Dec. 20, 2004 - 01:36 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Roley Poley

This bit of polling the country on various things and claiming a margin of error such as 3.6 percentage points. Yeah they questioned 715 people. And that is supposed to tell just how everyone in the country feels ? Hah !

An article in Saturday's Rocky Mountain News by William Kates of the Associated Press has this, in full:

Poll: 44 percent want limits on rights of Muslims

ITHACA, N.Y.-- "Nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, a nationwide poll found."

"The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious."

"Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likelly to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim Americans."

"It's sad news. It's disturbing news. But it's not unpredictable," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society. "The nation is at war, even if it's not a tradtional war. We just have to remain vigilant and continue to interface."

"The survey found 44 percent favored at least some restrictions on the civil liberties of Muslim AMericans. Forty-eight percent said liberties should not be restricted in any way."

"Cornell student researchers questioned 715 people in the nationwide telephone poll conducted this fall." "The margin of error was 3.6 percentage points.

"James Shanahan, an associate professor of communication who helped organize the survey, said the results indicate "the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties" in a time of war."

"While researchers said they were not surprised by the overall level of support for curtailing civil liberties, they were startled by the correlation with religion and exposure to television news."

"We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding," Shanahan said. According to the survey, 37 percent believe a terrorist attack is still likely within the next 12 months."

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My ideas and opinions. Okay a poll is taken nationwide, am I supposed to believe that 715 people -- spread across the whole United States can represent an accurate picture to the ridiculous margin of error of 3.6 percentage points ? If only taken in the 48 states that is only about 15 people per state that were polled.

I still say, "Give me a staff of people and the money to cover the situation and I can pick and choose who to ask most anything and come up with the answers my fearless leader wants."

Nationwide, 715 people, wow.

What the heck magic formula will give true results by sampling just a few people ?

And I cite the reporter for coming out in his article with the words, "Nearly half of all Americans believe," indicating I guess that he took that as gospel truth.

I have no doubt that those polled felt the way the pollsters reported. And I wouldn't doubt that the percentage points might be in that area. But in a microscopic sampling, how can anyone positively say that the whole country feels this way ?

I do agree that the habit of Dad and the gang catching the news on 6pm and 10pm where news is doled out in sound bites, along with the clowning and popularity contests of the newscasters can give them some weird ideas. It is bad enough in the adpapers called news as it is.

I guess it is just that I feel that this thing shouldn't even be a news article. Just like us kids used to roll down a grassy hill where the position of bodies at the bottom of the hill was anyone's guess, the catchword was -- playing Roley Poley . . . . . . .

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