Where's My Newspapers?

It seems that on a daily basis I go through a series of whiplashes as one business after another either seeks the temporary shelter of Chapter 11 or, worst of all, going out of business entirely. Whiz – there goes another one, not necessarily a name I’ve ever heard but turns out to be another significant cog in the wheel of misfortune of the economic crisis.

Whiz, whiz, whiz – one failure along side a dozen others and I’ve got a very severe crick in my neck. If I should close my eyes to escape the worsening affects of a demoralized business atmosphere, the winds of change won’t shelter my senses from the inevitable bad news.

Over the past few years, newspaper readership has steadily declined, thanks to the ever-flowing streams of data on the Internet. As circulation decreases so do advertising dollars and subscription increases would result in further deterioration of incoming revenues, the announcement that The Tribune Co (L A Times and Chicago Tribune) are biting the bitter bullet of its own filing of bankruptcy. At one time each of these newspapers greeting me every morning at the front door – an entry door to the ways and means of the world.

I’m nearly distraught at the thought that my current subscriptions are in jeopardy. The St. Pete Times and it’s driveway sidekick The New York Times - I dread the thought of loosing touch of local, national and worldly news at my fingertips.

What next? The demise of other publications? The Economist, Time, Discover, Business Week, etc., may one day no longer fill my mailbox with their individual in-depth reporting.

I say with determination that I will never rely on the Inet to gather news as I see fit to read. It’s all time-consuming and cumbersome in the scope of sifting through pop-ups and countless clicking to find items of interest. Generally speaking, an item of importance can be supplemented with information on the Inet but I don’t foresee a day when I will accept this as a primary source of news; I can’t take it with me or save articles for leisurely reading at a later time. Cable news is too extreme with lop-sided viewpoints.

What would I do without the Hernando Times? Days without Dan DeWitt? The loss of being informed on community affairs? I get distraught at the very thought.

I don’t anticipate an immediate loss of newsprint smudges around the house but one day I may have no choice but to accept the loss of the free press as I define it.

I Cried Like A...

... person who embraces a long lost friend.

The blog entry “Good To Be Back… Or Is It?” was quick in the making after a lengthy period of isolation from submitting any letters to the editor of Hernando Today.

Finally, words that suited my personal acceptance was delivered, by e-mail, for consideration of being printed. A fine time to do it after a couple of months of the far and few entries in my blogs.

There was a bit of passion on the topic. A feeling of accomplishment for writing on a subject that got my goat. It was an opportunity to express emotions about the state of affairs in Hernando County. And I did it without the gloat of self arrogance.

The words came about as a second-round thought process. Boy oh boy the first word document was a bunch of gibberish, making comments about a variety of topics from Sundays’s editions of Hernando Today and the Hernando Times.

Goats, the supervisor of elections and amphibians. It went on and on, making a few points here and there but, upon re-reading the words, most definitely going nowhere in slow motion. I was rather upset when I shut down the computer at the end of Sunday’s hours.

What did I finally come up with? Monday morning brought about a frenzy and pointed thoughts on a single topic. A bite here and a lashing there. And what did I come up with? Something that brought back a feeling of creative accomplishment. Will it get printed anywhere else than on my blog? Whatever. The important matter is that it truly mattered to me.

Yes, my eyes dampened on completion of saving the expressions on Word Document. Then, the send key shot it out to be reviewed by the Editors. ‘Nuff said, ‘nuff done. The exercise was fun.

And now this somewhat private, candid explanation of my dampened pleasures.

May this drought of blog entries come to an ending.

No, I didn’t need a tissue to soak up the salty moisture. It quickly evaporated as swift typing on the keyboard added this very blog to my repertoire.

Newspaper Confetti

I remember so well during the final stretch leading up the 2006 General Election the frequent Guest Columns submitted by Mia Rushing and how she was always rushing to place judgment on each and every Democrat. Initially, I was aghast at such vehemence of distrust of her opposition party. Labeled a “grassroots activist”, I made my own judgment that she was every bit as “radical” as any protester in the 70’s.

At one point, I decided to stop reading her words of ragged patriotism, but the temptation to check out her latest rant found me a regular reader, deciding to accept her words as propaganda, at which she did the best of efforts to get her message across: vote straight Republican on the General Election ticket or face years of flimflam government, which was ironic considering the six years of George W.’s bush-hogging the freedoms given with the Constitution. I eventually took humor in her words.

I don’t expect Mia to contribute her words on the Opinion page this election. I would welcome her uncompromising positions (strictly for entertainment purposes, I assure you) but her work at providing support and services to senior citizens is of much more relevance.

Here we are: another election and another writer taking a turn at bat, although this time the swing is from the left. Frances Earl issues a Call to Patriots but there are so few true patriots enlisting in the military that her . Until there are sufficient troops to fulfill the needs of their service, we will continue to be labeled with a ragtag army.

A draft system would get those American fat-assed kids away from their computer games, cable and wireless services. There’s nothing patriotic about sitting on a sofa while real patriotism lies with others who are risking their lives, any more than it is for a cheerleader to root for a football player – at least the quarterback will get immediate and thorough medical treatment; there’s always a back-up player to take his place.

Don’t worry, I’m not voting against McCain… I’m voting for Obama. Just as I was very concerned in 2004 that Bush would be re-elected, I again feel a sense of dismay and fear that another Republican presidency will further endanger the middle class, continue to be at odds with historic alliances and wage conflicts against an ideology of an unseen threat of terror, and put the world at risk of expanding global war initiatives - with or without a sufficient military force.

There, I’ve done my best to make peace with the former vice-chairperson of the Hernando County Democratic Executive Committee. What could anyone ask for but to have a voter on the right side of your own personal view? Although.... as I would have voted in 1968 if I had been but two months older for Eugene McCarthy, I would place my for Ron Paul this election season.