Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Congrats & thank you Canada!

You are a nice man with a bright future.

in bed!

You guys arguing about the definitions of bias is dismaying, as well.
I like O'Reilly better now than before. He is at least polite until someone says something completely absurd. To his credit, I have seen him swayed by arguments from others during his show. Rather than just argue a weak point, he will concede a bit. TV egos usually don't allow that to happen!
And what's wrong with news releases from the gov't? The media dismisses them all as propaganda (well, at least the ones from our own gov't ), but there's good info to be had from primary sources.

And here's a wonderful letter penned by one of our fellow Americans that appeared in my local paper today:

"Guerrilla warfare

Listening to our president last week, I was reminded of events that unfolded 229 years ago.

An army marched into battle dressed in those famous red coats with shiny buttons and polished boots. The troops marched in formation as they advanced on their enemy.

We know what the end result was -- liberty for a ragtag army of patriots.

The reaction of those in the red coats? They protested that this army wasn't fighting according to the rules. The soldiers hid in trees and bushes, and they didn't wear uniforms.

Today, I guess they would be called illegal combatants. This band of patriots was fighting a war on its own turf against an occupying force whose commanders sought to define the terms of combat.

Are there any similarities today in these arenas of war?

JOHN MINGUS

Hemet"


Keep in mind that I live in an area where college degrees are few and far between. Regardless, it still blows my mind.

Peter, While you are lauding Adam's finding of another dictionary's definition of the word bias, keep in mind that it (The Oxford definition) included "Prejudice against or for one thing, person or group against another" ... not exactly virtuous, even if you leave the "usually unfair" portion out.

If you and Adam wish to think that everyone enters a thought process with prejudice, that is your perogative.

When it comes to the definition of the word "bias", there are not "many nuances" - the word means one is predisposed to think a certain way, USUALLY unfairly. Yes, I find SOME people to behave this way, but not EVERYBODY.

You also, in your response, said things I did not. I never "specifically" called anything a "real" definition, I merely posted what The American Heritage Dictionary has as a definition of the word "bias" when regarding a person or people. They also had wording about the bias of cloth, woodgrain, and other inanimate objects, but I was pretty sure that was not applicable to humans.

My appologies for opening this political thread. I was happy, expressed my appreciation, and opened up pandora's box again. For that I apologize.

Spiff - You know we all love you here. Excellent use of a smiley, too ...

Spiff ... When you get a minute, check your PM ...

In reply to:

---

For the record - "Ignorant" was your word, not mine. And if you want to live under the terms listed in your post, go for it.

I prefer having an open mind, regardless the product, topic, or individual.

---

If you noticed the smiley I posted at the end of that, you'd realize I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek. Lighten up, Craig.

Adam, I am quite cheerful, thank you. I forgot that one can say pretty much anything about another person, and as long as one adds a smiley, the words don't matter.