Here is a real "Inconvenient Truth"

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

And then they started to eat their own...

SNL could not have come up with a skit as funny as this is. The left spent years talking this talk. Can the leaders of the left expect anything else from their rank and file? It is going to be a pretty funny election season this time around.

The old gray lady ain't what she used to be.

When you sell out your credibility and become a mockery of a news outlet, is it any wonder that your customers seek reliable information elsewhere? The subscription rate and stock price are but a reflection of that.

Timing is everything. The post just before this one was just a coincidence but oh what a coincidence it is.

Must destroy Fox News!

FOX News must be destroyed at all costs! The last bastion of a free and unbiased news organization must not be allowed to stand. It can not be permitted any hint of legitimacy. It must be destroyed, no matter what must be done or said.

Read it, see it, tell a friend...

Watch the trailer.

This sort of thing goes on a lot more than you think and it is good to see it get some attention.

heh

"Priceless Politics" or why we need to start electing economists

Read part 1, part 2 and part 3.

The growing "non story"...

As the trash pile that was the Clinton presidency continues to get kicked, yet more cockroaches scramble out. Is there no end to the deception of the Clintons and their cronies? Here we are, all this time after Clinton left office and we are still finding out about the going-ons. Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger is still "slightly" in the news and this story is still NOT getting the attention it deserves. To add insult to injury, the other half of the "dynamic duo" is the democratic front runner. You get the government you deserve...

Hume was speaking "truth to ignorance"

Thanks "flipflop" at Hot Air, that is a spot on title for this video.

I don't think that Murtha is a coward, not at all. He gave much for his country and has the right to say what he will. As an elected official though, one would expect that he would have a stronger understanding of both what is going on over there and what his effect and influence is over here. To be in the position that he is and appear to be so ignorant of the effects of his actions and words is inexcusable. He owes our current solders so much more.

Dennis Miller on Bank of America

Go Dennis! On this we can agree!

Tribute given

It is an important and telling insight to see how one treats their foes both while they are alive and after they are dead. It tells a lot about the character of a person. Take for example the recent passing of Molly Ivens. This is what Kathleen Parker had to say “She was funny, irreverent and smart. It didn't matter that she was often wrong, in my view. What mattered was that she was good.” How often do you hear someone of the left speak that way about someone on the right, alive or departed? I was once told that “a conservative hates the message but a liberal hates the messenger” and that often seems to be the case from my vantage point. Conservatives often refer to what someone said, that they disagree with and will argue the point whereas a lot of the liberals that I have tried to have discussions with seem to take a different point of view as a personal slight and as a personal attack and as such, return in kind. This also seems to be a fairly recent change. I can still remember having heated discussions with others on topics ranging from the death penalty, minimum wage, government powers verses state powers and even religion over beers and still being friends that just don’t always agree. Now a days it seems most of the liberals I know don’t want to discuss things as much as agree on things and if you don’t agree, there is no longer any respect. As with Molly Ivens, that too will be missed.

Blogger upgrade

Well, after being anode invited for weeks by Blooger to upgrade to a version I did not want or need care for and setup a Google account I also did not want or need care for, I was forced into upgrading convinced to upgrade today. This is quite the coincidence as I was just reading yesterday about another blogger, maybe you have heard of her, Ann Alterhouse, who was having a nightmare difficulties with the new upgrade as well. Well after about 6 hours, my poort little blog has been upgraded and I can post again.

I really don’t appreciate having an upgrade jammed down my throat that requires I set up additional accounts and accept additional services that I don’t want. What is happening to Google? Are they turning into Microsoft? Is their vision the only truth for all of us? I greatly appreciate being offered additional options and services but I don’t appreciate it being pushed at me at the point of a sword.

Jihad Watch

Watch...

The economy

as ignored by the MSM.

“Willing tool, or ignorant fool?”

Yes, that is the question now, isn't it?

And column on same.

Hits nail on head...

When I graduated from college, the average corporate CEO made 20 times what the average worker did; today, it's nearly 400 times.

PETA kills animals?

HEH

Putting the Brakes on Light Speed

This is just too "cool" (hehe).

More Americans Rely on Web for Political News

I think that this is true not just for political news but for all news. I have not watched a nightly news program, local or national, in months. I just can not stomach it any longer. TV news suffers from two very big and very real problems that they just are not willing to acknowledge or correct.

The first problem is the obvious left leaning bias that is just so prevalent in TV land as a whole and the news in particular. When was the last time the nightly news covered a story involving the use of a gun for self defense that did not try to vilify the citizen? When was the last time you watch any positive news from Iraq? How about positive economic news? If any of these are mentioned, the news is always careful to balance it out with the bad news. Housing prices are rising putting the squeeze on first time home owners. Next the story is Housing prices are falling, causing existing home owners to loose equity. Most stories have two sides unless it is event reporting and it would just be nice to hear both sides for a change. A prime example of this was the debate a few weeks ago concerning the minimum wage hike. You could tell that all of the networks were for it based on their coverage. They were sure to include in each story the required reference to a single mother with kids, struggling to survive on minimum wage. At no time were the consequences of a minimum wage increase covered. If you only watched the news, you would think that there were no negative consequences at all. If you raise the minimum wage by around $2 which is about a 25% increase there will be consequences. The extra money for salaries has to come from somewhere. Some businesses will raise prices, some will delay hiring more help and some will fire existing employees. None of that is ever discussed as part of the news coverage. Another thing not covered is that the number of minimum wage jobs held by head-of-households is very small. Most are students and part timers. After the wage hike there will be fewer of those entry level jobs to go around.

The second thing the news needs to fix it’s obsession with the “human interest” part of every single story. A store burns down and the reporters ask the employees how they feel. A home is raided for drugs and the neighbors are interviewed asking what they think and feel. I don’t care what these people think or feel. They are NOT the story. The story is the event and every once in a while it would be nice to get a complete fact filled story about the event and leave the bystanders out of it.

By using the Internet, I can search for relevant stories and if they don’t get to the point in the first few sentences, I can move on. I am not locked into the news program’s format and forced to listen to 45 seconds of incomplete facts followed by 3 minutes of touchy-feely before the next story starts. If I am reading a news blog and I think the story is incomplete or misleading, I have the option of leaving a comment or sending an email to get a clarification. I can also just leave and not come back. The Internet is not killing TV news, TV news it is committing suicide and the Internet is just filling the void.

Comments on "The most fun you can have without being Tasered"

Read the whole thing if you wish but here was the money line:

It was an image that all of the local TV news stations carried that night and I'm sure some people did get the message she was trying to send. This woman is someone's mother. It could be your mother. She is in cuffs because she opposes this war.

Only problem is, his premise is false. She did not get arrested because she opposes the war, she got arrested because her protest of the war, at that point, stopped being about opposition to the war and became about stopping other citizens from going on with their lives while she protested the war. As with most protesters, at some point it goes from wanting to show their opinion to wanting to get attention by way of forcibly imposing their protest on others. Too many people have forgotten that though this country gives you the right to free speech, it does not give you the right to force me to listen to it or to disrupt my life while you do it.

Free the Press

I saw just about the most ignorant bumper sticker of all time today. It simply said “Free the Press”. I don’t know what decade the owner of this sticker lives in but the press has never been freer than it is now. As a case in point, you have the New York Times report on not one but at least two top secret government programs designed to track and catch terrorists and the NYT gave them front page coverage.

No one at the Times has yet to be arrested as a result of these stories. These were secret programs designed to protect Americans by working to capture and track terrorists and the NYT with the help of government leakers broke both of these programs wide open with just token concern for all of the good that these programs were accomplishing. Both programs were proven to have been run with all proper oversight and controls in place. The government was vindicated, after the fact. After the secrecy and effectiveness of these programs was destroyed by the Times.

How much more freedom does the above noted bumper sticker owner think the press needs? The freedom to splash pornography on the front page, above the fold?

Toys for boys (and girls)

Here is something that is way cool that I might have to get, a remote controlled dragon fly! It is very new and I have not seen this before though it appears to be related to a PiccoZ. A PiccoZ is for those that don't know a remote controlled helicopter that is extremely light weight and inexpensive (we are talking $50 to $15). They are not true helicopters as they only have 2 channels. One controls left-right and the other up-down. Forward flight is achieved by moving the center of gravity forward.

I don't have a PiccoZ but I do have one of these, a Blade CP Pro which is a completely different class of remote control helicopter. It is a full function, 6 channel, mini-electric helicopter. It as a full collective which allows even inverted flight. There are a number of RC helis in this class including the Micron, Walkera and Mini-Zoom as well as others. Some like the Micron line (which are mostly fixed pitch) are smaller than the dragon fly shown above. All of these are a bit more difficult to control as they are "real helicopters" and must be controlled like actual helicopters and due to their small size are very susceptible to wind and turbulence.

I also have a few zip-zaps and they are a lot of fun around the house. It is exciting to see the miniaturization that is going on in the area of RC. I have even see (though I can’t remember where) a plane version of a PiccoZ. The video I saw showed a father and his daughter flying a pair in their living room. I will have to get my hands on one of those too.

Dark matter found?

If this is true, it is pretty wild. Would like to see the "map" they created.

Think about this for a moment.

Posted as received via email...

Denver Post:

This text is from a county emergency manager out in the central part of Colorado after last month's snowstorm.

WEATHER BULLETIN

Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic event--- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for the government.

No one blamed the government.

No one even uttered an expletive on TV .

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.

Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.

Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families. Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.

We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.

We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die".

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate." It does seem that way, at least to me.

I hope this gets passed on.

Maybe SOME people will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living.

Now this is cool...

Blue Origin space craft, first flight.

The cutest Christmas song you (maybe) never heard...

This is about the cutest Christmas song that I have never heard and it has been around since 1953.

Give the page time to load and the song will play too.

The girl singing this song is Gayla Peevey. She is only 10 when this was recorded. More background here: http://www.theydeserveit.com/christmas/hippopotamus-song.html.

Happy Holidays!

Cool geek toys, #1

The "Cool-It USB Beverage Chiller" looks interesting. It looks to be just a TEC but that is like saying it looks to be just a DVD burner. 15 years ago, these were quite "Star Trek".

Heh

Karma can be quite funny at times...

And you have got to love this bit: What will the Democrats do with their majorities in Congress? The 2006 campaign was pretty much an idea-free zone and provides only a few clues.

A new essay from Bill Whittle.

and as usual, it is worth reading, twice...

And another related item worth a read.

Justice, Saudi style...

A Saudi Arabian court has passed sentence in a brutal rape in which attackers kidnapped a woman, pulled her into their car, and gang-raped her while one of the men used a mobile phone to videotape the attack. The verdict? Guilty -- for the woman, for the crime of being alone with men to whom she was not married.

Another example of Palestine pride

It takes a special kind of amoral ruthlessness to desecrate one of your own holy places and use it as a hideout and to shoot at your opponents. If such a thing were done by Christians, there would be world wide condemnation. But not when it is done by Arabs. In that case it is just an all too common occurrence and is treated as a non-event. It does not even garner much attention when those same gunmen use willing women as human shields to try and make their escape. In this case, two of the gunmen were killed as were two of the female shields. If this gets any significant air time, it will be to condemn the Israelis for “gunning down innocent women at a mosque” with little or no mention of what was really going on there.

As is typical, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas "saluted the women of Palestine ... who led the protest to break the siege of Beit Hanoun." Haniyeh urged U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to witness firsthand "the massacres of the Palestinian people," and appealed to the Arab world to "stop the ongoing bloodshed."

What sparked this clash, you might ask? The article states the mosque standoff came on the third day of Israel's fiercest bid in months to halt Palestinian rocket fire on Israeli border communities. This can’t be! There is a cease fire so there is absolutely no way that any Palatines or Hamas would be firing rockets into Israel. There must be some mistake.

Keep the kids out of it...

I think this sort of thing is sad and pathetic. Using kids to parrot grown-ups words in an effort to sway adults is exploitation plain and simple. It is just wrong in political ads, in protests and in marches. It is wrong when pro-life protesters do it and when anti-war protesters do it.

Leave the kids ALONE! Those that do this sort of exploitation thinking they are making a point are mistaken. Adults know these kids are not expressing anything other than the opinion of their parents and to use kids in this way just debases the message. If you want to express your opinions, fine and dandy just leave the kids out of it.

Voter fraud is alive and well in the south!

It just is not the fraud you have been told to expect. Democratic groups are already putting into action their game plan of claiming voter fraud and disenfranchisement of voters. It seems though that at least in Missouri they are playing both sides at once.

Let us not forget the tire slashing incident that occurred Milwaukee. Some Democratic operatives slashed the tires of GOP 'get out the vote' vans but there was no disenfranchisement there, gosh no, cause that only affected GOP voters and everyone knows they are just evil and as such, don't count.

This is sort of activity (and it also includes the shouting down of speakers at collages, the vandalizing of GOP offices, the false accusations and the purposeful misrepresentation of the statements and positions of conservatives) is part of the same mindset. That liberals know what is best for "us" and it is a shame that we are just too stupid to see it and as such, they have to do whatever it takes to do what is best for us. If that means lying, stealing elections, engaging in voter fraud, and vandalism, well that is just the price they are willing to pay to do what is best. Don’t you understand? They are being the heroes and doing what must be done for the common good. That their idea of the common good might not match with yours or mine is irrelevant because we are irrelevant and our ideas don’t matter.

Update 11/1/06:
Yet more possible voter fraud, this time in Kansas City. I see a bit of a trend here...

Regarding Iraq: Open letter to Andy Rooney

by Larry Elder

That is sure to leave a mark...

This is how you support the troops!

Aussie lass Beccy Cole who is singing "Poster Girl" in response to some of her fans who disagree with her supporting the Diggers, the Australian soldiers fighting in The Long War.

The Federal Budget Deficit: Bush Benchmark Achieved, Ignored

Yet more good news you will never hear about...

I was wondering about the whole "no economic news" thing lately as the economy is running strong, wages are up, deficit is down but the networks are mum. I guess this report is just part of the same "news blackout". You would think, by the silence that it was a government secret of national security or something. Wait no, if it was a national security secret, the Times would carry it front page. Maybe that is what George should do to get some press on this, slap a Top Secret sticker on it.

Boo Friggen Hoo

Now more than any other time in American history, maybe even in world history, a person is able to make of this life, what they wish. Hard work and effort will overcome much. Multitudes flock to this country from all parts of the world, even today, to take part in the opportunities that America makes available. That is key. America does not give you anything but the opportunity to fail or succeed. As just some random person, you are more in control of your future, here, now, in America then anywhere else in the world.

This being the case, why is it that so many continue to live and view their lives as though they were living in the 1950/1960? As an example, I submit the following:

In what amounts to a chromosomal crapshoot, I hit the jackpot. My award is beyond invaluable, because it amounts to societal immunity, failsafe and bulletproof, also serving as my key to success in virtually any endeavor I undertake. In fact, I should have rephrased that. I didn't hit the jackpot, I am the jackpot. I live pricelessly every day.

You see, following my conception, my identity anxiously bade the gestation period, awaiting the answer to the question posed when a white parent and a brown parent have a child together. While at one extreme, I could face prejudice, suffer discrimination, hate crimes, endure unwarranted fears and, in sum, take an insecure, uncomfortable place in society, there was also the chance of being wholly accepted, unconditionally trusted, overestimated, essentially enjoying a ridiculously smooth ride through life. I emerged into life red with dark, dark hair, evidence that I was indeed my father's son, but in less than a year my native colors washed away into a rosy cherubic theme.

Schools at all levels go out of their way to push and promote diversity awareness and affirmative action. There are EEO rules, regulations, and laws aplenty for business and government conduct in hiring, promotions and firings. Studies galore show constant reductions in racial stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. So why are so many still crying about a condition that is mostly cured?

I am white and have grown up in mostly white neighborhoods. My family would have been considered lower middle-class. I had some black friends growing up and they were usually better off than my family. Both of my parents worked. I graduated high-school but could not afford to go to collage so I joined the military instead and got training in computers. I worked at improving my career and life. I took advantage of opportunities and made some of my own. I am in my early forties, have worked for my self and for others. I am now at the management level and make a good living. I am still working on my collage degree. I hope to complete it within the next 3 or 4 years. I do not believe that anyone “held me down” but no one handed me anything either. Life is what you make it. If you are not happy with your lot in life, why not try working at improving it and quit your crying already? I would give odds that any random person in China, India, Korea (north or south), Africa, or the Middle East would trade places with you in a flash. So do us all a favor and just grow up.

Tequila Mockingbird

On October 3rd, Dahlia Lithwick had an article on Slate. It is titled:

Tequila Mockingbird
Justice Scalia opens the 2006 term with a bang.
By Dahlia Lithwick

The relevant section is:

Crooks adds that there are cases in which deportees have been extradited back to the United States based on violations of their supervised release, and that he may in the future want a visa to visit the United States, since his children live here. Justice Scalia says that "the doctrine of standing is more than an exercise in the conceivable. … Nobody thinks your client is really, you know, abstaining from tequila down in Mexico because he is on supervised release in the United States."

Nobody laughs. But then, nobody winces or flinches, either. Somehow, a remark that would have flattened us had a Souter spoken it is just a solid day at the office for Scalia. I have no idea where the tequila comment should register on the nation's macaca-meter. The more interesting question is about Scalia's deliberate carelessness with language, his sense that he is somehow above the sorts of linguistic delicacy the rest of us expect in our dealings with others. Indeed, he seems to think it's his obligation to be ever more reckless with his words, perhaps because he's about the only guy left who faces no consequences for his rhetorical body-slams.

What my questions is, what is the big deal? Why is she trying to manufacture an issue here? Scalia implied that Mexicans drink Tequila. This is equivalent to saying French men drink wine or Russians drink Vodka. The only problem I can see here is someone trying to invent an issue of racism or insensitivity where none exists. Dahlia, grow up already, everything is not a slight.

Geneva Con

Extracted from "Best of the Web Today" for Tuesday, October 3, 2006...

"Iraqi officers loyal to Saddam Hussain filmed their cold-blooded murder of two British bomb disposal officers who were captured after a roadside ambush," reports the Times of London, which describes the March 2003 incident:

An inquest was told that Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth, 36, and Sapper Luke Allsopp, 24, thought that they were being taken to hospital for treatment, but instead they were moved to a compound run by Saddam's military intelligence.

The harrowing ordeal lasted for hours until Iraqi agents killed the pair. The soldiers were buried in a shallow grave.

We keep hearing that if we don't accord Geneva Convention protections to al Qaeda detainees, our soldiers will be at risk of mistreatment. But here is how an enemy--one that, unlike al Qaeda, actually is a signatory to Geneva--treats Western soldiers. So what exactly do we gain by even meeting our obligations under the Geneva Conventions, much less exceeding them?

Who Should Apologize?

Kirsten A. Powers nails this so much better than I could. Read the whole thing and then send a link to 10 of your friends.

The center of all evil?

For those that believe Israel is the center of all evil and oppression in the Middle East, please answer me this: why if Israel is so evil and oppressive, do they allow an Islamic collage, Al Qasemi to be in Israel? Can you name one Israeli collage in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, or Syria?

Truth to Power

I find it incredibly amusing when I hear or read about some liberal or left-wing or democrat “speaking truth to power”. Right now, in this country, you can stand just about anywhere you want and say just about anything you want and this is the norm, despite what a lot of left leaning people/publications would have you believe.

Truly speaking “truth to power” was that guy in Tiananmen Square in China standing in front of that tank. Speaking truth to power is being a political dissident in North Korea. You know, places where people still disappear in the middle of the night to never be heard from again? Despite what some would have you believe, that does not happen here in America. There are ZERO penalties for saying just about any thing you want. Heck, you have people on cable news shows and radio shows advocating the killing of the President of the United States with impunity. If this were truly the country of oppression of free expression that some prattle on about, none of these folks would be around anymore, yet they not only exist, they proliferate. So save me your crocodile tears over how civil liberties are dead and freedom is just an illusion until after you have spent years in a high security prison, in solitary, for writing about wanting to be free like what used to happen in the old USSR.

Yet another reason I'm glad I live in Florida...

though as the author points out, the "forces of evil" will stop at nothing to roll back the tide.

MTV workers get nasty

This sort of thing is so ironically funny. The liberals/left are always going on about how they are the ones that support diversity, equality and free speech but it also seems they are the first to stop others from having their free speech.

Watch the video. And as to “Rock the Vote” see my prior, related post on voting: Stupidity in action, example #1

Beech Sheets

I was in Bed, Bath and Beyond the other day getting some bed linens. I was looking for Jersey Tee-Shirt sheets. They are really good, comfortable sheets that are soft, cool and flexible. I must have checked half a dozen stores looking for them. I finally made my way to BB&B and they had tee-shirt sheets but not Jersey.

They also had something called Pure Beech sheets. The sample swatch felt quite good so I figured what the heck and got a couple of sets to try. I have been using them for a week now and I must say, they are really good sheets. They feel very similar to quality tee-shirt sheets with an extra touch of silkiness. I do like them quite a bit. The BB&B site says "These unique sheets are made from modal, a fiber created from the beechwood tree. The result is a fabric that is soft and light as silk..." I have to agree. We will see how well they stand up to the test of time but right now, they get two thumbs up.

Update: 2/12/08
Have been using these sheets on and off since they were purchased. They have resisted "pilling" and have remained comfortable and soft. They have shown very little ware. A good buy indeed.

Healthcare can be good, fast, or cheap, and you get to choose two. Just like most every other engineering problems.

That is a balls-on accurate statement in one of the comments to the initial posting. My choice for the two out of three are good and fast. I can usually live with good and cheap but want the first option available when needed.

In a scary world, America can be scarier.

That is a good line and a good article. Read the whole thing.

I just wish that line above was the line that he ended the article with. Instead it was followed by: But it's all a long time ago now.

Sadly, he may be right.

Is the CFC solution worst than the problem?

I have just got to laugh at this sort of thing. This really is "ironic".

Once again, in their rush to "fix a problem", it seems that the environmentalists have only managed to make it worse. Cause, well everyone just "knows" that there is a global warming problem and has been for years. Everyone who is anyone. From Green Peace to Al Gore. So we must "do something" and fix it NOW. Why waste any more time with silly things like studying the problem to see if there really is one and evaluating options for fixing it when it is just so much easier to jump to conclusions and rush into action. Cause at least that way you are "doing something" and in this "feelings" over "facts" era we currently live in, regardless of outcome, you can at least say you tried to do something.

News crew still missing!

The Fox News crew composed of American Steve Centanni and New Zealand-based cameraman Olaf Wiig are still missing. It has been over a week since they were kidnapped while in the field in Gaza. Where is the MSM on this story?

Update: 8/22/06
What kind of asinine, partisan garbage is this?

...the Fox sales pitch has been to deride other media, to declare itself the one source of the real truth, the sole source of 'fair and accurate' news reporting. As a result, there's not a reservoir of kinship or good will with Fox on the part of the rest of the news media.

Actually, what is so awful about declaring in front of the world that you strive to be "fair and balanced" unless that is so out of step with the rest of the media that it causes you to be excluded from the club. Also, to be so petty that you will put ideology before being human is just sick. If it were a crew from CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN or any other news group but Fox, there would be nightly announcements as to the status of the kidnapped crew. But this is Fox, so it is not news at all and they just got what they deserved cause, well, they are Fox.