I am still ticked about Dru Shegren’s biased and misleading report last week. I am also embarrassed by Kevin Horrigan’s editorial endorsing Obama. Still waiting for some hard facts, Kevin.

Generally, I like to have a little fun here, poking and prodding, agitating and firing up. I enjoy sarcasm and insult, as much as anybody here.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides a service to the citizens of St. Louis, not only with the hard copy daily edition of the Post, but here, on STLtoday. It is great that all of us are afforded the opportunity to meet here, to discuss, disagree or come together. I am quite certain that it is difficult at times for Gilbert, Eric, Jamie or Kevin and others to be on the receiving end of slings and arrows, just as it is gratifying to receive the gracious comments of approval.

These are trying times, of hopes, fears, anger, disappointment and joy, in what could be the most important election in our history. By virtue of being here, we demonstrate our passions for what we believe in. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is a private enterprise, a division of Lee Enterprises. Even though it is a private enterprise, it enjoys a position of immense power and influence. By virtue of being our ONLY newspaper, it has a sacred trust to meet the needs of ALL of its citizens. If you agree with its endorsements and its nuanced way of presenting the news, it is a wonderful thing to behold. If you disagree, it can be frustrating. I noted on another thread that as a conservative, I have found it difficult to discuss the daily news presented in the Post, due to the fact that many of my conservative friends do not read the paper. That is a problem. While I do not wish to be a rude guest in someone else’s home, I am required by everything within me to fight for what I believe is the right path for our country.

I sincerely believe that the liberal bias of the Post Dispatch editorial staff is evident not only in the election year endorsement tradition, but in the way the news of each day is presented to its readership.

I guess it’s kind of like the line in The Godfather. “It’s not personal. Its business.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is what it is. There are certainly more progressive publications available, as there are more conservative. If the P-D just focused on more traditional, more conventional, more run-of-the-mill aspects of American political and societal ethos, it would, perhaps, be more palatable to the tastes of many of its current detractors. Like a Caesar Salad without anchovies… boring. The P-D has had an editorially liberal bent since its inception, which is every bit as valid as a conservative bent. If you don’t like it, try the National Review. But don’t constantly carp at it, or worse, chalk it up to some vague, unseen, international conspiracy of pezzonovantes issuing marching orders to their robotic journalist minions. Additionally, it is the responsibility of all organs of the press to question authority, be it a Bush administration, a McCain administration, or an Obama administration. Otherwise it simply morphs into a propaganda mouthpiece for the powers that be. In this regard, the P-D has always adhered to a policy best characterized by Ronald Reagan: “Trust, but verify.” St. Louis should count its blessings. BTW, Star 20, an excellent post–oh, that all contributors had your eloquence.