Yes, Paul, kind of an unintended education, but maybe more valuable (in its way) than the official one.

Thanks for writing some of your story.

Often, I’d leave for class in my BDU’s for I would leave straight from work.

Many students and Professors on campus would give me looks of disgust while going to/from class.

My major being Meteorology, 2 of my professors, both middle aged, 1 sporting the polo collar up and the other a ponytail. Apparently, the 80’s had a profound influence on them.

Anyways, these 2 would often make comments regarding “..this not being possible..” or “..you’ll not see this occur..”

I often had to correct or disagree with them. I was fortunate to have already gone through the military’s meteorology program and been to several overseas locations whereas I had experienced such phenomena that was being bunked. My being in my late teens – early 20’s made me somewhat squeamish to speak up. Though I’d finally gained confidence to comment. 1 of the 2 actually told me to “Prove it.” The next class I brought in the charts, alphanumeric data, satellite images to ‘Prove the impossible’

These ‘Educators’, who’d held me in such contempt was both disheartening but a great wake up call to NEVER allow one of authority to sway, attempt to indoctrinate my mindset.

I experienced this ‘chosen ignorance’ amongst colleagues in Antarctica.

I was having a drink, playing darts with some atmospheric scientists who’d been complaining of Bush, wars, et al. Now I’m no huge Bush fan, but Kerry or Gore? I’m pleased with the former. I told these folks, who are by no means buffoons, they’re part of the problem.

They’d looked at me with questioned looks on their faces. I told them our employer, Raytheon Polar Services is one of the bigger contributors to scientific research, yes. Though a big player in weapons research as well. Ahh, Professors ‘Know best’.

At least until he retired, at which time I (anyway) was surprised to learn he was a flaming liberal.

Not long ago, I heard a professor say he felt it was his duty to inculcate his captive audience into correct (i.e., leftist) thinking. I was shocked at both the sentiment and the apparent lack of shame in acknowledging it.

When I was in college, it was the tacit rule of thumb that professors kept personal views out of their teaching.

Now, most of those personal governors in news & education seem to be off, and both are more akin to exercises in brainwashing & indoctrination.

65% of Americans (this and other blog comments) despise Cronkite

35% of Americans seems to like him

I guess that really reflects American today – most American’s lean conservative, distrust the media, want values & integrity back into our society. The bottom 35 percenters seem to wallow in the cesspool of social disharmony, public larceny and “new age – make them up as you go” values!

“I’ll miss Cronkite a lot more than Michael Jackson.”

Why? His songs on the nightly news were at least as contrived as Michael Jackson’s lyrics and he danced around the truth every bit as well as Jackson danced around the stage.

“When I heard he passed away I felt like I lost a member of the family.”

You need some serious help from a psychologist.

“He earned the tag of the “most trusted man in Amwerica.” The man was a class act.”

He was a duplicitous liar, but I guess you could trust him to be lying in furtherance of his bias whenever his lips were moving, on or off the air. It takes more than an expensive suit and good speaking voice to make someone a class act. Now, if you had said, “he was a good actor who did well at portraying someone with class”, I could see your point.

“He was a part of what makes America great.”

He was an opportunist who took advantage of the prestige the media had left over from WWII and used it to sway public opinion. That’s not a Great American unless you think the best way to help America is to undermine it. Is that you’re perspective? If so, I guess he could make your pantheon of heroic bomb throwers.

Have a nice day

“I don’t think for a minute that Americans – “simple” or otherwise – are so stupid that they turn people into “icons” merely because they like them.”

If you don’t believe that, it’s your privilege.

A few American icons:

John Wayne, Marylin Monroe, Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy, The Beatles (even if British), Michael Jackson, Babe Ruth, Elvis Presley, Walter Cronkite, American Idol singers, and a miriad of others locally and nationally.

vivo is in the boat with folks who will say Obama’s accomplishment is his being 1/2 black.

The definition of ‘Accomplishments’ has been altered, skewed, redrawn to make up for mediocre.