I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Ick. Bad analogy.
But we know what they're hiding. The thing is it will never matter with Republicans in control of congress.
The point lies with the corporate media, who have all but become accomplices with the Bush Administration.
"Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets."
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Feb. 5 2003, in remarks to the UN Security Council.
"We have also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We are concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] for missions targeting the United States."
President Bush, Oct. 7
But they're not hiding a thing!
They're pretty blatant about being corrupt, venal, incestuous, nepotistic, fascistic, and damn-near-evil.
They seem to be enjoying themselves, actually.
What do you mean "damn-near?"
They did it every time without any excuse being needed. What was "travelgate" but a lame excuse to bash the Clintons.
I'd suggest targeting some of the bigger hypocrits. Since just about everyone in Washington, Atlanta and New York are guilty of double standards calling them all to task is impractical. Going after FOX won't work, no one expects journalistic standards from them. I nominate the Washington Post and NPR as two of the "quality" news sources that are guilty as hell. Mara Liasson is as bad as they get. Don't hold your breath for McRadio to improve its quality with it's windfall. T
this whole thing reminds me of LBJ's Senate investigation into KB&R cash payoffs...suprisingly, he found no evidence of corruption.
i think that the reporting is buried on pg A-18 is a huge part of this story!
i mean, isnt this a coup?
What do you mean "damn-near?"
No evidence yet of blood sacrifices, David. (Not literally).
Of course, there is Iraq...
The Wanderer said it all. The Republicans are drunk with power.
Now with Bill Moyers had an interesting interview with Eric Boehler from Salon last night that talked about Big Media's failure to report on these issues.
For those who missed it, Boehler observed that since media consolidation is pending before the Republicans, Big Media is reluctant to piss them off. The Republicans basically have Big Media by the short hairs, even putting aside the fact that Big Media is Big Business. The observation was that consolidation means $billions, and I think we know that when it comes to $billions, democracy be damned.
I don't see that changing in the near future, which is why I rely on foreign media, the blogs, and the LA Times for news. (I think the LA Times is still a pretty damn good newspaper, despite the Ramirez cartoons.)
sometimes i really think "game over" democrats have lost and we are in for mexico style democracy one party rule for 90 years.
the fact that this ridiculous story pumped over and over on talk radio and now has gained legs in mainstream media just shows that we live in a country is now one party... democracy is gone.
Do you mean what are they hiding re 9/11? Obviously something explosive, because it is now common knowledge that govt. was aware of broad plans for hijackings.
Don't any of these reporters give interviews with small independent papers?
I could masquerade as a eighth-grade reporter with a junior-high school newspaper, looking forward to getting an interview and receiving some Wisdom on High from a real live TV journalist. It wouldn't take any effort at all to blindside 'em with some good embarrassing questions.
How many of these "reporters" are cokeheads? Shouldn't someone be turning them in to the police? Can't get much shilling done from Rikers...
It is sad but true; the mass media output, one way or another, is always incredibly biased in favor of republicans. Bush could rape and kill his wife on national TV, and the headline would be "US liberates innocents, kills terrorist."
"Chelsea's stool samples"???
Jeebus, that Tripp woman was everywhere!
What next? Videos of poor dead Buddy in flagrante delicto with Socks?
A few weeks ago, Helen Thomas said (at a National Press Club luncheon) that the media is finally coming awake.
Apparently, the media is still groping its way to the bathroom, and hasn't had its cup of coffee yet.
But Atrios is hoping for something that will never happen. Why? Because it would take something approximating work to ask that question, much less find any answers. Reporters today think that "journalism" consists entirely of calling one or two people, lobbing a non-confrontational question at them, then duly writing down their responses. It then takes the rest of the day to fluff some other words around that before handing it in to the semi-literate "editor."
Back when I was a beginning reporter (early 1980s), I would have been fired instantly for doing that. But the modern crop of both editors and reporters believe that filling the (page, time, space) with "entertaining" material is what's really important. Any actual information that gets conveyed is purely through oversight.
I'm afraid the US public is going to have to end up on the balls of its ass before they fully appreciate the shafting they've received from the GOPunks. It's unfortunate, but it seems that bitter experience is the only reliable teacher. The public refuses to take history into account when they're making their "decisions." The press should know better, of course, but do they? They treat US combat deaths with the same detached approach they give to garbage strikes or TV award shows. If all stories are equal under the sun, how will the public know when something that may effect them in an adverse manner has occurred?
There's one key problem with your rant, Atrios: The GOP aren't bothering to hide anything. They're being completely upfront with their blatant powergrabs. Why? Because the media DOESN'T CARE. I mean, look how outright some of this recent stuff has been. And what happens? The media chooses to focus on Dean's flag comment instead. The only thing that'll get them to change is to either completely scrap the news and start clean slate (which is obviously impossible) or just simply hit them where it hurts: the checkbook. Batter them with questions about their complacence, ask why they aren't making more of a deal of the real news, and arrange visible boycotts of the major news outlets.
The trouble is that The Democrats are their own worst ememy. How many Dems voted 20 years ago to end the 'fair rule' in reporting? (they never understood what the motives of the right were)
How many Dems voted for Thomas on the Supreme court?
How many Dems got up in congress to publicly criticise the stealing of the 2000 election?
How many voted for the patriot act?
The list goes on and on. The Dems take the short term solution every time. Because they have no idea where they want the country to be in 10, 20 or even 50 years time.
Now, it may be that they are just dam scared. Look who recieved the anthrax? and look what happened to Wellstone? But in that case, they need to stick together
The Dems need to start thinking long term. The first thing they need to do is boycott the media. They should refuse to put anyone on FOX. Or any of these blow hard idiots. They should make it clear that they will not co operate untill the media starts giving them the same slack they give republicans. Sure, they will take a short term hit, but their position could hardly be any worse.
They need to start working from the bottom up. Go back to grass roots, and keep hammering away at the bias in the media. They need to give the public an alternative to vote for. And they should stick to it. And be proud of it. If the public is too stupid to go for it, then the public can't complain when the thugs turn the country to shit.
But most of all, they need to understand that they are dealing with an enemy who are set on taking the country back to the 19 century!
"The point lies with the corporate media who have all but become accomplices with the Bush Administration" Good point, Absalom and bears repeating. The media whores never attack the Bushies over their policies but always frame their reporting as 'giving the Democrats the opportunity to score partisan points.' Yes, it's all a matter o
Sorry but I pushed the 'ok' button too early. The last sentence should be: "Yes, its all a matter of PARTISANSHIP!"
Big Media knows theres $$$ in progie-liberal views, in a news format that exposes the lies, obfuscations and deception from the thieves that occupy the conservative right...
Hide the profits behind the truth and watch the sheep come in droves... Do it 60 Minutes Style, or do it new, but make sure EVERYONE has access to it...
None yet appear to be daring enough to jump in full skirt though, and that is what it takes, "And now something totally different" sort of like the feeling when you saw MTV for the second time in 1980 or so...
That is what is needed RIGHT NOW, by George Soros or someone with as much BUCKS, as they have BALLS...
Anything less, given the current state of things, I would have to say we are getting ready for Russian Roulette in 2004, and Bush has 5 chambers, out of six.
Well here is a Hot Tip for Dems in congress: The media isn't handling the news this way because the Dems in congress haven't handled what Republicans in this way. So Frist things first.
The Dem's need to light that fuse and start the explosion. The Dem's do have the capacity to lead but they've been retreating for so long that they lost their voice. Think WHAT would DEAN DO! GET MAD! That's What!
Robert Redford called it fighting fire with fire on the Charle Rose Show awhile back. As Redford noted that Dem's were all wondering, "what do I do about those aggressive, nasty Republicans?"
We use to have war horses in the Dem Party, but the only war horse we have now is Sen. Byrd and he is getting too old to carry everybody.
They are hiding the war profiteering.
They are hiding their rich lifestyle.
They are hiding the 911 evidence.
They are hiding the dead bodies of soldiers.
They are hiding the truth.
If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about.
Why isn't every Democratic senator repeating this over and over and over on every talk show, news story, and public appearance he/she makes?
Another good question: what is the media hiding?
The real difference between now and Clinton's presidency, is that the Dems are not a majority opposition. That's all.
You can't do Jack if you control neither White House, nor Congress.
They're hiding something, that's for sure. Heard someone (didn't get the names) on NPR today, in a debate-style sound-bite, and one of 'em (the Republican) said something like, "If the Democrats keep politicizing the War, the (P)resident is likely to do something stupid just to counter them," ... and the country would suffer somehow. I wondered about that statement, and saw how self-serving it is. If we keep asking and digging (and only to gain political advantage, of course), and the Resident goofs, it's our fault, so they win. And if we don't, they win. A hard place or a rock, what's our choice?
Seems to me there's an answer, though. If the Resident is so easily confused by opposing politics, then he's not strong-minded enough to lead us anyway, and if he IS strong-minded, our digging won't hurt, so we win.
Ed
at some point the bushivics are gonna implode. right? RIGHT???
The explanation for their arrogance and bravado: Diebold.
Here's what they're not hiding, from an L.A. Times article on the administration's determination to let anyone who wants to drill for natural gas in Montana:
---Petroleum engineers acknowledge that the extent of recoverable gas along the front is not known.
“Granted, THERE MAY ONLY BE A FEW DAYS' SUPPLY OF GAS,” said Gail Abercrombie, executive director of the Montana Petroleum Assn.
“If we were to take all the wheat Montana produces, it doesn’t come close to supplying the nation’s needs. Does that mean we just quit farming wheat?”
This reminds me of the sickening ``4 Fs'' homily that boys used to use to ecuse their date raping tendencies: ``Find 'em, Feel 'em, Fuck 'em and Forget 'em.''
Same thing. This is predatory rape of the land and they're proud to boast about it.
It's not time for the media to ask what they're hiding- it's time for US to ask.
A Senator won't respond to that question but they do feel the need to maintain the rules of the Senate. So, do your best to understand how the Intelligence Committee is supposed to work and then ask your Senator to make it work.
Have you written your newspaper today? Believe it, the rightwingers do this as a daily chore. And remember, the poor dog reading all those letters today will be an editor 30 years from now. At least one person will read your letter and it would be nice to convince them.
Practice your soundbites and try to hear them from the listeners side.
Etc etc etc- it's not a question of what the media does, it's a question of what we do.
P.S.- connect the dots.
Most of it isn't hidden, but seen through media "eyes wide shut". The short circuit response is "it's all about oil", which may be true but by itself goes nowhere.
If we can't connect the dots we'll end up where we were at the end of the sixties, with a spectrum ranging from resonable demand to conspiracy theory, but no coherent story heavy enough to overcome Nixon's (still) "secret plan".
Don't expect any help from political "leadership" on this. In America "leadership" generally means offending as few people as possible. A lifetime in office leaves most "leaders" totally unable to lead.
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