Spin
It is very hard today to detect news from opinion, information from persuasion. Perhaps it never was.
In the wake of the events in my city of Chattanooga, I am conscious of the spotlight, once again, on Islam. No, all Muslim are not terrorists or anything close--that is not what is being said here, so don't misquote or "creatively misunderstand" as a colleague calls it, and as I call it "Tucker's Law"--"if someone can possibly find a way to misunderstand you, they will."
But I thought that two stories, and the reporting, by NPR, were interesting in the last two days.
This morning there was a story about how beautiful the Islamic call to prayer is, and how Americans living in the Middle East (both women, interestingly) became Muslim (or so claimed) because of the emotional effect it had on them. HUMMMM. Yes, look the other way, stupid people--don't look at what might have been done to radicalize this young man who lived in a town 20 miles from here. What is causing these young men and women to go this way? is the more important question.
Then there was the story about the Planned Parenthood doctor caught spilling the horrifying, unethical beans over pasta and wine about how she carefully harvests organs of the fetuses she aborts. "But--these are used for research!" NPR protests. Yeah. Did the "donors" know they were donating? Did they get any of the money? How much did PP get? We are supposed to believe they just charge for the transportation of the "tissue?"
At the same time, I am still numbed by what went on here. Like my neighbors, I feel--if it could happen here, it can happen anywhere.
In the wake of the events in my city of Chattanooga, I am conscious of the spotlight, once again, on Islam. No, all Muslim are not terrorists or anything close--that is not what is being said here, so don't misquote or "creatively misunderstand" as a colleague calls it, and as I call it "Tucker's Law"--"if someone can possibly find a way to misunderstand you, they will."
But I thought that two stories, and the reporting, by NPR, were interesting in the last two days.
This morning there was a story about how beautiful the Islamic call to prayer is, and how Americans living in the Middle East (both women, interestingly) became Muslim (or so claimed) because of the emotional effect it had on them. HUMMMM. Yes, look the other way, stupid people--don't look at what might have been done to radicalize this young man who lived in a town 20 miles from here. What is causing these young men and women to go this way? is the more important question.
Then there was the story about the Planned Parenthood doctor caught spilling the horrifying, unethical beans over pasta and wine about how she carefully harvests organs of the fetuses she aborts. "But--these are used for research!" NPR protests. Yeah. Did the "donors" know they were donating? Did they get any of the money? How much did PP get? We are supposed to believe they just charge for the transportation of the "tissue?"
At the same time, I am still numbed by what went on here. Like my neighbors, I feel--if it could happen here, it can happen anywhere.
Comments