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The Middle Road

Where has the middle road gone? I watch TV and listen to radio and see and hear extremes. The news channels are not sources of news, but unending docu-talk drivel. When our nation has so many problems, why is there fifteen minutes of Britney Spears coverage every hour?

I notice the lack of the middle view most when it comes to religion. The commentators interview the religious right and atheists, leaving the impression that the choice is ignorance of science or intolerance of belief. Why doesn't a commentator interview someone with my beliefs: a deep faith in God and an equally secure knowledge of science. I believe God created a universe with a set of rules that we (made in his image) can understand. The role of science is to discover the how of existence, the role of religion is to discover the why. There is no conflict.

Media Reflects Our Shallowness

I tried to find some news on cable TV earlier today. What I found were court proceedings, one for a murderer and one for someone suspected of assault. Our nation is at war, our economy teetering, our health care system a farce and what we see on television is sensationalism. The subject matter may have a lurid fascination, but it is not national news. The coverage of sensational crime causes Americans to feel less safe, to think that there is more crime and more danger in every day life than there is. I would submit that more people die because of the failures of our health care system than from violent crime. Our elderly are abandoned to substandard care because we refuse to pay higher taxes, but that's not fun to report. You never see a report on the quality of life in a nursing home. Do we fear that if we improve nursing home care, more people will dump their elderly relatives? In my city, if you cannot drive, then your time is considered expendable. If you are disabled and have no one to drive you to doctors appointments, then you can expect to spend hours on a bus and wait hours for one after your appointment. The media does not cover this because the viewer is not interested in the reality of the old, the disabled or the poor. Those of us that call ourselves Christian need to demand we know what happens to the least among us.