Roger Ailes, R.I.P.

Sometimes a person comes along who makes such a great impact
on a field of endeavor that the both the field and society, are never
again the same. Roger Ailes was just such a person, having created
FOX News, the news network that gave television viewers an
alternative source for their TV news which did not have a left-
wing tilt, a place to turn for a fresh perspective on the news of
the day. A Republican operative for many years beforehand,
Ailes saw the potential which television had for the GOP to
overcome the establishment broadcast media cartel with its
Dan Rathers, Tom Brokaws, Peter Jenningses, and Sam
Donaldsons delivering only what the establishment wanted the
public to hear. As an aide to President Richard Nixon, Ailes
wrote a 300-page memorandum titled "A Plan for Putting the
GOP on TV News", in which he detailed his ideas which he
would implement for founding FOX News.

Along the way, he had encountered lots of adversity --- much of it
in the form of hate from the Left --- for upsetting their cartel
apple cart. But Ailes was a patriot who cared deeply for our
country and he wanted people to get different takes on the news,
especially American political news in order to make well-informed
political decisions, especially at election time. In this instance Roger
Ailes was a liberator as well as a pioneer in the national media.

In his later years Ailes had been accused by some of the female
staff at FOX of sexual harassment;  He claimed that the first such
action was taken by one of FOX's news show hosts because she
was angry about not having her contract with FOX renewed.
However, five more women at FOX filed suits of their own
making the same complaints, and FOX paid one woman a
$1 million out of court settlement. Your diligent Peasant does
not have all the information concerning this serious matter,
but will posit that if Ailes were innocent of the charges made,
he and FOX would have fought them, telling the complainants
to do their worst in court, and Ailes would never have resigned
from the organization he founded. Having followed similar stories
over the years, I would have to say that a blameless person could,
and should, fight with all they've got any attempts to besmirch
his good name and reputation, for these are the most valuable
possessions that any one of us have in life. In the wake of
Roger Ailes' passing on May 18, I shall hold out hope for
Ailes to be cleared and vindicated so that he shall be remembered
in a positive light, remembered for his considerable contributions
to news broadcasting and to our national political discourse
rather than for some alleged instances of poor judgement and
resultant misbehavior. Rest in Peace.


MEM