By Sharla C. Costelow
Published: 11-12-08
The year was 1976… the year of the bicentennial anniversary for our country’s independence. I remember boring fire hydrants suddenly coming to life with dazzling colors of red white and blue on street corners of American neighborhoods. Some were painted with stripes; others were painted to look like Uncle Sam.
The spirit of patriotism ran through the veins of our country. It was during this time that a particular day stands out in my mind. On the playground at my elementary school I argued with other children about who would win the Presidential race… Carter or Ford? Just a child swinging with my tummy across the seat of a swing… I debated with other children.
My attitude on the matter was strong! But why? What did that nine-year-old child know about politics? Absolutely nothing! My opinions and views were formed solely on what I had learned at home. It is not beyond rationality to question why we believe what we believe. Likewise it is equally important to understand why we support and oppose the things we do.
Why does one choose to become a democrat or a republican? Why does one even choose to affiliate with a political party at all? Is it because one has researched and educated one’s self or is it because one follows in the footsteps of what he or she grew up with? Or… do we think we have no other choice?
I recently conducted a poll asking those who chose to participate if they watched CNN or Fox News. The answers revealed exactly what I intend to propose. Strong liberals watch only CNN news and strong conservatives watch only Fox News.
Strong liberals refer to Fox news as “Faux News” and strong conservatives refer to CNN as the “Communist News Network.” Both assertions are proclaimed as an echo of what they’ve been listening to other people say. Fox News is not false news and CNN isn’t a communist news station. These are extreme statements created to slander the other.
Both sides insist that the other side does not tell the truth. Just what is “the truth” anyway? There are truths on both sides. Propaganda seeks to promote the facts in which supports the ideas and beliefs of the one presenting it.
Many news stations present selective information that THEY want the public to hear while neglecting or concealing information they don’t want the public to hear. Most people don’t think about this. While I did come across a few in the poll who like me go to a variety of resources for their news… most file in line behind everyone else in their democratic or republican party.
Fox News seems to be the only news station that strong conservatives will watch. The ironic thing to me is that most strong conservatives profess a strong faith in God. I find this ironic because between CNN and Fox News Fox is the one with multiple stories about sex and “hot babes.”
Has no one but me noticed this? If you go to CNN’s website and scroll the entire page the stories are “news worthy.” Go to Fox News’ website and you will find stories I’d expect to see on Entertainment Tonight. I don’t care about “Jen’s men” or about what’s going on in Brittney Spear’s life. Such subjects are topics on today’s website for Fox News along with… “Sexy Hollywood Hair” “Gossip Girl Glam for School” “Sex Pheromones Are Bending the Laws of Attraction” and “The Best Sex Book Ever Written.”
On CNN’s website today there are no stories like the ones I just mentioned. The word “sex” isn’t even mentioned once. On October 13 2008 there was an article on the Fox News website titled Fox Sexpert: Sex on the First Date Do or Don’t? I bring this up because so many conservative Christians support Fox News. Isn’t this a case of selecting which beliefs to support? If you oppose Planned Parenthood abortion and teaching boys how to use a condom in public schools shouldn’t it bother you that the news station you support promotes sex on a daily basis? Shouldn’t it concern you that your news station of choice presented an article that goes against the Christian belief of abstinence outside of marriage?
(http://www.foxnews.com/story/0293343724400.html>Read the Article Here)
I do not believe it is consistent with Christian character to oppose abortion on the one hand and yet at the same time support something that may lead a woman to making the choice to abort her baby on the other.
I believe that “choice” begins before conception. “Choice” was whether or not to have sex and whether or not to have sex without contraception. That is the woman’s choice. Whether or not to kill a baby because of consequences of that choice should not be an option. That is my personal belief and I cannot claim that is my belief and at the same time support promiscuous sex. It just doesn’t make sense.
For those of you who only watch Fox and insist that CNN is not balanced I have to ask... how can you know this if you never watch it? How can you make an objective opinion if you haven’t watched? The fact is that most democrats hate Fox News and most republicans hate CNN. It is a two-sided war that festers hate and anger.
Politics in America today are not what the founders of our country intended America to be. Our very first president warned about the dangers of political parties saying “… they are likely in the course of time and things to become potent engines by which cunning ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” Is “We the People” really we the people? I don’t believe it is.
I believe we have lost the voice of power in the war of our two-partied system. One of these days people are going to step up to bat with the independent voters instead of believing they will “throw away” their vote. Understand… this is propaganda too! The two major parties want the people to believe they will throw away their vote if they don’t vote for one of them… because neither side wants to lose! The two major parties feed on the fight.
It’s more about winning the fight against the other side than it is about representing the best interest of the people. Both sides engage in hype talk and bad mouthing back talk. Who isn’t sick of the political ads and if we look back in history how often were promises not fulfilled? There is great power in the two major forces of politics in America. They control the media and they control a majority of the people through that media. It’s been an American tradition for a long time now.
My only purpose for writing this article is to challenge people to think for themselves and objectively gather information from multiple sources. Evaluate what your beliefs are. If you are a Christian make sure you stand up for everything you believe in not just one or two. Seek balance in your views and do your best to understand all sides.
Pitting ourselves on one side of a fence in a two-party political system doesn’t get us anywhere. It’s like two angry dogs running back and forth on opposite sides of a fence barking and growling at each other. This division will eventually tare apart our country if we don’t break it down. The people of America need to open their eyes and minds. It’s time to seek the truths out ourselves and gain proper perspective. It’s time to start considering what is important for our country and to stop being afraid to elect people into office that aren’t pitted on one side of a fence.
For years Americans have been getting more and more caught up in the day to day demands of life. Technology creates more and more gadgets to make things faster and easier yet oddly enough there doesn’t seem to be enough time in a day. We are sleepwalking in America while government churns its wheels and leaves us dazed. We stand like zombies waving our political signs and chanting our chants… believing that this man put up on a pedestal will somehow be different than others before him.
Meanwhile our borders are being crossed by illegal immigrants as our soldiers try to police the world. We give jobs to people in other countries while factories close down around us. Large and powerful businesses are being bought out by foreigners. All the while we support the two powers that be and all the secrets we never knew. Oblivious - we walk in our day to day trance.
I believe that the next four years no matter who is in office will be a time where the people of this nation grow tired of the foolishness and wasted time in our government.
There will be an unveiling of secrets and self-serving agendas. It will be a time when people become aware of things they’ve closed their eyes to for so long.
Perhaps in four years… our country will break away from major-party-controlled propaganda and actually vote into office an independent thinker who will change the direction our country is headed in. Until then gather as much information as you can from various sources. Educate yourself and then educate yourself some more… learning is never ending and ever evolving. It is the only place truth can be found; don’t rely on anyone else to find it for you.
Learning is not a spectator sport -- it is an active not a passive enterprise. ~ D. Blocher
Note from the author: As a Christian my foundation of truth comes solely from the Word of God. I gather information from various sources. I objectively evaluate what I read and hear and then through prayer and discernment do I find truths. It is between God and me. I urge other Christians to do the same.
