Who's Keeping an Eye on the FREE Press?

I’m for a Free Press. I don’t have much confidence or trust in government, no matter who’s in the WH and the Press can provide balance, perspective, insight and truth as it informs us citizens. However, I find the recent broohaha regarding the CIA leaks/Pulitzers/NSA Wiretappings, etc. rather perplexing, hugely irritating and extremely hypocritical.

It seems the Press (i.e. old media) has the right to expose government programs such as the NSA wiretappings and the “secret” CIA prisons, but don’t have to mention their sources or provide perspective—that their right to protect sources usurps the gov't responsibility to preserve & protect, our rights as citizens to be protected or even to have a SAY in what is released. O.K. Fine.

Well, no, it’s not fine…

Who are their sources for these stories? How are they verified? Did someone, other than the “source” SEE the prisons? Did someone, other than the “source”, witness the wiretappings? Who has come forward that has been wiretapped? Where are their stories? There is so much missing and I feel cheated—I want the whole story, not just the part they choose to tell. The Press is acting like a 5^th Column and giving us citizens the 3^rd Finger.

The Press has engaged in the very thing it accuses the Administration of: stonewalling, secrecy, corruption, manipulation and down-right lying.

Why is there one set of rules for government and a different set of rules for the Press? The Press has placed themselves in a position of superiority—serving up their own interests with We the People having NO say. At least with government, you can vote the culprits out of office (except in the case of leaking CIA rats et al fat cat Bureaucrats).

What can we do about this old media “FREE” Press? Give ‘em the boot I say. Stop reading their crap and watching their celebrity reporters on talk shows. Read multiple blogs and free news sites, get different perspectives from the right, left and center. Take it all in and leave the Free Press really free…free of readers.

New Orleans Chooses No Change

Well, the “citizens” of N.O. (notice the acronym for New Orleans is "NO") have chosen Nagin and Landreau as mayoral candidates beating out several interesting and probably more earnest, though less polished, contenders.

Since N.O. has absorbed billions in federal funds and will continue to soak up more to “rebuild” and federal funds come from federal tax dollars paid by American citizens in large part, shouldn’t WE have a say in how the city is governed? I mean, shouldn’t we have some input in our investment? When I buy stocks, I become a stockholder and therefore have some input in who manages the company and how the company performs, etc. (I VOTE for board members, acquisitions, etc.)

How are my interests and the interests of other Americans served in New Orleans? How do we know our investment will not go down the drain as it has for years with little or nothing to show for it?

As a taxpayer, I have no rights, no say, no vote and this seems not only unfair, but much like taxation without representation.

Tea anyone?

Mr. Mahoney Speaks...Out of Hiding...Unafraid

There's a saying in the Bible: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Cardinal of Sin, Mahoney, recently conducted an interview:

What has happened in the last few years is that we as bishops have had opportunities to have a public voice and role, but have been very hesitant, and just kind of sat out a number of these things. I’m thinking of local things -- for example, police abuse and overreactions in certain communities. We’ve had a lot of that across the United States. I think bishops normally would have said something, saying police are overreacting and categorizing people in ethnic groups, but in many cases they just remained silent. The gap, the chasm, between the wealthy and the middle class … the fact there’s almost no middle class left. The minimum wage, affordable housing, we just kind of sat it out, because we were afraid to appear above the sandbags. We were hiding. … Had this come up two years ago, three years ago, I don’t know what the reality would have been then. I just know that in our archdiocese, this issue is so important that even during these years I always spoke up. [emphasis added]

No mention of the molestation and rape of boys and the suicides committed because of pediphile priests. Disgusting.

The immoral Mahoney and his ilk have blood and more on their hands and are the reason for the continued demise of the Catholic Church. This issue is important because it means MORE MONEY for the church. The Catholic Church seems to be returning to its roots of corruption, greed and social injustice at the expense of its soul.

I'd like to help Mr. Mahoney remove that plank...and then hit him over the head with it.

Follow the Money

Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles and his Catholic Cardinal cronies have stepped into the political arena "willing to take the heat" and fight illegal immigration bills presented by the House and the Senate.

A cynical view: Mahoney couches his position in "treating people humanely", yet I do not recall the same fervent stance against pedophile Priests under his domain who routinely treated young boys inhumanely—raping and molesting them and robbing them of their innocence. No, Mr. Mahoney was inhumanely quiet on this issue.

Losing billions of dollars through lawsuits directed at the church’s immoral cover-ups, the LA church can't turn off the tithes spigot they receive from their largest constituents: Hispanics. So, they turn on the rhetoric and shameless pandering to illegal people (Hispanics mostly) entering the U.S.

They had their chance to do the right thing and didn’t. Mahoney and the rest of his gang are morally empty but hoping for a full coffer come Sunday Mass.

"Karl Rove is an Evil Bastard"

Was the pronouncement of my former boss, head of a successful 25-year old video game company, Harvard MBA, former Dubai Ad agency owner, dad & husband and generally good natured, down-to-earth chap.

But these days, his nature is foul. What’s striking about that statement is that it sprung forth from a conversation not the least bit fertile for a discussion of politics or governing or international affairs. At least not to me. But, it needed to be said. Like a child that just has to let loose his thoughts. Bam. Karl Rove is an evil bastard.

So, I masterfully changed the subject as I don’t know Karl Rove and though he is credited with satanic abilities and mass mind-control, I really can’t speak on the subject of Mr. Rove. I don’t know Karl Rove.

But I do know my former boss…

A few days later I was sitting in the office of this former boss pitching my services to him for an upcoming project. I was ready to get down to business (basically how much are you going to pay me), when he said, “I’m glad to see more and more people are coming around to my way of thinking. The President’s poll numbers are bad and most people think the war is wrong.”

O.K. Gulp. My internal self speaks to self: Are we going to get into this? Geez. Do I tread lightly or let it rip? He obviously needs to “talk” about this. So, I said, “Well, it’s like a company, if you hear the media and so-called industry experts griping and complaining and saying bad things about the company and/or it’s leaders, then it seems likely the stock will go down and the brand will be diminished and that’s not good for all the people that work for that company. (He’s a company-man, he’ll appreciate the analogy--he's been there when the heat is on and the press and the industry hate you.)

“And that’s what I take umbrage with, not dissent because I’m one of the most anti-authoritarian people around (he smiles, knowing this all too well) and suspect of power—the ‘America bad’, ‘Bush bad’ emotional and irrational diatribes that go on and on ad nauseum instead of critiquing policy...”

He smiles…yes, he has drawn me into what is sure to be a lively debate and clasps his hands just above his lap—ahhh—the relaxed confident posture of a practiced debater. Very good. I’m amused.

Boss: But Bush sees everything in black and white, good vs. evil and the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way. (Posits his premise while trying to add credibility to his assertion.)

Me: The “rest of the world”? Actually, the rest of the world DOES see it that way—good vs. evil.

Boss: Not so.

Me: Is too (not really). Yes, they do. With the exception of …

Boss & Me in Unison: Europe

Me: Yes, but Europe is not the rest of the world in fact, Europe is just a small part of it. Take India for example…

And I continue for a few moments about India and other parts of the world that have an alternative view of his America.

Finally, I countered my former boss’s assertion that the world does not exist in absolutes that no right thinking and enlightened person would divide the world in moralist terms of good vs. evil and said: “I do think there are evil people in this world and reject the notion that those that kill artists, homosexuals and castrate and stone women are not evil. They are evil.”

But, I was struck. I like my former boss. He and I have sparred often and we both enjoy the clash of steel and the gentle stabs to deflate the air in inadequate or inane arguments. As an insider, I know that this private company has not taken care of its employees, that the owner /CEO considers them to be as close to servants as the law allows and has denied them vacations, raises and bonuses while he has taken month-long vacations, siphoned money from the company that could be re-invested or paid to employees, bought his 2^nd Malibu home and a new Ferrari in addition to the Bentley and all this in just one year.

While his staff struggles to meet their bills, he’s flying high and suffers no compunction. To many in the company (both present and former associates/employees) this man is considered evil and I think my former boss (his partner) knows it, yet has sold his soul in some way to keep his cushy high-paying position and stature and keep his wife in art classes, designer apparel and on the guest list of the influential, upper crust of Los Angeles society.

Just days before he was declaring Karl Rove an evil bastard and now he is ridiculing Bush for similar declarations.

The funny thing is, Bush’s enemies can and have killed Americans. I’m not sure you can say the same about Rove. But the bourgeois, in their languished lives, need to kibitz—it’s as old as the human race.

Tsk tsk. Hypocrite? Yes, I do believe that rises to the standard.

S.F. supervisors ask lawmakers to impeach Bush

Have you been to San Fran lately? Crime is rampant, gangs own the city and this is what the city's Sups spend their time on? It's clear that diverting attention from what you should be doing works in politics. They say "all politics is local", but shouldn't these sups be doing something about cleaning up their locale?

San Francisco's supervisors jumped into national politics Tuesday, passing a resolution asking the city's Democratic congressional delegation to seek the impeachment of President Bush for failing to perform his duties by leading the country into war in Iraq, eroding civil liberties and engaging in other activities the board sees as transgressions.

Ever notice how it's always the people that aren't doing their work griping about the people that are? It doesn't matter whether it's politics or companies--people are the same wherever you go. There are those that DO and those that DON'T.

San Fran could be the West Coast version of NYC--cosmopolitan, open to EVERYONE, clean, proud and safe for residents and visitors alike.

Hey San Fran Sups...GET ON WITH THE BUSINESS OF DOING SOMETHING!!! It was wrong when they did it to Clinton (impeached) and it's wrong now. At least the Mayor of San Fran is doing some thinking and trying to act on behalf of bettering his city. geez.

Cartooning the Cartoon Haters

Rape Victim Sentenced to Death

An Iranian court has sentenced a teenage rape victim to death by hanging after she weepingly confessed that she had unintentionally killed a man who had tried to rape both her and her niece.

Nazanin, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, said that after the three men started to throw stones at them, the two girls’ boyfriends quickly escaped on their motorbikes leaving the pair helpless.

She described how the three men pushed her and her 16-year-old niece Somayeh onto the ground and tried to rape them, and said that she took out a knife from her pocket and stabbed one of the men in the hand.

As the girls tried to escape, the men once again attacked them, and at this point, Nazanin said, she stabbed one of the men in the chest. The teenage girl, however, broke down in tears in court as she explained that she had no intention of killing the man but was merely defending herself and her younger niece from rape, the report said.

The court, however, issued on Tuesday a sentence for Nazanin to be hanged to death.

The uproar over this brings tears to my eyes.

Oh wait... Amnesty Int'l weighs in:

Iran: Amnesty International calls for end to death penalty for child offenders. Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities to take immediate steps to end the use of the death penalty for child offenders. Two new cases have been reported in which child offenders – persons under 18 at the time of the crime – have been sentenced to death by Iranian courts, in breach of Iran’s obligations under international human rights law.

Nevermind...

Power Grab

When will the US media "speak truth to power" for REAL? Show the cartoons!

Shhhh...

IslamoFacsist may be listening/watching...


And then, they might riot...


or kill...
Catholic Priest Shot to Death in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey -- A teenage boy shot and killed the Italian Roman Catholic priest of a church in the Black Sea port city of Trabzon on Sunday, shouting "God is great" as he escaped, according to police and witnesses.

Understand us! America: Look at your foreign policy and how it has corrupted and destroyed the nations and peoples of the world. Look at how your support of Israel has brought this upon you. Understand us by submitting.

Viva la Freedom of Speech: The "Offending" Cartoons

Some US troops question Woodruff coverage

"The point that is currently being made (is that) that press folks are more important than mere military folks," a senior military officer told UPI Tuesday.

"It's just a bit frustrating to see something so dramatized that happens every day to some 20-year-old American -- or worse to 10, 30-year-old Iraqi soldiers or cops alongside us. Some of the stories don't even mention the Iraqi casualties in this attack, as if they're meaningless," wrote the officer in Baqubah.

That leaves the uncomfortable question about how much the media, or the American public, cares about the injured who are less well known, but in just as dire straits.

"Or the American public" (bullocks!)-- we didn't have a say, they blasted the news with Woodruff reports all through the weekend and into this week. This is clearly a case of "we're more concerned with the well-being of our own and because we own the media mechanism, we're going to focus on our own interests."

Did He Really SAY That?

“What the American people have seen is this incredible disparity in which those people who had cars and money got out and those people who were impoverished died.”
— Ted Kennedy on Hurricane Katrina

“Ditto”
— Mary Jo Kopechne

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

ABC news anchor, Bob Woodruff, and his cameraman were seriously injured by an IED last week as they drove through the streets of Iraq. In other non-news, several unnamed and unmentioned American soldiers were either killed or injured last week by IEDs in the same country, Iraq.

I find this interesting because the media is overly concerned about their “own” and will continue to report on the anchor's condition throughout the day and night regardless of any interest (or lack of) conveyed by the viewer.

Americans are often criticized for being self-centered—for not knowing much about the world beyond their borders and for not doing more for the folks beyond those borders suffering for various reasons be it famine, disease, war, economics, etc. Our lack of knowledge dooms others because, I’m supposing, the power we hold as Americans is omnipotent.

I assert that the perpetrators of self-centered-ness are in fact the Media or MSM. They bring us ad nauseam one so-called and so-created scandal after another: the NSA “spying on good Americans” scandal, the Valerie “Jane Blonde” Plame scandal, WMD lies, Iraq/Afghanistan quagmires, etc etc etc.

They go on and on about Bush -–plainly most American (and European for that matter) MSM and many others (actors, writers, playwrights, philosophers, etc) are obsessed with the man. Is there nothing else??? Honestly, I would really like to know the progress or lack of in the Sudan or Sierra Leone or the Congo or Tibet or Indonesia and on and on.

The media supposedly reflects the world around us, clearly they reflect their world—selfish, self-interested and just plain ugly.

BUSY-BODY ALERT!

Tata too much time on her hands... I fear for her safety if residents do "withdrawal" from caffeine.

(I-Newswire) - City of Shaker Heights, OHIO - ( Jan 17, 2006) Following a health trend that appears to be brewing up all over the nation, Mayor Judith Rawson has signed a proclamation for the City of Shaker Heights that addresses the issues regarding caffeine intoxication and dependency.

In the proclamation the Mayor is "calling upon all Shaker Heights citizens, public and private institutions, business and schools to increase awareness and understanding of the consequences of caffeine consumption."

The proclamation also spells out many dangers of caffeine abuse such as heart disease, pancreas and bladder cancer, hypoglycemia, and central nervous system disorders. By getting the word out about the serious dangers of caffeine, Mayor Rawson hopes to prevent a substance that can "pose a significant hazard to health and longevity."

City of Shaker Heights is one of several cities across the country recognizing this annual event. This will be the third year for this event which is sponsored by the Caffeine Awareness Alliance, a non-profit organization. Marina Kushner, founder, states, "Each year more and more people are waking up to the real truth about the dangers of this ubiquitous drug. We are delighted that the mayor has recognized that this is not a laughing matter." Prior years have seen ways of celebrating this event ranging from educational events in school to even picketing outside coffee houses.

"During this month, we hope to reach out to educate business and consumers about the risk associated with caffeine dependency and to raise awareness about the impact it has on our society" says Kushner.

Kushner is an authority on the subject. She delves into both the physical and psychological dangers that caffeine can cause in her new book called "The Truth About Caffeine". In addition to the book, she has developed a line of caffeine-free coffee replacements called Soyfee, made from 100% organic soybeans. Soy has been shown to help lower cholesterol, fight heart disease and promote strong bones. For further information on the popular product please visit www.soycoffee.com.

But how does it jive with this:
Coffee: The New Health Food? Plenty of health benefits are brewing in America's beloved beverage.

I suspect someone wants to sell books and make money off aggitating.

More Tyranny from the Busy-Bodies and Looking to Get Rich on the Way

Forget parents, it's the job of the busybody to patrol what kids eat--what parents do or don't allow their children to consume is not the problem, it's companies that manufacture & market their wares--evil evil companies:

An advocacy group wants companies to stop marketing junk food to children. They're targeting two titans in a multi-million dollar lawsuit. They're going after the companies behind Tony the Tiger and Spongebob Squarepants: Kellogg foods and Viacom, owner of Nickelodeon TV.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says junk food is making American kids unhealthy, and is threatening to sue for a billion dollars if they won't tone down ads aimed at kids.

Hire that Publicist!

That's what a good part of the African continent needs-- a publicity campaign like the masterful ones created by the Arab countries on behalf of the so-called Palestenians in Israel. Then, maybe the killings in Darfur, Congo and the apartheid in Zimbabwe (this time, whites are victimized), Somalia and Ethopia (religous and economic segregation and victimization) could get some world attention and much-needed intervention.

But the problem is, a good (i.e. effective) publicity campaign requires not just non-stop concentrated efforts and initiatives from a variety of disciplines (the media in all forms, NGOs, gov'ts, leaders, entertainers), but big BIG money. The Arab Oilers had it and spent it and continue to put their money where their mouth is, or rather, their interest is-- the annihilation of Israel and the Jews therein and for the obedient, the establishment of a Caliphate.

Africa needs to hire that publicist and NOW!

If I Seem a Little Cranky...

It's because I am.

I watched some of the MLK parade today that meandered through the streets of Crenshaw and thought "this is the best they can do? THIS is how they celebrate a great man who gave so much, sacrificing his very life for his ideals and the well-being of others?"

It was like watching a day at the Santa Monica boardwalk. People, in no order or organization, sometimes together with groups, sometimes alone, some with signs-- all walking down the street with no purpose really. Where's the pomp? The circumstance?

And the video, though playing the "best of" and trying to promote the positive aspect of the parade, sadly makes my point. http://ktla.trb.com/

The Tyranny of Busy-Bodies

New Jersey's Smoking ban is now official: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2006/01/16/daily2.html?jst=b_ln_hl
And Washington's ban is official:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/251121_smoking07.html
No smoking in pubs & restaurants in NYC. No smoking on the beach in Santa Monica. In Michigan, a company called Weyco is testing employees for smoke and terminates them if they're caught smoking.

What's next--testing for high fat content foods? Smoking bans are just one of a littany of personal liberties and happiness pursuits that continue to be chipped away by the so-called do-gooders, those that think they are looking out for the "common good". Oh what new tyrannies await us around thy corner and under thy bed?

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
- C. S. Lewis

Brokeback Mountain A Winner? REALLY?? For Whom?

I think gay folks are just folks... people...human beings. Instead of having an inkling for the opposite sex, they have one for the same sex. I believe that a homosexual is born a homosexual, just like if you're heterosexual you're born heterosexual and that gay folks can no more turn off their attraction to the same sex as heterosexuals can turn off their attraction to the opposite sex. They're folks, like you, like me.

But to award a movie and actors for portraying people who are supposed to be not oddities, but like everyone else, is well, beyond me. Hollowood and gay advocacy groups say gays are just like everyone else and should be afforded the same "rights" (they are), dignities and place in society as "straight" folks (amen) and then Hollowood turns around and treats them as something out of a carnival or sci-fi movie (humanizing the creature), something is really really wrong with this picture.

I can not recall the last time a leading man in a dramatic love story has been noted for his acting ability. Can't think of one (Phoenix in Walk the Line played Johny Cash). But since the story of Brokeback Mountain is about a gay relationship, then this is really ACTING? What is the acting part? That Heath Ledger could ACT like he loves a man? This is DEEP... NOT. Crimeny.

If the point of awarding Brokeback Mountain the Golden Globe is to say that gay folks are like everyone else, then quit treating them like they're different, tell a good story and stop diminishing their humanity by pointing out how "normal" they really are and how acting like a gay is really ACTING.