"I think we've been flim-flammed by the religious right."

Both parties impressed by voter turnout

By Steve Nash -- Brownwood Bulletin
Photo by Steve Nash -- Bobby Grubbs holds his 2-year-old granddaughter, Abby Johnson, Tuesday night outside the Brownwood Coliseum Annex, where Republican candidates and supporters gathered to await election results.

The chairmen of the Brown County Republican and Democratic parties evaluated the wins and losses of their respective parties in an election that returned all local contested incumbents to office, and placed a Republican in the sheriff's office for the first time.

In Brown County, 14,388 of the county's 25,677 registered voters cast ballots for a turnout of 56 percent, according to unofficial results from the county clerk's office. Nearly 4,000 of them voted straight ticket -- 2,652 Republican (18.4 percent of the total votes cast), 1,276 Democrat (8.9 percent) and 71 Libertarian (.49 percent).
"I think the overall voter turnout is something the entire county can be proud of," Brad Locker said.
Charles Stavley agreed, but noted the results weren't everything he'd hoped for. "The turnout, I think, was fantastic. The outcome (for the Democrats) wasn't too fantastic," Stavley said. Noting Sen. John Kerry's loss in the presidential race to President Bush, Stavley said, "I think we've been flim-flammed by the religious right."
"We had two Republican candidates who did not campaign at all. I was surprised at the votes that each of them pulled," Locker said, referring to district judge candidate Sky Sudderth and Precinct 3 county commissioner candidate Tommy Davis.
"We're seeing that Brownwood and Brown County are conservative, and the Republican Party reflects their views here," Locker said.

for the entire article please visit: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2004/11/04/news/news03.prt

Reality Check - What a Ride !

Local Talk Radio-
Wow, after more than three years of daily name calling, character assassination, gossiping, name calling, character assassination, & gossiping (Directed at the Democrats, Liberals & "outsiders" in general), Brownwood “Hate Radio” has taken to actually being civil. What a surprise ! The dirty work has been done and now the gloating has begun. They’ve even commented on how nasty this political campaign was and how biased the “other” media talking heads are. Boy, Talk about the “pot calling the kettle black” !

NEWS FLASH - This just in.....their back to the name calling !

My definition of “Hate Radio” (no caller id or delay buttons ?)
Talk Show Hosts Name calling (ex. cockroaches, pumpkin head or horse head) comments such as “ we (rednecks) will drag them gays behind our trucks if they try and get married in this part of texas”, “ we (Jimmy) ought to tattoo on the foreheads all the illegal immigrants we catch so they would make for easier targets” or “we (Shane) ought to cut off all the penis’s of the Catholic Priests since they don’t need them anyway”. This is why I refer to our local talk radio station as “Hate Radio”. ( Look out they may even use some scripture as they verbally pummel you and call for a boycott of your business ! )

Thich Nhat Hanh said it best :
“ In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us.” and “Hate Radio” knows how to stir the masses !

Texas Redistricting

Tom Delay’s “Exterminating” Redistricting plan was successful in “ exterminating ” Texas Democrats Charlie Stenholm, Martin Frost, Max Sandlin & Nick Lampson . Interestingly enough, the only Texas Democrat targeted for “exterminating”, who remains standing is Chet Edwards who will continue to represent President Bush and His Ranch in Crawford. I find this to be very ironic !

Winning votes on the backs of gays & lesbians

" In times of high anxiety, when a lot of straight men feel their
masculinity (read: power) threatened, homosexuals become a favorite
target. That’s particularly true when they are in desperation mode,
seeing their reputations sinking fast.

The “ majority ” voters responded in mass on the topic of “gay marriage” and overwhelmingly approved the bans in eleven states which also included civil unions issues. I do not believe anyone was surprised ( I know we weren't ) with the vote and the results ! Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee said: “ever since President Bush has been in office it's been an agenda of energizing the far-right-wing base, which is divisive."
" Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain

FYI-The Numbers

Presidential Votes From Brown County Texas (Are we the Reddest County in the State?)
President G W Bush 11,638
John Kerry/Edwards 2,523 (KXYL’s James refers to these as cockroaches, baby killers, pagan, left wing, homo-sodomites, supporting gay marriage, etc.,etc. and even addresses 10 & 11 year old school students with some of the comments. See our blog which the Bulletin published as a letter to the editor ! At least this is now a part of the “Historical Facts” of
our "Feels Like Home" community ! )

Regarding the Presidential Votes and the numbers. Apparently President Bush won by popular vote nationwide in the area of 2 to 4 million voters. To place this in context see Dallas #'s @ http://www.gdc.org/ed_DFWPopGrowth.htm.

Speaking of Dallas Texas, voters elected their first Sheriff who just happens to be a Woman, Latina, Democrat, and a Lesbian. See Dallas Morning News Editorial for their interesting comments on this issue (on our blogger page).

The American Taliban

By Bill Berkowitz, AlterNet

Posted January 22, 2004

Daniel Levitas, author of 'The Terrorist Next Door,' speaks about homegrown terrorists, the state of white supremacist paramilitary groups, and rising racism.As American soldiers continue their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Atlanta author Daniel Levitas warns that the threat posed by homegrown terrorists should not be overlooked. As evidence of the continued danger, he points to the case of William Krar, a 62-year-old manufacturer of gun parts and a right-wing extremist who has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a sodium cyanide bomb and is due to be sentenced in February, along with two compatriots. When Krar was arrested last April in Texas, federal officials also found half a million rounds of ammunition, more than 60 pipe bombs, briefcase bombs, land mine components, a cache of deadly chemicals and a trove of neo-Nazi, antigovernment literature.

source: http://www.alternet.org/story/17637

Supporting Law Enforcement: Aubrey Hawkins - Brownwood

KRBC-TV ABILENE TEXAS www.krbctv.com
STORY BROADCAST ON JANUARY 12TH ( 6PM AND 10PM )
Brownwood Joins the Search for Escapees
A larger reward could bring the Connally 7 to justice.
The idea hit Steve Harris while he was working at his Brownwood
restaurant. If the lottery can build a three million dollar jackpot in
just a week or so, he thought, why couldn't Texans take their
lottery money and put it towards a much more worthy cause.
Now Harris is turning his idea in to reality.

Since their escape from the Connally Unity of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice on December 13th, seven inmates
have spread terror across the state, and are accused with the
Christmas Eve murder of Irving Police Officer Awbrey Hawkins.
As of midweek, $200,000 in reward money was offered for their
capture. But Harris wants to sweeten the pot. He thinks if Texans
chip in that lotto money, the reward could jump in to the millions.
Police think the inmates are being helped by outsiders, and a
reward of that size could only help sway the sympathies of any
one helping them.

If you'd like to give to the fund, please send contributions to the
Irving Police Department c/o
IRVING REWARD FUND\HAWKINS REWARD FUND
305 O'CONNER BLVD.
IRVING, TEXAS 75061

KTAB NEWS ABILENE TEXAS WWW.KTABTV.COM
STORY BROADCAST ON JANUARY 12TH ( 6PM AND 10 PM )
Brownwood Grocer Helps Cause
A Brownwood grocer says Texans should send their lottery dollars for one week to build the bounty for the
capture of seven South Texas prison fugitives. Steve Harris is handing out envelopes addressed to police in Irving.

The fugitives are accused of killing an Irving policeman during a robbery. The company that owns the store where
the officer was killed is setting up a 25-thousand-dollar memorial fund. Houston-based Oshman's Sporting Goods
today announced the Oshman's Aubrey Hawkins Memorial Fund. Hawkins was fatally shot and run over during a
Christmas Eve holdup at an Irving store. Hawkins left behind a wife and a nine-year-old son. The 25-thousand-dollar corporate donation will benefit the officer's family in a trust fund administered by Wells Fargo Bank.

Donations may be sent to:
Officer Hawkins Reward Fund
c/o City of Irving
305 North Oconner
Irving TX 75061

Sunday, January 14, 2001
WAXAHACHIE DAILY LIGHT

Area native launches reward effort Brownwood man asking all Texans to join effort in capturing escapees

By CELINDA EMISON
Daily Light staff writer

A Waxahachie native is calling for all Texans to send $1 to a reward fund set for the capture of the seven inmates who escaped from the Connally Unit in December.

Steve Harris, formerly of Waxahachie now living in Brownwood, began the statewide campaign last Wednesday in an effort to raise $3.5 million in reward money for the capture of the “Connally 7.”

“We did this because law enforcement officials have said that $300,000 (reward raised so far) was not enough for people who might know the whereabouts of the inmates to give that information,” Harris said. “If we can get three-and- a-half million Texans to each send in one dollar, this will be successful.”

The seven inmates executed a well-thought out plan, and escaped from the Connally Unit in Kenedy, Texas on Dec. 13, 2000. The seven inmates broke out of the prison after overpowering a dozen guards. The escapees
have been on the loose since then, and on Dec. 24, while committing a robbery at Oshman’s in Irving, they reportedly killed Irving Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins.

“The police put their life on the line for our safety,” Harris said. “If it had been a Brownwood or Waxahachie officer, I would hope that citizens would donate a dollar to help find these criminals.”

Harris came up with the idea after talking to concerned citizens in Brown County and neighboring rural communities who were worried about the inmates, who are considered armed and dangerous.

“We got the idea after hearing that of a lot of folks in rural Texas were wanting to help,” Harris said. “If we all spend the dollar that we would spend on a lottery ticket, there’s no reason why we couldn’t raise the money.”

Harris, a chef and owner of Steve’s Market and Deli in Brownwood, began the effort by making a few phone calls
to fellow business owners.

“I thought why don’t we do something locally so I made several phone calls to businesses and friends and raised $750 within an hour,” Harris recalled. “Then we decided to expand the effort so we could go statewide.”

Then, Harris got on the phone and called officials in Austin and Irving to find out how to proceed with the campaign.

“They all thought it was a great idea,” he said.

The public has been warned not to underestimate the capabilities of the seven inmates. The inmates are considered armed and dangerous by law enforcement officials.

“These guys are creative, smart and cunning and I figure we need to use our imagination in raising this money so they can be captured,” Harris said. “Most people across the state want to help and this way everybody can help without draining all of us.”

The fund has already been set up. Interested persons may contribute by sending $1 to the
Hawkins Reward Fund,
c/o the City of Irving,
305 NorthO’Connor,
Irving, Texas, 75061.

“We have to take these things personally,” Harris said. “Any one of us has the potential of running in to the Connally inmates so we need to do what we can to get them captured.


In an effort to prevent a catastrophic situation involving the escaped prisoners, law enforcement agencies have maintained a heightened awareness since the seven Texas prison escapees have been on the loose, particularly in North Central Texas. Ellis County law enforcement is no different — making sure that all tips are checked out and investigated.

Early Thursday morning an all points bulletin was transmitted over local scanners saying the Connally Seven had been sighted near Troy. Reports indicate a suspect fitting the description of ring-leader George Rivas was
seen in a van. However, this lead, along with several others throughout the week, have turned up nothing.

Chief Deputy Charles Sullins said his department is operating as it normally would but that deputies and patrol officers have been instructed to be aware of their surroundings, especially during routine traffic stops.

“Our staff is taking the necessary precautions,” Sullins said. “We have to check out any tips or leads that may be in Ellis County.” The escapees are Rivas, 30; Michael Anthony Rodriguez, 38; Joseph C. Garcia, 30; Larry James Harper, 37; Randy Ethan Halprin, 22; Patrick Henry Murphy, Jr., 39
and Donald Keith Newbury, 62.

The Connally 7 were featured for the second time Saturday night on “America’s Most Wanted.”

Brownwood "Feels Like Home" ?

Brownwood radio host’s epithet draws complaints Host apologizes after some listeners, advertisers object to
use of anti-gay term; City Councilman also criticized for joking response to incident

By Gary Barlow
Staff Reporter - Dallas Voice
A Brownwood radio talk show host’s use of the word “fag” last week drew a rebuke from the station’s owner
and an apology from the host after some listeners and advertisers complained.
Talk show host Mikey Wayne of KXYL-FM, during a discussion about the Boy Scouts during his morning show
on June 6, reportedly said, “Why don’t they just have a fag scouts group,” according to several listeners who
objected to the comment.
A number of listeners were further angered when Brownwood City Councilman Ed McMillian called in to the
show the next day to say that he had won a six-pack on a bet that Brownwood restaurant owner Steve Harris
would call the station to complain about the “fag” remark. McMillian called after he heard Harris call in, then
called and also asked the talk show host to use the word again so he could win another bet.
“This is not going to be tolerated,” Harris said on Tuesday. “You don’t have to be gay to be offended by this.
They would never use the N-word to refer to blacks. They wouldn’t refer to Asians as ‘gooks.’”
The station is owned by Watts Communications, which also operates three other radio stations in the area.
Company owner Phil Watts said that he chided Wayne after the incident.
“He made a mistake and said he was sorry,” Watts said. “We told him, ‘We’re not asking you to compromise
your beliefs. We’re just asking you not to use that terminology anymore,’ and he agreed.”
Watts added that Wayne has since apologized on the air for using the anti-gay epithet.
But Councilman McMillian was unrepentant about his role, which he claimed was misinterpreted.
“I made a bet, but it wasn’t against them, the homosexuals,” McMillian said. “This whole little incident got blown
out of proportion. I’m a plumber, and how many jokes and ads do you see about the ‘plumbers’ crack?’ I don’t
get bent out of shape about that.”
But Harris and Jason Snediger, a Dallas resident with ties in Brownwood, said that the incident is symptomatic
of the depth of the homophobia still prevalent in many places in Texas.
The central Texas town is no stranger to controversy over gays, having hosted Anita Bryant during her crusade
against gay rights 24 years ago. Brownwood was also the setting for a still-unsolved 1996 murder that activists
strongly believe was an anti-gay hate crime.
“It’s been an ongoing deal there as far as racial stuff and homophobia,” Snediger said.
In 1977, Bryant, who turned her objections over an equal rights ordinance in Dade County, Fla., into a national
crusade, was brought to Brownwood for what was billed as Freedom Night ’77. Brownwood officials
summoned all the law enforcement officers and volunteers they could round up to meet possible gay
demonstrators from Dallas and elsewhere.
Prior to her appearance, one member of the law enforcement contingent at the Bryant event told the
now-defunct Dallas Times-Herald that if any gays came to the event, “Ever’ one of them would go back with a
dent in his head.”
Harris said that Brownwood has changed since those days, but not enough to suit him and many other
residents.
“This city’s trying to rebuild itself, and this is not going to attract outsiders,” Harris said.
“I’m trying to promote a community that’s accepting of all people. I don’t want the rest of Texas to hear that
kind of thing and think that all Brownwoodians are like that.”
Harris and Snediger weren’t the only people in Brownwood offended by the remark. Watts acknowledged that
at least three advertisers canceled advertising on KXYL following last week’s events.
“I made them take all our commercials off that station,” said Charlotte Parrack, manager of the Heartland Mall in
Brownwood. “I plan to keep all our ads off there as long as I’m alive and breathing. I don’t want to be associated
with a radio station that takes political stands like that.”
Parrack said that she’s sure Wayne regrets the incident, but said she wants the station’s owner to realize how
seriously she and others in the community feel about the issue.
“I’m satisfied that the DJ made an off-the-cuff remark that wasn’t appropriate,” Parrack said. “I think he
realized that he shouldn’t have. I think he regrets it.”
Nevertheless, she said, “Our ads will never run on that station.”
Watts said that as owner of the station, he told Wayne that while he’s free to express his opinion on the talk
show, he can do it without insulting people.
“I had a serious talk with him about it,” Watts said. “I very much regret him doing it. We don’t want to hurt
anyone.”

Blame or Thank Mayor Newsom ?

Nov04
Blaming Newsom
Thu 09:55 AM
Did San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom sink Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry?
A few readers seem to think so.
"I nominate Newsom as the new Democratic goat of 2004," writes Mike Duffy. He had more to say:
That gay marriage stunt that Gavin Newsome pulled last year mobilized the Christian evangelicals to vote family values in Ohio. The "defend traditional marriage" initiative in Ohio (Proposition 1) was the single biggest reason that conservative Ohioans came out to vote. It even scored higher than terror. Kerry ought to give Newsome his thoughts on the matter.

Regular reader Dave Zinman, a moderately Liberal Democrat here in San Francisco, wasn't quite that caustic.
Who's responsible for Kerry's loss? Well, it's clear that the evangelical vote turned out strongly for Bush, matching and in some ways exceeding the Democrat's distributed [get out the vote] GOTV machine. Who's responsible for that? Which individual is most responsible for energizing that critical base of voters?

Gavin Newsom. That's right. By taking a bold and gutsy step forward in a legitimate civil rights issue, he accidentally ignited the passions on the right. As a result, [Republican political strategist Karl] Rove's Republicans saw an opportunity and put gay marriage on the ballot in several battleground states, including Ohio. It passed in all 11 states where it appeared. Thanks, Gavin.

I'm not so sure about this. The gay marriage story was brewing in Massachusetts six months before Newsom said San Francisco should marry same sex couples. And I'm equally not so sure about the need to blame a specific someone for Kerry's loss. It's hard to avoid the suspicion that Newsom is standing in for the gay rights movement. Democrats can criticize him rather than the gay folks. It's a convenience.

Look, John Kerry was a bad candidate and every Democrat who knows anything about politics knew it. But he worked hard so folks held their noses. But until the Clinton folks took over – in early September, just in time for the debates – he ran a horrible campaign. Among its biggest mistakes: Clothing Kerry in the colors of his Vietnam patriotism and completely forgetting to address the controversy he stirred up when he led Vietnam Vets Against the War. That created the opening for the Swift Boat Veterans. Kerry did something similar on gay marriage. He supported civil unions for same sex couples but made the mistake – in the eyes of many people who don't think it's proper to discuss sex at the dinner table – of talking about Dick Cheney's daughter's sex life during the debate. For many, many straight people, talking about someone's sexual orientation is the same as talking about their sex life and they think it's icky. So, no Kerry did himself in, in no small measure by over-thinking his campaign strategy.

It's convenient to blame Newsom; it's the first step in the battlefield that will be the Democratic Party for the next four or so years. Right now, it's a conversation about strategy and tactics, the inside baseball of politics. But this really shouldn't be about tactics. It should be about something else. It's about leadership. Democrats need to stop thinking about how to win votes from people who don't share their agenda – which isn't much different from thinking of ways to con people into supporting you -- and think more about coming up with an agenda that people can share.

UPDATE: Newsom didn't mince words when he was asked about this.

"Maybe the Democrats should never have supported the civil rights in the 60's – that's why we lost the south," Newsom told KQED's Michael Krasney Thursday morning. "It's never the right time" he said.

"Maybe Kerry lost because Gov. Schwarzenegger went to Ohio," to campaign for Bush. "Maybe Kerry lost because he didn't have a positive alternative agenda."

And then Newsome started to talk about moral values and doing what he thought was right when it came to supporting same-sex couple's right to marriage. Now, I listened carefully during the campaign but I didn't hear John Kerry sound nearly as sincere or nearly as comfortable as Newsom did this morning on the radio. Newsom can make a case for why he can defend same-sex marriage; it's empathetic and smart and, sometimes when he gets going, outraged. Listen to the tone the style and the substance. It may be the sound of real leadership on a tough issue.

source: http://www.chrisnolan.com/archives/000591.html
(note: the taped interview I found very interesting ! )

Brownwood Discriminatory words, Political Endorsements and Local Media

Published on Tuesday, April 11, 2000 in the Cape Cod Times
Who Are The Bush People?
by Sean Gonsalves

Porch monkey. Nigger. Okay, now breathe....That's right, breathe. Let's talk about these words - words that became a huge public relations nightmare for the Bush campaign last week.
Ever heard of Charles W. Williams? Well, brother Williams, 57, was appointed by George Dubya to oversee Texas' law enforcement training. Now this appointment came a year after Williams said - in a sworn deposition, mind you - that words like "porch monkey" are not necessarily racial slurs.
He also said that calling my forbears "niggers" 50 years ago was no big deal and, in fact, black folks didn't mind white people calling them "nigger" in those days.
"I was born and raised with blacks, and back then we had Nigger Charlie and Nigger Sam, Nigger Joe, and we regarded those people with all the respect in the world. That was their name," explained the south-central Oklahoma native. "It just depends on how ('nigger') is used and who it's used toward," Williams tried to explain last week.
According to Bush spokesman Mike Jones, the GOP presidential candidate was not aware of the Williams deposition when the appointment was made. Jones says Bush has appointed about 3,000 people to more than 200 boards and commissions. The implication being that someone in the Bush gubernatorial administration recommended the appointment, a "standard" background check was done that did not turn up the deposition, and Bush signed his name on the official papers.
That's a plausible explanation. However, that would indicate that the Bush people, while they may look into whether or not a nominee has a criminal background, they don't so carefully probe civil litigation where they are likely to find evidence of discriminatory abuses of power on the part of the nominee (if it exists).
Of course, there's some truth to what Williams said. The intention of the speaker matters. And, certain words do take on different meanings depending on who is speaking. So on one level brother Williams is correct. But that doesn't settle the issue.
I've had numerous conversations with white brothers and sisters in which it became clear that they defined a "racist" as a person who intends to harm someone of a different racial or ethnic group with either words or action.
But, for sure, that definition is far too slippery. There's an important distinction to be made between a bigot and a racist. Yes, all racists are bigots but not all bigots are racists. Why? Racism is inextricably linked to power. Racism is prejudice plus power. And, I would add, racism is inextricably tied to history.
In Western civilization, racism was born out of the belly of white supremacy and nourished in a culture that systematically degraded black beauty, intelligence and moral worth for centuries, justifying some of the most brutal circumstances in human history; not the least of which being a period in early 20th-century America, where some black body was tortured and lynched every three-and-half days!
Much confusion results when black folks use the word "racist" to refer both to bigoted (and relatively harmless) whites who have no power over the life-opportunities of blacks and those white people who personally don't mean any harm to blacks but who cash in on white-skin privilege nevertheless.
For example, "color-blind" affirmative action opponents who remain silent, or support, racial profiling by police, banks or other businesses.
Now about the word "nigger." It is commonly said that blacks in general, and my generation in particular, are using a double-standard in that we call each other "nigger" but freak-out if a white person says it.
Again, we need to make crucial distinctions. We don't call each other "nigg-er." Some of us say "nigg-a." It's a subtle difference in pronunciation and meaning. For example, a black basketball fan might say of Vince Carter: "that's my nigga," meaning "Carter is one of my favorite basketball players." That's different from a pompous or angry white person saying "nigger," which conjures up images of brutal oppression, as it is probably intended in such cases.
I've heard Puerto Ricans and poor whites, who grew up in the hood, use the word "nigg-a" without their black peers batting an eye; and vice versa. Key word is peer. The relationship is among equals. There's no implied threat. Recall the scene in "Jackie Brown" where Samuel Jackson says to (and of) DeNiro: "my nigg-a."
So we're talking about power relationships here. Blacks didn't have the power to stop whites from using the word, so we flipped it around and made it a term of endearment in order to nullify its sting. White people with social power are criticized by marginalized blacks when whites relate to blacks unequally; not because of word usage. But that's still a small price to pay for white-skin privilege, don't you think?
I suspect the Williams deposition will not ultimately hinder Bush. The Willie Horton ad didn't prevent his father from winning the White House.
Sean Gonsalves is a Cape Cod Times staff writer and syndicated columinist. He can be reached via email: sgonsalves@capecodonline.com
--------------------------------
But in Brownwood Texas it is acceptable for an (1) Elected Law Enforcement Official to make these comments to their employee ? The "Police Beat" Reporter who writes column regarding this incident is replaced by another reporter (?) who then follows up “spinning” for the Elected Law Enforcement Official (2-2.5) with a column. Talk about a whitewash ! And with this knowledge (see email from publisher), Newspaper (3) endorses this elected official !

(1) Disciminatory language has no place in society
Almost one year ago today the subject of this column was Otherwise known as the good old boy system. When I moved to this area and watched the so-called blatant The offended are equally to blame. People who tolerate rude or questionable behaviors by ...
www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2002/04/10/653.txt - 10.4K - Apr. 10, 2002; scored 1000.0

(2)Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is a hard job -- Steve Nash
The young police officer didn't flinch when the guy in his late teens picked up a knife from the kitchen table. "If you think you can do that and get away with it, come on," the officer said, dropping his hand toward his holstered pistol. "I promise ...
www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2004/04/29/opinion/opinion02.txt - 4.5K - Apr. 29, 2004; scored 1000.0

(2.5) Six-twenty-eight, fight in progress ... 'Gotta go' -- Steve Nash
"Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agen...
www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2004/02/26/opinion/opinion02.txt - 5.1K - Feb. 26, 2004; scored 490.0

(3)Police Chief Endorsement
The community is fortunate that has a dedicated police force where the strength lies not solely in the numbers but in each individual serving on that force. In a model department, the force needs to be synergistic (that the sum of the parts is greate...
www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2002/04/28/1836.txt - 3.9K - Apr. 28, 2002; scored 899.0

Untold Stories - Lexington and the Civil Rights Movement

UNTOLD STORIES: July 4, 2004  

Front-page news, back-page coverage
THE STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN LEXINGTON
CLARIFICATION: It has come to the editor's attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission.
John Carroll, the editor of the Los Angeles Times, who edited this newspaper from 1979 to 1991, recently proposed a correction like the one above during a speech on journalism ethics. Today, as the nation celebrates its liberties and marks the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this report looks back at the hidden history of Lexington's civil rights struggle -- and how this newspaper covered it. Or failed to.
By Linda Blackford and Linda Minch / HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS
» The news was separate, but hardly equal
» He captured the images that papers ignored
» Civil rights timeline
» Merlene Davis | Past teaches us that freedom is for everyone
UNTOLD STORIES: Aug. 15, 2004  
A very long wait to be served
1960s' Saturday sit-ins at the Phoenix Hotel
This is the first in a series of stories based on readers' firsthand accounts of the civil rights movement, accounts the Herald-Leader has not covered until now.
* Commentary: Lexington erasing black heritage
By Linda B. Blackford / HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

UNTOLD STORIES: Aug. 19, 2004  
Sit-in a source of pride and pain
The hidden history of civil rights in the Bluegrass
Sarah Rogers said nothing and tended to her cooking as her co-workers poured salt, pepper and hot coffee over a group of protesters that included her brother and her niece.
By Joseph Lord / HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

UNTOLD STORIES: Aug. 22, 2004  
UNTOLD STORIES: The hidden history of civil rights in the Bluegrass
Her convictions nearly cost her her teaching job
Professor Abby Marlatt had never before been called to a one-on-one meeting in the University of Kentucky president's big, wood-paneled office.
* At the right place, at the right time
By Linda B. Blackford / HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

UNTOLD STORIES: Sept. 5, 2004  
UNTOLD STORIES: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE BLUEGRASS
She led as a UK student, professor
On the warm, sunny day in September 1954 when she began her studies at the University of Kentucky, Doris Wilkinson watched her father drive away and felt something many freshmen have felt, before and since:
By Jenny Robertson / HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

UNTOLD STORIES: Sept. 9, 2004  
Her essay won a prize, but she couldn't go to ceremony
Viola Davis Brown says setback made her tough, determined
The 15-year-old girl sat on the living room sofa in her best dress, her gloved hands tightly clasped, her eyes on the door. Any moment, a car was to come to take her to the Phoenix Hotel. There at a glittering banquet, she and other Fayette County high school students would pick up their awards in an essay contest on democracy in America.
By Linda B. Blackford / HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING  
AP, Washington Post: Paper Apologizes for Civil Rights Coverage
July 5, 2004
New York Times: 40 Years Later, Civil Rights Makes Page One
July 13, 2004

A story in Sunday’s Herald-Leader about how the old Lexington Herald and Lexington Leader provided scant coverage of the local civil-rights movement in the 1950s and ’60s has raised intriguing questions about Central Kentucky’s hidden history of civil rights struggles.
The courage, the confrontations, the setbacks and the victories that took place locally have never been fully explored in these pages.
We’d like to correct that now, with your help. If you have stories to tell of the civil-rights movement in and around Lexington, please contact us at (859)231-1633 or at untoldstories@herald-leader.com.
Please include your name and contact information, so a reporter can verify your story.

source: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/special_packages/untold_stories/

Untold Stories - Lexington and the Civil Rights Movement
& Brownwood Texas and The Civil Rights Movement

Brownwood Texas Traffic Circle

Brownwood Texas Traffic Circle
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

No Endorsements !

bulletin cowin endorsement
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Sunday October 17, 2004

Op Ed: Columnists
Core newspaper beliefs clash this political year -- Robert Brincefield
In preparing for this column I went back and re-read the columns I had written on the subject in '92, '96 and 2000. In all three of the years mentioned I offered my views on why newspapers make political endorsements. It is more than a tradition with me. I believe one of the fundamental responsibilities of a newspaper is to stimulate thought, discussion and in turn, action with their readers.

A second core belief I have is that this is the community's newspaper. I have worked for three different people who have owned the subscription lists, bricks and mortar, property, presses and the computers -- Craig Woodson, James B. Boone and Jeremy Halbreich. In my view, their names may have appeared on the ownership statements published each year, but they are merely custodians of the community's franchise. All three of them have placed authority and responsibility for the content, direction and management of the newspaper at the discretion of local people on the ground. It was their belief and mine that with this management model the wishes and the will of the community would find their way onto the pages of the daily newspaper.
Decisions on policy become extremely difficult when one finds that two of their core beliefs end up in direct conflict. That is my current dilemma.
Endorsements, in a sense, offer a point of departure, a place for readers to review their thinking on a candidate by evaluating the case made in the endorsement. They are not an attempt to tell people how to vote, nor necessarily to change voters' minds. Endorsements are recommendations based on experience, qualifications and the positions of the candidates on important issues. Readers may agree or disagree that the rationale for the endorsement is valid, but it causes them to consider the information and make their own judgment and to vote accordingly. If the endorsing process accomplishes that task, in my mind they have served a useful purpose.
It has never been easy to make political endorsements on the one hand, and to be perceived as objective, fair and unbiased by the public, on the other. We have worked very hard in the last eight years to be an independent newspaper, and to make political recommendations based on the merits of the individual and not on their political party affiliation. Yet there are still many who feel that the newspaper is biased and favors one party over the other. At the national media level the perception the public holds for the news industry is lower today than at any time in the 42 years I have been associated with it. As multiple ownership of broadcast and newspaper companies has grown over the past several decades, so has the percentage of the public that believe the media has swapped the "Five W's" (who, what, where, when and why) for the two "R's," ratings and readers. The irony in this view with respect to endorsing candidates is you do not win either with the process. You almost always anger as many people as you please.
Since the last election, and really before it, we have listened with particular interest to our readers about what they think of the newspaper endorsing candidates. Away from the passion of a political campaign we believed we could get a more objective view. The poll was very informal and not statistically valid, but it did suggest that a growing number of readers believe that the newspaper should not be involved with endorsing one candidate over another in elections. Some felt that a five or six-person editorial board is not representative of the community and has too much power or influence. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the camp that believes the newspaper board is irrelevant and the public does not care about its opinions. The common thread between both sides is the belief that the newspaper should provide the information and background on the candidates and then let the readers make up their own mind.
In the newspaper this morning is a 12-page special section, "2004 Brown County Voters Guide." In it readers will find a sample ballot and informational articles on each of the candidates in contested local and regional races, plus the two leading presidential nominees. Early voting begins Monday and we wanted to publish the information in time for all voters to review it before going to the polls. As Bill Crist wrote last week, we need informed voters making choices, not just large numbers of them. In the remaining two weeks leading up to Nov. 2 we continue to report on the candidates when they campaign in the area. However, readers will not find any political endorsements.
Bob Brincefield is the Publisher of the Brownwood Bulletin. His column is featured every Sunday on the Viewpoint page. Email bob.brincefield@brownwoodbulletin.com.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2004/10/17/op_ed/columnists/opinion08.txt

Confidence in the media ? ( Local, Regional, National, International )

"On balance, as a Gallup Poll pointed out last week, the media failures resonate with the public more than the successes. The poll showed that only 44 percent of Americans now have confidence in "the media's ability to report news stories accurately and fairly," the lowest percentage since Gallup started asking that question in 1972.

So the media must temper desire for a "scoop" with a greater desire to be accurate and to be fair. And we must learn that the public can help us.

During my career, I have always been struck by the media's arrogance when challenged by the public. The Rather incident reminded me last week that such arrogance can have profound consequences.

If we want the public to believe in us, we must understand that if our role is to challenge the empowered, then we should not be threatened when the public challenges us. "

source: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2004/09/26/1096178800.18121.7997.2065.html