Some people…
Someone quoted Ben Franklin to me yesterday…in an argument…about whether or not a news article aired on some daily news station was fit to be aired.
Here are some rules of engagement in logical argument for those that never bothered to learn about it:
1. Don’t use quotes. It makes you look dumb. You don’t prove anything by citing them except that you don’t have any good ammo to argue with.
2. Fact and Fiction. Example: “Our Civil Liberties are being taken away!” Prove the fact. Until then…fiction…and fallacious. Not saying it didn’t happen, but right now the statement hold no foundation. Think about it this way: “Pics, or it didn’t happen.” This will serve you well. not saying that your point want good, but without proof or substantiation you’ve brought only a pillow to a gunfight.
Choosing to air a news article that has zero educational content for the viewer is not censorship…it’s bad journalism, it ahppens continually, and I am loath to say it but some news agencies do it deliberately to stay vanilla enough for ratings. The difference here is we’re not talking censorship, we’re talking about all the earmarks of a good article. If the news wanted to write about how local and state law enforcement are planning on using state military reserves as a precaution for unrest (and yes, even riots) during the H1N1 vaccinations, that fine, but that’s all there was. There was no followup information on how locals could get more information and prepare ahead of time, or even how to help local law enforcement…nada. Even a cheap plug about CERT would have been prudent…but all they did was “filler”…essentially a little supporting data substantiating that they are in fact using reserve military.
I dont think this article conveyed the meaning it should have because it lacked any really good info for parents and concerned citizens…ergo..it shouldnt have aired. This had nothing to do with civil liberties. It had to do with lazy article writing. I know a ton of people that would have put a far better effort into research for something that was going to be aired on national television.
Anyhow…rant over…maybe I will write about it later…
-Tony
