Labels: publishing, World Ahead
posted by Eric M. Jackson at
12:01 PM
Conservative Publisher is a blog focusing on publishing, media, and technology. It was maintained by Eric M. Jackson during his years as the CEO of World Ahead Media, (renamed WND Books following its acquisition in 2008). Jackson's current blog can be found here.
A former Silicon Valley businessman, Eric M. Jackson is the founder of World Ahead Media, which was acquired in 2008 by WorldNetDaily and renamed WND Books. He is also the author of the award-winning book The PayPal Wars and previously ran the marketing at PayPal. Eric is a frequent media commentator and holds a degree from Stanford.
1 Comments:
(sort of an "open letter")
Eric,
I just saw you on Fox News and checked out World Ahead online. Do us all a favor...PLEASE DON'T EVER STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! After watching the Hairball interview, I have some facts to support your views (you may want to pour some coffee; I have ADD and much to say!).
First, in response to the Hairball interview:
1. (I have to admit you lost one part of the debate; the woman out-spiked you in the hair department!) That spiky-haired activist/author said responsible parenting shouldn't use fear tactics. So, does that mean we should teach our children to trust every stranger? ...to go ahead and cross the street because that "nice, tolerant driver" will stop for you? ...to engage in sexual activity using a prophylactic because it's guaranteed to prevent STD's or teenage pregnancy? Let's all gather around the incense and sing Kumbaya...
2. Her remark (spiky hair woman) about problem solving is invalid. Problem solving only works when you address the proper source of any problem. As one of those "[stupid]" Jay-Leno-Show teachers to whom Chris Matthews referred, I can go back to the classes in my Geography major and solidly state as fact that for millions of years, our climate has cooled and warmed, with Earth's "wobbling axis" as a possible contributer to that fact. Remember learning about the many ice ages? Also, there are little mounds all over our upper midwest and parts of Canada called drumlins; they are thought to be left behind by rapidly-receding (or was that slowly-receding? I only got a C on that test--guess I'm just plain stoopid, Chris) continental glaciers that existed tens/hundreds of thousands of years ago. Lake Washington and Puget Sound were also gouged into finger shaped, very deep bodies of water by advancing/receding glacial movement. It is also widely believed that global COOLING is what killed dinosaurs (you know--those creatures that conservatives believe never existed, despite the bones that have been found everywhere for the last few centuries). So, back to the problem solving skills... This source--natural cooling and warming periods that span the time continuum of earth's existence--is being completely ignored by the Prius drivers as a factor in global warming. One can only conclude that there is a psychological-political motive behind this--blame big industry/cars/BBQ's/etc., get a bunch of high-profile liberals on board, launch a hyperintensive media misinformation campaign headed by a seemingly harmless ex-Vice President (who stated in the 2000 campaign that he wanted to "redistribute the wealth" of this country [direct quote, BTW], a rallying cry of socialism), start talking about starving polar bears and NYC under water (hey, spiky hair lady, isn't that FEAR?), and then don't relent until our political system is changed. Meanwhile, global warming will continue regardless of our endeavors to stop it--there's an old saying, "you can't change the weather [or climate]."
3. Your books might be propaganda? How 'bout the last Acadamy Awards show? I've put more miles on my bicycles than Melissa Ethridge ever will. A sincere attempt to "go green," as Leonardo DeCaprio (sp?) proclaimed, would mean no limos and an alternative source of energy for the A/C system in the theater. "An Inconvenient Truth" (more like an inconvenient dupe) is blatant propaganda, and the acadamy's support of this and Michael Moore's movies clearly show Hollywood's liberal bias. Next time, ask them if Gore and Moore are propagandists (Hey! MooreGore Productions, Inc.--what an idea!).
4. Next time anyone asks why "liberal" is now a bad word, ask him/her if s/he is "gay" today. Or respond with, "I don't know if you actually have one or not, but how's your ass?" Or ask, "Have you used your hoe recently?" Then proceed with how culture, especially the liberal media, has turned the meaning of many words into bad words, including how we can't say "black" or "negro" or "colored" despite the NAACP, United Negro College Fund, and other African-Americans who still describe themselves as "black." Also, the term conservative can mean "not wasteful" or carries the connotation of acting rationally & logically, not emotionally; knowing facts before deciding; opposite of whimsical.
Also, "liberals" say that conservatives want to take away other's personal liberties. Yet, if family structure comes up as a topic in my third grade classroom, the CA Dep't of Education has mandated that I must advocate gay/lesbian/bisexual/transexual/"questioning" lifestyles...whether or not I truly support them. Who is losing a personal liberty, here? [BTW, "questioning" was emphasized because in our 1-1/2 hour workshop, we were told that we are not to interfere if a child seems confused about his/her (its?) gender preferences. In other words, throw nature and principles out the window--let a 6-12 year old child choose if he or she is gay or straight.]
If I kiss my wife in front of my class, the principal can tell me not to show affection in front of my students and no one will come to bat for me if I disagree, but if a homosexual man kisses his boyfriend or "domestic partner" in front of his class and is told the same thing by the principal, the ACLU et al will make it their crusade to end such oppressive policies in our public sector.
(A slightly tangential rant: why does a private organization like the Boy Scouts have to go to court to protect their ban of homosexuals, yet a publicly funded group like Planned Parenthood gets to go against the majority opinion of the population without question? I wouldn't want a gay supervisor sleeping in a tent with my 12-year-old boy, just as much as any parent wouldn't want a male teacher sleeping in a tent with their 12-year-old daughter. Likewise, a prepubescent homosexual child should not be sharing a tent/cabin with other same age/same sex children, just as much as straight boys and girls of the same raging hormonal age should not share a cabin/tent either. Leave the Boy Scouts alone!)
5. About Chris Matthews' ignorant teacher comment: I'm a teacher. What if I were to ask commentators about the associative property of addition or the law of conservation of matter? Should I allude to their stupidity if they can't answer those questions? Isn't stereotyping an entire group because of a few outliers very anti-liberal? I could look like a genious if I had a teleprompter and a staff of researchers feeding me information while I taught all day long!! In most states, every teacher has a bachelor's degree and often has post-graduate credits as well. Some even have a Master's Degree.
[personal to Chris Matthews--professional teachers are too busy grading papers 'til midnight to worry about the details of many, trivial, currrent events, and spend summers planning or going to classes. Also, Jay Leno is intended for entertainment purposes; it is not a scientifically based source to quote in an argument as "fact." I challenge you to invite me onto your show and we'll have a battle of wits--without teleprompters or research staff.]
Finally, and this is the main reason I started this long-winded dissertation, I agree with you; there is a very distinct liberal leaning in the kid's publishing world. Guess who publishes almost all of our materials in my 75,000-student school district? -- Scholastic! (or other subsidiaries & affiliates of Scholastic). Of all the textbooks and other resources we use on a daily basis, I can count very few that stress the importance of historical events like D-Day or Armistice Day (now called Veteren's Day). They play down the dramatic near-misses in history such as the Mongols, the Ottoman Turks, and Nazi Germany--all past threats to today's America, even before The USA was formed (had the Turks finished their job, we'd all be bowing toward Mecca 4 times a day; had the Mongols not been defeated, we'd all be riding around on stunted little horses instead of driving stunted little Toyota Priuses). Books like Rainbow Fish are beneficial for modeling how to settle minor arguments but, like the dreaded sitcom, they avoid the real-world attitudes of bullies and aggressors. Kids grow up thinking bullies are really just misunderstood nice guys, then they’ll grow up believing they can solve problems along the magnitude of Iran or North Korea by "talking it out." Hitler, Bin Laden, Atilla...would have loved for their adversaries to sit down so they could cut their head off and eliminate them immediately, then proceed as planned. They believe only one thing: kill those with whom you disagree and drive fear into those who might express a different opinion.
Sholastic News or Weekly Reader sent out a sample newspaper marketed to teachers for classroom use. Teachers don't have to get permission to use these in the classroom. Guess what they said about global warming? They said that cars, factories, and human influences are the cause of global warming--not PART of the cause, but THE cause. That's false science, yet because it looks so official and their teacher gave it to them, it is taken as Gospel Truth by young kids. Those 8-12 year olds you mentioned, Eric. For the record, I pointed out the falseness of it to my class and ceremoniously trashed the little newspaper.
Also, I experienced a very frightening "personal letter" in a SCHOLASTIC book order a couple of years ago. The letter was addressed, "Dear Teacher," from Gary Paulson, the author of a widely-respected book called Hatchet, about a teenager surviving a small plane crash in the wilderness. He was touting his new book called "The Rifle," about a gun accident that kills a boy. The letter went on to pontificate about his real-life experience when his childhood friend had a firearm accident with a gun he found, and continues with a notion that the second ammendment is unnecessary and he was advocating the removal of guns from our society. There was no response in the news (most teachers are fairly kind-hearted and probably blindly agreed with Paulson), and his book has no doubt been purchased by thousands of kids since its first publishing date. That letter by the author required absolutely no prior district approval, was not addressed in any staff meetings at my school, and went generally free-flowing through the nationwide educational community.
On the other hand, I have a safe gun-handling video that just happens to be produced by the NRA. It does not have any political message, unless you count the cartoon eagle narrator as a "political" statement. It simply recommends that you don't touch guns if you find them, don't play with guns, and go tell an adult if you find a gun. I haven't bothered attempting to show the video; I would first have to submit a request for approval to my principal, who would forward it to downtown administration, who would likely reject it because it says "NRA" [productions] on it--but would "officially" tell me that it's not appropriate for the classroom (but discussions about gay lifestyles are?). If it did get approved by the district, I would next have to send a letter to all parents (and resend the same letter a couple more times with the children who never return homework), and hope none check the "no" box. Meanwhile, an author who wants to REMOVE one of the first ten ammendments (Bill of Rights) can make hundreds of thousands of dollars capitalizing on a captive audience who won't take the time to analyze just how devastating his desired outcome would be.
...Lemme spell it out; mess with one of the Bill of Rights (the Second Ammendment seems to be the target of choice because it's easy to say that it's "for the children!") and the others become targets for "revision" or "re-evaluation" based on their "relevence in today's culture." In other words, Al Gore/Hillary, the Kennedys, and the Bidens & Kerrys of our nation's leadership--"advised" by the ACLU--will systematically dismantle freedoms, disguise this process as "reform," and design a political structure similar to the nobility systems that used to be. Under the guise of "equitibility" and "redistribution of wealth," the masses will have one set of restrictive standards to live by, while the elite have their own, exclusive liberties to live by.
Here's a current taste of that kind of system: Ever notice how politicians & celebs rarely get citations--yet receive a ride home--when busted for drunk driving? Did you recall how our CA Governor, Arnold, didn't get a ticket for riding a motorcycle without a license, claiming he didn't even know he needed an endorsement for such? I've always heard that ignorance of the law is no excuse to break it. Conversely, when I passed my written and practical motorcycle tests in 1983, received my license and shortly thereafter got pulled over near Modesto, I discovered the DMV didn't endorse my license properly. The CHP officer didn't care or even try to believe my story and I got an additional citation for operating a motorcycle without a license (and "speeding" along at 73 MPH). 20+ years later, Arnold got his ticket in the foothills in the same state--maybe even the same county--and although speed limits have changed, you still need proper authorization to legally operate a motorcycle. BTW, he got attention by wiping out, I didn't. Luckily for me, the DMV guy actually remembered me and helped me rectify the problem. I still had to take time off to go back to Modesto (Ceres) and prove to the judge that I did, in fact, have a license. The officer had to give up his personal or duty time (he was in uniform) to appear or I could have been acquitted of the speeding charge as well. Never mind me and my inability to obey speed laws; what a waste of the officer's time! He needed to be on the beat, not going through some technicality that I caused. Imagine if the DMV guy had not remembered me; I would've had to pay for the extra citation and repeat the whole process of earning my license again!
In contrast, the Governator got a ride home and the whole issue was over. No courtroom visits, no DMV episodes, no ticket. We're already on our way to a new social order, and unless we fight for what's right, our grandchildren will witness disintegration and despair that we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies. Don't believe me? Try these on for size: Chappaquiddick, JFK/Marilyn (my dad, a Secret Service agent with JFK & LBJ, saw it all...), Monica Lewinski, confidential FBI files on the Clinton kitchen table, current congressional attacks on religion that single out Christians, and an ACLU-backed lawsuit in Michigan (?) for Imams acting in a way consistent with terrorist behavior before & after boarding an airliner (I think that was a setup, intended to immobilize airline employees in the future after the lawsuit is settled; they're not after money, but a fear-instilling, psychological victory).
Y'see, Eric, my own experiences will confirm exactly what you're trying to communicate to people; there are dire threats to our way of life in this nation, and the liberals--the Kennedys/Michael Moores/Joe Bidens/Al Gores/Madonna's/ACLU affiliates/Viacoms (MTV, Nicklodeon, TLC, Discovery Channel)/etc.--have found a way to sneak in under the radar and attack us from the inside out like a cancer...through our very own children. It's not really any conspiracy, just a loophole that these miscreants have found and capitalized on. Maybe if we as a nation were more concerned with truth than image, we just might make it.
Mattman
Fresno, CA
P.S. I actually drove a Prius around for a day. It was pretty cool from a techo-whizbang point of view. My father-in-law and aunt-in-law had to borrow my Chevy Suburban to buy a recliner and drive it up to the mountains.
Gasoline--$38;
Carbon Emissions--many;
Cost of making post-operative life comfortable for a cancer patient -- priceless.
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