Midnyte's July 29, 2010 blog

Midnyte Has nothing really that profound to say.

I’m private

MAIN

Thursday blog

JULY 29, 2010 @ 06:20 AM

The media bias is really pretty annoying. I'm a middle of the road free thinker for the most part, because it seems both sides of our polarized political ideologies have assholes and both have good points. It is annoying how we try to bundle ideas. Why can't I be pro gun, pro gay marriage and anti illegal immigration and pro legal abortions and pro environment? It seems this leads to nothing but unrest. Everyone wants to package everyone else into these little mindsets and most of them just end up being stupid. There isn't room to agree to disagree but still be behind someone on something else. I don't know. I guess we are all lazy. It is much easier to just run the little auto fill script.

Last night, I was watching the news and they were reporting on the new laws going into effect in Arizona today. The way the media reports is ridiculous!

I want to talk about the reporting of the new gun laws.

What was reported:
New law removes requirement for gun safety training and background checks!!! And then a bunch of people freaking out about it.

What really happened:
In Arizona people have ALWAYS been able to OPEN carry a gun without training or background checks. Nothing new. The only thing which changes is the location you can keep your gun legally. Now you can concealed carry without a background check and safety class.

It is so annoying. I was familiar with the law, and happy about it and by the time that news segment was through, I was a little scared. WTF! I got over it but it upset me that they would spin the law the way they did. How irresponsible is it to not note that open carrying was always legal and we aren't suddenly going to have people who were once barred from owning guns owning them.

IndieBuddhist

Oshawa, ON

April 2009

JUL 29, 2010 06:45 AM

The news ( depending on the station ) is always bent to side with one " wing ", be it right or left. Nothing new there...
They handle their reports according to their slant, and how their audience will react.

Dierdre

SUICIDEGIRL

District Of Columbia, USA

JUL 29, 2010 06:45 AM

You and i are apparently Independent. The way my father explains it: "We didn't leave the Republican party. It left us."

It does not surprise me that Arizona would be so open with their gun laws. In VA, Background checks and concealed carry permits are required, but nothing to own and transport is just in the trunk. I live in an area that, despite having an NRA Headquarters north 30 minutes and Quantico south 5 minutes, is disturbingly gun-ignorant. I had a friend that was held up and pistol whipped, and when her twin sister came out unarmed and started stomping the fuck out of him, he just ran. No use of gun for which it was intended.

Criminals here are stupid. >.<

I'd love to know how you feel about the new immigration law. Me personally, i'm pro. There used to be a pretty significant problem in my county, and the police did a crackdown. The rest of the DC area had a fucking shitfit: "PWC is racist! RARRR", not having SEEN the problem. There's a major intersection in my town where a 711 sits, and every morning was overrun with 200+ day laborers. I once pulled up to the stoplight to make a turn in a pickup, and they started hopping into the back. They didn't speak a lick of english, so they didn't understand when we tried to tell them that we didn't have work for them.

I don't care if you're Mexican, German, Japanese, Norwegian, whatever. I'm all about making it easier to become legal, but illegal is illegal. Unfortunately, it puts the legal immigrants here in a bad light.

My understanding of the law (as it was practiced before the new law) basically states that if we arrest an illegal immigrant (for doing something illegal already, mind you), he gets a night in jail and is released. As he is not a citizen, we can't just kick him out. The new law would give police the power, if they find that he is an illegal immigrant on top of a serious crime they are in the act of committing, to deport him. Am i far off in this assumption?

((Sorry about that novella there. haha.))

Dierdre

SUICIDEGIRL

District Of Columbia, USA

JUL 29, 2010 07:01 AM

I just started becoming active again, so i'll go back and read them. <3

arbitraria

HOPEFUL

West Orange, NJ

JUL 29, 2010 07:56 AM

coalition, baby...tea party has theirs, i wonder how hard it would be to start a grass-roots internet-based uprising. i've been longing for revolution for over a decade, but considering how hard we have to work just to live, it's nearly impossible to take on a cause...it seems a lot of us fall into line with the beliefs you stated above, and there's little to no representation in the media for such "common sense" independent thinking. we're supposed to be inheriting this mess of a country, why not start our own "special interest group"? on one side is PC horseshit that makes us all have to walk on eggshells in everyday situations; on the other is this pseudo-traditional mindset clinging to nostalgia for a so-called better time that never truly existed to begin with. realism isn't a bad thing...

my boy and i are trying to collaborate some kind of creative project...perhaps it could start here? hmm...

_J0shua_

Middleburg, FL

July 2010

JUL 29, 2010 10:41 AM

I couldn't agree more. It's either you fall into group A or group B, or you are considered not "pure" enough to pass a litmus test of either.

The media, in it's long declince has given up on simple reporting the news and now have a biased spin on the stories that tell. Whether it be changing video, giving a single side of a issue, or nasty little quips at the end of a story..they slant the coverage to which ever side they lean.

THe gun laws and immigration laws in AZ are a perfect example of this. The outrage over the two laws and the media coverage of them..so how far our "watchdogs" have slipped.

Florida is in the process of passing a open carry law. I currently have my concelead weapons permit and do carry at certain times. I would like to see background checks and a safety training course requirement before the open carry law passes..if it does. But, let's be honest..even with a safety course and background check..people are people. The dumbshit crazy people..will still do dumbshit crazy stuff..with or without a class.

It all the uproar over AZ immigration law...Jacksonville, Florida..really has gone unnoticed. The Jacksonville sherriff office is required to check the immigration status of anyone it stop in the process of their duties..whether it be a traffic ticket or arrest. If the individuals are found to be an illegal, they report it to the ICE program..and start the deportation process immediately. Jacksonville has, (I believe) 11 cross trained officers who specialize in ICE procedures. They don't wait for the State or Federal goverement to get involved.

I know I'm a stranger..but have enjoyed your blogs..and just wanted to comment.

DevilsReject

Cleveland, OH

February 2007

JUL 29, 2010 06:24 PM

the news stopped being worthwhile once it became rated on the Nelson's. They're after ratings, nothing more, nothing less.

wyldewolfe

Montgomery, AL

August 2007

JUL 29, 2010 06:37 PM

got to love the way the media spins everything

WarSkeptic

United Kingdom

April 2009

JUL 30, 2010 01:45 AM

i don't know much about gun laws (I'm in England where basically no one's ever even held a gun).

Regarding everythign being bundled into packages, I sort of agree especially regarding media, but there are flipsides. For example i'm really into philosophy but philosophy is so inacessible because there are endless combinations of every point of view. It's almost impossible to generalise at all and yuo'll literally even have people with liberal arguments who still see a role for slavery and that sort of contradiction.

If I'm honest I think even seeing the media throws endless contradictions at us. For example Oprah Winfrey will be promoting an amazing diet one day but then praising the value of people being 'fat and proud' the next etc. So while labelling, bundling, stereotyping do all occur plenty ... I also think that, if anything, the diversity of views is stupid, boggling and unhelpful without structure.

WarSkeptic

United Kingdom

April 2009

JUL 30, 2010 04:13 PM

Thanks for your comments!

Since I posted that blog I have engaged with my silliness. I now do daft things like playing with toy soldiers (with 30 others guys) on Monday nights.

I spoke to my 26 year old chum Oliver tonigth in the pub (I'm still drunk) and his eyes lit up when I told him that my guitaring is ok, but that the silly stuff is more fun. He and I have spent too long talking about how our guitaring is great ... but the truth is it is 90% work and only 10% reward. It was nice to tell him that and see his eyes widen ... like I am the only person to give him persmission to - in his case - enjoy his hang-gliding MORE than his guitaring!

ZPO

Roy, WA

July 2004

AUG 01, 2010 09:40 PM

The news is just there to hold eyeballs and sell advertising. Just like the rest of the programming on the major networks. Most newsies are ignorant about gun, as well as, many/most of the other subjects they report.

We had a thread running on this law over in the Gun Owners group. I think you joined in the discussion. My stance is even if I lived in AZ, I would still get a permit for reciprocity purposes. Issues were also raised of civil lawsuits and such.

SEPTEMBER 2010

AUGUST 2010

JULY 2010

JUNE 2010