That’s a bit of a provocative title considering the subject he wrote about, but I’m actually not aiming for a religious rationale or even supporting a position because of religion. It’s just that I happen to think John (from Pearland) spoke the truth brilliantly and succienctly in his letter to the editor published online today, and to me that is “gospel” in the sense of absolute truth.

The Chronicle’s Nov. 14 editorial “Bitter Pill,” which whined about the passage of Proposition 2, clearly illustrated the liberal, elitist, “we know best” attitude of the Chronicle.

The editorial stated that the passage of Prop 2 “came across as a direct attack on gays and on their struggle for a measure of legal equality,” and slapped at the 76 percent of voters who approved the proposition by calling it an “embarrassment,” and claiming that it “sends the wrong signal to businesses that thrive on intellectual capital and creativity.”*

Talk about elitism: The Chronicle profiles 76 percent of the voters as intellectually inferior, and shows how out of step it is from many of its readers.

Get over it, you lost.

(*Edit: Dont you just love the backhanded way of saying that straight people can’t be smart or creative?)

Exactly the point I was going to write about last night, but was too tired (I spent all day at the hospital with a family member.) The problem is, he stopped right there. John failed to note the other big editorial, front page story, inside Metro story, splashed-all-over-everything story: The death of the one person who did more to destroy the Texas penal system and cause crime to spiral during the 1980’s: Ruiz. Well, ok, arguably, W.W. Justice, the federal judge who blatently disregarded the principles of federalism to appoint himself the Grand Poohbah of Prisons here in Texas did more, because he had the authority. But the Chronicle treats Ruiz like he was some kind of folk hero/celebrity.

It barely manages to admit he was a career criminal, who spent all but FOUR years of his adult life behind bars, who was serving time for aggravated robbery when he died. This is all mentioned quickly at the beginning so it can be gotten out of the way and the canonization proceed apace. It both editorializes and finds the people and quotes to all but name him a saint. Why, he was just a criminal, but that hardly matters… he was a cruader for justice, that’s what matters! Every quote is from someone who agreed with Ruiz and Justice. Every one is carefully selected.

Let’s examine one of those a bit more closely. In a disappointingly typical bit of misdirection, the Chronicle notes:

“The Ruiz litigation transformed our prison from a backwards Southern plantation-style system into a modern penal system,” said Scott McCown, who defended the state as an assistant attorney general. McCown later went on to become a state district judge in Travis County and now advocates for low-income Texans as director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities.

This is crafted to make it appear that Scott McCown “defended the state” in the Ruiz case–but note that such is not explicitly stated. Like with governments, in the press it is as important to read what they don’t say as well as what they do say. McCown went on from “defending the state” to become an elected judge in the most liberal county of Texas, then became an advocate for “low-income Texans.” A brief examination of their website reveals it to be long on feel-good catchphrases and short on specifics. Digging a bit more reveals them to be advocates of the usual: big government, interference in families, plus wealth transfer from the rich to the poor via taxes, welfare, and massive social spending. I dare say, most of the Houston metro area doesn’t agree with these goals.

Nor does it agree with taking a permissive view of the “rights” of felons. They’re felons. We have removed them from society because they are a continuing danger, or to punish them. It’s certainly not so they can be worshipped by “Felon Fangirls” like Kathryn Kendall:

Kathryn Kendall of Sugar Land corresponded with Ruiz since 2003 and visited him in July. She said he was heavily guarded when he entered the visiting area but smiled and bowed to everybody in sight.

“It was as if he was a king in his domain,” said Kendall. “He had a wonderful sense of his own worth. He felt he had done something worthy.”

Kendall, who teaches drama and English at Wharton County Junior College and does volunteer work with inmates, said she offered to help Ruiz write his autobiography but he decided it would be too painful to recount his childhood.

Awwwwwwwww. Pity, much?

This is the belief structure of the Chronicle…. it’s forever lost in a 1960’s time-warp, raging against the Man and fighting for the downtrodden. It is not necessary, or even wise, for any media outlet to be a perfect reflection of its market. But when one newspaper’s views are so widely at variance with the market it serves–such as being pro-criminal in a county which sends more people to death row than many Western countries, while portraying Cheny, Bush, Rumsfeld, and Rove as hideous torturers, is it any wonder they have to GIVE their birdcage liner away?