The Union announced that it has signed up two new columnists — George Rebane and Russ Steele. Here are some of their views:
•Russ Steele is more than just skeptical about global warming. He calls it a “hoax.”
•Both were more than just skeptical about Earth Hour — both mocked it. During “Earth Hour,” the two turned *on* their lights (while others turned them off), took photos and put them on their blogs.
•Both are on the *far* right side of the political spectrum, not just right leaning. Rebane likes to write about our turn toward the “socialist state of America.” He calls Obama our first “socialist president.”
•Both like to point out how newspapers, and The Union, are “dead pulp” products and exaggerate its demise. Both also denegrade the hard-working staff and call the paper “The Onion,” not The Union. Now both are pleased to be writing a column — in the print version, no less.
One of the problems with our area is people with polarized views who don’t reflect what most of us are thinking about. We can’t learn from them because the views are so extreme — on the left and the right. People also complain when the local paper offers them “a platform.”
Our area’s demographics are changing — Obama and Charlie Brown were elected around here.
It’s nothing personal (and I’m disappointed some people make it out to be): I’d just rather be reading a column from a soccer mom, single mom/dad or any working person who’s raising a family here.
I just don’t find extreme views relevant or constructive, so I call it out. It’s what journalists are supposed to do.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Two thoughts.
First, one person’s extreme views are another’s moderation. Respect for all viewpoints in the battle of ideas is key, in my opinion.
As an example, I’m not sure exactly what I think about global warming. It’s clear the planet warms (and cools) in cycles. It’s clear we’ve had some interesting climate changes in the recent past. How much of that is man-made? How much of it is natural? I haven’t come to any conclusions yet. When I have more time to read and study on the issue, I probably will (right now, I’m drinking from the firehose of education reform, so there’s just no time).
But it’s interesting to me that NCVoices, which claims to be “one community, many voices” would post a disclaimer above one viewpoint and not the other. Is this kind of debate respectful of other viewpoints? Is it based on data, logic and reason, or ideological purity?
(I don’t know Anna and have never met her, so that’s not meant to be personal in any way. Just an observation. I didn’t see that as respectful of viewpoints other than hers.)
Second thought.
It’s going to get dicey for those of us who consider Russ, George AND Jeff as friends.
Aaron
>>Respect for all viewpoints in the battle of ideas is key, in my opinion.
Right on. Granted, we don’t yet know if Russ and George will suddenly become more well-rounded and open-minded in their posts, but, the Union is probably banking on the fact that they will stay as inflammatory as they have been in the past. It’s great for upping the ratings and the web hits by online commenters etc.
Seems to all just point to the fact that the reliability of the Union as an unbiased, well-rounded, discusison-promoting, ‘respect-for-all-viewpoints’ media outlet continues to fade fast.
The scary part is that our decision makers largely get their information from the Union and nothing else.
Oops. So much for ever getting an other voices published again! Sometimes being blacklisted is a mark of pride.
Respectfully Tom,
On behalf of myself, as an elected decision maker, The Union is not my only source of information. I make every effort to stay abreast of issues through many different venues and resources, including meeting with interested parties (as you may recall from our previous conversations).
Hope you ALL have an enjoyable weekend!
-Yolanda
Anybody want to volunteer to play the local versions of Amy Goodman and Arianna Huffington to Steele and Rebane’s local versions of Jonah Goldberg and Victor Davis Hanson? Just to make matters even more extreme?
Don, there are two weeks in the month open at the Union, jump in there and capture one of those open weekends. George and I were ask if other blogger might be interest, but we left it open, rather an recommend another conservative. Sharing a diverse set of views has always been part of living in Nevada County. Just be prepared to support those views with facts, not emotional pleas, and we should have a great conversation. Go for it!
Russ:
Thanks for your encouragement to get into a dialog. While I appreciate that my comment about Huffington and Goldberg and so on inspired (or provoked) your suggestion, if I were given the opportunity and privilege of having a regular column, I wouldn’t waste it in a left-right dialog, since, like the Polar bears, conservatives are standing on shrinking real estate these days anyway.
No, I’d use the opportunity to shine a spotlight on many of the mostly invisible (though sometimes reviled) people in our community who are doing work like trying to restore Wolf Creek, improving our deteriorating air quality, stopping the horrendous mine project, creating safe walkways for the elderly, bringing in sustainable businesses, and so on.
By the way, I differ from you in my positive regard for “emotional pleas.” We could have a fair dialog based merely on facts, but to have a truly great dialog, we’d have to combine facts with passionate entreaties (aka “emotional pleas”).
For instance, when we talk about the elemental composition of stars, we deal with facts about thermonuclear physics and spectral analysis, etc. But in order to truly appreciate the fact that, in the entire cosmos, stars are the only known forges of the iron in the hemoglobin of our blood — that we are literally made of “star stuff “ — we have to move into the realm of emotion and feeling.
Likewise, in discussing the re-opening of the Idaho-Maryland mine, an analysis of the facts of the DEIR is crucial, but so are the passionate pleadings of citizens who tell us they moved to this county for a quality of life that – in their view – this industrial behemoth would damage, if not destroy.
So, I wouldn’t waste the opportunity of having a column by limiting myself to mere facts.
The sixth comment was apparently censored, even though it violated non of The Union guidelines. There’s room enough in Jeff’s world for Rebane and Steele, but not for Keachie.
Or maybe there was a technical error?
Don,
Where would you like to carry on the debate? On your blog or mine, we should not be taking up too much of Jeff’s bandwidth and comment space.
Column: Perhaps you should contact Jeff Ackerman and see if he is interested in another blog based column for the open weeks in The Union.
Polar Bears: As for the polar bears standing on shrinking real estate. You might want to check your facts. The Antarctic ice pack is growing details here and here. The Arctic ice extend is now above what it was in 2003 and 2008, details here.
Air Quality: I agree we have many people in our community doing good deeds, but what are they doing to improving our deteriorating air quality. If you are talking about ozone, 90% blows in from the bay area and Sacramento. If we parked all the cars in Nevada County for a year, the difference would be undetectable. George Rebane and I through the Sierra Environmental Foundation have been working with the Air Quality District on the ozone issues. We have met with the NSAQD multiple times and once with a representative from the California Air Resource Board, and by their own admission and University of California studies the ozone model they use is seriously flawed. At best it is a public relation tool.
The Mine: I have a serious issue with emotional pleas over the mine. I worked in the engineering office at the Empire Mine as a young man and around the mine years on summer and school vacations. I worked the Blackbird mine in Idaho when after graduating from high school, before I went to college. The Blackbird mine became a superfund clean up site and my book on the Blackbird Mine was finally published last week. I know some thing about mining and mine pollution. They are engineering problems not solved by emotional rants. As a Transportation commission I know something about traffic mitigation, again another engineering problem to be solved. I am writing a book on economic development in Nevada County from 1950 to 2000 and know the historic economic value of the mine to Nevada County. The quality of life in Nevada County in the last 50s after the mine close was the pits, boarded up store, high unemployment, panhandlers in the streets, etc. My Dad and Uncle worked in the mines during the depression, which Nevada County for the most part escaped due to the mines in the area.
Star Stuff: Being an amateur radio astronomer and an member of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomer for a number of years, I appreciate your comment about “– that we are literally made of “star stuff “ –” And, as star stuff we are aware of the universe from which we came. A universal sensing of it self.
Systems: I am social scientist with a lot experience with Air Force large scale systems. I worked for an aerospace and automotive company for 16 years as a conceptual design engineer after leaving the AF. I lived and worked in a fact base engineering world, emotional pleas cannot change the facts.
Don,
Yes, I know there are no polar bears in the Antarctic, only in the Arctic. What I wrote was misleading. The point is that polar ice is growing at both poles.
Russ,
There’s quite a difference between “coverage” and volume. For example, older appliances used to have a lot more volume in the white enamel department. These days the stuff you think is enamel will chip at the slightest impact. Polar ice can be six inches thick instead of many feet thick, and still give the same “coverage.”
The newest satellite just launched will give much better data.