Hey kids!
I’m starting to think that I watch a bit too much cable news. Then again it’s the only decent thing on in the afternoon while I’m eating lunch. So I guess I see a fair amount. So as usual when I see a bit much of something I tend to find things that bother me.
So today I’m watching the bits and pieces of the funeral for Coretta Scott King. During this fine memorial President Bush, who was in attendance, took some heat from the speakers. What’s the first thing the talking heads on MSNBC start yapping about? How being at this funeral will help Bush politically. It will also be beneficial to Hillary Clinton as well. You know what? I DON’T CARE! The networks never do any real fact checking or call anyone on their mistakes. Gen. Michael Hayden, principal deputy director of National Intelligence and former director of the National Security Agency, couldn’t even correctly quote the 4th Amendment the other day. For the most part the media said nothing! Instead of giving the public what they need, the truth. They instead tell us how they think it will alter America’s opinion. They need to stop this nonsense. The media’s job is to give us the truth, no more no less. Why they stopped doing this, with a few exceptions, is beyond me.
If I hear one more right-wing polemic utter the phrase, “The military protects your freedom” or “The military gave you those freedoms” or any similar nonsense I will begin slapping people. The military has only a scant few times really protected our freedom or gave us new freedoms, like say the Revolutionary War or World War II. Every other time a freedom has been protected it has been by the citizens. They protested or sued or took some other action that prevented the government from infringing on their rights. Every time a right has been granted it has been of the people as well. Movements like the Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Suffrage and the Labor Movement had nothing to do with the military. It is that most wonderful of documents, The US Constitution and the actions of the citizens that has expanded and preserved our freedom not the military.
Yesterday I was reading my morning newspaper, The Toledo Blade, and I read an article about members of Al Qaeda escaping from a prison in Yemen. Most of these prisoners were tied to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. So I eagerly turn on the cable news networks to get some new information about this troubling story. So what do I hear? I hear nothing. They were silent on the issue. Why? Shouldn’t this be a major story? Shouldn’t all those 24 hour news networks had reporters all over this story? I guess not. Why though? Could it be so we don’t really know how well or poorly the war on terror is really going? Just give me some truth people that’s all I ask.
Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General, said recently and I quote, “President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale.” Write your own joke. This is almost as pathetic as the fact that he was not under oath for his testimony. It’s nice to see that politics trumps the truth in Washington these days.
OK rant mode is disengaged for now. I don’t want it to seem like I want anyone to avoid the news, because nothing could be more false. But you need to watch it with a sharp mind and ask lots of questions. Though I’m starting to doubt the media will answer them anymore.
I’m starting to think that I watch a bit too much cable news. Then again it’s the only decent thing on in the afternoon while I’m eating lunch. So I guess I see a fair amount. So as usual when I see a bit much of something I tend to find things that bother me.
So today I’m watching the bits and pieces of the funeral for Coretta Scott King. During this fine memorial President Bush, who was in attendance, took some heat from the speakers. What’s the first thing the talking heads on MSNBC start yapping about? How being at this funeral will help Bush politically. It will also be beneficial to Hillary Clinton as well. You know what? I DON’T CARE! The networks never do any real fact checking or call anyone on their mistakes. Gen. Michael Hayden, principal deputy director of National Intelligence and former director of the National Security Agency, couldn’t even correctly quote the 4th Amendment the other day. For the most part the media said nothing! Instead of giving the public what they need, the truth. They instead tell us how they think it will alter America’s opinion. They need to stop this nonsense. The media’s job is to give us the truth, no more no less. Why they stopped doing this, with a few exceptions, is beyond me.
If I hear one more right-wing polemic utter the phrase, “The military protects your freedom” or “The military gave you those freedoms” or any similar nonsense I will begin slapping people. The military has only a scant few times really protected our freedom or gave us new freedoms, like say the Revolutionary War or World War II. Every other time a freedom has been protected it has been by the citizens. They protested or sued or took some other action that prevented the government from infringing on their rights. Every time a right has been granted it has been of the people as well. Movements like the Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Suffrage and the Labor Movement had nothing to do with the military. It is that most wonderful of documents, The US Constitution and the actions of the citizens that has expanded and preserved our freedom not the military.
Yesterday I was reading my morning newspaper, The Toledo Blade, and I read an article about members of Al Qaeda escaping from a prison in Yemen. Most of these prisoners were tied to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. So I eagerly turn on the cable news networks to get some new information about this troubling story. So what do I hear? I hear nothing. They were silent on the issue. Why? Shouldn’t this be a major story? Shouldn’t all those 24 hour news networks had reporters all over this story? I guess not. Why though? Could it be so we don’t really know how well or poorly the war on terror is really going? Just give me some truth people that’s all I ask.
Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General, said recently and I quote, “President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale.” Write your own joke. This is almost as pathetic as the fact that he was not under oath for his testimony. It’s nice to see that politics trumps the truth in Washington these days.
OK rant mode is disengaged for now. I don’t want it to seem like I want anyone to avoid the news, because nothing could be more false. But you need to watch it with a sharp mind and ask lots of questions. Though I’m starting to doubt the media will answer them anymore.
posted by Eric at 10:03 PM
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