I don't know who to be more angry at: the media or my fellow citizens. Here is a news story about Donald Rumsfeld (former Secretary of Defense under W) talking to military analysts in December of 2006. Totally contradicting one of the many reasons President Bush gave for invading Iraq, Rumsfeld says he agrees "that Iraq needs an authoritarian dictator." On other parts of the taped meeting, "Rumsfeld suggests that the American public lacked the "maturity" to understand that the nation remained under threat from terrorists and that the only "correction" would be another attack on the U.S."
As of this writing, it is listed on MSNBC.com under the "other top stories" section. In fact, "Down to 2 on Idol" gets more prominent display and bigger font than this story. Making my way over to CNN.com, there is nary a word - either on it's front page or the politics page. Let's check out the always-balanced Foxnews.com: nope - not a peep there. How about the networks? Nothing on ABC or CBS.
So I'm angry at the media for not giving this story any weight, traction, or shred of existence (save MSNBC.com). It's still hard to believe that here is a story regarding one of the central figures in the disaster and humanitarian crisis that the Iraq war was destined to become not only clearly favoring authoritarian dictatorships (wasn't Saddam an authoritarian dictator?), but that the only way for the American public to be afraid of terrorists is for an attack to actually happen.
But all of my wrath cannot be spread upon the media alone - even though they're quite guilty of selling us a war based on roses and lies. A really good video highlighting the Bush Administration's successful manipulation of you and me can be seen here. It's of another guilty fellow, Douglas Feith the Undersecretary of Defense under Donald Rumsfeld, who says that Americans "misremember" what was really said about Iraq before the invasion.
No, the other half of my heartache, really, is caused by the towering heights of apathy and ignorance that my fellow citizens seem to posses about not just the Iraq war, but the economy, food shortages, and rapidly approaching irreversible climate change. The few people who actually want to talk about these issues are ignorant of a lot of important facts, or just plainly haven't thought about them much, if at all. Now, some may say that that's because they're much more focused on and consumed by rising gas prices, a recession, and falling wages. And I would probably agree with you, however, it is exactly these issues that are caused by, and can be ameliorated through, our government.
Who's the government? Not some people off in Washington, D.C. or even your state capitals. No, it's you and me. We the People. So when the leaders of this country - those of you reading this - don't do anything like call your representatives (they are there to represent your views), or write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, or hell, even read the damn thing - you're letting us all down. We the People, together, educated, and involved are the only ones who can solve these problems in ways in which we all benefit.
So the majority of you out there who still drive Hummers and other extremely pollutive vehicles or don't recycle or don't read the news or don't get involved in your communities and get to know and work with your neighbors....knock your shit off! You're pissin' me the #$!* off! Quit chasing the Jones' and drop back down to planet Earth, upon which our continued existence is questioned, and start doing things - no matter how small, that make a difference.
What if we don't have that much time left? Would you then wish you had done something now?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
News in Review
I have nothing of real substance to say this week -aside from my post on the "liberal," pro-war newspaper the New York Times. Television and cable news still frame Clinton and Obama as a horse race - only talking about who's ahead of who; versus talking about the merits and demerits of each candidates health care, domestic or foreign policy platforms. So, here are some news stories I have found thought provoking. May they provoke thoughts in you as well.
The Land of the Almost Free to Speak Up: "Americans, she said, love to trumpet their freedom. But it’s hard to square that with political correctness that straitjackets communication for fear of giving unintended offense, hair-trigger litigiousness that requires major corporations to treat customers (”Caution: Coffee is hot”) like idiots for fear of being sued, zero tolerance policies and mandatory sentencing guidelines that remove human judgment from human encounters for fear of rendering unequal justice."
How Part of the Economy is Rigged Against Us: Leveraged Buyout - Private Equity - what do these terms mean? More to the point, what's going on with the economy and why are we in a recession while some money managers and such are making millions and oil and food companies are raking in record profits every quarter?
Celebrity Gossip = "Bona Fide Newscast": "Hard-hitting journalism is nearing extinction on television, and the Federal Communications Commission just threw another shovel-full of dirt on its grave when it recently ruled that Rupert Murdoch's TMZ and Pat Robertson's 700 Club meet the test for "a bona fide newscast.""
US Consumers Rank Last in World Survey of Green Habits: "Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories - housing, transportation and consumer goods_ according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood."
Human Society Says Video Shows Abused Livestock: (Reason # 4,623 why I'm a vegetarian). "The Humane Society of the United States on Wednesday released new video taken at animal auctions in four states that showed sick and injured cows lying on the ground, and called on the U.S. government to prevent further cases of animal abuse at similar facilities." Video here.
EPA Might Not Act to Limit Rocket Fuel in Drinking Water:"An EPA official said Tuesday there’s a “distinct possibility” the agency won’t take action to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has contaminated public water supplies around the country."
The Land of the Almost Free to Speak Up: "Americans, she said, love to trumpet their freedom. But it’s hard to square that with political correctness that straitjackets communication for fear of giving unintended offense, hair-trigger litigiousness that requires major corporations to treat customers (”Caution: Coffee is hot”) like idiots for fear of being sued, zero tolerance policies and mandatory sentencing guidelines that remove human judgment from human encounters for fear of rendering unequal justice."
How Part of the Economy is Rigged Against Us: Leveraged Buyout - Private Equity - what do these terms mean? More to the point, what's going on with the economy and why are we in a recession while some money managers and such are making millions and oil and food companies are raking in record profits every quarter?
Celebrity Gossip = "Bona Fide Newscast": "Hard-hitting journalism is nearing extinction on television, and the Federal Communications Commission just threw another shovel-full of dirt on its grave when it recently ruled that Rupert Murdoch's TMZ and Pat Robertson's 700 Club meet the test for "a bona fide newscast.""
US Consumers Rank Last in World Survey of Green Habits: "Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories - housing, transportation and consumer goods_ according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood."
Human Society Says Video Shows Abused Livestock: (Reason # 4,623 why I'm a vegetarian). "The Humane Society of the United States on Wednesday released new video taken at animal auctions in four states that showed sick and injured cows lying on the ground, and called on the U.S. government to prevent further cases of animal abuse at similar facilities." Video here.
EPA Might Not Act to Limit Rocket Fuel in Drinking Water:"An EPA official said Tuesday there’s a “distinct possibility” the agency won’t take action to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has contaminated public water supplies around the country."
Monday, May 05, 2008
Comments on the News Round Up
Thomas Jefferson quote of the day: All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
For about a fortnight now network and cable news have gone on and on about Obama's Preacher, the Rev. Wright. Long story short, Rev. Wright wrote a powerful sermon after 9/11 where he pointed out some of the reasons he (and coincidentally, Ron Paul among others) have for believing it was payback. (The book Blowback, with its title derived from "a term coined by the CIA to denote the unintended consequences of policies that were in many cases kept secret from the American public," speaks directly to this point of contention). So, Obama has been raked over the coals about the fact that he has not only been endorsed by Rev. Wright, but was a member of his congregation...20 years ago. Every major news media have taken and run with this story for days: asking Obama to denounce the endorsement, to denounce the preacher; and they've even attacked Rev. Wright.
Yet, strangely, they are silent (crickets chirping here) about the Rev. John Hagee's endorsement of Senator John McCain. Frank Rich in today's New York Times, here, explains it all by saying that, "it is disingenuous to pretend that there isn’t a double standard operating here. If we’re to judge black candidates on their most controversial associates - and how quickly, sternly and completely they disown them - we must judge white politicians by the same yardstick."
Why are they silent about this; about someone who has made much more inflammatory and derogatory remarks than Rev. Wright has? Some of Rev. Hagee's beliefs are: "God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins," that the Roman Catholic Church is "the Great Whore," and that "most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews."
Are those in power and control of the media, racist? anti-black?, pro-McCain?, all of the above?
First there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, then there weren't. Then we were there to get rid of Saddam, then we weren't. Then we were there to bring democracy to Iraq, then we weren't. There were ties between Saddam and al Qaeda, then there were not. Al Qaeda was in Iraq prior to our invasion, then they were not.
Then Iran was training people to fight in Iraq, then they were not. And then Iran was making and sending weapons into Iraq...well...maybe not.
What's important is not who's starving or being oppressed. What's important is my stock price. Money, baby: gimme, gimme, gimme!
"Giant agribusinesses are enjoying soaring earnings and profits out of the world food crisis which is driving millions of people towards starvation, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. And speculation is helping to drive the prices of basic foodstuffs out of the reach of the hungry."
Guess what? I went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and all I got was this stupid T-shirt! "As these astonishing mementoes [sic] show, the US authorities are promoting the world's most notorious prison camp as a cheap hideaway for American sunseekers – a revelation that has drawn international anger and condemnation."
I was a first-born kid and, according to this new study, it looks like we have it harder.
For about a fortnight now network and cable news have gone on and on about Obama's Preacher, the Rev. Wright. Long story short, Rev. Wright wrote a powerful sermon after 9/11 where he pointed out some of the reasons he (and coincidentally, Ron Paul among others) have for believing it was payback. (The book Blowback, with its title derived from "a term coined by the CIA to denote the unintended consequences of policies that were in many cases kept secret from the American public," speaks directly to this point of contention). So, Obama has been raked over the coals about the fact that he has not only been endorsed by Rev. Wright, but was a member of his congregation...20 years ago. Every major news media have taken and run with this story for days: asking Obama to denounce the endorsement, to denounce the preacher; and they've even attacked Rev. Wright.
Yet, strangely, they are silent (crickets chirping here) about the Rev. John Hagee's endorsement of Senator John McCain. Frank Rich in today's New York Times, here, explains it all by saying that, "it is disingenuous to pretend that there isn’t a double standard operating here. If we’re to judge black candidates on their most controversial associates - and how quickly, sternly and completely they disown them - we must judge white politicians by the same yardstick."
Why are they silent about this; about someone who has made much more inflammatory and derogatory remarks than Rev. Wright has? Some of Rev. Hagee's beliefs are: "God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins," that the Roman Catholic Church is "the Great Whore," and that "most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews."
Are those in power and control of the media, racist? anti-black?, pro-McCain?, all of the above?
First there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, then there weren't. Then we were there to get rid of Saddam, then we weren't. Then we were there to bring democracy to Iraq, then we weren't. There were ties between Saddam and al Qaeda, then there were not. Al Qaeda was in Iraq prior to our invasion, then they were not.
Then Iran was training people to fight in Iraq, then they were not. And then Iran was making and sending weapons into Iraq...well...maybe not.
What's important is not who's starving or being oppressed. What's important is my stock price. Money, baby: gimme, gimme, gimme!
"Giant agribusinesses are enjoying soaring earnings and profits out of the world food crisis which is driving millions of people towards starvation, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. And speculation is helping to drive the prices of basic foodstuffs out of the reach of the hungry."
Guess what? I went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and all I got was this stupid T-shirt! "As these astonishing mementoes [sic] show, the US authorities are promoting the world's most notorious prison camp as a cheap hideaway for American sunseekers – a revelation that has drawn international anger and condemnation."
I was a first-born kid and, according to this new study, it looks like we have it harder.
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