There have been a great number of debates this primary season. Some have been more interesting than others. Some have been soporific and a few have had some exciting moments. While there may be those who take issue with how some of these debates have been formatted, none of them have been truly ridiculous. That is, until now.

On December 27^th the ION Television network (formerly PAX) will be hosting a debate. It’s being billed as the last major debate before the Iowa Caucuses. The ION network claims to reach 99 Million viewers. I’m not sure how many will actually tune in when they realize what is involved.

The debate is being sponsored by everyone’s favorite birther Donald “The Donald” Trump, and Newsmax, considered to be one of the premiere Republican-leaning/conservative media outlets. The fact that Trump is involved should be a warning sign that things are not going to be as … well, straight as some of the other debates. That’s when things go absolutely wacky, for lack of a better turn of phrase.

As with all the other debates to date, it has been deemed necessary to have the Main Stream Media involved, even in this, which seems to be a prime opportunity for unleashing the power of the alternative media. This might have been okay if the organizers had gone for some personalities who have some credit in more conservative circles, perhaps Jake Tapper or Andrew Malcolm.

As mentioned, the folks in charge went in a completely different direction. The head of the debate staff is one Eason Jordan. Now, that name might be somewhat familiar to some readers. He has received 4 Emmys, 2 Peabodys and is the first living person to receive the Livingstone Award’s “Special Citation For Outstanding Achievement.”

He also admitted to covering up Saddam Hussein’s atrocities in Iraq for the privilege of access to the regime.

(more…)

- Lee Enterprises goes belly up.

- Fox says it was left off of Facebook’s Most Shared Stories for 2011.

In May, FoxNews.com wrote about a quirky page on the Centers for Disease Control’s website that advises viewers how to deal with a potential zombie apocalypse (strange but true). That story received 38,649 Facebook shares — well within the boundaries of the two New York Times stories, but not included in the list.

Other stories from FoxNews should have made the list as well, such as a September story about the White House condemning the death sentence of an Iranian pastor. It received 26,208 shares.

- But what happens if reporter Chelsea Clinton goes into politics? Newsbusters has more.

- “Tebow’s prayers are … flagrant end zone dance.”

Tebow is free to give “mad respect” to his lord, but I’d rather he do it on his own time. A number of players cross themselves on every play, but they do it discreetly — and expeditiously. Tebow’s prayer timeouts, by contrast, are as gratuitously in-your-face as the most flagrant end zone dance. And they last as long. Yet, according to his supporters, all of footballdom is supposed to give him a pass because his purpose is holy. Isn’t that what churches are for?

Christians aren’t supposed to hide their religion and in an era where one of the most recognized images in football is Janet Jackson’s nip slip. It’s refreshing to see someone out and loud about their faith. You can always change the channel.

- Eason Jordan, he’s baaaack!

(more…)

The first rule in intelligence is to not get used.  This is something Robert Young Pelton and Eason Jordan should have learned before agreeing to become rock-throwers for the Central Intelligence Agency.

As I reported on Tuesday, Pelton and Jordan were upset because they “lost” an intelligence-gathering contract with the Department of Defense.  What stuns most people is that a man like Pelton (who thinks Al Qaeda is a myth, that the U.S. Military has killed thousands and thousands of people in Afghanistan and was publicly rebuked by the US Military and taken to task for his unprofessional conduct and reporting in Afghanistan) ever got close to a Department of Defense contract in the first place.

The level of incredulity is only added to by Pelton’s partner, Eason Jordan, a former CNN News exec who was forced to resign from CNN when he stated that American soldiers in Iraq had purposefully been targeting journalists.and that he deliberately covered up news in Iraq so as not to lose his Baghdad bureau.

Simply put, these two should never have been anywhere near the American military, much less a D.O.D. contract.  Thankfully at some point in the process, one man seemed to realize this. (more…)

I never thought I’d live to see the day when my daughter’s grade school newspaper had higher journalistic standards than the New York Times, but perhaps I just don’t dream big enough.

In all fairness, the articles at my daughter’s paper that appeal to the editorial board (longer vacations, less homework, a make-your-own-sundae-bar on every school bus) tend to get heavier consideration and better placement than others.  Unfortunately, the same can be said for articles that meet the heavily liberal bias at the New York Times.

But unlike the Times, my daughter’s school paper actually requires articles to be based on fact, be backed up with real sources, and it takes pains to guard against people who would like nothing more than to use it to grind a host of axes.

To that end, the latest axe-grinders granted access to the once venerable, now wrinkled Gray Lady’s anemic subscribership are Canadian Robert Young Pelton and anti-US military, ex-CNN News exec, Eason Jordan.  In a piece yesterday entitled Contractors Tied to Effort to Track and Kill Militants, Messsrs. Pelton and Jordan vent their rage at losing a Department of Defense contract and take outrageous outrage to new heights by claiming that not only did they lose the contract, but that the people they suspect took over are doing an even better job:

(more…)