Where has the "wisdom" gone? Being smart, being educated, and being an intellect is just another cold attribute without the warm catalysis of "wisdom."

I read Bob Crossman's Opinion article on Dec. 4 titled "Attack mode doesn't fly." Bob, thank you; I was impressed with how you expressed your opinion. I could feel your understandable frustration and yet I didn't feel any vitriol anger or disrespect for those you mentioned. You just sounded like you were fed up.

Bob, some years ago when the chat lines on the Internet were the new thing, I joined out of curiosity and interest because I love to write and share views on different subjects. However I quickly learned many of the people chatting were downright mean to others including myself if you had a completely different view on the subject at hand. I found this to be true during any and all chat circles and blogs especially if your view had the slightest hint of a Christian point of view; that was an invitation to be verbally crucified.

Being an inquisitive person I did some comparing and guess what, about 90 percent of the mean attacks came from staunch liberals (AKA) progressives, as they like to be called now. Most were smart, educated and some very intellectual, but all lacked any obvious signs of wisdom. Soon I stopped communicating with them because everything was a mean-spirited rebuttal. There is nothing new to learn or gain when the only voice you listen to is you own or those who are like minded. Understand, I do not have a problem with being liberal or conservative on some issues. I'm both one way and the other on different issues. Example: I don't believe in capital punishment but I'm a gun rights advocate and will drop you like a dirty sock if you come in my home to harm my family.

There is one more thing I want to point out that I don't think many people may have noticed about TV news networks and newspaper editors. They use people. That's right, they use people like Jimmy Pappas, you, me and others to voice their own point of view, propaganda and ideology. All sides do it, liberals/progressives and conservatives. From the Cd'A Press to CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and definitely all the nightly world news networks. Have you noticed how often it's the same pundit/opinion givers, on certain networks? Fox News's Bill O'Reilly has Dennis Miller on his show regularly. I like both of them but sometimes it seems Bill baits Dennis to react to and voice his opinion on a given subject because Bill knows what it will be and that it will be without diplomacy and to the point that Bill himself wants to say but can't because it would make him look biased. You have a person like Piers Morgan who is not an American citizen and James Carville who if they moved any farther to the left their back side would be touching the right. They are used to promote the progressive ideology for CNN. I have also seen the very same tactics used in the monopolized local newspapers, the Cd'A Press and the Spokesman Review. When you are the editor you have the power. You can "use" opinions as your pundits to promote your ideology and sprinkle a few different opinions in there once in a while so you don't look like you are "biased."

I also found it interesting that so often Mr. Pappas and a couple others consistently find their opinions and "My Turn" articles front and center of the Cd'A Press. And to hear that Mr. Pappas's writings can allegedly be found in the Democratic Party, CNN, and the Communist Party USA? That was in Jeff Langford's article on the same date of Dec 4. I will try to verify that claim for myself, as all should. Frankly, I stopped reading the "Jimmy Pappas" article after reading one some time ago where he revealed he and the Cd'A Press editor, Mike Patrick, were friends. Being friends is not an issue with me other than I no longer felt his articles were random publications and for me explained why I saw so many Jimmy Pappas articles on average.

In closing, I thought to myself, just for a moment, that it would be better to have a board of editors, not just one who has the final deciding vote. Then I quickly realized how fruitless it would be. The editor of any news media was most likely put there because he/she was of like mind with the one who hired him or her. So if there were a board it most likely would be filled in the same way that our president is trying to stack the EPA, U.S. Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, Federal Board of Education, Supreme Court and Judicial System with like-minded ideologist.

My dad, whom I love and sorely miss, never made it past the seventh grade. Being the oldest he had to work during the Depression to help his mom and dad including six other siblings. He was smart but by no means was he well educated or an intellect... but he had accumulated a lifetime of wisdom and even at the age of 67, I miss being able to draw on that wisdom. With the one exception being his belief and faith in God, he said to me many times and it will stick with me forever: "Son, don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see." So I ask the same question I started with; "where has the "wisdom" gone?" It's being replaced with smart, educated, intellectuals who don't know how to listen.

Jerry Martin is a Post Falls resident.