Dear Jim, et. al., While this is not the forum for political rantings, I can not in good conscience let some of these comments go unanswered. And you, Jim, also know that I respect you and consider you a friend even though we have some fundamental disagreements on this topic. Which is why we never discuss politics but only make music, something we can both agree wholeheartedly on and that transcends politics.
Jim wrote: > > Fact-checking takes time, and editors must be paid, so accurate reporting is >time- and labor-intensive. Today's blogosphere, which rewards unschooled >right-wing loudmouths who spew half-truths and worse, has no interest in >that. To be truthful, and after all isn't that what we all want, this is not limited only to the right wing blogoshpere, nor the right wing as a whole. There are many on the left who are rewarded quite handsomely for publishing their half truths and lies. Film makers who produce alleged documentaries and former Vice Presidents who claim to have invented the Internet and be the Fount of All Knowledge regarding global warming come immediately to mind. > In short, you get what you pay for. Online articles are sometimes by non- >experts and are not edited, but they're free. Everyone wants things free >nowadays but complains when it does not meet their standards of accuracy