A Leftwing Journalist Admonishes

George Rebane

Darrell Berkheimer is one of our more thoughtful, though still terminally misguided, local columnists whose current crusade to “curb misinformation” and “halt the spreading of lies” is at its apex with The Union publishing his 24sep21 and 2oct21 back-to-back columns.  His main thrust is to find a solution to the government allowing “mass media to continue the spread of misinformation, lies, untruths and false conspiracy theories that create dangerous divisiveness and threaten individual citizens.”  To his favor, he does want such state enforced prohibitions while still protecting freedom of speech.

In his 24sep21 piece he attacks conservative media and quickly demonstrates that he knows not of which he speaks, especially when it come to C19 therapeutics.  But his naivete reaches new heights with his assertion that there is a government-discernible and “distinct difference between opinion and factual truth.”  Hence, we need to implore “our lawmakers (who) are long overdue to draft such limiting and protective legislation.”  And to help this process along, we grassroots citizens can “ask our attorney friends to recommend some suggestions and proposals”, which we may then communicate to our representatives.

The entire cast of his two columns reeks of the righteousness of the Left, and leaves no doubt that it is the conservative media that must be reined in.  He, of course, stands aside and above such crass practices of ‘fake news’ and yellow journalism.  Before one examines his recent record, it’s instructive to read – ‘Hunter Biden’s Emails Were Suppressed for a Reason’ - a well-summarized and pithy letter from Mr Dan Pisenti of Mill Valley, CA in the 2oct21 WSJ.

“Vindication Over Hunter’s Emails” (Review & Outlook, Sept. 25) rightly criticizes the press and prominent former officials for labeling Hunter Biden’s emails as Russian disinformation. But the victim—President Trump—is again disregarded. The Hunter story was neutralized to prevent Mr. Trump from winning re-election. Fair reporting of the graft and low behavior on full display in Hunter’s laptop could have kept Mr. Trump in office.

The media speaks often of “the Big Lie” about the election result, but Mr. Trump faced a buffet of lies spanning his entire presidency. Dirty tricks kept him embroiled in a Russian hoax for two years and left the stink on him even when Robert Mueller could provide no evidence. Congress tied Mr. Trump up in impeachment trials. The press manufactured phony scandals about him and his family. And then key states relaxed controls on ballots. Acknowledging the onslaught that Mr. Trump faced could help the press understand why he might question an election result.

Through his own condemnations and silences, Mr Berkheimer was one of our local co-conspirators during the ongoing epoch of journalistic lows.  Today he continues to wear his TDS mantle to comfort him as he looks down from the chilly and revealing heights of Mt Olympus.

In his latest offering Berkheimer concludes “The importance of repressing misinformation cannot be overstated — because it is tearing apart the fabric of our American society. It’s at the root of our mounting divisiveness. It is our biggest crisis.”  In consuming such heartfelt proposals to expand the reach of government to evermore precisely and consummately control our speech and thought, it is important to always note from which side such ‘solutions’ originate, and who then accuse their opposites of fomenting tyrannical government.

Comments

[The Etonian Fox]

Taking the side of the Elites, a la Eton-

Protesters are gathering in support of reproductive rights Saturday at hundreds of Women's March protests planned across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

"For a long time, groups of us were ringing the alarm bell around abortion access and many of us were told we were hysterical and Roe v. Wade will never be overturned."
=====================================================
And yet, the irony of forcing unwilling folks to get a largely untested mRNA vaccine, the first of its kind, injected into their bodies seems lost on these same people. Many of the un-vaxed worked for the last 1-1/2 years in hospitals, at danger to themselves, caring for the sickened.

How short is the memory of the Elites of Eton, along with the American kindred at Elihu Yale's school, et al.

[scenes]

"reproductive rights Saturday at hundreds of Women's March protests"

Wait one minute there pardner....

Are they saying that only women can reproduce? What about 'chest-feeding' and the like?

Luckily, they added a pregnant man emoji to deal with Our New Reality.

[Paul Emery]

Estonian Fox

I don't recall you taking the sides of families who didn't want their children to take required vaccinations in order to go to public school. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[The Estonian Fox]

Paul Emery @ 12:57

Not sure to whom you are replying. You need to read names a little more critically. This is the only comment that I've made here today.

[Paul Emery]

My response was to your 12:07

"And yet, the irony of forcing unwilling folks to get a largely untested mRNA vaccine, the first of its kind, injected into their bodies seems lost on these same people. Many of the un-vaxed worked for the last 1-1/2 years in hospitals, at danger to themselves, caring for the sickened."

AS far as I know this vaccine has been approved:

"Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older."

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine

[scenes]

Estonian Fox: "And yet, the irony of forcing unwilling folks to get a largely untested mRNA vaccine, "

meh, I'd say that at this point you can make a pretty strong case for frontline healthcare to carry a COVID vaccine requirement unless they can show previous infection/recovery. They require, what?, Hep-B/Flu/Mumps&Measles&Rubella/Chicken Pox/Tetanus already I think.

It seems to me that the odds (which is what all this is about) are in favor of the requirement.

It ain't like this stuff is gonna disappear in any case. You can expect most of the current requirement to go on for the rest of your life while the virus fades into a less extreme yearly event like the flu. Thank God the Chinese weren't doing Fauci-funded gain of function research on smallpox. At least Biopreparat wasn't selling bat meat out the back door.

[scenes]

sorry, I appear to have veered from Mr. Berkheimer (he/they) as a topic.

"I believe the No. 1 obligation journalists have is to detail the biggest problems facing our society, and then to report on efforts to resolve them."

I'm probably wrong, but I think I'd prefer to have journalists report on the facts of a matter, preferably from primary sources. Is that wrong?

I suppose that 'journalists' have always been champions for causes. If nothing else, it's a way for a beta male to achieve a bit of status and power. The wimmen love reporters after all.

[Bill Tozer]

Censorship:

"Censorship, in my opinion, is a stupid and shallow way of approaching the solution to any problem. Though sometimes necessary, as witness a professional and technical secret that may have a bearing upon the welfare and very safety of this country, we should be very careful in the way we apply it, because in censorship always lurks the very great danger of working to the disadvantage of the American nation."
Associated Press luncheon, New York, New York, 4/24/50

"Don't join the book burners. Don't think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book, as long as that document does not offend our own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship."
Remarks at the Dartmouth College Commencement Exercises, Hanover, New Hampshire, 6/14/53 [AUDIO]

the guy before LBJ

[Scott O]

Some moron - "I believe the No. 1 obligation journalists have is to detail the biggest problems facing our society, and then to report on efforts to resolve them."
I'm thinking 'journalists' have no idea what the biggest problems are.
The number one problem in our country right now is that we have a govt designed for educated Christians and the populace is largely made up of neither.
Hence - a great divide.
We are headed for a major upheaval of some sort.
'Journalists' and idiots are trying to blame Trump and the Rs. Have fun everyone.

[scenes]

"The number one problem in our country right now is that we have a govt designed for educated Christians and the populace is largely made up of neither."

That's an interesting point.

I'd think of it as a government designed by classically educated Christians and currently administered by people who are not.

Reading letters, books, or self-penned speeches by early US people of importance gives you a good smack in the head when compared to any modern notable.

[Scott O]

scenes - "I'd think of it as a government designed by classically educated Christians and currently administered by people who are not."
Exactamundo.
And the reason it's administered by those who are not is because the average voter is not.
A lot of the 'father's' of our country were not actually Christian but they were steeped in that mind set and embraced the basic tenets.

[Michael Kesti]

Anybody who thinks that allowing misinformation is more dangerous than allowing the government to decide what is and isn't misinformation is either evil or stupid, perhaps both.

[Michael Kesti]

Scott O | 02 October 2021 at 05:29 PM

I reject your premise that "we have a govt designed for educated Christians..." It was certainly designed by educated Christians but a goal that they accomplished was to create a government that is for everybody.

[Gregory]

Kesti wrote
"I reject your premise that "we have a govt designed for educated Christians..." "

That is NOT an accurate quote.

BY, not FOR.

[Bill Tozer]

Journalists Face Disaster as COVID-19 Deaths Drop

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/10/journalists-face-disaster-as-covid-19-deaths-drop/?

[Bill Tozer]

Year Zero. The Left tossed out all journalistic standards in the Age of Trump and they have no intention of going back.

2nd half of the essay worth a read.

https://wesleyyang.substack.com/p/personal-note

[Bill Tozer]

Lol. I noticed rather late that Manny Montez wrote a column in The Union. Mr. Montez always is a good read. Anyway, my comment was booted as I knew it would be. Yet, I find no factual error in my creed. Channeling Brother Todd, here is what I wrote. Maybe I was being too racist or somethang.

CONTENT DEACTIVATED – WHY?
“The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination”. I wish you had finished Kendi’s statement from his book you quoted with the part left out. I dwell on that statement now and then.
“The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination”. Yes, discrimination against whites is the point. White Man Bad.
We have reached the point of where unity is rhetoric only. If playing both the Black National Anthem and the US National Anthem before large sporting events, then it is obvious that Separate But Equal is back. Separated dorms are back by demand...demanded by those who do not want to associate with non-blacks, i.e, black only dorms paid for by the US taxpayer in many cases. Can’t blame them. There is a lot of white folks I do not ever want to be associated with either. Common ground.
While many have a negative knee jerk reaction to the statement ‘CRT is being taught in schools’, it is a distinction without a difference. The sum of the parts equals the whole and all those parts combine spell out CRT or Social Justice where the rubber meets the road in the public school classroom. Thus the only way to reach equity (equality of outcome) is to lower standards. The bigotry of soft expectations.
Now roughly 72 percent of black New York City residents aged 18-44 are banned -- banned -- from entering dining establishments. Are COVID mandates racist? The Dr. Kendis of the world would have to say yes. It’s Jim Crow all over again! To achieve equity, mandates would have to be eliminated.
“The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination”. That is the push

[Scott O]

Kesti 8:40 - "I reject your premise that "we have a govt designed for educated Christians..."
Reject away, sir.
It's not my 'premise'.
It's reality.
Our fed govt system was designed with certain Christian principles in mind. And that the citizens would follow (imperfectly) those principles.
To wit:
That humans had rights that transcended what other humans would grant them.
That we are a govt. of laws - not of men.
That Americans would be allowed unheard of liberty because they would control themselves with a fear of the Lord should they act in un-civil ways.
Of course the founders welcomed all to our country (legally) but for the govt to function correctly the citizens had to mostly be of the type that were there when the govt was set up.
We have now fallen away from the basic tenets of our founding.
Laws are now openly enforced selectively based on racist and political lines. Our God-given rights are now considered by the left as rights granted by the govt.
We are sinking into the morass of what our founders were trying to keep us away from.
Our nation is sadly no longer very well educated nor Christian.
If you believe I'm wrong, please sell everything and go live in the worst part of Chicago.
Until I see you do that - I laugh at your ideas.