How does Star Parker qualify to have articles in the newspaper?

[rhett o rick]

Her lastest:
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/mar/29/star-parker-an-open-letter-to-john-mccain/

I am so curious what qualifications Ms. Star Parker has that gets her articles in the newspaper. She seems to me to be quit distant from the average working person in her views. Maybe a little religious fringy.

In her last article she writes an open letter to Sen McCain, seeming to me to harangue him for being moderate. She is against his conferring with Europe because she thinks they are immoral. She gives statistics that are eight years old and with no source. Not good journalism. Via the statistics she points out that in Europe about 36% of people surveyed don’t go to church while in the US only 16% don’t go. My research shows that about 30 to 35% of people in the US don’t go to church. But what is her point with these statistics? Is she inferring that going to church is a good measure of morality? I am afraid that’s how she thinks. Seems that to her it is ok to bomb, burn, gas and kill over a million people as long as you are go to church. Over a million innocent women and children have be killed or maimed in Iraq with many millions leaving their homes, towns and country. And for what? Our security? Oh please, how can she be so ignorant. It’s the money fool. The republican profiteering companies are making hundreds of billions of dollars. Seems to me Ms. Parker hides behind her “church going” to rationalize killing innocent Iraq children. I hate to think they mean nothing to her because they are not Christian.

[rhett o rick]

1. Any comments on Star Parker? nm

[last_texas_dem]

2. Honestly, I think that there is

some degree of affirmative action at work when it comes to right-wing and conservative African-American voices in the media. It's interesting to consider that only around 10-percent of blacks vote Republican, but then consider the extent to which conservative blacks appear on political talk shows, have their articles published in newspapers, appear on talk radio, etc. I'm not sure if the media does it as some misguided form of "balance" (if we have a black liberal, we *must* have a black conservative for balance) or if it's something more sinister, along the lines of creating the impression that more blacks are right-wing than really are, but that's just my take.

[Elspeth]

3. Who is Star Parker and why should I care?

Just asking

[rhett o rick]

5. She is a columnist and she gets her opinions published in the MSM. I would like to know

how she qualifies. Looks to me like any wacko can get published if you are on the right side of normal.

[kittykitty]

9. She used to be Star Jones and was host on "The View" a couple years ago. See Wiki bio...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Parker

[rhett o rick]

10. Star Jones, good one. LOL. m

[Elspeth]

11. Oh, well she can be safely ignored, yes?

The only intelligent voice on that show was Meredith Vieira and she's doing game shows and morning happy talk on NBC. I wouldn't give you a nickel for the rest of them.

[Ilsa]

4. She needs to be careful about religious comparisons.

Devout muslims seem to be more formally prayerful.

Alot of people are fed up with the way many churches conduct themselves and their finances and choose not to belong. It doesn't mean they are "immoral".

[riverdeep]

6. If you're conservative, you have a better chance of getting in the paper.

The owners are largely conservative, and you won't create much controversy by saying attend church and 'yay America'.

"I believe we are strong because our nation is meant to be..."

You know, I'm quite sure the Muslim nations feel a sense of destiny as well. Belief doesn't equal reality in either case.

"A 2000 survey of the United States and 14 Western European democracies checked the percentage of residents who never attend church. France was highest, with 60 percent, followed by Great Britain (55 percent), Belgium (46 percent) and West Germany (30 percent). The European mean was 36, more than twice as high as in the United States, which had 16 percent."

Some of us see the above as a sign of progress, and would love to see the superstitious nonsense you spout disappear off the face of the earth.

Oh, and another thing-parents, don't ever name your kid 'Star' or even worse 'Starr', it never turns out well.

[rhett o rick]

7. Interesting that she is quoting a 2000 survey, which she doesn't identify

There is more up-to-date data available, however, it doesn't support her implication.

[librechik]

8. when did they start having qualifications?

last time I looked editors are willing to print just about anything not obscene--as long as you meet their one qualification--you don't demand pay. Check it out, that's how Limbaugh (and everybody else) got his start.

If she's getting paid, Scaife or somebody like him is probably picking up the tab. They have their own way of qualifying writers.