Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and Sarah Palin: Who Is More Stupid?

Okay, the title is misleading. Sarah Palin is not stupid at all. The others are all equally stupid (difference too small to measure).

Most of you probably heard the "news" by now--"broken" by Carl Cameron of the despicable (yes, I deliberately use that word in this context) Fox News--gleefully picked up by the CNN, MSNBC and the rest of the mainstream media, who would ordinarily not credit Fox News with anything worthy of repeathing. McCain "staffers", talking from behind a mask (which Fox News made it possible for them to do by citing "anonymous sources"), have absolutely trashed Sarah Palin. This allowed CNN, MSNBC, and the rest to pile on, and add their own trashing. Suddenly, Sarah Palin is a combination of the class dunce and a wicked conservative witch--solely responsible for McCain's defeat. This last is a little difficult, because McCain chose Palin. But McCain "supporters" are willing to risk throwing McCain under the bus, so long as they "get" Palin. The "moderate" Republican "long knives" are out for Palin. See the previous entry. My "long knife" is out for them, and I will never forget.

But how do we know who is more stupid. Easy. What was the most "sensational" allegation made against Palin? Oh, you know this one. It is not the "clothes". It is not the "rogue" allegations. It is not, in other words, the petty gossip. It is the allegation that Palin did not know that Africa was a continent, rather than a country. That allegation proves that Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and the rest are more stupid than Sarah Palin could ever be.

Let us digress a second. I grew up in the hill country of Arkansas in the 1950's (born in 1947 and left Arkansas for New Mexico in 1959 (with stops in Minnesota, Upper Michigan, and another place or two), to end up in all of my high school years in Silver City, New Mexico. I would go on, of course, to New Mexico State University (B.S. in physics, with high honors), the U.S. Army, and law school at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. However, as a "hillbilly" growing up in the hill country of Arkansas, I knew that Africa was not a country, but a continent. That elementary school education was not bad, but the way, as the education in Silver City and Las Cruces was not bad. I would be valedictorian of that high school (albeit in a small, 100 student senior class). I would get honorable mention on the National Merit Scholarship test results. After being out of school for 3 years, I would receive a score of 785 out of 800 (old scoring) on the LSAT, without taking a preparatory course. This was even though I had majored in physics, with a minor in mathematics, at NMSU. Oh, and I would finish 3rd in my class at the UT law school.

Consider this carefully. Was Sarah Palin's background "worse" than mine? She rose to be governor of a state. I never did anything close to that significant. She is not some hick who has never been out of Alaska. She visited Alaska's National Guard soldiers in Kuwait (not that far from Egypt--in other words, Africa. Palin negotiated an international pipeline agreement. The idea that she is some hick who knows nothing about the world is ludicrous. How stupid do you have to be to believe something like that, or even take it seriously? You have to be worse than a hick. You have to be a member of Fox News, or the rest of the stupid people in the mainstream media. That is how stupid you have to be. It gets worse.

You have Fox News relying on "anonymous sources" of very questionable reliability, because they have a clear agenda to scapegoat sarah Palin. Despite this, Fox News gave thiem anonymity to deliver their attack from behind a mask. See the archives of my blog for my previous (conclusive) arguments as to why media use of anonymous sources is never news, and almost always a very evil thing. When you report what anonymous sources say, you are always reporting unverifiable gossip, rather than "news", because an essential part of the "news" is the identity of who is standing behind the "news". The reporter cannot, because the reporter has no firsthand knowledge. The source of the "news' is an essential part of the news, and without it there is no "news". Thre is just rumor and gossip. And it is allowing the media to be used for anonymous attacks, as Fox News was used (willingly) in this case.

Therefore, Fox News had a "source", or sources", of questionable reliability (because of an obvious agenda and bias). These sources supposedly told Fox News that Sarah Palin did not know Africa was a continent, rather than just a country. Does this reflect on the credibility of Sarah Palin? Not in this universe. This reflects on the credibility of the source. This is a person or persons unwilling to publicly stand behind this outrageously unbelievable assertion. There is no way you should ever publish such malicious gossip, unless the source is willing to publicly stand behind it. How stupid do you have to be to regard this as credible information, even wroth reporting--much less considering seriously.

Once again, you know exactly how stupid you have to be. You have to be as stupid Fox News. You have to be as stupid as CNN. You have to be as stupid as MSNBC. Yes, the entire networks are stupid, for letting any of their reporters report this malicious gossip as serious stuff.

P.S. Joe Biden, you will remember, told Katie Couric (on national television--not from questionable anonymous sources), that FDR "went on television when the stock market crashed" to provide leadership to the people. Problem: FDR was not President when the stock market crashed. He would not be President for 3 more years. Problem 2: Television had not been invented in 1929. Radio was still new, as a public source of information This gaffe by Biden is actually more unbelievable, and more significant, than any (likely made up) private lapse in wording on Africa as a continent. Further, it is not like this was Biden's only gaffe. In fact, Obama himself said there were at least 57 states (worse, again, than referring to Africa, with no evidence that Palin did so, as a country rather than a continent). Nope. This reference to anonymous sources for this kind of alleged, private gaffe is beyond evil gossip--into the realm of hyper-evil. See previous entries for my opinion of the "moderate" Republicans willing to play this cowardly game of "trash talk" with regard to Sarah Palin.

P.S. 2: If there is one thing that I have shown you in this blog, it is that modern "journalists" are generally stupid. This is just one more example in a list that has now reached hundreds of entries