TORRANCE TRIBUNE June 22, 2017 Page 5 Politically Speaking One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion Now is Definitely the Time to Question the Source By Cristian Vasquez Watching any of the Fox News pundits and their conservative guest experts would have you believe that the liberal media is responsible for the nation’s ills. Maybe listening to any conservative a.m. radio jockey is enough to convince you that the liberal media is destroying America’s values. Fortunately, these claims are no more than hollow talking points drafted to reinforce people’s biases, and to convince new people that their biggest fears are real. The truth is the liberal media isn’t destroying American values. If anything, the media in general is failing the public by giving enshrining personal opinions and demonizing facts--and no network does this better than Fox News. The Fox News crowd (probably calling me a libtard, snowflake) is petrified of the influence the liberal media has over our young kids. Yet they fail to acknowledge that this GOP propaganda machine ranks highest in the cable news ratings. Since 2002, the conservative publicity machine has been the most-watched cable news network in the country. The quarterly ratings released in late March reported the network to have drawn an average of 1.72 million total day viewers, far ahead from CNN with 826,000 total day viewers. In addition, this was the 61stconsecutive quarter that Fox News finished in first place among cable news networks. So with this well-run propaganda machine dominating the cable news ratings, how is it that the liberal media threatens our very existence? The argument isn’t that there is no such thing as liberal bias in the media. MSNBC and CNN are very left-leaning. However, their ratings don’t even come close to Fox News. So how is the liberal media destroying the country? It’s not. Fox News has one function: to push the GOP agenda with disregard for truth and facts and anyone that thinks differently is unpatriotic. Remember President Obama’s birth certificate scandal? They loved dragging that one out. How about constantly debating if the former president is a Muslim? As if that is a bad thing. How about that classic “terrorist fist bump” between President Obama and the First Lady? It’s not like the network has a sports branch to know that athletes fist bump all the time. How could they ever know? Maybe Fox News is just scared of Hollywood liberals. You know, celebrities and their unnecessary opinions trying to influence our minds. If only there was a way to avoid Tinseltown. How dare these communist actors drag people to theaters to spend millions of dollars every weekend in support of their socialist agenda? Fox News is so committed to spewing lies about anyone/any agency or corporation that doesn’t move to the beat of the GOP drum that their viewers have been indoctrinated with pathetic talking points used to attack the opposition. There is a liberal media and Hollywood is the belly of the liberal beast, but Fox News dominates the cable news. People will always be more influenced by the daily lies and rhetoric of GOP propaganda pundits and their fearmongering party machine, than by a two-hour film watched last year. • Just Wondering at This Point, “Can We All Just Get Along?” By Duane Plank “Can we all just get along?” That was the question once asked by criminal and victim Rodney King, who drowned in his swimming pool 15 years ago when he was wasted on drugs and alcohol. King’s plight, as you may remember, was at the flashpoint in riots that roiled the City of Angels 25 years ago when he was roughed up by responding policemen after leading officers on a high-speed car chase. At the ensuing trial, none of the four officers involved in the incident were found guilty. Shortly after the verdict was announced, South LA burst into flames, with acts of arson and rampant looting being perpetrated wantonly as police were unable to contain the rioters. LA was a city divided--much as Washington, DC is a city politically fractured today. It doesn’t seem, politically speaking, that anyone wants to get along with anyone on the other side of the aisle. There appeared to be a day or two of bipartisanism in Washington after a gunman who tried to assassinate Congressional members and ended up severely wounding Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was taken down by law enforcement. It is sad that an assassination attempt is apparently needed to bring the warring political factions together, albeit momentarily. Even Senator Nancy Pelosi looked contrite, dialing back her standard partisan verbiage when she spoke the day after the shootings. How did this schism in civility happen? Right wing and left wing loonies, leveraging social media, are everywhere. Resist, disrupt, obstruct is the mantra. The Clinton News Network has made it their mission to get Trump impeached. There are incendiary talking heads, on both sides, vitriolic spinners, collecting a check, trying to incite, as they spew venom. And then they walk away, to show up the next day and appear on another erudite “panel,” allegedly having expertise on whatever they are opining? It goes both ways, media-wise. FOX News has its share of partisan provocateurs. But CNN’s mission, ever since Ms. Clinton failed in a campaign that was darn near impossible to lose, unless you ran a very flawed candidate, has been to get Mr. Trump out of office. They even have a commercial with the tagline, “We know our mission.” Really? Thankfully the rifle-toting Hodgkinson was shot down by the brave folks who responded to his mayhem. Hodgkin’s, by the way, is a disease. Hodgkin’s is a type of lymphoma. So, are we careening down the path to another to another un-Civil War? From most accounts, if Scalise and his security detail had not been there, it could have been a carnage of defenseless Republican civil servants facing a guy with a rifle, defending themselves with baseball bats. Being that this assassination attempt occurred on a baseball field, I leave you with some lyrics from the great musician John Fogerty. “Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to play,” penned Fogerty. He wanted to be inserted into centerfield on the ballfield. Centerfield. Right down the middle of the diamond. We need our elected officials to play it more down the middle, with less pandering to the left or right. • Helping Your Pet Get Through the Noisy Fireworks Season By Dr. Greg Perrault As another perfect spring comes to an end, Southern Californians prepare for their least favorite season---fireworks season. Fireworks season begins near the beginning of June and tapers off in early August. Random explosions, crackles and whistles are the hallmark of fireworks season. And as annoying it is for us, the random fireworks can be absolutely terrifying to our pets with noise phobias. It is thought that about 20 to 25 percent of dogs in the United States have noise phobia. Like other phobias, there is an exaggerated response to the stimuli that may worsen over time with repeated negative experience. There may be a predisposition in female dogs compared to males. Certain breeds, such as herding dogs, may also have a tendency to overreact to loud noises. Dogs that have noise phobias often exhibit shaking and excessive panting. Some dogs may drool excessively too. They often try to hide under furniture or go into closets or the bathroom to escape the perceived threat of the random loud noise of fireworks. Some dogs will try to climb onto their owners for comfort. Others panic and try to escape by jumping off balconies or even crashing through glass windows or doors resulting in injury or death. Some of my clients have pets that are so negatively affected by the noise that they will relocate their pets out of the area for a week or two around the 4th of July holiday. There are three things that you can do that may help you get through the fireworks season: 1. Behavioral and environmental therapy: This involves desensitizing your pet prior to the actual event by exposing them to very low levels of the noise that causes panic in a controlled setting while providing positive rewards. There are CD recordings of thunderstorms and fireworks that you can play at very low levels while rewarding your pet with treats and petting. As your pet becomes comfortable with the recorded noises, you can try gradually increasing the volume. During the actual event of a fireworks show, you can modify the environment by closing the blinds to block the flashes of light, turn on some distracting sounds like easy listening music (by the way, reggae music was found to be the most relaxing music for dogs in a recent study…who knew?). Covering your pet with a blanket may help block some of the noise. And last, but certainly not least, is to not leave you pet alone during major events. Nearly all noise-phobic dogs become more afraid and panic when left without their humans around. 2. Natural remedies: These include herbal, aromatic and compression therapy. Certain herbal supplements, such as Rescue Remedy, can work in some pets. Essential peppermint oil properly diluted in safflower or coconut oil applied to the footpads has been used successfully in some dogs (never apply undiluted essential oil on your pet). It is thought to work by distracting the dog and may also have some direct calming effect from the scent. Adaptil pheromone collars are effective in many dogs and are long-lasting and safe. Compression therapy is placing a very snug wrap around your dog, much like swaddling a baby with a blanket. Thundershirt is one brand that is widely available and many of my clients find these easy to use and effective. 3. Drugs: Even after desensitizing, natural remedies and environmental modification, there are still many dogs that are going to freak out with fireworks. These pets need prescription medicine. There are a few different categories of drugs that are used for noise phobias. Sedatives: For years pets were prescribed sedatives like Acepromazine for noise phobias. While usually safe for most pets, recent studies show that this class of drugs do not decrease anxiety and may actually make pets more sensitive to loud noises. However, the only FDA-approved drug for noise phobias in dogs at this time is a sedative that is given in very small doses, referred to as microdosing. Dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel, brand name Sileo, is a highly selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist that blocks norepinephrine release, thereby calming the pet. We have used this medicine for about a year at our hospital and have had success in most, but not all, noise-phobic dogs. Anxiolytics: These are medicines that reduce anxiety. Xanax, Prozac and Trazodone are examples of this class of drugs. These drugs may have a longer action and may be more appropriate for longer term use than other medicines in some patients. While safe in healthy pets, always consult your veterinarian before you try any of these treatments for your individual pet. Dr. Greg Perrault owns and operates Cats & Dogs Animal Hospital in Long Beach. •
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