Joy to the World

'Tis the season to suppress the reason why the season exists in the first place. The august fathers of the city of Chicago have decided that a street fair where people of all faiths sell wares in honor of Christmas, a fair called Christkindlmarket (Christ child market) where Christmas is celebrated, carols are song, and nativity scenes are on display, must not allow as one of its sponsors New Line Cinema, which wishes to promote its new movie The Nativity Story.

Yes, clips from a movie about the birth of Christ is in violation of the delicate sensibilities of the politically correct because it might offend people of other faiths - people, it must be stressed, who of their own volition come to a fair called Christkindlmarket which celebrates the birth of the Christian savior.

The Chicago Tribune has the details, but the reader should be cautioned. The editorial actually mentions once by name the person whose birth is being celebrated so reader discretion is advised for those who may be sensitive to strong language.

The editorial also makes the people who banned New Line Cinema from the fair sound like total buffoons, but that was no difficult feat.

Ethically Challenged

A bunch of grad students at Columbia University School of Journalism have been caught cheating ... on an ethics test, no less. No one should be surprised, I suppose. Look at the role models these students have: Dan Rather slandered President Bush with a totally fabricated story about alleged derelictions during his National Guard days; The MSM ran photoshopped pics purporting to show Israeli atrocities during the recent unpleasantness in Lebanon; AP last week ran a story about Sunnis dragging Shia worshippers out of the mosques and into the streets and burning them alive, without any evidence that the event ever happened and despite denials from our military that it did happen.

There are many fine, conscientious people with real integrity in journalism. They no doubt despair at the shoddy ethical standards of so many of their colleagues and the black eye it gives their profession.