Don't Be Distracted by Forces of Division

There was a time when the news media was objective and fair in most of its coverage; when they had the capacity to prioritize, without any ideological or partisan bias. They knew for the good of their country what needed their full and undivided attention - matters of importance from the inconsequential and sensational that oftentimes creates a distraction that might cause the people to divert their concentration. Journalistic integrity was the order of the day, and tantamount to a respected profession's longevity.

On Friday, April 13, the American military, along with Great Britain and France, engaged in a surgical missile strike on Syrian facilities that it believed stored chemical weapons. This action was the result of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad having allegedly used this horrific and deadly weaponry on his people, innocent men, women, and children. In the aftermath of what was believed a successful strike, having destroyed a great amount of ordnance, the media, with few exceptions covered this important issue at first with what I think was adequate coverage.

But consider, although the United Nations approved of this military incursion into a sovereign nation, this was an act of war. There could have been casualties, though we were told there were none, and it could have escalated, innocent people were displaced, and there was considerable destruction. Following some hours of coverage, some of it denouncing the president’s decision to take military action without congresses approval, all the usual suspects, the so-called experts and armchair generals and the pros and cons of the Syrian attack, coverage gradually disengaged and faded into the background receiving only scant mention. Some might say there was no need to delve further and go in depth, and that the facts were apparent and the issue clearly delineated from the outset. You either agreed or disagreed.

Within 48 hours, with some exceptions, the print media, broadcast and cable news, felt it appropriate to revert back to the inconsequential, the nonsensical issues du jour surrounding their never-ending mission to destroy President Trump - Stormy Daniels, a porn star, whose modus operandi is fame and fortune, and the break-in by the FBI, at the behest of Robert Mueller, of the president’s lawyer Michael Cohen’s office and apartment. During the court session, Judge Kimba Wood allowed herself to be swayed, by lawyers from the New York Times and CNN, to have the name of Mr. Cohen’s third client revealed. We all know now who that was, Sean Hannity, conservative cable and radio talk show host.

The Syrian missile strike, the booming economy, the up and coming meeting with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, America’s now energy independence, diminishing joblessness, tax reform, and brave men and women in the military still doing battle on foreign soil with the enemies of freedom, almost all disappeared from the public domain and had taken a backseat to the whims of the media.

Most are familiar with the historical account of how the Roman Emperor Nero “Fiddled while Rome burned.” Many believe this is mere legend and has over the centuries been recast and lost in translation some of its validity. But it can act as a metaphor for modern times, and today’s fiddling media - don’t be swayed or caught off guard by those entities that seek to sow the seeds of discontent, the ideologically agenda-driven forces of division, dissension in the media and political class and the liberal establishment. Their modus operandi is to distract, and in their minds hopefully divert your attention to the sensational and often time tawdry stories, so as to detract from the achievements of the Trump administration.