The New York Times & The Last President

The New York Times

A journalist named Herbert Matthews from the New York Times went to interview Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra in 1957, attracting interest to Castro's cause in the United States. The New York Times front page stories by Matthews presented Castro as a romantic and appealing revolutionary.

Sydney Schanberg a reporter for the New York Times whose coverage of the Cambodian War won him a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting befriended his interpretor, Dith Pran to stay behind causing Pran to be captured by the Khmer Rouge. Pran remained imprisoned for years till he was able to escape on his own accord from Pol Pot's regime while Sydney remained safe half a world away.[After this article was written Dith Pran died on March 30,2008 in New Brunswick New Jersey from pancreratic cancer.  He was working as a photojournalist for The New York Times. Dr. Haing S. Ngor who portrayed Dith Pran in the movie "The Killing Fields" was also an actual survivor of the Khmer Rouge's concentration camp only to be shot to death in a botched robbery outside his home in Los Angeles California. Dr. Ngor told the New York Times after the release of the film "If I die from now on it's ok". Dith Pran had stated after Ngor's death "He is like a twin to me...right now I am alone." For me the world is a less brighter place without them]

Assoc. Professor Ruth Hochberger , a lawyer who teaches media law/ethics and journalistic judgement at the CUNY Journalism School chided the New York Times for giving prime space on it's editorial page to Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg to endorse Barak Obama. The article for The Huffington Post titled "Endorsed by Caroline: What Was the Times Thinking?" Hochberger wrote "One presumes that the Times has rather strict and narrow criteria for who and what they choose to publish...One would also expect that one standard would be that the author has demonstrated some prolonged interest and acquired expertise in the field of the commentary: for example, an academic, a published author, a former government official. To my knowledge, Caroline Kennedy had a brief career as a lawyer, then authored a couple of well-reviewed volumes on privacy and constitutional law, and a collection of her mother's favorite poetry. So, why does the Times elect to publish a column basically extolling hope for the future as the prescribed elixir for our children? Could it be (gasp!)... a desire for publicity? A certain knowledge that Caroline Kennedy's name.. will attract attention...If that's the case, the Times has declined a bit in my estimation. No better, really, than People magazine. I still believe.. that the principal function of journalism -- including the editorials and commentary -- is to educate.... I am suspicious of the motives of the Times in publishing her opinions. There are way more qualified "endorsers" and way more educated and involved kids of politicians (if that's what they were after) available. Their last names just aren't "Kennedy."

The news media strives on a twisted philosophy of:

1) Good News is No News

2) Bad News is Good News

3) Bad News is More News

But the truth of the matter is that the bad news isn't really as bad as they ever claimed it to be.

I do know this, the new Eighth Avenue tower for the New York Times was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano not Benito Mussolini.

I also know this, John McCain spent over 5 years in a North Vietnamese prison as a P.O.W.

The New York Times should do a story on these topics: John McCain said: "There's a person I want you to help me find when Cuba is free, and that's that Cuban that came to the prison camps of North Vietnam and tortured and killed my friends. We'll get him and bring him to justice, too."

In 1997 Robert McNamara went to Hanoi and met legendary hero General Vo Nguyen Giap who informed McNamara, that "someday the importance of Vietnam's geopolitical position could contribute to the stability of southeast asia" warning of the day when China will stir aggression and if so, Washington would need an ally to help contain the Chinese.

Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong were both communist but it didn't mean they were friends. Vietnam had struggled against chinese domination for over 2,000 years and even most recently in 1979 repealed a chinese invasion from the Cambodian/Chinese contingency. Taiwan today faces a possible invasion from chinese forces just as it did when it was called Formosa by japanese forces in 1895. The Roman Catholic Church had severed it's relationships with China over Tawain in the 1950's. The population of Vietnam is now 85 million and it's size is larger than Italy and almost the same as Germany.

On November 8, 2005, for the 14th straight year, the UN General Assembly voted to end the US embargo against Cuba. The vote was 182 in favor, 4 against (US, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Palau) and 1 abstention (Micronesia). Why did Israel set Cuba aside? I don't count the Marshall Islands, Palau, or Micronesia because I don't consider them sovereign nations. The US, well they have this strange love/hate relationship with the rest of the world. A rabbi spoke to me of Romans 9-11, the story of the jewish people being set aside and scattered throughout the world without a homeland and without a king which I believe is a warning for us all. Based on Romans, God is a sovereign God, and he will do his will.  God had the perfect right to turn to the gentiles because the jewish people would not seek the righteousness of God, which is by faith (9:32). They attempted to set up their own righteousness but people do not build up righteousness, they only receive it. God put aside his chosen people. He will put us aside lest us be careful we become self-willed and disobedient.

Cuba is about the size of Pennsylvania. The population of Pennsylvania is about 12.5 million and it has the 17 largest economy in the world. The population of Cuba is about the same at 11.5 million but it's GNP ranking is 167 among other nations.

"Judge a Book by it's cover"

The New York Times has also contributed great articles. They did expose the disgraced Governor of New York but it was Suffolk Life's Newspaper Editor & Publisher David J. Willmott Sr., who wrote in the March 5, 2008 Issue that the Spitzer crowd proposed to enact a law that placed a tax on illegal marijuana, cocaine, and other illegal drugs. The tax would be imposed when drug dealers were caught selling illegal drugs. Willmott stated that enough money could be raised to start an advertising campaign encouraging New York State residents to help the economy by using illegal drugs. He also stated that such a stupid idea from government officials should get Eliot Spitzer to stand in front of his own steamroller and save the people of New York two and half more years of political stupidity. Not to worry The New York Times saved us those two and a half years. This is unlike California where some police departments use psychics to solve crimes..and Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to change the Constitution of the United States to benefit himself.

Who Really Lost World War II?

It doesn't matter how you judge someone. If you are blind. If you are black. If you are a woman. Does it make a difference?Politicians need to be judged by what they are and their actions.Being politically correct is not correct at all. Being politcally correct is being the class monitor. People must be permitted to speak the truth. Bill Cunningham and Geraldine Ferrara have every right to voice their opinion. One is no better a politician if he were black or female but they are all definitely most blind.

By the end of this presidential campaign the general public shall be claiming that the Taliban Rocks, Obama Bin Laden is a war hero, Saddam Hussein is a martyr and everything is groovy. For the amercian public there's always rorschach and prozac as they cling to their bibles or they can simply drink the water.

There can only be one president.

"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD". Isaiah 54:17