The recent praise The Chronicle’s letters to the editor section received from a contributor is entirely earned, and the distinction has been deserved for quite some time now.
Personally, I am very indebted to The Chronicle for enduring my voice “crying in the wilderness” for the past two decades. I have had a vague suspicion that my early contributions were simply an opportunity to display a rare and novel curiosity in the newspaper’s display case.
Looks like it’s time to move over. Quit shoving, guys!
However, the jury is still out in deciding if “‘fair and balanced” is the new guide post of this publication. There are two other public places guided by The Chronicle where one gets the impression that confessions are being unintentionally leaked from a live microphone.
Ruling over KELA’s “Let’s Talk About It” twice a week, one can clearly hear our newspaper publisher Chad Taylor’s stance against the loyal opposition, which is currently going by the term (drum roll) “them.”
Quotes from a half hour sample gives us the facts:
“They” are defined as victims of Trump Derangement Syndrome who have no sense of respect and are “evil, diseased, stupid, insane, inhuman, crazy whack jobs.”
Yeah, balance is a nice idea on paper, but sometimes it is necessary to quickly hang up on an opposing caller and then explain to the audience what that caller meant to say: What he was trying to say was that he wants open borders so drug addicts can come into women’s restrooms to commit robbery, rape and murder. Now, let’s have a word from a kindly old grandmother type bragging about riding in the bus, passing the No Kings protest and giving them the finger, because “they are so stupid.”
P.S.: One of their “favorite callers” once demonstrated to me that pondering and quoting the Bible in the letters section proves that I don’t believe in God.
And then there’s the uncensored Facebook page, where you can encounter a vast host of our locals exhibit their remarkable skills in packing multiple profanities into one sentence. This is a place where one can entirely ignore the substance of a challenge to reason, and paint it over with personal attacks and threats. Crudely implied death threats appear here and there when appropriate, and of course, the “standard issue” vile and baseless insults abound continually when given a target.
The Chronicle rightly chooses not to meddle. Yet, I’ve been blocked from the site twice. Now, it’s a new tactic that makes it pointless: No one can see my posts. No matter. Show the normal, everyday citizen a Democrat name in print and watch him erupt into a raging Hulk. It’s fun! It’s the Pavlov effect all over again.
Again, I do highly praise, respect and thank The Chronicle for keeping this forum open. This publication of my composition clearly illustrates that they believe the republic can bear the burden.
P.S., Mr. Kim, quoting me proves you believe in God.
Dennis Shain
Centralia
