LETTERS: BIG MEDIA ENFORCE AGENDA OF LIBERALS

To the editor:

Once upon a time, the national media of this country could justifiably lay claim to being the watchdogs of the republic. However, over the past several decades they have become nothing more than the lapdogs of the radical extremist left wing of the Democrat Party, obediently yapping at the heels of conservative Republicans on command. Lately there have been several examples of this purely liberal biased reporting.

For one, have you ever noticed that in the media there are only radical extremists in the Republican Party? No matter how outrageous they get, the Democrats are never described as radical extremists. Must we logically conclude that all Democrats are rational, middle-of-the-road moderates? Here are a few more examples:

Consider the recent rallies at the state capital for and against gun owners' rights. The headline in the St. Louis newspaper: "Hundreds from both sides of the gun debate rally at the state capital." True as far as it goes. There were hundreds of people there, and there were people from both sides of the debate, but there was not equal representation at both rallies. There were between 500 and 650 caring, concerned, involved adults who took a day off work in the middle of the week to attend the pro-gun owner rights rally. The anti-rights rally consisted of 12 adults and 60 to 90 students. Television stations were no better. They performed feats of contortionism beyond human belief to keep from showing that the only things emptier than the anti-gun group's symbolic pile of shoes was the seating area for their rally, in contrast to the overflowing crowd at the pro-rights rally.

I'm sure everyone is aware of the flap concerning the remarks by National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre about the current occupant of the White House. How many of you are aware that Mr. LaPierre was responding to charges, made by Clinton, that the NRA was responsible for the death of the 6-year-old in Michigan because of its opposition to his juvenile justice bill that contained a mandatory trigger lock provision?

H. Rap Brown has allegedly shot two sheriff's deputies, one of whom died. Has the national media reported the fact that Mr. Brown, a convicted violent felon, was found to be in possession of a firearm a couple of years back? Have they reported that local authorities referred the case to Janet Reno's Justice Department for prosecution and that prosecution was declined?

ROBERT A. CRON

Advance