Too selfish too stupid too lazy.
I've deleted the past three posts since I feel people will get an entirely wrong impression of who I am and what I believe. First and foremost I do not believe, support, or find anything redeeming about Communism. My interest in certain television programs and networks. It simply means that I am curious and secure enough in my beliefs and how much I abhor being pigeon holed into either Right or Left. I tend to avoid events, especially public events, especially politically/activist ones because I have never been keen on playing follow the leader/leaders. I am a proud American. I love my country and generally tend to vote Republican.
I am not as incoherent and confused in my writing offline as I am on my blog. The problem stems from over a decade of straight reporting and a commitment to leaving my views out of what I write. I don't have that freedom and to frank I'm not sure I want it offline. Online is different. It's a safe and comfortable place to explore what I can't offline and to vent and explore. The Internet and now cable allow me to view various points of view. They are not threatening to me in the least since I basically do know what I believe and feel and it can't be shaken. I am somewhat all over the place politically partially due to a lack of knowledge of history and a disdain for politics. But for whatever reason exposure to various views through different media has engaged me in important issues, call it breaking the fourth wall or something along those lines. Fourth Wall? Go to You Tube and watch the Dave Meslin videos on the subject. It's actually quite interesting. Never mind--I'll post it here.
He basically discusses civics 101. I can relate to his beliefs when it comes to barriers to public participation in the political process. A few years ago I covered a public meeting. A city Councilman had been working with a born-again pastor who tried to reform himself after serving jail time for vehicular manslaughter by operating rehabilitation housing for ex-cons. His project on the East Side of Buffalo was an utter disaster with even some of the criminals on parole asking to go back to prison to serve the remainder of their sentences. It was that bad.
Enter the councilman who decided to rehabilitate an old factory in Northwest Buffalo by allowing this ex-con pastor to open a rehab apartment for level 3 sex offenders. The councilman at a public meeting on the matter seeking "input" from the public responded to criticism by trying to smooth things out and achieve a compromise with the pastor since the council could give him the zoning variance. Long story short, the council had agreed to the project and claimed he changed his mind once he released how many parolees and ex-cons would be in the community.
A second and much larger public meeting was held. Residents from the opposite side of the city came in protest of two issues--the pastor's disastrous project on the East Side and the city's failure to post notices of such meetings in community newspapers rather than in tiny font fine print in the large daily. The people from P.U.S.H. Buffalo made their presence known and walked out, a journalist friend of mine walking out with them in protest.
I stayed. I needed to cover the meeting since I was able to do so objectively. But I lost out on an opportunity to become involved and educated in civics and important issues impacting the community. Objective journalism is a double-edged sword for a journalist. Trust me, it is.
Sigh. I'm just trying to become more involved and aware, the source of the awareness that engages me isn't necessarily important but this is a tow the line world, and sadly why I haven't been able to read Arutz Sheva since last August after being denounced as anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and one who would have remained silent during the Shoah. Why the attack? I respected but suspected the motives and tactics of one of the Republican party's media darling.
Anti-Semitic and anti-Israel when just last week I received an enthusiastic "f*** you" from a fledgling Neo Nazi as I took pictures on a bike path where I had previously brought public exposure to the problem, which had resulted in online death threats to me, which were actually forwarded to a federal agency that investigates gangs and drugs. Yeah, you know, one of those three letter spook agencies. Oh, and the death threat also came with an online offer of money to kill me by a member of an extremely violent street gang.
They haven't forgiven and I haven't forgotten.
But I'm anti-Israel for the crime of thinking and forming an opinion about a media figure.
Picture: I was on the rocks here, the guy who shouted "f*** you" was on the other side of this polluted creek above a bridge.
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Regarding my post on the demise of the West Side of Buffalo. It breaks my heart. Taking a bus through the old neighborhood is surreal. Not quite a dissociative state but more of dream-like one. Was the wonderful West Side real or just a dream? The street signs were recognizable and little else. Buffalo isn't a segregated community but each part of the city tended to be populated by specific ethnicities. People knew where to go for the best pizza in town etc. They knew where to go for the best Polish food etc. You get the point:)
That's all changed. There's no longer an Italian Festival on the West Side but an "International Festival."
And everyone knows that once an ethnic community here has lost its identity the community has been lost forever and become crime ridden, a shell of its former glory. All that is left are vague deja vu experiences and little else:(
Gone forever. Forever lost from all of us...
So no, I am not a Communist, not in danger of being sucked into Leftist beliefs, but engaged enough to understand them more. The source of this education and awareness shouldn't be an issue. I'm merely trying to break through the fourth wall.
Long and short of it is, I am not as dense or ignorant as my posts and thoughts online are.
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Entirely Off Topic but I've been experimenting with HDR photography, rather photo editing, lately via photo editing. It's interesting but difficult. Done properly it should give a more rich three dimenstional look. Done poorly it looks animated and difficult to tell if it's a painting or a photograph. In other words, it looks like a cartoon.
Painting or photograph...which represents reality better? Each has its pros and cons but share a common flaw. Focus too closely and objectivity and perspective is lost. Focus too broadly and you can't see the forest from the trees.
Failed attempt at HDR photography and photo editing,probably too small to see the animation:
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