Where are the probing journalists?

During George W. Bush's Presidency, we got the big-government, intrusive, a lot of us say unconstitutional "Patriot Act." Now we're getting the "National Defense Authorization Act" and an Executive Order from this President, according to the link below--which looks as though it's straight from the White House website, I might add--saying the government reserves the right to confiscate anything we own... So I ask you, where are the probing journalists from the extremely important "Fourth Estate" to ask the questions and find out a) what's going on?, b) why?, c) who's doing it? and d) how do we stop them? The big, major networks? Fugghedaboudit. We know they won't do it. They're too busy entertaining us. PBS' "Frontline" does some excellent expose's at times, telling us what the government or the wealthy or corporations did or are doing to us and/or in the country. And The New York Times does some good articles at times but first, look how they buckled for that Iraq War of George W. Bush's and second, I just haven't seen the kind of big, multiple-day story like this, that such a story should and would entail. They could do it but it doesn't seem like something they've done for a good while. There are blogs and websites online that do some good reporting like Politifact and Truthdig and Truthout, etc., but these are considered "Left Wing" and would be utterly discounted by the Right Wing, Republicans and too many in America. Besides, too many Americans are too busy just trying to cover the rent or the house payment and food on the table so they don't get to a lot of those things. We need some good organizations to perform this function/these functions of reporting on our government and institutions so we know what's happening and we can keep the wrong things from happening, in advance. A lot of people seem rather rightly concerned about the Constitution, the state of the nation, our rights and our collective and individual futures. Without someone reporting on these, we can't and won't know what's going on or by whom or why. Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act: http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

Such a shame Americans aren't interested in facts

Bruce Bartlett on Where the Right Went Wrong from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

Links: http://billmoyers.com/segment/bruce-bartlett-on-where-the-right-went-wrong/#.Tzj3mC4dx8M.facebook; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/opinion/krugman-severe-conservative-syndrome.html?_r=1

Oh, pardon me--about that budget deficit?

From Fox "News", last evening: Budget deficit shrinks to $349 billion in last four months The U.S. budget deficit registered at $349 billion for the last four months, marking a $70 billion decline from the same period a year ago, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Huh. First much higher employment numbers last week and now this. Maybe that guy in the White House isn't so stupid after all. Link: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/07/budget-deficit-shrinks-to-34-billion-in-last-four-months/

Fox "News" finally gets something right

Coincidentally, they hit it right about these lunatics from Topeka. (I refuse to mention their name). I guess if you're on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you're bound to, one day, anyway, finally, finally get and say something correct. I wonder if and when it will happen again and how long it will take. We may never know.

So many really bleak predictions

I have friends I keep in contact with, one way or another, through email or on Facebook (yes, that) and frequently they will make the point that we're on the verge of World War III or some such cataclysm. I tell you, it's frustrating. It's really dark, really bleak. News out today, yet again, seems to point that way for them, too, I must admit, in this form: U.S. Fifth Fleet says won't allow Hormuz disruption And today's warning is our repsonse to this: Iranian Official Threatens Military Drill Sealing Off the Strait of Hormuz The list goes on and on for these people of how we're all being set up for one more war, this one with Iran. Some say it will be WWIII. Others say it will be the end of the world. It is tiresome. And nihilistic. Can we not have hope any more? Can we not hope the right things will be done and that intelligence will prevail? Is that too much to ask? Sure, the world economies have gone to heck and there are major realignments all across the planet but if anyone knows anything about human history, it has happened before. Imagine life in 1917 Russia. Granted, now humankind has nuclear weapons capable of wiping life off the planet but can we not hope that cooler, calmer and more intelligent heads will prevail? I know I do. I refuse to be all "pollyanna" about the world but that doesn't mean I can't have hope. Sue me. Links: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/13/iranian-official-threatens-military-drill-sealing-off-strait-hormuz/; http://news.yahoo.com/iran-navy-chief-says-shutting-off-gulf-very-092339883.html;_ylt=AlX783MEMF0gglA.2MT8vwWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTQ1ajE1M2NtBG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBXb3JsZARwa2cDYjBkYjY3ZmEtZTcwZS0zNWQ1LWE0ZmMtNWE5OTIyYTU1OGRkBHBvcwMzBHNlYwNNZWRpYVNlY3Rpb25MaXN0BHZlcgM1YjZhMmRlMC0zMTc3LTExZTEtOTZjZi1mNGNlYTExYmMwYzI-;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

No, there's no racism about this president...or at Fox "News"...or in the Right Wing

And it doesn't inform their politics, either, no. Right.

Happy holidays

''Legend has it that every time you say, 'Happy Holidays,' an angel gets AIDS.'' —Jon Stewart on the War on Christmas

2011 in mysterious animal kills: It makes you wonder

A year in review. I'm no conspiracy theorist and don't believe in "end times" but I am firmly convinced that the way we humans live right now is not sustainable, at the very least.

Fox has an "uh-oh" moment instead of an "ah-ha!"

Have a great weekend, y'all. I know I am.

Michele Bachmann and Donald Trump to lead the nation?

Are you kidding me? That's who Michele Bachmann says she might pick for her Vice President if--God and heaven forbid--she should get anywhere even remotely close to the White House? She says she would pick The Donald or Rick "Mr. Sensitivity" Santorum. Yikes. Double barrel nightmares. And we thought Dubya' was bad. (and stupid).

Baby Irwin case on Fox

Interesting, to say the least.

Steve Jobs on Fox "News"

One of the brightest people of the last century, it's widely agreed, speaking to Rupert Murdoch about his Fox (or Faux) "News" network (click for bigger view):

To Fox "News"

Why we need financial reform from Washington

That and the fact that we need to get "campaign contributions" out of our electoral system.

Little coverage of Wall Street occupation

I wrote of this in the first 3 days of the Wall Street "occupation" and protests when they started last week. It's still going on and corporate America and their media--'cuz it sure isn't yours and mine--is still under-reporting this story. It's on The Huffington Post and Alternet and Truthdig and Truthout and other alternate media sites but it's nowhere to be seen on the big, corporate media companies coverage. They don't want all of America to know plenty of people are as upset about the Wall Street and corporate corruption as they are. It's disgusting. Links: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wall+street+occupation&aq=f; http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=wall+street+occupaton+news&pbx=1&oq=wall+street+occupaton+news&aq=f&aqi=&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=3500l7875l0l7984l26l17l0l1l1l0l562l3953l0.5.7.1.1.1l16l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=36f7a9872a3df422&biw=1440&bih=703

Fun with Fox "News"

Or Faux News, whichever you prefer.

Quote of the day

"There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance." ~Goethe

On Rupert Murdoch today

 

It seems the "big thing" in the news today about Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp. scandal in England is that some guy tried to hit him in the face with shave cream. That, ladies and gentlemen, is not the important part of this story today at all. At all. Far more important is that first, he said he bears no responsibility whatever for the fact that people in his company bribed police officers, at least, to get stories. Second, he immediately followed that with "cover" for his underlings--his sons and Rebekah Brooks, his Chief Executive at News of the World--by saying they weren't responsible, either. It must be nice to run a multi-billion dollar organization, get paid huge money and not be responsible, all at the same time. I wish I had that job. Here's a beauty--it's a quote by Mr. Murdoch this morning from the testimony: ""News of the World is 1% of company and we are a proud and great and ethical distinguished people," whereupon, to make his point, he also slammed the desk. The thing is, is there anyone who is going to believe anything Rupert Murdoch says? Finally, if you check the last link here, below, you'll see the "tabloid hacking scandal" goes back to at least last Fall, last September, when it was discovered NOTW was hacking the Royal's phone messages. It makes it all the more difficult to believe Mr. Murdoch wouldn't have been paying attention to his own property. Link: http://news.yahoo.com/man-rushes-rupert-murdoch-hearing-160244558.html; http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/wall-street-journal-editorial-independence-murdoch-144244300.html; http://www.businessinsider.com/murdoch-testifies-live-coverage-of-the-parliamentary-phone-hacking-hearing-2011-7; http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/news-of-the-world-makes-headlines-of-its-own/; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05hacking-t.html

Yet more humor (insanity?) in the news today

Sometimes I can hardly believe what I read:

Toy company introduces Anthony Weiner action figure

Ayn Rand follower?