Where Has America Gone Wrong? Some Salient Observations

My father sent me the following piece he wrote intending to submit it as an editorial letter to his local newspaper. With his permission I am posting his excellent letter here. I wish I could write as well as he does.

Where did we go wrong?

A problem with getting old (I’ll be 67 in January) is that you’ve seen most everything happen over and over. It hurts to see people you care about making bad decisions when you know a bad mistake could be avoided if they would only listen.

We are going down the same road we were led down during previous conflicts. Beginning in the early fifties and the Korean Conflict, America for the first time in history began listening to the media and our politicians quickly saw a great opportunity to take advantage of the situation and without much thought of regret seized the chance to grab more power no matter what the cost. All a politician had to do was to make himself available to the journalist, say on camera and in print what the journalist wanted him to say and he was made a overnight star for what the media wanted to portray (which converts to power for the politician).

All of us who lived through the terrible times of Viet Nam can remember what the problems really were. We had a war that was being run by the Pentagon who were being controlled by the Congress who were being controlled by the media. We all believe that we could have and certainly should have won that war in very short order but the fact that we had such problems with the media causing such upheaval in the country we simply gave up and abandoned South Viet Nam to face the communist alone. That is called disgrace and that was the first war America ever ran from and didn’t win. That defeat had nothing to do with the armed forces and everything to do with bad politics exacerbated by a liberal media.

We are now suffering from over forty years of “brain-washing” brought on by a media who answers to NO ONE. Did you ever wonder why over ninety percent of journalists are liberals? That’s right, over ninety per cent. That fact should jolt your senses and make you wonder if we’re getting a true picture what is really going on from the so-called news media. I would think it wouldn’t be a problem if there weren’t such a lop-sided weighting over to the left side. Surely America is not made up of ninety percent liberals. What has made this situation? Could it be the money? Just consider this: Every two years there’s an election and candidates together with their money raising machines gather huge sums of money to ensure their election. Did you ever wonder where all that money goes? How about to the newspapers, television, etc.? Why has that become so necessary? We’re told that the first thing a newly elected politician does is to begin raising money for a very vigorous re-election campaign, before he does anything else.

Another interesting question is: What would happen to the liberals’ political party if suddenly the balance of journalists were somehow evened up? It’s my opinion that without the media bias this would be a whole other country. Our great historical heritage is being re-written by a liberal media. Situations and great principles are daily being compromised and warped into travesties that our founding Fathers would deeply grieve over as they prepared for another Revolutionary War. Without the powerful support of the media, liberal judges would cease to rule. Most Americans are so distracted by the clever subterfuge being laid down by this “out of control” media that the very pillars of freedom are being shaken to a dangerous point. Children are being taught false history lessons, they can’t tell you where Kansas is on a map and are being told that our Founding Fathers were mostly deists who didn’t believe in Jesus Christ being the Son of God. Mottos such as: “In God we Trust”, “One Nation Under God”, along with the prohibition of displaying the “Ten Commandments” are just the precursor to much more destruction to come.

I’ve noticed that everything being reported by the major news media about what is going on in Iraq is in stark disagreement with all the soldiers I’ve talked with, one on one, who’ve just come back to the states. Everyone I’ve talked to tell an entirely different picture than what we get from: CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and some times FOX News. Who’s zooming who? Why do you think our soldiers would come back from a tour of duty and tell lies about what is really going on? Could it be for the money he will get for lying about what is happening? Not a chance! While on the contrary any news journalist who brings back a report that shows how badly we are mishandling the situation over there is rewarded with money, accolades and awards. Something is certainly not right here folks and it doesn’t take a genius to figure this one. I say it’s the money!

Last week CBS renewed David Letterman’s contract for several years more and agreed to pay him 35 million dollars per year. Katy Couric is knocking down millions just to appear on the CBS Evening News each week night for thirty minutes and act out what her editors want her to present. The CBS Evening News should rightly be renamed “The CBS Evening News Show” because that is what it really is: a show done up in Hollywood style by actors who demand outrageous money to sell their souls.

I’m reminded by what Nikita Kruschev told the United States back in November 1956: “We will bury you” (without firing a shot). Maybe he knew something that we haven’t yet come to see.