The Volante's Political Blog

Sarah Palin will be at the monster bookstore in Sioux Falls on Sunday, Dec. 6 for a book signing, an event to promote the release of her new book; and I will be there to cover the story. In preparing for my weekend excursion to the metropolis to the north, I brushed up on my Palin facts and began to ponder a few things about the winking snow queen.

In this post I’m not going to discuss specific policy positions that the former vice presidential candidate from Alaska may or may not have. What I will say is this:

Palin is gracing the television talk show world with her presence, but not as a politician. She seems like a typical celebrity talk show guest and nothing more. If there is an ulterior motive to simply selling books, which many think is the case, I can’t see it. It seems that in every instance when  she is asked about the father of her daughter’s baby, Levi Johnson, posing in Play Girl magazine, she initially says she isn’t going to “talk about that.” However, Palin immediately delves into her feelings about it. In my opinion, this is something a savvy politically ambitious person would not do.

If I could give the controversial self-proclaimed soccer mom a bit of advice, it would be to avoid the subject altogether. Palin should acknowledge that Johnson is her grandchild’s father and refuse to say anything more.

As a conservative who put stock in the family values rhetoric during, not only the 2008 presidential election, but also her other public office elections, Palin is walking a very fine line. One oral slip up and her adversaries will have talking points for days, and if they’re good at what they do, a bit more job security if Palin does have hopes of holding another elected position.

Happy Thanksgiving

I’d like to say thanks to my family and friends for all your support and generosity through the years. I’d also like to thank you for reading my posts.

Other things I’m thankful for:

Sarah Palin

President Barack Obama

Representative Ron Paul

Pearl Jam

Britney Spears

Cucumbers

Adolf Hitler

Carpet

Water

Shoe laces

Tab keys

Grass

Istanbul

David Duke

Malcolm X

Tennessee

Gov. M. Michael Rounds

Representative Nancy Pelosi

Automobiles

Texas

Climate Change

Al Gore

SD Sen. Ben Nesselhuf

It’s not that I am necessarily a fan of all the things listed, and the list could have been much longer, but these are just a few things/people that help or have helped to keep the world and the media on its toes. For that, I am thankful.

Cheers,

Joe

During yet another night of enjoying myself at the fine establishments Vermillion has to offer, a few people approached me with dissent to some of my news articles. Apparently many of Vermillion’s residents think Joe Sneve is another liberal media tool.

I’m going to set the record straight. I write news stories. I present facts, and only facts, to the readers. If someone doesn’t necessarily like the “facts,” thats OK, but please do not accuse me of misrepresenting them.

Of course, mistakes arise from time to time for journalists; however, this is not unlike any other profession in the world.

I obviously have opinions, some very strong, about certain issues. Every journalist does. Enabling people to be journalists is a fiber in our mental make-up that allows us to put aside our opinions and beliefs and just tell the story. From there, letting the reader apply what they’ve just learned any way they see fit. That is journalism!

Is the media pushing an agenda?

Mainstream and not-so-mainstream media outlets are often accused of being “liberal.” This is not a fair accusation in most cases. Sure there are exceptions. It doesn’t take a political science major to know where MSNBC and FOX News stand on many issues, but for most other news sources it’s not so simple.

The world we live in is, by its very nature, becoming more liberal. It’s evident in the crap we see on television and the Internet. Cultures are mixing and diversifying faster than ever, and it’s all we can do to try to keep up. The injustices in the United States and the world are being erased. Erased can mean change and change is not conservative. The news media, if it’s doing a good job, has no choice but to cover these “liberal” changes in society.

That’s where I see this misconception of a “liberal media” beginning.

What do you think?

Let me start this long overdue blog post by expressing my gratitude to those who encouraged me to get back on the horse; but I never really fell off the beast that is blogging, just gracefully hoisted myself off and away from it.

While attempting to resurrect my blog, I hope to tap into some newly acquired knowledge obtained at student government meetings and through interviews I’ve conducted for Volante stories. Local, state and federal legislation is still fair game as well.

Posts should be coming steady from here on out and I look forward to giving you some fat to chew on soon.

Cheers