Complaint to MN News Council from last years tax cut rally

I found this in my files from last years tax cut rally and thought I would share it with you all...


Hello,
My name is Forrest Chad Wilkinson. I was born in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Our family of ten moved to Savage, then Collegeville before settling into Sartell where I graduated high school in 1981.

Afterwards I entered the submarine service. I was aggressively trained in Illinois, Groton Connecticut, San Diego and Charleston South Carolina before going to sea for years. The training was influential and very much no nonsense and science based. Schooling related to nuclear propulsion and weapons, sonar technology and submarine tactics is classified and cannot transfer to civilian college credits.

Since then I have worked in the agricultural, mineral and wood industries. I also have worked in large bakeries, horse barns, hotels and beachfronts.

I can debate the “environmental” from many points of view. I can debate the Sierra Club argument better than most Sierra Club members; even the ones in the so-called news departments of highly respected and licensed television stations. In order to make rational judgments you need to understand the arguments of all sides.

I can also argue against the Sierra Club with credibility. My brother is a military trained professional journalist. He has taught me much. One thing he stressed was to leave my bias, as best as possible, behind when reading data. Do not immediately question the source. Skepticism does not require cynicism. I think this is a valuable lesson.

Often, when debating against the Sierra Club/WCCO agenda, the reply is usually to question the integrity and bias of the source of the data. Rarely do I get a reasonable discussion of the data and conclusions based on it.
This happens often when I, or my friends get interviewed by journalists.

They have preconceived notions and have little regard for anyone with data that might support another viewpoint. They use statements like…Oh that’s just information from big ‘-fill in the blank-‘

It’s very lazy, but it works these days. Face it, WCCO is a highly respected news source and are believed by millions of television viewers.

Oh, that’s just big oil talking. Oh, that’s just big tobacco talking. Oh, that’s just the big developers talking. Oh, that’s just multi-national corporations talking. Oh, that’s just big agriculture talking. Oh, that’s just the timber industry talking. Oh, that’s just what the big box stores would have you believe….Typical Sierra Club methodology. Shoot the messenger. Nothing but ad-homonym attacks. No need to investigate the data, it must be bad. Consider the source, just a bunch of greedy selfish business people.

And WCCO is not alone. Almanac, the Minnesota Government “News” program, features WCCOs’ Paul Douglas and his global warming point of view, but never Dave Dahl for example, a local metrologist with a very different and credible view of Global Warming.

Some people say “Talk Radio” is running the country. Balderdash. The country seems to be run by a huge environmental / government complex; forwarding its fear mongering collectivist and in-humane agenda.

Heck, Virginia Yingling was still issuing press releases for the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club even after she was hired by the Minnesota Department of Health. (It is interesting to note how well the concerns of MN.D.O.H. now lead to the Sierra Club agenda)

The parent company, CBS, does not recognize this News Council nor does the local affiliate. This is the broadcast station of Dan Rather who, in his desire to broadcast a viewpoint, ignored what he called “NUMEROUS RED FLAGS” related to the source of his data.

These are the actions of a reliable gatekeeper of news and journalistic integrity?

This self-serving use of the public airwaves to promote a political agenda has trickled down to the local CBS television “News” department. But this case before us today is a little different, and I think worse.

I compare WCCOs’ activities to that of Representative Phyllis Kahn, DFL dist.59 (b); and a proud Sierra Club member. She was found guilty of removing campaign literature from people’s front doors. It wasn’t enough for her to place her literature next to it, to debate the issues she disagreed with. Oh, no… the first amendment isn’t good enough for her, nor is her faith in the correctness of her argument. Instead…She stole that literature. And in so doing, stole the time and effort, as well as future growth potential for the distributor, just like WCCO did to me.

It’s like the farmer toiling and sweating down the row, doing stooped labor to plant seeds. Only later to realize a crow has been following, eating the seeds. All that effort for naught. No harvest can be expected from all that hard work. Looks like another cold hungry winter for the farmer.

It is the Sierra Club (and WCCO) way to speak in euphemism and analogy.
Rarely are things clearly quantified, put in context or perspective. They are kings of the Cliché, loaded with impactfull and frightening catch phrases like “Acid Rain”, “Urban Sprawls”, “Franken-food”,” Habitat destruction”, ”forest fragmentation” and of course the panic De Jour…”Global Warming”.

Empty of data but loaded with emotion. Just like Prime Minister Tony Blair was speaking about last week.

The Sierra Club used to be a not-profit organization, but that was revoked when even they could no longer hide the very political agenda they demand.

It has also been proven they lie. Be it planting fake fur in a fraudulent attempt to justify habitat designation, to mischaracterization of miners, anglers, loggers, and farmers. Many of their studies have been proven to be grossly flawed scientifically. But you wouldn’t know that from WCCO.

As journalist Thomas L. Friedman said last week, “When you stop reporting news, people can smell it at a hundred paces. When you stop reporting, that’s when you make mistakes.”

WCCO, the station of my youth, has unfortunately become the tame mouthpiece for the Sierra Club. They refuse to accept, or oftentimes even acknowledge, the existence of any viewpoints or data contrary to them. This is a disservice to the people of Minnesota.

I think that I, and others, have shown in this one incident, clear and provable evidence of what is plain to any honest impartial observer. WCCO is biased to the point of loss of credibility.

WCCOs’ reporting on TV and on their website that I was with the Sierra Club on their Global Day of Action is Slander….or liable. (One or the other …I’m not a lawyer, but I will be talking to one.)

They would have you believe this is just a small error made by some technicians. I believe not. Others I know have pointed out the same type of biased reporting on their subject of knowledge. I think it is intentional and systemic.

I can no longer trust the data coming from the WCCO news department.

Like what is said of those caught driving while drunk, for every time they are caught they have probably gotten away with it fifty times.

Sadly, the CBS news department of Eric Sevareid, over time, has degenerated into a culture of collectivism. They are no longer a news department, they are distributors of propaganda. They are not educating the people they are indoctrinating them.

I want the FCC to revoke their license.
I will settle for a broadcasted apology to me, RWRC and the people of Minnesota.
Sincerely,
Forrest C. Wilkinson
Editor of The Warren Report.
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