Editorials & Opinions

Readers of this blog will never be insulted with the dodge that what you are reading is the opinion of the editorial staff at JRLonsway.com. There is no staff. It's just me, and I proudly put my name on the line with every comment, observation or opinion posted here. Anyone reading this blog can respond in the comments section for all to see and nobody knows who you are. So why, then, do newspapers hide behind the editorial staff comments in newspapers?

"The editorial staff at (name your newspaper) feels that...."

That is nonsense. Editorials are written by an individual who is either tasked by superiors to write the piece or comes up with the idea individually, but in either case presents it to his/her bosses for approval, with perhaps a word changed here and there or direction given on addition or subtraction of content. Outside of that, it is authored solo. So why doesn't that one person put his/her name to it? Because then it becomes an opinion, and we all know what is said about opinions, don't we? Opinions are like a certain body part: we've all got one and they always stink. Therefore, newspapers hide behind the "editorial staff" custom. It presents as a unified stance from wizened crones who know what is best for us and we, the masses, genuflect in appreciation for that vision of foresight and knowledge by the chosen few (kindly overlook the fact that the editorial may or may not contain all relevant information available, are often politically slanted, and in nearly every case reflect liberal progressive viewpoints. Outside of shameless manipulation to control the narrative, it is nothing but the facts, jack).

In reality, most newspapers have become nothing more than politicized tabloids, but comforting to see them clinging to heritage with the continued use of editorials. Reminds me of an old saying we had in the Marine Corps: centuries of tradition unmarred by progress.

Opinion columns can be interesting or they can be predictable. Local rags have become the latter. One contributor wrote of how the city needed to end its relationship with gun shows following the Uvalde shooting. He insinuated that persons were actually trading and selling guns in the convention center parking lot in order to skirt New Mexico gun laws requiring background checks before transferring ownership of a firearm. He also said that allowing gun shows to go forth in the future "would continue pouring weapons onto our streets."

I think the writer must have responsible, law abiding gun owners who have jobs and pay taxes confused with criminals. We have no interest in risking arrest and prosecution for a felony because we wanted to skip a step in the gun sale process. We know it is a ridiculous law passed by liberals who think that passing more gun laws makes the streets safer, but we just grin and pay the fee for the background check. I am also unaware of anyone who attends a gun show for the purpose of putting guns out on the street, although I do know of a certain presidential administration that allowed hundreds of firearms onto the streets of Mexico directly from the US of A. Didn't hear liberals whining about that little chestnut of stupidity.

Another guy with a weekly column for a different newspaper put forth an article about the shooting of Amelia Baca by LCPD. He actually wrote the following words: "Anglo society tends to disrespect an elderly Hispanic lady."

WHAT?

First of all, I don't know the identity of the officer who shot Amelia Baca and, therefore, I have no knowledge of his ethnicity. But even if he is Anglo I have to ask what the basis is for that statement. Is there factual (not made up liberal gibberish) information to support that claim? Did the "editorial staff" at the paper he writes for demand proof of that prior to publishing that ridiculous remark?

Nothing says flog me for my sins more than a white liberal progressive groveling at the altar of white guilt, but the absurdity of that statement is self-evident. I grew up here from the age of eight and prior to that lived in nothing but Hispanic communities. I've been around Mexicans and Mexican-Americans my entire life and I married a Mexican woman. Many of the people I know are involved in relationships that are Anglo/Hispanic. Therefore, it is with great confidence that I tell you this: the only jerks disrespecting elderly women of any ethnicity are those who did not have good parenting. Period. To throw out a blanket statement like that regarding Anglos is a typical bleeding heart left wing liberal progressive response prompted by a corrupted belief system.

When the Founding Fathers ratified the First Amendment there was no clause pertaining to freedom of the press that said anything written had to be based in fact, or common sense, and I'm sure that liberal progressive journalists are grateful for that daily.

Semper Fi!