junk and crap, amen

Does your brain feel empty? Feel the hankering for some elucidation? Is there an inexplicable urge to cut through the obfuscation with some straight up reality? Have some time to kill? Well then...

(this post is frequently updated)

"Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land"
Provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.





"The Corporation"
In the mid-1800s the corporation emerged as a legal "person." Imbued with a "personality" of pure self-interest, the next 100 years saw the corporation's rise to dominance. The corporation created unprecedented wealth but at what cost? The remorseless rationale of "externalities" (as Milton Friedman explains, the unintended consequences of a transaction between two parties on a third) is responsible for countless cases of illness, death, poverty, pollution, exploitation and lies.

"The Power Of Nightmares"
Compares the rise of the American Neo-Conservative movement and the radicalIslamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and noting strong similarities between the two. More controversially, it argues that the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organised force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is in fact a myth perpetrated by politicians in many countries—and particularly American Neo-Conservatives—in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies.

"Orwell Rolls In His Grave"
Critically examines the Fourth Estate, once the bastion of American democracy, asking "Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..."





"Why We Fight"
An unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war machine, weaving unforgettable personal stories with commentary by a who's who of military and beltway insiders. Why We Fight launches a bipartisan inquiry into the workings of the military industrial complex and the rise of the American Empire.

"Loose Change 2nd Edition"
A comprehensive and critical examination of events leading up to, including and immediately following September 11, 2001. This film at the very least provides overwhelming evidence as to why there needs to be another independent commission to honestly and realistically get to the truth of what really happened that day.

Labels: documentary, history, media, philosophy, terrorism, war

Project Censored has released their top 25 censored or under-reported stories of 2006, and quite a list it is.

Among stories on Canada's planned military subordinance to the US, the US military's contracting of human rights abusers, and the continuing rape of Iraq, story #5 really caught my eye: U.S. uses Tsunami to Military Advantage in Southeast Asia. To quote:

At the same time that U.S. aid was widely publicized domestically, our coinciding military motives were virtually ignored by the press. While supplying our aid (which when compared proportionately to that of other, less wealthy countries, was an insulting pittance), we simultaneously bolstered military alliances with regional powers in, and began expanding our bases throughout, the Indian Ocean region.

With all the entertainment news, politiclone punditry and speculation on who's tit will pop out next, I guess there's just not enought time in the day for the press to get around to the important stuff.

Labels: media

It looks like the proverbial flying crap is about to hit the thermantidote. Someone in American mainstream media has finally said what the rest of the world has known for years, that the Bush administration has no-zero-nada credibility. From Keith Olbermann:

"If the Iraq debate seems especially exhausting, it may be due to the steady erosion of the foundation for any productive debate, facts."

But hey, who needs credibility when you can count on the rest of the media to stand slack jawed with their brains oozing out of their ears. The following is from an interview between Bush and David Ignatius, Washington Post Sept 15/06, concerning Iran:

The Khatami visit "said that the United States is willing to listen to voices," Bush explained. "And I hope that sends a message to the Iranian people that we're an open society, and that we respect the people of Iran." Clearly, the White House wants to reach out to segments of Iranian opinion beyond the hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Aside from the inane nature of this statement (and proveably false), a search of the White House web site on Middle East policy turns up only this on Iran (about 3/4 down the page):

The World Faces A Grave Threat From The Radical Regime In Iran

This Summer's Crisis In Lebanon Has Made It Clearer Than Ever That The World Faces A Grave Threat From The Radical Regime In Iran. The Iranian regime arms, funds, and advises Hezbollah, which has killed more Americans than any terrorist network except al Qaeda. It interferes extensively in Iraq, denies basic human rights to millions of its people, and is pursuing nuclear weapons in open defiance of its international obligations. We know the death and suffering that Iran’s sponsorship of terrorists has brought, and we can imagine how much worse it would be if Iran were allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.

Many Nations Are Working Together To Solve This Problem. The UN has passed a resolution demanding Iran suspend its nuclear enrichment activities.

Today Is The Deadline For Iran's Leaders To Reply To The Reasonable Proposal The International Community Has Made, Yet So Far They Have Responded With Further Defiance And Delay. We'll continue working closely with our allies to find a diplomatic solution, but there must be consequences for Iran’s defiance, and we must not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

It ends on a rather threatening note, and no mention of any programs or initiatives, other than the UN's, towards a peaceful resolution.

Ignatius' article quotes Bush as saying:

"I would say to the Iranian people: We respect your history. We respect your culture. We admire the entrepreneurial skills of your people. I would say to the Iranian people that I recognize the importance of your sovereignty -- that you're a proud nation, and you want to have a positive future for your citizens," Bush said, answering quickly and without notes.

(Ooooh, without notes!)
Here's some US/Iran history for both Bush and Ignatius to mull over. Here's some more (CIA overthrows democratic govt. in 1953)......and more (US backs Saddam Hussein in Iran/Iraq war). There's lots more, enough to to keep their collective (ha!) brains busy for a while.

Bush goes on to say:

"I know that the more we can show the Iranian people the true intention of the American government," Bush concluded, "the more likely it is that we will be able to reach a diplomatic solution to a difficult problem."

They know the true intention of the American government, it's being demonstrated quite clearly right next door.

Father: Well son, what are your intentions with my daughter?
Suitor: Well, first I'd like to beat her. When she's all softened up I'll probably rape her repeatedly, and when I'm done with that I'll drain all her blood.

The article ends on a happy note, with Ignatius being unable to frame any sort of perspective other than fawning obedience:

I came away with a sense that Bush is serious about finding a peaceful solution to the nuclear crisis, and that he is looking hard for ways to make connections between America and Iran.

He can make no sense, apparently, of history; that what George Bush says is rarely (never?) what he means.

Labels: Bush, Iran, media, war criminal

From the CBC:

Israel lifted its eight-week-old naval blockade of Lebanon Friday after European warships started patrolling the coastline to prevent arms shipments to Hezbollah.

Israel said the blockade was aimed at preventing the arrival of arms shipments to Hezbollah during the conflict, which started after eight Israeli soldiers were killed and two seized during a July 12 cross-border Hezbollah raid.

These statements are based on the dishonest assumption that Israel is the victim in this conflict, when actually they are the aggressor. The question of why Israel, the invading nation, the aggressor nation, has the right to impose a naval blockade to prevent Hezbollah from arming itself in defense of this aggression is completely ignored. In a reality based world, Lebanon would have the unequivocal right to impose blockades on Israel, who invaded their country. But no, Israel is apparently free to continue arming itself with happy fun-time weapons like cluster bombs, with which it blanketed Lebanon during the final few days before the cease-fire.

Further in, the story contradicts itself:

When Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending an 18-year occupation, the UN-drawn international line did not put Shebaa Farms in Lebanese territory, but in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, and later annexed.

So lets get this straight; Hezbollah started it by killing eight soldiers, even though Israel has been illegally occupying southern Lebanon for 18 years. Uh huh.

Lets change a few names around and see how this would go over in a different time and place:

NEWS FLASH: The UN has successfully brokered a ceasefire between The USA and Vietnam today. The ceasefire follows a concentrated effort on the part of the US to plant as many land mines as possible around the Vietnamese countryside before the end of hostilities. The US, citing unprovoked Vietnamese aggression, has demanded the right to impose a blockade of all weapons shipments to the tiny country. The US, meanwhile, is currently occupying Cambodia, placing strategic assets within easy striking distance of Vietnam.

Come to think of it, the press accounts probably wouldn't have been much different.

Labels: media

This article is damn funny. I love the title-"Inside the Alleged Mind of Bill O'Reilly". To be fair, he moves around and makes noises, so he must have a mind.

His interview with Marilyn Manson is pretty entertaining too. At times he looks really stunned. You almost expect him to make the sign of the cross with his fingers and start murmuring the lords prayer.

Labels: media

I just watched this video of a Bush press conference today and............!%$#@!?*

The press just lets all of this nonsense slide by, except for one feeble little question about what Saddam had to do with 9/11. Oh man do they need to start doing their jobs. In this one clip they could have called him on (in chronological order):

• 00:09 - Zarqawi was never a threat to take power in Iraq, until after the US invaded.
• 00:20 - The main reason, the FIRST reason, stated over and over, was that Saddam was responsible for 9/11.
• 00:25 - Capacity obtained from the USA.
• 00:28 - The suffering in Iraq, before the US invaded, was largely the consequence of US sanctions and blockades. Of course, since the invasion, human suffering has increased almost exponentially. Now they're free alright. Free from peace, free from safety, free from basic necessities, free from dignity, self determination, free from goodwill towards you, Mr. Bush.
• 00:37 - Imagine a world where Saddam Hussein was allowed to decline (as he was), where the people of Iraq were left to fashion their own destiny. Imagine a world where 3,500 hundred of them weren't being slaughtered every month.
• 00:42 - A part of the world that has been brutalized by colonial powers for generations.
• 00:47 - Once again he tries (does he even know what he's saying?) to tie Iraq with 9/11.
• 00:52 - No one is saying everything was just fine before. They're saying that everything is WAY WORSE NOW! What exactly does he think a hornets nest is?
• 01:05 - The US has been fixing elections, training terrorists, fostering extremism, backing dictators, waging wars, and destroying popular democratic movements in the Middle East since a wee bit before 9/11.
• 01:12 - Here is the timid question from the press corpse.
• 01:14 - What did Iraq have to do with what? WHAT? What's the reason for this fucking press conference, exactly?
• 01:20 - How does he sleep at night? Maybe he thinks he's dreaming this whole thing.
• 01:25 to 01:39 - Cliche Bushism. La la la la.
• 01:39 - Conditions he is responsible for. What the hell kind of word is suiciders?
• 01:53 - This is funny. He tries real hard to come up with a way to 'defeat resentment'. He comes up with 'hope'. And the best way for him to "do hope is through a form of government". Uh......Didn't the Soviets have a form of government? The average soviet citizen wasn't exactly chock full of hope.

Suiciders, according to the Urban Dictionary.

I can't believe I just did this.

Labels: Bush, media, war criminal

Labels: media

Labels: media