Thoughtful Preparations: Media Spin Blog

Army Times newspaper editorial, “Time For Rumsfeld To Go”

Okay, it’s time to get nationally nervous folks. As early as August 29th, Rush Limbaugh whined, as only Rush can mew, Democrats and “drive-by media” celebrating the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina at the dear, dear cost of ignoring the happenings of 9-11-2001.

This is where I say, there is just too much media, far too many battling blow hards.

And yet guilty of being a sorry piece of media, I continue, in the face of the persistent big media companies.

The cover of Saturday’s Investor’s Business Daily included a special banner reminder of “9.11.2006” with a solemn President Bush quote. Their headline:

Firms Hike Security, Move Staff, Assets In Response To 9-11

IBD’s sidebar explains:

America Attacked: Five Years Later. IBD begins a weeklong series examining where America stands in the war on terror…

The San Francisco Chronicle puts a different face on its review of 9-11:

TYPECASTING MUSLIMS AS A RACE
One in an occasional series of articles related to the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Of course much of this hooplah feeds into the Republican’s flailing efforts to justify the misguided Iraq occupation. As pressure builds to develop a new strategy and withdraw from Iraq, you gotta love the hutzpah of politician mouthpieces such as Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., defending Donald Rumsfeld by claiming Democrats want to “wave the white flag” in Iraq.

I invite Mr. Tough Talk McConnell to go to Baghdad right away, and parade down the streets waving whatever flag that makes him feel good and free.

You have to figure that Investor’s Business Daily newspaper is solidly investing in war profiteering the way they throw around war talk so lightly. This is an editorial page that defends the links between Saddam and 9-11 more vociferously than Rumsfeld, Bush and Cheney combined.

Today’s editorial page featured a cartoon of dropping a large bomb on Iran instead of debate or dialog. An article about the recent Fremont to San Francisco hit and run loony Afghan driver, branded him as a terrorist and scolded the media in general for softness on terrorists.

As a local to Fremont and the Bay Area, I’ve seen the local news coverage, and this man apparently has a history of mental delusional problems. There are theories that he had a method in his madness, but this is painting with a very broad brush to label this lone nut job as a terrorist. Fremont has a huge population of Middle Eastern and Asian origins, and implied in the IBD editorial is that if a crazy guy is from Afghanistan, then he surely must be a terrorist.

That is the news the way IBD wants to see it. Blindly. My attempts to respond to their editorials have been blocked by their web site, after they determined I did not often agree. Oops! I forgot, no tolerance for debate.

Conservatives do not like Woodstock. Perhaps it bothers them that the large gathering of people was not under their control, and so it must be a threat of some kind. But get over it small minded ones, you who see positives in our marvelous invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. Surely you can see the good that came out of the 3 Days of Peace and Music also known as Woodstock, 37 years ago.

• Outdoor rock concert venue testing ground
• Now Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
• Charles Schultz character
• Documentary film enabled Steve Ross to launch Warner Communications, later Time-Warner.
• Peace Sign Pendants

If you are wondering how the USA got itself fixated and entangled in the adventure, attack and occupation of Iraq you need not look further than the Project for the New American Century. Not a conspiracy, this is an “educational organization” on a mission to “make the case and rally support for American global leadership.”

Letters to President Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott were written in 1998 and signed by engineers of the Iraq war to come: Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, William Kristol, and John Bolton. In the letters it is stated: “U.S. policy should have as its explicit goal removing Saddam Hussein’s regime from power and establishing a peaceful and democratic Iraq in its place.”

The Chairman of PNAC is William Kristol, who was big enough to take the jabbing on The Colbert Report (see video).

So, PNAC got what they wanted and they proudly report Iraq is “the right war for the right reasons.” If you need rationalizations and justifications, this is the place for you.

If you seek a different point of view, there is The Project for the Old American Century, who “believe the only imperial stance this great nation should take is that of peacefully encouraging freedom, equality, and civil liberty here at home and around the globe.” POAC also covers current events and produces a searingly sarcastic series of retro antiwar posters.

Originally uploaded by Miss_Alabama_713

It is said, in war the first casualty is truth.

The world is sick with war, and world leaders need to take their medicine now. No one seems to like Carter’s Little Liver Pills, but give Jimmy Carter credit for serving up a cure in his recent Washington Post column: We Need Policies for a Real, Lasting Middle East Peace.

Now stop fighting and crying, and take your medicine, and grow up you big bad war babies!

Peace.

A recent newspaper article, Evangelicals militant when it comes to Israel, End of Days, in the local Sunday Contra Costa Times caught my attention. The author is a strange bird who seems to be pro Israel, but concludes his article warning of a coming religious apocalypse by putting down a Jew, and praising a televangelist:

‘The truth is, in this war, I’d rather be in a bomb shelter — or a foxhole — with Jerry Falwell than with Jerry Seinfeld.’

Maybe this is supposed to be funny, but who wouldn’t prefer to be holed up in a bomb shelter with Seinfeld, instead of a Bible thumping Rev. Falwell or the “ookie spongiform” author, Zev Chafets?

Much of the article gives credence to yet another religious genius from Texas, Rev. John Hagee and his Ministries of San Antonio. Hagee’s schtick is the fire and brimstone 10 Signs Of The Coming Apocalypse style of religious horror show. The truly scary part is that he raises lots of money, and has the attention of politicians such as Senator Brownback of Kansas, God’s Senator, the ever pious Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania (this guy’s really got to go into that pit with Falwell), and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman.

Jerry, where are you when we need you?

See also: Anxious For Armageddon, Challenging Christian Zionism, Theocracy Watch, Seinfeld Shows, Birth Pangs of a New Christian Zionism by Max Blumenthal.

Everyone in Tinseltown is buzzing about the war Israel is waging against Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrians, Iranians, Moslems, and perhaps Scottish Highlanders. Hollywood news sources report that a single malted Mel “Braveheart” Gibson declared, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world, and Jews have just invaded Scotland! That’s it! I’ve had it!”

Could Braveheart 2 be far behind?

More blog news on malty Mel: Huffington, Markoe.