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.

Recaps and Roundabouts

I'm very happy indeed that I've begun to see the mainstream media continue to do follow-up articles on very important stories. The only way a democracy can function is if its citizens are educated; and articles that follow a story through to conclusion are wonderful and much-needed.



Sedatives and Sex Hormones in Our Water Supply: Democracy Now's Amy Goodman explores what's in our water, how it got there, and the current state of pharmaceuticals in our drinking water.



France Won't Rule Out Opening Ceremony Boycott: It's better than nothing, but still not good enough. "French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that he cannot rule out the possibility he might boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics if China continues its crackdown in Tibet."



The Real Rev. Wright: The Footage Fox and the Other Networks Won't Show: An awesome and moving video of Obama's preacher telling telling the bare, dirty, glorious truth to his congregation. This is a must watch.



TV, film, game violence threatens public health: Bowling for Columbine explored the topic of fear and if it makes the United States a more violent nation. (If you have yet to see it, please do). Parents were up in arms over the very popular Grand Theft Auto video game series where you can carjack, kill, knife, and sleep with prostitutes anytime you want. And if you get out of the car and go kill the prostitute, you get all your money back. How can this be good for us?




Take a political break and watch this; it wouldn't be so funny if it weren't so true! Eddie Izzard comments on the end of the world, but more so about computers and humans.