Monday, May 4, 2020

A Life Is Better Than A Livelihood

Well, now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me remind you that Sunday was World Press Day; coming just a few days after an out-of-state firm closed the Morehead News (and several others) pleading virus financial hardships. Maybe true, but the Rowan County area will suffer until a new paper arises, as I hope it will soon. I have been a broadcaster for over 40 years but I started in journalism as a printer's devil, then cub reporter for a small weekly paper and, TV to the contrary, local print is the backbone of American journalism, and we all die a little when one member perishes.


BTW, 49 journalists were murdered around the world last year, and it's in their spirit we observe World Press Day this year--and every year. Many more were harassed, persecuted and jailed than were killed. To show you the lengths some nations will go, take Iran. It went after a woman journalism activist for criticizing the religious leaders there (a warning for us here) but when the officials couldn't find her to arrest her, they jailed her non-journalist brother instead. He's still in jail, no charges, no bail, no trial date; but many there know his fate is but a warning to journalists not to push their "freedom" too far.


A LIFE IS BETTER THAN A LIVELIHOOD


Canada this week banned over 100 types of assault rifles. Its prime minister said these weapons had one purpose, "to kill as many people as quickly as possible." One massacre in Nova Scotia of 20 plus was all it took for Canada to act. The US has had how many Nova Scotias so far??  Canada, whose history of exploration and fur trapping parallels our own doesn't have a Second Amendment to be misinterpreted by a Supreme Court or an NRA, so the PM could do this. When will we learn?


A LIFE IS BETTER THAN A LIVELIHOOD


And many lives are being taken in understaffed, unprepared, under-regulated and under-inspected state nursing homes. Federal stats showed 30% or more of Kentucky nursing homes did NOT meet US standards, and that was before Wuhan. Their lobby has kept Frankfort from imposing decent standards and inspecting them properly, so now your relatives and friends may die, needlessly. A former UK journalist , Bernie Vonderheide, tried to get proper rules to be followed by the homes., but his  years of work were largely in vain. Bernie, they should have listened to you more. We all should have.



A LIFE IS BETTER THAN A LIVELIHOOD


I'm just sayin'...


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