Saturday, August 21, 2010

We Make It Up



Faux News Sticker


I've been watching a lot of FOX "News" lately. I suppose that accounts, at least in part, for my seemingly unshakeable prickly mood. The run-up to the 2010 midterm elections doesn't help either. Nothing I vote for ever passes. No one I support ever wins.

In fact, most of the people or policies I support aren't even on the ballot. For me, the election is over before it begins. Year after year, I am allowed to choose between a Democrat beholden to his corporate masters, or a Republican beholden to his. In almost every case, these masters are the same people.

The one thing that is certain is that the winner of almost every election will be either a Democrat or a Republican: two parties that have, in reality, become one. Even a cursory study of the Nixon administration will show that he was much further "left" than Barack Obama. Democrats and Republicans put on a great show for the media, but bargain away behind closed doors to preserve the privileges of their corporate masters.

I recently watched Glenn Beck rail against our inability to look into the "black book" of the Federal Reserve Bank to see its assets. He failed to mention that the Paul-Grayson amendment to the recent financial "reform" would have allowed precisely that. The amendment was co-sponsored by Democrat Alan Grayson and nominal Republican Ron Paul, and championed for inclusion in the bill by socialist Bernie Sanders: a wonderful example of tripartisanship and an example of something the mainstream of both parties cannot allow to happen.

Paul-Grayson was gutted by Democrat Chris Dodd before it was included, in a new, toothless, loophole-ridden form. Those "liberal Democrats" sure seem to be doing their best to help out the bankers. Of course, all of this is a bit too complex for FOX, which really ought to reduce its programming to a single talking head chanting "Republicans good, Democrats bad. Republicans good, Democrats bad."

A commenter on FOX News online left the following gem: Those leftys sure love Big Brother. George Orwell figured them out a long time ago. I suppose, in a sense, Orwell did figure out "those leftys." He figured them out and joined them and became a socialist. I suspect that commenter has never read any Orwell... and watches too much FOX.

On a recent episode of The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly and his guest used the terms, socialist, socialism, and far left to describe Barack Obama so many times I lost count. Barack Obama is not a socialist. You can verify this for yourself by reading any socialist literature. Really. Go ahead and click. I'll wait.

See? Barack Obama does not support socialist policies. Socialists do not support Barack Obama's policies. It seems clear to me. Barack Obama is not a socialist. Not even close. Yet FOX News claims, over and over, that he is: a blatant, easily disproved lie, broadcast daily, in the near certainty that their average viewer will never check and does not care.

Do obvious lies really qualify as news?

It makes you wonder what else they lie about, doesn't it?


Very Truly Yours,


Porcupine

Porcupine


3 comments:

Ananda girl said...

I stopped believing what I hear on the news for the most part. But I still watch.

As for politics... we have a pile of all the political mail we get and it is growing by leaps and bounds. We do read them... because we want to make informed choices, but I often wonder if they are not just as jaded as the news.

Don't feel badly. My items and guys don't often win either. I find myself thinking of Thomas Jefferson's advice that we need a revolution every once in awhile to keep the government of the people still in control.

CiCi said...

I had already stopped watching news on TV when I met my hubby who did not watch TV at all. It was easy for me to sell my huge plasma TV and surround sound and move in with hubby. I was so sick of the news stations cramming lies down my already sore throat, trying to swallow the stuff they ranted about over and over. People who watch this are learning to be sheep, led by foxes. Good name for that station, Fox (Un)News.

lime said...

they lie about everything and their slavery to the holders of their purse strings is why i refuse to register for any party. republican or democrat, all they care about is getting and maintaining power. though i did like ron paul. he seemed like the only candidate willing to speak any truth.