FORMER ARKANSAS GUV PERFORMS HEIMLICH ON NC LT. GOV. CANDIDATE
The North Carolina State Republican Convention got quite exciting today — and it had nothing to do with politics.
During a pre-event hospitality breakfast, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who was in attendance as the convention’s keynote speaker, was sitting next to North Carolina Lt. Gov. candidate Robert Pittenger when the state senator began choking. Huckabee reportedly noticed Pittenger having difficulty breathing and immediately began performing the Heimlich maneuver.
“I’m glad that Mike was in the right place at the right time and continued to lead by example,” Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. candidate Mike Campbell told The Palmetto Scoop. “We all know that [Huckabee] is pro-life, and once again he has lived up to it.”
Pittenger, whose company Bahakel Communications owns WOLO-TV in Columbia, apparently suffers from acid reflux, which likely caused the incident to occur.
Huckabee was trained as an EMT in college and has been in similar situations before, his daughter Sarah said, noting that he “instinctively reacted.”
Reports are that Pittenger is doing fine and is already back on the campaign trail.
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Classic!!! This is a great news story. I wonder if the liberal press will report this? Funny comments by the Lt. Candidate.
>Pittenger, whose company Bahakel Communications owns WOLO-TV in Columbia, >apparently suffers from acid reflux, which likely caused the incident to occur.
In other words, Huckabee misdiagnosed the problem and performed the wrong treatment.
Sounds a lot like his 2008 run for the White House….
… and once again, Mike Campbell makes another lame-ass statement. When will that runt go get a job at 7-11 and leave us alone?
To Wookie Monsta: What are you talking about? Do you even know what acid reflux is? It has nothing to do with having trouble breathing or choking. I have acid reflux and I can tell you that it has to do with stomach pains. People don’t choke because of stomach pains. Seriously, if you want to discredit Mike Huckabee, at least try a different method, because your “acid reflux” comment was just stupid.
Once again proving Huckabee’s ability to react quickly and intelligently in an emergency, without hesitation. Who do you want ready to answer and take charge when that 3:00 a.m. call comes in? I want someone like Huckabee.
A great American.
Reflux apparently cauing choking — according to that article and other reports. Huckabee misdoagnosed what was occurring, and applied the wrong treatment. Sounds more like he applied the Bush-Iraq solution.
Could Mr. Huckabee really be MacGuyver in disguise?
The man can save a life on the spot, walk the talk on how not to prematurely expire (his book: “Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork”), personally mobilize his State to respond to the Katrina crisis when the Feds failed, educate the public on the Fair Tax, overhaul Arkansas’ infrastructure (roads) by convincing a largely Democrat constituency of voters to vote for raising taxes to fix it, take a stand for the unborn in the face of his critics, rally both Democrats and Republicans to work together, and more. A tireless campaigner, he puts the millionaire to shame by running for President on a couple bucks, a handful of paper clips, duct tape, Cup-O-Soup, and he even carries his own bags.
Mr. Huckabee’s enthusiasm, sound reasoning, record of tangible results, real-deal style of communicating, and visionary spirit are sorely needed in our nation’s White House.
Mr. McCain would be fortunate to have this gentleman as his running mate.
If Pittenger was simply doubling over in pain from GERD, then Huckabee’s Heimlech maneuver probably only made the pain worse as he pushed more acidic digestive contents from the stomach into the esophagus.
The Heimlech is utilized primarily to dislodge airway obstructions, which in this instance (Pittenger was conscious, probably not intoxicated, and unlikely to aspirate) has nothing to do with GERD.
Of course, we can’t fault Huckabee for doing what he thought was a life-saving procedure.
Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. candidate Mike Campbell told The Palmetto Scoop. “We all know that [Huckabee] is pro-life, and once again he has lived up to it.”
Is Mr. Campbell asserting that someone who is pro-choice would have refused to perform the Heimlich maneuver and allow Mr. Pittenger to choke to death?
What are they teachin’ these boys at the Citadel????
Huckabee’s instantaneous and life-saving response to this critical situation is just another example of what kind of man Huckabee is. He is the ” representative of the common, ordinary American” and has more positive characteristic traits than either of the presidential candidates! Yes, he has made some errors, but not nearly as many as Obama (God forbid!! he should be elected) and not nearly as controversial as McCain. Contrary to you who continue to heap criticism onto Huck, he deserves respect for saving someone’s life. If he hadn’t responded as instinctively as he did, then you all would be lambasting him because he DIDN’T respond! McCain should take careful note of Huckabee’s positive traits and the brilliant skills he possesses. He should also consider the good works Huckabee accomplished while governor of Arkansas (initiated “ARKids First” which drastically improved education and offered health insurance to poor children plus the huge improvement of Arkansas’ roads and highways which was something Huckabee felt was necessary and the people of Ark. voted to implement). In Nov. 2005, Time Magazine chose Mike Huckabee as one of five “best governors” in America (Romney wasn’t among these five). Welfare rolls declined by nearly half and Arkansas economy grew 4.4% , under his leadership, beating the national average of 4.2%. One very important thing to keep in mind…Huckabee has alot of voter support in the south, both blacks and whites who favor Huckabee and number in the millions. Obama is going to try and elbow his way into that support base. Is McCain willing to let that happen? With Huckabee on the ticket, those who voted for Mike will be there to contribute $$ to that ticket and throw themselves into a frenzy working hard to make sure McCain and Huck win in November!!!!
Obviously, Huckabee is a man of action. His positive & quick response is indicative of the type of person we would (hopefully) have in a future White House………
To Fred:
You simultaneously confirmed - and missed - my point. If Mr. Pittenger was not choking on a solid foreign body object and was, as the above item reported, experiencing acid reflux, then the Heimlich maneuver was an inappropriate treatment response.
You were correct, however, that my comment was indeed intended to discredit Mr. Huckabee. I attempted to do so by way of a mild joke - one which you missed.
Granted, it wasn’t a great joke. On the other hand, it wasn’t impolite. If I were an uncivil clod, I certainly could have drawn on a similar arsenal of insults.
For example, I could claim that Mr. Huckabee is a yokel who attracts other yokels using the familiar knee-jerk buzzwords of Americanism and evangelical Christianity which have become the hallmark of modern Republican politics. (And which, perhaps as proof of the existence of a merciful god, has finally led to the current downfall of the Republican party.)
Therefore I thank you for speaking up and making the point for me.
I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW NAIVE YOU PEOPLE ARE!
This is clearly a move that was carefully planned and staged by two friends with the hope of boosting Huckabee’s VP chances. We’ve seen this movie several times. Just listen to the Lt. Governor’s comments. This is a movie, folks!
My God, I cannot believe people are falling for this crap! As much as I wish Huckabee got the nomination, instead of that hunchback who in 2000, called us “agents of intollerance”, I’m not someone who can easily be fooled. Folks are probably not as smart as one would think - Lord have mercy!
Ike:
Well Ike…you weren’t there and neither was I so I guess you’d have to speak with someone who witnessed the whole thing. And why do you say, “…this is clearly a move that was carefully planned and staged…? How can you say so with such intensity? You are a “Doubting Thomas” and are suspicious of politicians in general, I guess! Do you have any candidate that you could look upon favorably? Personally, I’m much, much more doubting of Barrack Hussein Obama with all his shady past associations with despicable terrorists, racists, and now soon-to-be felons. Now that is something to get hyped up about!!! When placed side-by-side, Obama far outweighs anyone else in this race when it comes to his believablity, honesty, experience, and just plain common-sense because,….he possesses NONE OF THE ABOVE!!!
What comment did Huck make that caused Pittenger to inhale his sausage? And why didn’t Chuck Norris fix it with a roundhouse kick??
I wanna know.
Acid Reflux is the backing up of stomach acid into the esophagus. The esophogus is the tube that carries food to the stomach. Depending on how far this acid backs up into the esophagus, it makes sense to me that it could/can cause coughing. Lots of things can cause choking. For example, I have a neck injury, and recently had 4 veterbras fused. I’ve had paralized muscles in the left side of my throat for several years causing food/mucus/fluids to go into my left lung and at one time I had no cough reflex. I now, have a couph that has been keeping it from going all the way into the lung, otherwise if it goes all t he way down, one develops phemonia. I sometimes choke and go into coughing tizzies due to muscle spasms in my throat. It would be difficult to determine if something is caught in my throat from eating, or if I am choking from these spasms. I would certainly appreciate any assistance from someone if this happened and I wasn’t getting my breath etc.
Ike your completely right no one ever chokes! EVER! I bet the CIA was in on it too just to cover the Roswell incident ya know. Damn aliens.
Wookie your a democratic moron who has no idea what he is talking about if someone is choking you perform the heimlich maneuver. It doen’t matter why because if someone cannot breathe and cannot speak it is necessary to perform it.
To Wookie:
Your spiteful reference to “evangelical Christianity” followed by your inept and misguided attempt at humor by using the phrase “existence of a merciful God” is quite the oxymoron - pun intended. Did you revel in your passive use of sarcasm in your response to Fred because the rest of your life is so desperately empty and meaningless? No need to answer, the pompous arrogance and irrational anger that clouds your vision which you tout among your twisted circle of friends would surely inhibit you from seeking anything that resembles truth or even acknowledging that there is such a thing. It is easy to see that you are part of the “sheople” crowd with the government as your shepherd, entitlements as your sustenance, and plagiarized philosophy as your crutch.
As a testament to your integrity and character, you brag about your “arsenal of insults” as if they were a narcissistic badge of honor. Does the “impolite” and “uncivil clod” in you reflect the type of leaders which you would have represent the public interest if you had your way? I am thankful that you were able to speak for yourself as well as those who are like-minded robots to so clearly demonstrate to others your contempt for those who disagree with your failed worldly and religious views and your attempt to pass them on as “new” ideas and “settled” science. Please continue spreading your message, Wookie. Libs always lose elections when they just say what they really think and feel. Hurry though, before global warming or the boogieman kills us all!
Bravo!
I also have acid reflux. It can cause pain or choking, depending on where the excess acid builds up. However, it doesn’t block the air passage like choking on an object would. In that case, it appears Huckster did misdiagnose the problem and applied the wrong remedy. The Heimlich manuever probably did nothing in this incident, but ran the risk of causing more damage. Huckabee isn’t much of a preacher, he’s hardly a conservative, and he’s not a life-saver. Maybe he should stick to playing vile rock songs about prostitutes on his guitar, as he’s done before.
God bless Mike Huckabee!
Ike…you can’t believe how naive people are? Really! Looking at the two, we’ve ended up with in choosing a President…you can’t believe how naive people are? Better think again! People are THAT stupid!
Stupid people applauded when Obama blew his nose! For goodness sakes! I don’t know if this “choking” incident was staged or not, but I put nothing past a politician.
Dear people,
All the information given is that the man was having difficulty breathing. The reporter later tacked on an aside that the man also had acid reflux disease. Not one of you “experts” knows any more or less than that. Neither was the reporter an expert, since he would only speculate what caused the choking. A simple question to Pittenger would have ascertained the facts. Instead, we are treated to his assumptions of what “apparently” happened or what “likely” was the cause. Please note the words used, especially if you are prone to believe everything reported in a newspaper.
So you don’t know if it was acid reflux or pancakes that caused the difficulty breathing, yet you prattle endless speculations of Huckabee’s politics and personal character. Your jumps in logic are astounding. I fail to see what one has to do with the other. You do, I hope, realize that a man may have acid reflux disease AND choke on a morsel at breakfast. One does not necessarily preclude the other.
We are also given the information that Huckabee trained as an EMT. That training includes how to determine if a person is, indeed, choking and unable to breathe. In fact, that training is given at the advanced first aid level, at the introductory first aid level, and to any scout wishing to complete a merit badge. I myself got that training in second grade, third grade, in seventh grade health class.
A man at a breakfast suddenly had difficulty breathing. Another man rendered assistance. The first man resumed breathing, and was grateful for the help. End of story. Would have been a nice story, except for the spewing vitriol and the personal attacks launched by the passionately partisan and the inadequately informed.
Acid reflux can cause severe scaring in the esophagus. That causes the esophagus to narrow. Food can become lodged in the stricture which can cause problems. Usually it does not cause breathing difficulities but if enough food or liquid is lodged, it can cause aspiration or choking (this HAS happened to my husband). If breathing is impaired the right thing to do is to do the Heimlich maneuver. My husband nearly died from a badly torn esophagus. Long story short, 100 days hospitalized, 6 and 1/2 weeks in ICU, 4-1/2 weeks on full life support, 4-1/2 weeks on daily kidney dialysis, two years and one month of being totally tube fed with nothing at all by mouth, even ice chips. 8 surgeries and almost six years later he can finally eat normally for the first time since the rip. The esophagus, even with stents, would not heal so he finally had to had the top 1/3 of his stomach removed and the lower 1/3 of his esophagus. They were then reattached. Acid reflux is still a severe problem even on meds for it. He just had another procedure with a scope down his throat/balloon procedure to dilate the esophagus where acid reflux caused the scarring and narrowing of the esophagus. It went from 3mm to 17mm. Acid reflux is a SERIOUS disease and nothing to make fun of. Anyone with acid reflux had better take it very seriously and never miss a dose of meds. Give Mike his due. He did the right thing. You need to pray that someone like that helps you if you ever need it, no mater their political standing. Get over your immaturity and get some compassion.
Governor Mike Huckabee acted as any self respecting gentleman would and saved a man’s life. Why all the comments about Huckabee’s motives? Let it not be a secret,
I like Mike Huckabee and would be pleased if Senator McCain selected Mike Huckabee as his running mate. He would be a credit to the ticket and help McCain in winning the White House. Neither Barack Hussein Obama, who won’t salute the American Flag, or wear a flag pin on his lapel or recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and wh has terorists on his payroll and is friends with world-
class terorists - OR - Hitlary Rodman Clinton, who used to be a “Goldwater Girl” in the 60’s and was a tirant in the White House with the Secret Service agents who were placed there to protect her when she wasn’t fighting with her husband and throwing lamps and swearing at him in their personal living quarters is suitable to be the President of the greatest nation in the world, even with all of the problems we presently face. They have personal agendas they want to accomplish whether it is in the best interests of the American people or not.
Ronald W. Reagan said to Gary Bauer, his domestic advisor, when Gary Bauer told President Reagan what the polls were reflecting, “I don’t care what the polls are saying.
What is in the best interests for the American people!”
I believe Senator John McCain, even though not a Ronald Reagan, would make those same kinds of decisions. He is a principled man and would lead our country in a way
that would be the best for Americans. I am for John McCain and I trust that he will select Mike Huckabee as his Vice Presidential running mate.
You may print this if you choose to do so, with my pleasure.
Harry Charles Sweet, Jr. ( hcsjr1@sbcglobal,net )
Yes, yes, I am also an elite who hates America, the flag, NASCAR, expresses insufficient support for “Our Troops,” etc, etc. I stand before ye fine people, chastened and repentant, begging to be found worthy to serve our country’s most wise and worthy leaders. (I also have a couple overdue library books.)
Re: the Heimlich maneuver, it’s a procedure which stimulates an artificial cough and has been shown to be effective at removing a solid foreign body airway obstruction from the airway. There is no evidence that it removes liquid or other non-solids, such as
phlegm, vomit, or mucous, or hairballs.
That’s all, folks. It’s been fun. I bid you adieu and remember…STAY THE COURSE!
Yea, yea, good job for Huckabee, but the Great Leader from North Korea can play 18 holes of golf hitting every shot only once according to the News Wires. …. This whole story probably came from the Baptist Convention that uses a team of public relations writers ready to go.
Aw, c’mon people - Barack Obama saves people’s lives every day performing the Heimlich maneuver - he’s just so modest he’d never think to use it as a campaign ploy.
It’s instinctive, ya know.
The most important factor everybody has been ignoring: Look who is behind him! Huckabee was faster then Chuck Norris!
This was not a setup, but we have it on good authority that there will be an airplane crash. When there is, the Huckadude will be on the scene to save the day.
I had awesome and hardy laugh from all the comments. Mike scores once again!
I knew Huckabee is a good guy. This incident just confirms it. Why couldn’t most of the Republicans in this country see that he would make a fine president? Then we would have a real good candidate to choose in November. Well, we’ll see who Mc Cain chooses for a VP running mate. That will determine whether I vote for Mc Cain or vote for a write-in candidate.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!! Acid reflux has nothing to do with stomach pain ! Acid reflux does affect breathing and choking thereby. Wow. How ignorant can people be? do you really think you can say GERD / acid reflux causes stomach pains? And the sniffles causes you brain pain
I can state categorically that the incident was not planned. Several people were hitting him on the back trying to dislodge the food. Mike didn’t even notice it to start with. When he finally did see it, he immediately went over and started the Heimlich.
After the first try Ms. Daves got the micrphone and asked if there was Dr. As the Dr. was coming to the stage, the third time Mike did the manuever finally worked.
Most of the media stories are wrong. It didn’t happen during the breakfast, it was during the luncheon. Mike wasn’t sitting next to Mr. Pittenger. There was a dais separating them.
Additional credit where credit is due: neither Huckabee nor anyone else at the event said a word about him being the hero in this incident. I was at the luncheon in question, and had no clue what Huckabee’s role in resolving the incident had been (or even that he had played one at all). All I or anyone at my table (and, I suspect, every other table that wasn’t adjacent to the stage) knew was that there was a brief incident, a request for “a doctor in the house,” and a subsequent assurance that everything was fine.
Oh, Man! I can’t believe I just spent several minutes reading all these inane comments! It became a sort of morbid fascination though as I kept reading and the comments became more focused on who could write the more inflammatory or self-centered (look at ME - I know what acid reflux is) comments. I agree with those who said, “It’s a guy being concerned about someone’s situation” - end of story. Sheesh you guys, get a life!
I’ve got acid reflux and a haital hernia. I have choked more than once while eating certain types of food. Whether one caused the other I can’t really say but it certainly didn’t preclude the fact that I was choking. I usually have a problem with dry food getting stuck. My guess would be the acid backing up damages the moist mucus lining and irratates the throat and the rest of the passage to the stomach. Food went down alright to a certain point and then got stuck and tried comming back out the way it went it. Scary stuff. This guy was lucky to have someone that was a trained EMT near by.
Give Huckabee credit for acting when it was needed. What would his detractors have said if he sat there and did nothing knowing he was a trained EMT?
Like his politics or not, Huckabee is a decent guy.
Great article! Way to go, Mike!
…also…
Love the pic with Chuck Norris in the background!
Thank you for reporting this delightful news story. My prayer is that Governor Huckabee can perform the Heimlich on the Republican Party and thereby the 2008 Election to prevent a Democrat takeover that might choke the productivity of the nation.
Is there any possibility the Heimlich Man. could be renamed the “Huck & Chuck”?
Since the man was not breathing, and since the Heimlich manuever saved his life by disloging a foreign object, Senator Huckabee did exactly the right thing.
Acid Reflux causes a weakness in the lower esophagial sphincter muscle. An attack of reflux combined with food in the esophagus can be lethal.
Esophagial spasms in a person with acid reflux can also cause severe choking. If food is also in the esophagus at the time the results can be deadly.
Mike Huckabee did exactly the right thing.
HUCKABOOMBOOM
CHRISTIANS SAVE LIVES. GOODNESS call the ACLU We can’t have JESUS at breakfast anymore. And no more prayers over cereal.
Huckster does nothing without self-interest. He’s not a minister trained and ordained, because he left that for journalism and marketing. Minister is just an election tag. He’s just another Arkansas swindling social climber needing a job after scamming his state as a governor. I’ve read that he furnished his house being built while still in office with a furniture registry. Bet Hilliary wishes she had thought of that, instead of taking the old used stuff from our White House.
Montana, don’t be such an ignoramus.
It was Mr. Huckabee idea to live in a mobile home for 16 months, not some high-priced hotel, during renovation of the Governor’s mansion. And he didn’t “scam” his state, like you accuse him of doing. There was plenty to clean up after the Clinton administration and the ouster of Jim Guy Tucker. Mike Huckabee is the longest-serving Governor of Arkansas, re-elected by Democrats who voted for tax hikes to begin the restoration of their crumbling infrastructure, inefficient school system and health care systems. That ought to tell you something. What have you done for *your* state lately, “montana”?
Brother Mike is a great person! He has done many things in his life that few people know or have heard about. Here is another!
The most important one for my family and me occured during Desert Shield/Storm. I was called to active duty with the Army Reserve and went overseas. Being a single parent, I had placed my teenage son with a friend during my mobilization and deployment to continue schooling at the same high school. After a couple of months these arrangements had to be changed and I was sent back to the states on emergency leave. When I spoke with Brother Mike about my situation, he volunteered and took my son into his home that same day. I was able to go back to the war immediately.
Mike and Janet treated my son as one of their own children, over the next few months. My son was driven across town everyday to school and was even taught how to drive during my absence. More importantly, they provided the loving support, care and guidance that a teenager requires. Especially when they are worried about their parent’s safety.
There is NO way I can ever say THANK YOU enough to Mike and Janet!
Jerry, that’s just awesome news to hear. I’m convinced further that, while some people may lead very visible, public lives, that by far, it’s what we do when no one’s looking that constitutes our best selves.
I applaud the Huckabee Family’s call to action and compassion for your family. And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your personal sacrifice on behalf of helping to protect the innocents of this world and the cause of freedom.
I like John McCain too; he seems to be a great guy, personable, likable, a kind of guy that you could invite over to a BBQ. Yeah sure, I respect him for his military service. No it doesn’t bother me that he graduate in the bottom 5% of his class from the Naval Academy, (hey I dropped out of High school) or that he crashed 4 planes,(I crashed my car twice) or even that he was shot down on his first mission over Vietnam,(hey, I’m three time loser) or even the that he started singing like a bird when captured by the NVA, without being tortured, or that he cheated on his wife, while in office, and is trying to portray himself as the candidate for family values, hey who am I to judge, I’ve mad my fair share of mistakes and then some, so who am I to judge McCain for his.
What really gets me is that some of your readers, won’t name any names, (hint:on a 2001 car trip to Florida), spoke about how Bush was going to do this, and bush was going to do that, and how the economy was going to be better. What happened? We started out with a surplus and eight years later were going to end up with the biggest deficit by a president ever recorded in history, and McCain supported Bush 95% of the time.
Our economy has tanked, our Gas Prices have skyrocketed and everything from the cost of food to diapers has gotten insanely expensive. I won’t mention how many Americans lost their jobs, or the tax breaks to companies that ship American Jobs overseas. Maybe those of you that are well off can afford the basic necessities, or have a nest egg to carry you over until the economy gets better, but many Americans, including myself cannot.
We went to war in IRAQ on a LIE, remember WMDs, 4,146 soldiers are dead 30,182 wounded for a LIE .How did Americans get duped into agreeing to spend 12 Billion a month in Iraq for a war that shouldn’t even be? So far we spent $368 billion on military operations, $45 billion more in veterans care, diplomatic services, training with that type of money we could of rebuilt the nation’s Infrastructure, invested in alternative energy and established our own Universal Healthcare.
Come on, be honest, when “W” changed his focus from looking for Bin Laden in Afghanistan to invading Iraq, you weren’t all scratching your head thinking “why in the hell are we doing that?” Intelligent and hardworking Americans such as yourselves?, didn’t have any doubt about that decision? OK, ok, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.
What about when the excuse for invading Iraq was proven to be a LIE, WMDs? How about then? Were you outraged? No. no, you just voted him back into office for another four years, with the excuse, “Well,we want him to finish what he started.” What!? Come on, wake up! If that was any other American, he would be in prison.
John McCain has been in Washington for a long time, twenty-six years and nothing’s has changed. He is out of touch with reality. He doesn’t even understand economics and even admits it himself,
“The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” McCain said on December 17 in New Hampshire, http://lburl.com/idd0k
I’m astounded, How can smart, Intelligent, hardworking people want McCain for president? Don’t get me wrong, I like John McCain, even after all the crappy things he has done, even after all his flopping around on issues like a fish out of water, I like him, just not as my Next President!
I am 36, and this will be my first election that I will vote in: presidential or otherwise. It’s Time for a change in Washington.
It’s time for a president for the people, from the people, someone who has seen the same hardships that we have, made the same kind of sacrifices we made, and works hard for success, Think about that when you cast your ballot in November.
So this is good news reporting? The author managed to tie so many unrelated things together with political view points. What does the Heimlich have to do with pro-life? Acid reflux, EMT, and others were obviously inteded as keywords to drive traffic to the authors story upon which the readers are exposed to this particular author’s political view points. If this is good journalism, we are in serious trouble.