Let the Debate Continue

It was a dark and stormy night...

It is a dark and stormy night...

It's still a dark and stormy night...

From out of the dark and stormy night...

No wonder Snoopy could never get past the first line. The wind and rain and lightning are too distracting!

Growing up, the breakfast table was one place we all managed to be at the same time. Dad always had the newspaper and we waited until he was through with a section before we read it. Of course, there was only one section in my mind for many years. The Comics. I always read the Comics to start my day. The newspaper was the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. During the week, the Comics were black and white and then Sunday was color. Charlie Brown was one of my favorites. In reality, I liked them all except the "soap opera" ones like Mary Worth (I think).

As I grew older, I started reading the news sections. Dad challenged me one morning in Jr. High. He started asking "what do you think about...." questions. If I didn't have an opinion (which I didn't) he'd say, "If you don't know what you think, who does?" "If you don't form your own opinion, someone else will form it for you." So, I started reading the news and becoming informed. That way, when he asked me what I thought about something I would at least know what he was talking about.

Reading the newspaper became a habit with me. After I moved away from home and went to college, I subscribed to a newspaper. I became a news junkie. If I didn't get my newspaper "fix" each morning, my whole day was ruined.

Sometime in my 30's I quit reading the newspaper. I became completely disenchanted with all media. I felt that the stories were slanted. I still do. I felt as though I was allowing someone with wrong-headed ideas force feed me the news they wanted me to know so that I would think like they did. I still do.

A few years back I started back to reading the news again and listening to Fox News Channel. I read the news on the Internet. I don't subscribe to a physical paper anymore. I also have learned to read and listen much more critically than before.

Blogging has added a new dimension to the news. It is a way to voice, and by reading other blogs, to read a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints of newsworthy (and not so worthy) events. Many times it can become a truly informative and useful exchange of ideas and information. Many times though, it is merely a platform for ranting about a particular pet peeve. I enjoy the exchange of ideas. I've always loved a good debate.