homes is worrisome. Every viewer of any station must look for prejudice and slant everywhere. It does not come from just conservative viewpoints or from liberal perspectives. It comes from all and any who believe only in the efficacy of their opinions, but call it news and surreptitiously influence the viewer by the  commission and omission of information.

Unfortunately most of us do not independently verify what we are told on our news broadcasts and on what we read in our newspapers or hear on the radio.

I have always said that to be fully informed all of us must read widely, listen (radio) widely and watch widely. To embrace only one news source and form an opinion based on what you hear from that one news source is debasing your responsibility to be an informed citizen.

Having an engaged citizenry is a hard national maintenance. People must choose to participate in the fullness of democracy not just wallow in selective personal beliefs.

I don’t trust Rupert Murdoch or his upper leadership. I have many friends and former colleagues who work for the FOX organization. They are good people and dedicated journalists, but, in my opinion,  they are cemented into a narrow ownership viewpoint that calls itself NEWS.

A Voice From the Past

I watched a magnificent documentary on America's Revolutionary war yesterday. It was on the Discovery Military channel. It was wonderful in its honesty of history, both in the glory and in the horrors of war.

The voice of the documentary was that of an old acquaintance. Charles Kuralt. What a pleasure it was to listen to his direct, but comforting voice telling of our history and what a heart tug when I realized Charlie died on July 4th, 1997.

I miss his "On The Road" reports and his gentle voice of telling us how we lived and enjoyed the simple things in life.

We need more of that these days.

The 4th

It's a holiday...thanks for tuning in.

RGS

The Fourth and Freedom

Tomorrow is our independence holiday. Some thoughts on that today for tomorrow I am taking a holiday from posting. I do wish you all a happy fourth of July.

Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776. History rarely records what happened to some of them.

Five signers were captured by the British charged as traitors and were tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons who were serving in the Revolutionary Army, and another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought in the war and died from wounds or hardships caused by the war.

These men were not ruffians or rabble-rousers; they were well-spoken men of means and education.

Twenty-four of the 56 were lawyers and jurists, eleven were merchants, and nine were large plantation owners.

All of them signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Signer Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and trader, died in rags.

The properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Glwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton were looted.

Thomas Nelson Jr. and Thomas McKeam died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis's wife was jailed and she died there.

John Hart had to flee his dying wife's bedside. His children fled for their lives. He died of exhaustion. Norris and Livingston had to hide out in the forest and live in caves.

I wonder how many people today would in the words of the Declaration of Independence, "mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor," all for the sake of freedom.

Thank you patriots of the past for the liberty we enjoy and celebrate today.

Nineteen Firefighters Dead

There is nothing anyone can do to change it, to stop it. We can fight it and the fire fighters do so with skill, daring, courage and fatal danger to themselves, but still it chews the dry brush into a soft ash and it took the lives of nineteen valiant firefighters.

Lightening starts most of the fires. The drought too hurts and so does the oppressive heat. The tears of loss and smiles of safety for some on the same face parallel our conflict and appreciation of nature.

The stories of neighbor helping neighbor and fire fighter helping fire fighter, confirm our desire for community and service to others. There are hundreds of stories not only of crushing flames and charred places, but stories of hopes and wishes, shattered dreams and shock that so many have lost their lives.

In times of such destruction and death values change rapidly. The acquired stuff of daily living is no match for the loss of lives.

There is never a quick end to tragedy. No easy answers to the wailed questions of why and no relief when cries have run out of tears.

It is not possible to hold each hand of so many so hurting. All we can do, in this human family, is to be aware and to care. There is something powerful in that and it heals and it hurts.

Rant on Congress - Rave for Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth

Once again this year and also last year, this United States Congress is the Congress of Shame. With the exception of Congressman woman Tammy Duckworth who slammed a government contractor claiming he was a service-disable veteran. Check it out on the Internet.

In the meantime all congressional members have left for a week of undeserved vacation without taking action on the student loan bill that would keep the interest rate of student loans at its normal level of 3.5 %. As of today many loans move up to a 6.8% interest rate once again devastating the budgets of numerous American families.

Congress has the responsibility to work for the American people, both collectively for national legislation and also for group individuality when the federal adjudication is within their purview. Congress failed with gun-control legislation and it failed again with leaving for their comfortable week off from doing their job. Once again I say, "Shame on Congress."

I have written my representatives. I hope you do too. You may disagree with me and that's fine, but you should let your representatives know how you feel one way or the other. It is the only way we constituents can remain in control.