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Putting the News in Perspective
By David R. Zukerman, NYC and Winsted
Just one year ago—June 26, 2001—the Washington Post reported the comment of Senator Richard C. Shelby, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, that we had Osama bin Laden on the run. I mention this to indicate how old stories put current news in some perspective, as Senator Shelby, more recently, has reportedly been critical of our intelligence lapses concerning the activities of bin Laden. Senator Shelby acknowledged that bin Laden was trying to keep "one step ahead of our intelligence" and he also said, last June, that our CIA was "doing a lot better—I've seen it. But they've got a long way to go."
I mention this as I acknowledge that I have a certain amount of old newspapers, and they can indeed help put a perspective on current reports. But perspective can be gained from a current report, as well. On June 12 the New York Times had an article on Poland that mentioned how the Polish city of Szczecin was previously the German city of Stettin. The paper did not explain how the transfer took place. If the transfer resulted from Germany's defeat in World War II, the item has significance to the Middle East—where, since 1967, we have heard that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible. Is this inadmissibility limited to the Middle East and only to gains by Israel in response to Arab belligerence? Sadly, the atrocities committed against Israeli civilians make it fairly clear that Israel's enemies are quite prepared to use force to gain their aims.
George Stephanopoulos was reported, on June 19, to be the new anchor of ABC's This Week program. My old newspapers have a photo of Mr. Stephanopoulos, when he was an aide to President Clinton, walking next to the president, who kind of towered over him. Mr. Stephanopoulos was said to be qualified for his new assignment after being with ABC News for five years. Other than his service in the Clinton Administration, however, it is not clear what qualified Mr. Stephanopoulos to be hired by ABC News five years ago.
I don’t know how much Mr. Stephanopoulos, as a member of the Washington elite, will link up with the rest of us. But going over my old newspapers, I think I caught his former boss’s secret. Every once in a while, when he needed a break, perhaps, from his favorite activity of going to fundraisers around the country (adding more distance between himself and the grassroots), Mr. Clinton would show up at the place of a natural disaster and hug a victim. He was fairly good in pretending that he was close to us.
The Republicans, I am still convinced, got majorities in the House and Senate in 1994 because there was no other viable alternative to the Democrats. We have since learned that we still need a viable alternative to politicians whose aim is political ambition, and who assist those seeking the "ambitious sacrifice of the many for the aggrandizement of the few."
George Stephanopoulos was quoted in the Washington Post on June 19, describing himself as "blessed" to have the anchor post at This Week. I, on the other hand, appreciate having been given the honor of getting thrashed by politicians who ignored the property tax rules in New York City—at the same time that I was being ignored by the big shot media when I tried to call their attention to my reality.
To prove Republican ineffectiveness, a Democratic congressman in Queens wrote to a judge who was hearing the Dayton Seaside bankruptcy case. (I have mentioned this previously in The Voice.) The Constitution created a three-way form of government, and legislators are not supposed to influence judges in making a decision. I think that Democrats would have yelled very loudly in protest had a Republican tried to influence a judge, but this Democrat acted improperly and no Republican took notice.
Well, Dayton Seaside is over; the property was sold on December 11, 2001. There are still a few loose ends, but I did not get wiped out. The only thing that was erased for me was the notion that the government has to follow the rules, just like the rest of us.
There is an observation in Federalist No. 41: "A bad cause seldom fails to betray itself." It is up to us, using some self-determination, to speak up when we see a bad cause happening. Certainly we can’t expect media elites, like the folks at the networks, to take notice when officials hit us below the constitutional belt.
I should add one more thing. If Rudy Giuliani gets federal power, my Dayton Seaside experience says: Watch out!
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