Headliner

In most legitimate "news" papers, the the front page headline is usually reserved for something of international, national or regional significance. Like today, for example, a number of possible headlines could have been, Saddam Hussein's trial resumes with graphic torture testimony, or President Bush Has Authority to Eavesdrop, with a followup explaining that the New York Times propaganda machine has been misleading Americans into believing President Bush is doing something that has never been done before. Instead, it's an unflattering photo of Governor Pawlenty and an article about the $.75 per pack fee he imposed on cigarettes.

This $.75 fee per pack is bad idea and I believe Pawlenty exercised poor judgement when he imposed it. You cannot legislate morality or manipulate it through taxation. But I digress.

The Duluth News Tribune has spent more headlines on dubious issues than any "news" paper I have ever had the pleasure, or in this case, great displeasure to read. Three days of headlines were devoted to a shameless, selatious attempt at character assassination of Betty George, who, in my opinion, was ultimately vindicated of the wrongdoing alleged by the Tribune.

You have to be completely blinded by political fervor to not see the shameless and transparent, in your face, bias of the Tribune and it's Publisher, Marti Buscaglia. If there is an opportunity to make conservatives or Republicans look bad, it's front page, bold and fraught with unflattering photos. If it's a leftist or Democrat who has stepped in the proverbial excrement, the photos are usually the best they have ever taken and the miss-step is minimized and the wrongdoing diminished.

It is evident that decades of this type of journalistic malpractice has yielded positive results for the Publisher. The evidence is the Letters to the Editor. One need only read them day after day to realize, there are people out there who's sole source of information is the Tribune. They sit with their coffee, digest the contents of the paper and their Crunch Berries and go off to school and work, knowing full-well that they have all the news of current events that they need. Of course, those of us who have written repeatedly and never successfully to the Editor, letters sent but never published, know the indoctrination is not complete.

Blogs are popping up all over the place with similar themes of frustration, political savvy, conservative views, counterpoints to the blather and competing with the cult of personality of Northeastern Minnesota. The tide may not yet be turning but the wave of discontent is building and gaining momentum. Groups such as Connect Duluth are gaining influence and notariety. Of course some of that notariety is at the hands of the libelous, muck slinging "Journalists" at the Tribune.

Every dog has his day and today, Marti is having hers. In time, she will simply get the doghouse. Until then, we must remain calm, upbeat, optimistic and steadfast. At some point, the hypocrisy, phony altruism, outright lies and misrepresentations of the Tribune will be the dog with the teeth and will ultimately bite the hand that feeds it. The truth always prevails and history, while some try to rewrite it, cannot be changed. The future is ours, America and patriotic Americans will rise up and take back our nation and our region. The pendulum always swings back.