Journalism ceased to exit this week when it comes to the passing of our former President. In the US we have suffered a whole week of unbelievable sickenly sweet testimonials about the former President Reagan. Maybe it was under some standard of etiquette the press was following that says something like don’t speak ill of the dead but this was a public official not uncle Albert (where negative criticisms will suddenly appear many years after his passing attached to the obligatory phrase Lord bless his soul, or God bless his soul but…..).
I’m not saying that constructive negative criticism should of occurred on the day of the funeral or during ceremony but a whole week of almost blanket coverage leaves more than enough room for a fair and balanced assessment of the man’s life (especially his years in government and particularly as President) which we didn’t get. All these twenty-four hour news outlets and hardly any well rounded coverage.
There was no analysis of what was said during the ceremonies. If one recall there was severe criticism Paul Wellstone’s sons because of what they said during a funeral service.
At the internment ceremony of President Reagan I heard a little bit of politics enter the statements of the son’s of Reagan. I felt Reagans adopted son took a swipe at former President Clinton by talking about the marriage between Ronald and Nancy. Reagan’s son Ron took indirect swipe at the present President Bush for ‘wearing his faith on his sleeve’, using it for political reasons and making his religion a ‘mandate’ (unlike his father according to Ron).
The press has not considered the statements made by any of the participants of the services to honor Reagan or the messages many participants were trying to get across as they did the Senator Wellstone service.
I felt like I was part of a coronation in which a fellow human being was being deified. They want to put his image and name on everything. They want his name and\or picture on highways, roads, airport, coins, paper bills, stamps, and mountains. It is ridiculous. The press and others have taken a former President and made him into a deity or something (idolatry by the religious right? - I’ll have to write a blog about conservative Christians one day).
I felt like a jackass as I watched Wolf, King and crew on CNN say ‘sweet nothings’ about Reagan. I think it is time for me to watch a station where there is not that much commentary during national events. Maybe I’ll watch C-Span next time.
Ray Charles: Ray Charles past away yesterday at age 73. I was not a big fan of his music partially because much of his music was before my time. The three songs I enjoy most are his rendition of America The Beautiful, Hit The Road Jack, Country Road and Georgia On My Mind.
These few songs definitely do not do the man justice from what I hear.