TAGGED AGAIN

Yes, it's happened again. Tagged for a meme. As I've said before, I really am not into these things. I do think this one is kind of interesting, and I will do it - at least the first four rules. I won't do the fifth rule, because it involves other people, and I don't know many who would be willing to comply.


This is the one involving books, which is why I like it. The rules are:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.


Let me do the last first. I was tagged by Nonizamboni, of Peacock Blue, God bless her. And that's as much of #5 that I will do. Because I love to encourage people to read, I also do encourage anyone interested to try this one, but I won't tag them.



I love to read. Unfortunately, in recent days my eyes won't allow me to do much reading. I'm struggling with newspapers, and a very few books. My dear blogger friend, Caroline, of Caroline's Crayons, did a wonderful post a while back, suggesting that her readers get hold of a book called Moyers on America. I'm happy to say that I did find the book, and have been reading it, a little at a time, as my old eyes will let me. Haven't made it to page 123 yet, but I turned to it today. It is a chapter written in 2003, titled The Fight of Our Lives, in which Mr. Moyers is discussing media reform.

He is speaking of Ted Gup, a journalism teacher, who is, in turn, speaking of Jerry Springer:

"He does not speak for me. Yet 'the media' speaks for us all."

The third sentence returns to Mr. Moyers' own words:

"That's how I felt when I saw Oliver North reporting on Fox from Iraq, pressing our embattled troops to respond to his repetitious and belittling question, 'Does Fox rock? Does Fox rock?'"

He continues, saying that he and Oliver North are part of the same media, but "are not part of the same message."

(I'm sorry - Blogger will not let me change from Italics.)
I have not yet read the entire chapter in depth. I will manage that eventually, little by little, as I will continue to read the entire book. It is well worth reading. But I did skim it, and found what has to be a key phrase: "Democracy can't exist without an informed public." Surely most of us are by now aware that our television cable networks do not give us the real deal, and that our government controls much of the media in the name of "national security" because some things just must be labeled "Top Secret". Thank God for PBS.


Enough. I will get off my soap box. Please, read the book.

OK, Nonizamboni! I did it! And I must say, I kind of enjoyed it.