Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Week! 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1

Occupy Wall Street

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  In that case, the millions of pictures that pop up on the Internet regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement spells out something pretty dismal. Just take a look at the picture above. "A Job Is A Right. Capitalism Doesn't Work." I'm sorry, last time I checked, it worked just fine. What doesn't work is when the government sticks its nose into places it doesn't belong - the opposite of capitalism. You know. Socialism, communism and so forth. I'm guessing the Occupiers have failed to check their history books and examine the miserable end products of Stalin's Russia and Hitler's Germany. All sterling examples of welfare states and government doles.

So what if freedom went down the tubes?
So what if millions of people died?
So what if Germany basically self-imploded and became bankrupt and subservient to the west?
It's all about equality. Everybody's entitled to success. Right?

I beg to differ. The Constitution states that we are all entitled to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The pursuit of happiness. Of success. Nowhere in the document does it say, "you have a right to a job, a right to succeed, and a right to being helped by the government."

There was a time when people took pride in getting a job, providing for their family, and being an independent, entrepreneurial, self-made man or woman. Today the college generation seems to think they are entitled to everything good in life, without earning it.
Wrong. Think again.

Today the Occupiers were ordered to leave Zuccotti Park in New York. Packing up their tents, signs and trash, they will leave the rape, public urination and vandalism behind them for somebody else to clean up. That in itself is a pretty good example of the Occupy Wall Street work ethic.

Journalism's Decline

There was a time when journalism was respected. I have seriously considered foraying into the field myself, but I often stop and wonder: is it worth it? There are reasons why I question the profession in this day and age.

Take the past week's coverage of the Herman Cain sex allegations, for example. First of all, all of the women accusing Mr. Cain of sexual harassment are anonymous. Second of all, there are no details about what happened. Third, Herman Cain was not a part of the "settlements" thus he cannot say what exactly happened.

And this puddle of anonymous non-facts warrants 90 articles from Politico alone?

Journalism used to entail careful research, fact checking and a strictly adhered to and respected code of ethics. It was the journalist's job to expose criminal activity and uncover seedy business deals. It was the journalist's job to remain totally and completely impartial to political parties and beliefs and report solidified facts to the public. Because when the truth is told, people generally make a logical decision based on real facts.

Mr. Cain's "scandal" is not a fact. It is not a person. It is not a name. It is not a place, time or detailed account. It is a story, and by all accounts, seemingly nothing but fluffy fiction. It is the present state of "journalism" and I seriously doubt if it will be improving anytime soon.