Thoughtful Preparations: Media Spin Blog

Which one of the above had more impact on world affairs in 2000? Why did the media focus on Monica and ignore Osama until it was too late?

Mainstream media deserves a major share in the blame game for ignoring the developing global terrorism stories connecting the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi and Tanzania, and the U.S.S. Cole bombing leading up to the 9/11/2001 terrorism attacks on U.S. soil. Instead, the press chose to host a juicy media circus, pandering to lowest common denominator advertising ratings driven tastes and engaging in wag the dog games with national security. Most Americans had never heard of al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden until the days after 9/11.

To her credit Molly Ivins has written an exemplary article asking for a Media Accountability Day and providing attention to Project Censored. Their Top Ten Stories not covered by Corporate Media:

1. Bush Administration Moves to Eliminate Open Government
2. Media Coverage Fails on Iraq: Fallujah and the Civilian Deathtoll
3. Another Year of Distorted Election Coverage
4. Surveillance Society Quietly Moves In
5. U.S. Uses Tsunami to Military Advantage in Southeast Asia
6. The Real Oil for Food Scam
7. Journalists Face Unprecedented Dangers to Life and Livelihood
8. Iraqi Farmers Threatened By Bremer’s Mandates
9. Iran’s New Oil Trade System Challenges U.S. Currency
10. Mountaintop Removal Threatens Ecosystem and Economy

Yes, there are smart, studious people out there who do not appreciate being sold on repetitive simplistic sound bite themes, and then hood winked, having the wool pulled over their eyes, jerked around, blown off… you get the idea. Some of them are graduate students at top universities, such as Al Franken’s research team of 14 Harvard students who fact-checked statements made by the right wing media. Franken and his team dissects these loud mouthed phoneys, who broadcoast unaccountable idealogical opinions, sold as facts in, Lies And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.

A friend who watches precious metals carefully, e-mailed me some warnings about the U.S. economy, as reflected in the rising price of gold, not to mention black gold:

“That gold is above $450 for many days is significant. That was a level that the NY manipulating banks working with the Federal Reserve were able to hold for a long time. Anyone who thought that Greenspan would not raise rates when this major mechanism failed was knaive of hearts and mines.

The whole world is watching as the US flounders in muck like a banana republic, and its president talks about spending vast unexpected sums in addition to huge current debt like a drug addict digging into the home equity line.”

A similar sentiment is expressed at The Binary Circumstance, banner sub-titled, “Things either exist or they don’t”:

“The Bush administration and the Republican Congress do not raise taxes or veto any spending bills which means the only way to pay off the debt is for the government to counterfeit more money.

I think I can hear them starting up those printing presses now.

That means inflation.

Inflation is a hidden tax on wages, savings and the value of the U.S. currency which all decline in relation to hard assets like real estate and gold.”

Here is an interesting article about silver and metal prices by “the Optimist.” He predicts the price of silver will explode.

“For all those readers who have slept through the last week, the Optimist is excited to tell you that the price of gold has surged to $460, its highest price in almost two decades. Speaking of sleeping, however, the price of silver has been disappointingly dull compared to gold. Although everyone knows that silver will more than double from its current price of $7.20, and will eventually multiply by a factor with one or more zeros (i.e., 10, or 100, or 1,000, etc.), the key question everyone asks is when the explosion will happen.”

In a further reality check, the market analysis blog Rampant Speculations’ banner includes a great quote from sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” His article warns,

“The strength in gold and the weakness in high yield bonds of late cannot be good news for the finance based US economy.”

That about sums it up. The only logic I can see behind our leadership in U.S. government is that they prefer fewer rich elite people to compete with.

For historic gold price information, see charts at the Gold Information Network.